Liquor brands learn to segment the female market

— -- The ad shows a strikingly handsome spokesman dressed in firefighter's gear.

His shirt has a habit of disappearing, revealing sculpted pecs., and he chats in French with a beret-wearing kitten.

You don't have to watch Sauza Blue Tequila's latest YouTube video very long before you realize this is not your father's liquor ad.

With millions of views, the "Make it with a Fireman" video launched this year has caused quite a stir. Brand officials say social media mentions of Sauza are up and the adorable blue-eyed kitten costar has built a fan base of its own.

On a broader scale, the ad reflects a slight shift in spirits marketing, as some companies look beyond traditional male-oriented marketing campaigns.

"Companies are realizing that women comprise a very heavy percentage of the cocktail-drinking community, and I believe they are starting to speak more directly to women without the fear that they're going to alienate the male base," says Allison Evanow, founder and CEO of Square One Organic Spirits in San Francisco and one of the relatively few female executives in the spirits industry.

"There's more advertising that is either targeted to women or at least is not quite as male-dominated," she says.

For Sauza, the decision to engage female consumers was prompted by data showing that a good chunk of tequila is being consumed in margaritas. And those margaritas are being consumed by women.

"So you just look at that and you go, 'Wow! We should really be talking to this demographic,'" says Kevin George, chief marketing officer for Beam Inc., which owns Sauza.

Sauza's all-digital campaign started with suggested recipes for ladies nights in or out, and this year they looked at ways to deliver that message in a new context, hence the firefighter ad created by Euro RSCG Chicago.

Striking the same tongue-in-cheek note as the Old Spice TV spots featuring Isaiah Mustafa ("The Man Your Man Could Smell Like") the Sauza YouTube video is a mash-up of female appeal — Firemen! Kittens! — and aims to be just over-the-top enough to let women know they're in on the joke.

More ads are planned in the Sauza campaign. Meanwhile, the company has other brands with a feminine touch, include Red Stag Bourbon, launched in a black cherry flavor in 2009 and in honey tea and spiced versions this year, along with Skinnygirl Cocktails and Courvoisier Rose.

"Marketing spirits to women is something that we think is a big opportunity," says George.

Also reaching out is Campari America, formerly known as SKYY Spirits, home to a number of brands, including Yamazaki Japanese Single Malt Whisky and Wild Turkey. The company has created a "Women & Whiskies," campaign, a group and event series intended to give women a forum to enjoy and learn more about whiskies and cocktails.

On the consumer side, women have shown their interest in spirits, forming groups such as Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails, which has chapters in several major cities.

Kiki Braverman, cofounder of the San Francisco chapter of LUPEC, has seen the Sauza ad and liked its humor and originality. "I LOVE that a guy is the sex object," she says. Still, Braverman, who runs the microbrand Pur Spirits, featuring spirits from her native Germany, would like to see advertising go further.