Powering the Creative Industry Through a Cycle of Innovation

In order to forge authentic connections with target consumers in today’s market, brands must build cultural verticals to engage communities and provide meaning.

Sixty-nine percent of Gen-Z shoppers agree with the statement that what they wear says something about them, according to new research by Ipsos. This expectation is even higher when turning to younger consumers, with 77 percent of teens agreeing with the same statement. “Today, the most likeable brands are not necessarily the biggest in the world (although that helps), or the most outrageous (although that helps, too),” says Lauren Sherman, fashion correspondent at Puck Media. “What they have in common is an understanding that as our culture continues to fragment into oblivion, you cannot be everything to every person.”

Neft Vodka is a creatively positioned, premium beverage company which platforms creativity through a virtuous cycle of innovations and activations. The brand then reinvests those efforts in order to distinguish and establish their own creative identity in the market.

Since 2020, Neft’s Emerging Film Talent International Competition (NEFTI) was devised to provide opportunities and mentorship for filmmakers from emerging regions to pitch and produce their stories, which are financed by Neft, for a global audience. Currently in its 6th competition, NEFTI has produced over 20 films with filmmakers from these regions and continues to help them excel. In further support of emerging creative talent, Neft Vodka has partnered with many organisations supporting the arts, including Art Hearts Fashion for New York Fashion Week 2023. This year, Neft is the official partner of the BoF 500.

To learn how Neft Vodka fosters the creative class across its business and through collaboration with adjacent industries and mentorship, BoF sits down with Paul Robinson, Neft Vodka’s chief creative officer.

Why is supporting the creative class a key strategic pillar for Neft Vodka?

I truly believe that art makes life richer, and when you come across an artist in any field that is talented, innovative and unique, it often opens your mind to a new perspective and entices you to engage with that artist’s vision. There is a feeling of real excitement when you first experience a creation and you can sense the effort and passion that the artist has put into the piece. That is something we strive to do at Neft — we want to invoke this sense of excitement, creativity and engagement, and bring exceptional experiences to our audience.

However, none of this would be possible without supporting and investing in the creative class. It’s especially important to us to support those in the early stages of their careers, many of whom haven’t yet had the opportunity to share their vision beyond their immediate surroundings.

So, supporting and collaborating with artists that are innovative and individualistic is a strategic priority. It has been very fulfilling for us to help those artists excel, realise their goals and develop their creative potential. In turn, Neft is able to evolve creatively and find innovative ways to market our brand. We feel strongly that creativity is the way forward.

What innovations or activations can you share that showcase this creative strategic vision?

NEFTI is a short film competition we hold for filmmakers in emerging economies and underrepresented regions. In collaboration with the International Emerging Film Talent Association and other partners, our goal is to support filmmakers, to help them learn new skills, and present them with new opportunities, including the ability to reach a global audience.

Supporting and collaborating with artists that are innovative and individualistic is a strategic priority — it has been very fulfilling for us to help those artists excel

Another project we have just launched is the Neft Global Art Competition which aims to support artists across other disciplines, from painters and photographers through to visual and graphic artists. Each month, we accept applications from artists who send in their creations. We choose the semi-finalists while the finalists and overall winners are chosen through online voting and then awarded cash prizes to further fund their craft. At the end of each year, we will have an event to unveil the winning artist, supporting and spotlighting them. There is so much talent out there, but opportunities are few and increasingly narrow. Leveraging Neft in order to facilitate these initiatives — and watch as the new creative class develops sharing their vision on a global scale — has been particularly fulfilling.

How do you utilise the creativity you nurture to support business goals?

One of the components of the NEFTI competition is a task that centres around incorporating Neft vodka into a short film — not as product placement or the basis for the story, but rather as a cleverly intertwined component of the storytelling. The brand benefits from this commercially, but the main purpose of this task is education. Most of the filmmakers who apply haven’t worked with a brand, under brand guidelines, and haven’t worked in a commercial setting. It equips those filmmakers with commercial experience to expand their career and have the ability to work with brands in the future.

We found that many NEFTI participants would say it was their favourite part of the competition due to the uniqueness of the task and having to stretch beyond their core skill sets. As NEFTI has progressed, we have started to bring in other brands for filmmakers to use, to really develop and nurture their skills. By putting ourselves out there as a brand that grows with artists, it embeds creativity into our brand DNA. We are building a virtuous cycle that’s beneficial to our brand but empowers those we collaborate with and support.

Why is the fashion industry Neft Vodka’s next focus area?

I began my career working as a fashion photographer, so the fashion industry is close to my heart. It encompasses so many different elements of the arts and has such a massive influence on almost every other industry. There is ample opportunity to be involved with the creative class, be that fashion photographers, stylists, artists, creative directors or designers. At Neft, our priority is the artists themselves and finding ways we can support them most effectively. After all, they are the visionaries and the future of industry.

By putting ourselves out there as a brand that grows with artists, it embeds creativity into our brand DNA. We are building a virtuous cycle.

We want to be able to evolve with those who drive change, progress and mould where the industry goes. There are so many aspects of the fashion industry that align with our brand and the direction we have chosen. The spirit space is a very crowded market and so, for us, it is so important to to continue to progress and evolve our voice as a brand. Aligning with industries like fashion and placing emphasis on creativity is absolutely a strategic priority.

What are your ambitions for Neft Vodka over the near and medium-term?

In the near-term, we have several ongoing programmes that we want to continue to expand, like the NEFTI Competition and the Neft Global Art competition. We are also planning to develop a NEFTI type of competition for the fashion industry. Scaling and creating new projects like these as well as expanding into new markets is an immediate focus for us as we continue to build Neft into the brand we want to be — one that supports emerging artists and the creative class.

This year has also been our entrance into the fashion industry. While we have had a presence at New York Fashion Week and have done some other smaller sponsorships with fashion partners, working to tell our story within the industry and support creative talent remains a key goal.

Our brand is very much about finding partners that are going to be long-term. We really value building those relationships and would like to continue on that path of aligning with adjacent industries and growing the communities that we support.

This is a sponsored feature paid for by Neft Vodka as part of a BoF partnership.