Svedka Social Listening Blog Post

Svedka (owned by Sazerac Company) promotes flavored vodkas for fun, party vibes—targeting young adults with playful, bold messaging. In this campaign, they used AI to generate the entire ad (or most of it), aiming to showcase tech innovation while tying back to their quirky brand history. 

Three Different Things/Issues People Are Commenting About 

Social listening shows overwhelmingly negative sentiment around AI ads in the Super Bowl (Meltwater analysis: ~50% negative mentions, framing them as "declining creative effort"). For Svedka specifically:

1. Creepy/Uncanny Valley Aesthetics (bad): Many called the AI robots "creepy," "weird," or "nightmare fuel," saying the visuals felt dystopian and off-putting rather than fun. 

        Example comment on X (from viral post): "@user: possibly the worst Super Bowl ad of all time, I mean this in the nicest way but fire that marketing team." (5.2M views, 47K likes—linked in LinkedIn discussion: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tayleb-brooks-bb64701a2_theyre-calling-it-the-worst-super-bowl-activity-7427351171507474433-9PH-) 

        Context: This reflects broader AI backlash where generated content feels soulless, not connecting emotionally to vodka's party fun. 

2. Lack of Human Creativity/Authenticity (bad): Viewers accused it of being "AI slop" or proof brands are cutting corners on creativity. 

        Example comment on X: "@user: this s*** looks like it was made by Grok and that’s not a compliment" (from Yahoo coverage reactions). 

        Context: Ties to class discussions on storytelling—Svedka tried "remarkable" innovation but lost brand match (iSpot: only 7% emotional connection vs. 63% alcohol norm). 

3. Bold Innovation/First-Mover Attempt (mixed/good from some): A minority praised it as gutsy or forward-thinking. 

        Example comment on Instagram reel: "Everyone's dragging Svedka's AI Super Bowl ad, but imo it was the best ad of the night" (from https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUj3wIFifPT). 

        Context: Some saw it as embracing tech trends, but positives were rare. 

Critique of Svedka's Social Media Use

Svedka has ~100K+ followers on X and Instagram (check current via profiles). Posts are frequent (daily/weekly), mostly fun visuals, memes, party tips, and product promos with vibrant colors and user-generated content. Engagement is moderate—likes/shares on fun posts, but this ad sparked high but mostly negative interaction (comments, quotes, reposts). They post often but engagement here was backlash-driven, not positive buzz. 

Marketing aspects: They aimed for storytelling (reviving Fembot) and "remarkable" (AI first), aligning with class ideas on innovation/digital trends. But it violated best practices like authenticity and audience resonance—AI felt forced, not tied to vodka enjoyment. Challenge: Building brand recognition amid AI hype while avoiding backlash. They partially succeeded in virality (lots of talk) but failed in positive sentiment/engagement—ad became a cautionary tale (Adweek called it "cautionary"). 

How the Company Responded to Customers 

From sources, Svedka didn't heavily respond to backlash (no major apologies or threads spotted). They likely monitored but stayed quiet or posted standard promos. This was probably a good decision—engaging could amplify negativity (fuel trolls). Silence let it fade, though addressing creatively (e.g., humorous follow-up) might have helped. If 

I Were the Brand Manager 

I'd lean into the backlash with humor/self-awareness—post a follow-up on X/Instagram: "Our bots partied hard... but humans still mix the best drinks! What's your go-to Svedka cocktail?" to pivot to user-generated content and rebuild authenticity. Respond to key negative comments empathetically (e.g., "We hear you—AI was experimental, but real fun comes from you!"). Beyond social: Partner with influencers for human-made content, run TikTok challenges, email loyalty perks, or in-person events. Add transparency (behind-the-scenes on AI process) to educate on innovation without alienating. 

What I Learned 

This assignment showed how fast marketing issues spread on social—AI innovation excites some but alienates many fearing job loss/creativity decline. Brands must balance trends with authenticity; backlash can turn "remarkable" into reputational risk. It reinforced class lessons on listening, engagement, and crisis timing. 

Company URLs: Main website: https://www.svedka.com/ Social media examples (focus on X/Twitter and Instagram, where backlash was strong): 

Official X: https://x.com/SVEDKA Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/svedka/ Ad video link (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkeWRI2yJGM (the "Shake Your Bots Off" ad featuring AI-generated robot dancers reviving the old Fembot character)