SMIRNOFF™ AND SPOTIFY DEBUT NEW EXPERIENCE ENABLING YOU TO UNCOVER YOUR LISTENING HABITS TO PROMOTE PHENOMENAL WOMEN

The World’s No. 1 Vodka Brand Launches the Smirnoff Equalizer Platform and Celebrates the Achievements of Women Everywhere Leading up to International Women’s Day

NEW YORK (March 2, 2018) – SMIRNOFF has announced a new extension of its “Equalizing Music” global campaign through a new partnership with Spotify that promotes equality for women musicians around the world.

According to Spotify data, none of the top 10 most-streamed tracks were performed by women artists or bands in 2017. To help make a difference in the music industry, the makers of SMIRNOFF have teamed up with Spotify to increase representation of women in music by allowing consumers to impact their own listening habits through an industry-first application programming interface (API), dubbed the Smirnoff Equalizer.

The Smirnoff Equalizer analyzes Spotify users’ listening habits to provide them with a percentage breakdown of the number of men versus women artists they have listened to in the previous six months before providing an equalized playlist tailored just for them, where artists of both genders are equally represented. The Smirnoff Equalizer further supports women musicians by offering a personalized slider, where the user can increase the number of women artists in their playlists. The innovative platform was debuted at the brand’s “Phenomenal You” launch event last night in New York City.

“We developed the Smirnoff Equalizer in partnership with Spotify because we believe that when we get to discover talented women artists and their phenomenal music, we’ll all have a better listening experience,” said Neil Shah, SMIRNOFF Global Senior Brand Manager. “The Smirnoff Equalizer not only drives awareness, but also allows Spotify users to take direct action by increasing the number of tracks from women artists in their playlists.”

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The goal behind the Smirnoff Equalizer is to get more people listening to more women artists. The bigger their fan bases become, the more opportunities they will have to perform and succeed. The Smirnoff Equalizer platform will run through the summer and can be accessed by Spotify users of a legal drinking age in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, Mexico and Argentina.

.@SmirnoffUS & @Spotify debut experience enabling you to uncover music listening habits

One of the artists featured in the Smirnoff Equalizer is Honey Dijon, an African-American transgender woman who is a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights and highly respected for her musical heritage and curated DJ sets that defy genres. She will appear in the platform to share her experiences facing gender bias in the music industry.

The Smirnoff Equalizer is the latest initiative from SMIRNOFF’s “Equalizing Music” campaign, which the brand announced in 2017 with the goal of doubling the number of women festival headliners by 2020. As an extension of this effort, SMIRNOFF has also partnered with Global Radio and Live Nation to equalize festival lineups across Europe with performances by women DJs.

“We are very proud that SMIRNOFF once again chose Spotify as its brand partner for the ‘Equalizing Music’ campaign,” said Danielle Lee, Vice President, Global Head of Partner Solutions at Spotify. “We share SMIRNOFF’s goal to improve gender diversity in music, and for all the artists, songwriters and producers who create it.”

To kick off the Smirnoff Equalizer campaign, SMIRNOFF held a launch event in New York City to debut the platform and to celebrate the many women who are phenomenal professionals in one of the world’s most career-focused cities. The event, which took place exactly one week before International Women’s Day, was themed around “Phenomenal You” with SMIRNOFF encouraging each woman to celebrate the inherent power of women across the world, starting with themselves.

At the event, SMIRNOFF hosted a “Phenomenal You Panel,” moderated by multi-platinum singer-songwriter, recording artist, actress and television host Adrienne Bailon-Houghton and comprised of women across different industries who spoke about their personal experiences. SMIRNOFF ended the launch event by unveiling new special edition “Phenomenal You” bottles for SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka. Inside the SMIRNOFF “Phenomenal You” bottles is the iconic SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka, triple distilled and ten-times filtered, from the world’s most awarded name in vodka in the last ten years. While these bottles are not available for retail purchase, they are being gifted to 100 phenomenal women around the world, along with a donation made in each of their names to She Runs It, a non-profit which paves the way for more women to lead at each stage of their career.

Cocktail Recipe
If you’d like to toast to the phenomenal women in your life, mix up the Original Moscow Mule, which was invented by SMIRNOFF in 1941. Combine 1.5 oz. SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka, 4 oz. ginger beer and a squeeze of lime in a copper mug over ice. As the story goes, a woman named Ozeline Schmidt was one of the three inventors involved in the origins of the drink, which helped revolutionize cocktail culture in America. Whether you choose to mix up your favorite cocktail or your Spotify playlist, SMIRNOFF reminds you to always drink responsibly.

About SMIRNOFF
SMIRNOFF the brand that boasts the world’s number-one selling premium spirit and the top-selling brand of flavors in North America, traces its heritage back to 19th century Russia. As the most awarded vodka brand in the world, SMIRNOFF has always been known for quality and is enjoyed responsibly in 130 countries around the world. For more information, log on to www.smirnoff.com.

About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, SMIRNOFF, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

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Note To Editors
In January 2018, Diageo was recognized by the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for performance and disclosure around gender equality. Diageo’s Executive Committee is made up of 40% women, and Diageo’s Board will achieve gender parity in April 2018 when Ursula Burns takes up her position.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Michelle Sibley
Diageo North America
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646-223-2168

Alex Stathis
Taylor
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212-714-5723

Diageo Global Press Office
Diageo
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+44 (0) 20-8978-2749

Alison Bonny
Spotify
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