Hasta La Creative!

Smirnoff is going on the attack against what it calls its “fake crafty” competitors — and the brand has signed up Chrissy Teigen to deliver its punches.

Smirnoff remains the top-selling vodka in the U.S. with a nearly 12% market share and more than $230 million in sales at stores, according to the data from the 52-week period ending Feb. 19 from IRI, which does not include bar sales. But the brand — whose dollar sales dropped 2.1% in the period — has lost ground in recent years to Tito’s. Sales of Tito’s grew 58% in the period to nearly $170 million, ranking it No. 2, ahead of Absolut, according to IRI. The Austin, Texas-based brand is labeled as “Tito’s Handmade Vodka” and promoted on its web site as “America’s Original Craft Vodka.”

Jay Sethi, Diageo’s VP of the Smirnoff brand, declined to comment when asked if the ad was aimed at Tito’s. But he said: “We fundamentally believe that Smirnoff can stand its own ground and can stand the test of time — that we don’t have to follow trends or follow frills. Those trends and frills may change but Smirnoff doesn’t.” He added that Smirnoff is still No. 1 because “what really matters is that we are great quality vodka at a really great price — and that’s our position.”

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