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In alcohol marketing, heritage brands face a difficult balancing act: stay familiar enough to retain trust, but modern enough to stay culturally relevant. MARTINI’s latest design refresh and “Dare To Be” campaign show how a 160+ year-old vermouth brand can reposition itself without abandoning its roots. Backed by Bacardi, the relaunch combines lighter packaging, lower-ABV drinking occasions, signature spritz serves, and immersive brand experiences - all built around the modern aperitivo moment.
For marketers, the real lesson is not simply that MARTINI updated its bottle or launched a 360-degree campaign. The more important point is that MARTINI is using heritage as a platform for behavior change. Instead of asking consumers to see vermouth as a traditional pre-dinner drink, the brand is reframing aperitivo as a stylish, social, daytime occasion. That shift matters because it gives MARTINI a clearer role in modern drinking culture.
Executive Insight
MARTINI’s relaunch works because it connects three strategic moves: First, it protects brand equity by leaning into Italian heritage and 160+ years of recognition. Second, it modernizes the consumption occasion by positioning aperitivo as a lifestyle moment rather than a narrow pre-dinner ritual. Third, it gives the repositioning physical proof through packaging, lighter serves, no/low options, and real-world experiences.
This is what many heritage alcohol brands get wrong. They refresh the visuals but leave the occasion unchanged. MARTINI’s approach is stronger because the campaign, product serves, packaging, and experience strategy all point toward the same behavioral shift.
Reinventing a 160+ Year Heritage
Booming Aperitivo Market
Aperitivo has evolved from a pre-dinner ritual to a lifestyle-driven social moment.
“With our investment in MARTINI, we are celebrating the best of the brand’s 160+ year heritage and its undeniable influence on today’s bar culture. MARTINI is made for the modern aperitivo.” - Mahesh Madhavan, CEO of Bacardi Limited
Madhavan’s statement underscores Bacardi’s confidence that daytime, lower-ABV drinking occasions are ripe for growth - and that MARTINI, with its 160-year track record, stands uniquely poised to capitalize on this trend.
The strategic value of heritage is not nostalgia alone. In this case, heritage gives MARTINI permission to modernize. A newer aperitivo brand would need to spend heavily to establish credibility. MARTINI already owns cultural memory in the category. That allows Bacardi to shift the brand toward new occasions without making the repositioning feel forced. For established alcohol brands, this is an important distinction. Heritage should not be treated as a museum asset. It should function as proof that the brand has the authority to evolve.
“With the rise of daytime drinking occasions, aperitivo has evolved into a more modern and stylish experience. Our MARTINI vermouth range, with its bold bittersweet flavors and lighter tasting serves, is perfect to capitalize on this global trend. With our new MARTINI, we’re inviting a new generation of drinkers to experience a true Italian icon.” -Emma Fox, VP, MARTINI & ST-GERMAIN
Marketing Takeaway
Do not modernize by rejecting the past. Modernize by giving heritage a new job. MARTINI’s relaunch works because the brand does not abandon its Italian identity or long-standing aperitivo associations. Instead, it expands what those associations can mean for today’s drinker: lighter serves, daytime occasions, stylish social moments, and more flexible participation. For heritage alcohol brands, the strongest refreshes are rarely complete reinventions. They are strategic reinterpretations.
A Contemporary Bottle, A Lower Carbon Footprint
Design That Marries Aesthetics and Sustainability
A core element of MARTINI’s new “era” is a redesigned, lighter-weight bottle inspired by the arched walkways of Turin, Italy - home to MARTINI since 1863. Beyond its sleek, modern look, the bottle is 30 grams lighter in its 1L format, reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions at the production site. More efficient pallet stacking also improves distribution.
This is where packaging becomes more than design. It becomes a business signal. The lighter bottle supports sustainability goals, but it also gives MARTINI a practical proof point that consumers, trade partners, and media can understand quickly. That matters because sustainability claims often become vague or difficult to verify. A measurable packaging change is easier to communicate and easier to believe. For alcohol brands, the lesson is clear: sustainability works best when it is built into the product experience, not added as a separate corporate message.
Sustainability Meets Shelf Presence
By combining environmental improvement with stronger shelf presence, MARTINI avoids the common trade-off between responsibility and desirability. The bottle still needs to look premium, recognizable, and emotionally connected to Italian aperitivo culture. The sustainability benefit strengthens the story, but it does not replace the need for visual impact. That balance is important. In alcohol, packaging must do more than communicate values. It has to earn attention at shelf, photograph well in social settings, and reinforce the occasion the brand wants to own.
“Dare To Be”: An Immersive 360° Campaign
Going Beyond Pre-Dinner Drinks
While MARTINI has been synonymous with pre-dinner cocktails, the “Dare To Be” campaign positions aperitivo as an “event” in itself - inviting drinkers to drop everyday routines and embrace “your most playful and stylish self.” The visuals, shot by fashion photographer Lou Escobar and directed by Tom Noakes, highlight vibrant daytime social scenes where consumers enjoy fresh, lower-ABV or no/low cocktails.
