Smirnoff Ice, the Diageo flavored malt beverage brand that has operated in the category since 1999, has signed comedian, podcast host, and digital creator Brittany Broski to a multi-phase partnership anchored in seasonal marketing, exclusive merchandise, and original branded content targeting legal-drinking-age consumers.
The Partnership Structure
The collaboration launches with the Smirnoff Ice Bottle Costume — a limited-edition Halloween costume available for direct purchase at shop.smirnoff.com — and extends through the holiday season with additional content drops and merchandise releases yet to be disclosed. Broski is also set to host Smirnoff Ice's first-ever branded Halloween event later in October, a creator-and-celebrity gathering that will include a costume contest judged by Broski herself. No financial terms were disclosed.
"Brittany brings this perfectly chaotic energy and undeniable charm that feels right at home with Smirnoff Ice," said Fergus McCarthy, Director of Smirnoff Ice. "We wanted to give her the keys and create things together that only Brittany and Smirnoff Ice could pull off."
Why It Matters for FMB Marketers
The deal reflects a broader strategic pivot among flavored malt beverage brands toward creator-led marketing as a primary demand-generation channel, particularly around high-consumption occasions such as Halloween and the winter holidays. For Diageo, which lists on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO), Smirnoff Ice sits within a portfolio that also includes spirits such as Johnnie Walker, Don Julio, and Ketel One — making FMB-specific activations a distinct lever for reaching a younger demographic without cannibalizing premium spirits positioning.
Broski's audience skews heavily toward Gen Z and younger millennials, a cohort that the ready-to-drink and FMB segment has actively courted as overall beer volumes face secular pressure. Creator-hosted brand events — as opposed to traditional media buys — have emerged as a cost-efficient tactic for earned media generation, particularly on short-form video platforms where Broski maintains a significant following. Industry observers tracking beverage alcohol marketing trends have noted that Halloween now ranks among the top three seasonal sales windows for the FMB category, alongside Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
What's Next
Smirnoff Ice has indicated further content and merchandise drops are planned through the holiday season, though specifics were not provided at launch. The brand's direct-to-consumer merchandise channel, Shop.Smirnoff.com, serves as the primary retail touchpoint for the partnership's physical goods. Diageo's broader ready-to-drink strategy has emphasized portfolio diversification across price tiers and occasions, and partnerships of this type function as both brand-building and retail traffic-driving tools heading into the fourth quarter — historically the strongest selling period for spirits and FMB alike.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
