Peter Suciu
Russia-Ukraine War, Europe
Since its introduction on the American market in the early 1970s, the popular Stolichnaya vodka brand was often referred to simply as "Stoli." Now, following Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, parent company SPI Group is changing the brand’s official name to Stoli as well. SPI Group’s owner, the Russian-born billionaire Yuri Shefler, moved to Luxembourg and relocated production of the popular vodka to Latvia when Vladimir Putin came to power.
"We have made the decision to rebrand entirely as the name no longer represents our organization," Shefler said in a press release on Friday. "More than anything, I wish for 'Stoli' to represent peace in Europe and solidarity with Ukraine."
Stolichnaya was marketed as a Russian-made vodka as part of a larger marketing effort that generated stereotypes about vodka's origins. However, following the Russian invasion of its neighbor, there have been boycotts of Russian products across the United States. State-run liquor stores across the United States and Canada have removed Russian-produced vodka from store shelves. Less than 1 percent of vodka consumed in the United States is actually produced in Russia, and more than half of the vodka consumed domestically is also produced in the United States.
Origin and Name Dispute
The Stolichnaya brand can trace its origins to Moscow State Wine Warehouse No. 1, which was opened in 1901 by the authorities to ensure higher quality vodka production. The brand name itself was reportedly trademarked in the 1930s.
The vodka was actually produced in Ukraine during the Cold War, which might seem almost ironic since it is rebranding due to Moscow's assault on Ukraine. In the 1980s, PepsiCo was granted the exportation and Western marketing rights for Stolichnaya products. The company made the deal in exchange for the importation and Soviet marketing rights for Pepsi-Cola, which became the first American consumer product to be produced, marketed, and sold in the USSR.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there was a trademark ownership dispute, with both the Russian state-owned company FKP Soyuzplodoimport and SPI Group, a private company founded and owned by Shefler, claiming ownership of the brand. The issue has dragged on for years, but now it seems that the issue could be moot—Shefler will market the Latvian-made vodka simply as Stoli.
History of Rebranding in Wartime
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," the popular adage from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, was meant to state that the name of a thing doesn't really affect what it is. However, in the modern world, name association is a serious problem. During the First World War, many products with German names were changed.
That is how "frankfurters" became "hot dogs." More recently, “freedom fries” replaced “french fries,” though the phrase didn’t stick.
The most famous name change to take place during that war occurred in the United Kingdom, where the British Royal family's name was changed from the decidedly Germanic House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the House of Windsor.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.
Image: Reuters.