The campaign is strongest when viewed as an occasion-building platform. “Dare To Be” does not simply promote MARTINI as a product. It promotes a mood: playful, stylish, daytime, social, and lighter in tone than traditional spirits occasions. That gives the brand a broader cultural role. This is especially relevant in a market where many consumers are moderating alcohol intake but still want social rituals. MARTINI is not positioning moderation as restriction. It is positioning lighter drinking as part of a more intentional lifestyle.
Modernizing an Italian Classic
From bold OOH (out-of-home) visuals to social media activations featuring actress Simona Tabasco (HBO’s The White Lotus), MARTINI weaves cinematic, glamorous elements with approachable beverage serves. The brand’s extensive digital and PR coverage, plus local on-trade partnerships, ensure a wide reach among younger, style-conscious consumers.
Marketing Insight
The campaign’s strength is not only that it is integrated. Many brands run integrated campaigns. The stronger point is that each channel reinforces the same occasion. Film builds the mood. Social makes the lifestyle shareable. PR gives the relaunch cultural visibility. On-premise partnerships turn the idea into a real drinking behavior. That alignment is what separates a campaign from a platform. A campaign creates awareness. A platform creates repeated consumer behavior.
New Signature Spritzes for the Modern Aperitivo
Bianco Spritz & Lower-Alcohol Variants
Bacardi is introducing the MARTINI Bianco Spritz: a crisp serve with 50ml MARTINI Bianco vermouth, 75ml MARTINI Prosecco, 25ml soda water, mint, and fruit garnishes. Simple to make and drink, it aligns with global trends toward lighter, refreshing cocktails perfect for daytime gatherings.
No/Low Innovations
MARTINI also emphasizes its non-alcoholic aperitivo range (Vibrante and Floreale), catering to the 53% of young adults looking to reduce alcohol intake. This keeps MARTINI relevant among wellness-minded consumers without losing the brand’s iconic style.
The important strategic move is that MARTINI treats no/low options as part of the brand world, not as a separate compromise product. That matters because moderation-led products often struggle when they feel disconnected from the main brand experience. MARTINI’s advantage is that lighter and non-alcoholic serves can still fit naturally within aperitivo culture. The occasion remains the same. The level of alcohol becomes flexible.
Lesson for Alcohol Marketers
No/low innovation should not be treated only as a product extension. It should be treated as occasion protection. As more consumers moderate their drinking, alcohol brands need ways to stay present in social rituals even when alcohol consumption is reduced. MARTINI’s spritzes and non-alcoholic aperitivo range help the brand remain part of the moment, regardless of how much alcohol the consumer wants in that occasion.
Terrazza MARTINI: Experience as Marketing
Bringing the Brand to Life
To deepen consumer engagement, Bacardi is rolling out a traveling “Terrazza MARTINI,” a chic bar experience touring major European cities. Attendees can sample new serves, enjoy entertainment, and immerse themselves in MARTINI’s Italian spirit.
This is where the campaign becomes tangible. Aperitivo is not only a drink style. It is a social environment. By creating physical spaces around the ritual, MARTINI gives consumers a way to experience the repositioning rather than simply hear about it. For alcohol brands, this is often the missing link. Advertising can introduce an occasion, but real-world experiences help make that occasion believable.
In-Person Culture, Digital Amplification
Bacardi fuses real-life events with share-worthy moments designed for social media. It’s an approach that builds brand advocacy not just among consumers, but also bartenders, retailers, and influencers - resulting in organic content that feeds digital channels.
Key Insights for Alcohol Marketing Leaders
Use Heritage as Permission to Evolve
MARTINI does not hide its 160+ year history. It uses that history to make modernization feel credible. For legacy alcohol brands, heritage should support change, not prevent it.
Own an Occasion, Not Just a Product Category
The relaunch is less about vermouth alone and more about aperitivo as a modern social ritual. This gives MARTINI a clearer role in consumers’ lives.
Make Sustainability Visible and Specific
A lighter bottle is easier to understand than a broad sustainability claim. Specific physical changes create stronger trust signals.
Build No/Low Into the Core Brand World
MARTINI’s lighter and non-alcoholic serves work because they still feel connected to aperitivo culture. They expand participation without weakening the brand.
Connect Campaign, Product, Packaging, and Experience
The strongest part of the relaunch is the alignment between message and execution. The bottle, serves, campaign visuals, and Terrazza MARTINI all reinforce the same lifestyle direction.
Final Thoughts
MARTINI’s relaunch is not just a packaging update or a campaign refresh. It is a repositioning of the aperitivo occasion for modern drinkers. The brand keeps its Italian heritage visible, but it does not rely on heritage alone. It gives consumers new reasons to participate: lighter serves, stylish daytime moments, no/low options, and physical brand experiences that make the campaign feel real.
For alcohol marketers, the lesson is clear. The strongest brand refreshes do not simply change how a product looks. They change how, when, and why consumers engage with it. That is what makes MARTINI’s move strategically relevant. It protects legacy while creating new behavioral space for the brand.
Editorial Note: This article combines publicly available campaign information with OhBEV’s analysis of alcohol brand positioning, packaging strategy, occasion-building, and omni-channel spirits marketing.
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