Au Vodka

The objective

Entering the U.S. market and driving demand at scale

In 2015, school friends Jackson Quinn and Charlie Morgan set out to create something distinctive and disruptive for a new generation, a premium vodka brand synonymous with ambition, success and bold self-expression. The brand, with its iconic gold Au Vodka bottle, was an instant standout in retail environments and on social media, quickly evolving global significance. Already trending vodka brand on TikTok, Au Vodka was ready to break into the U.S. market and make its mark.

The solution

Driving awareness and results on TikTok with a full-funnel approach

Au Vodka began advertising on TikTok with a clear set of goals: make noise, build familiarity fast and establish itself ahead of global expansion. The brand leveraged TikTok as a core channel for cultural relevance and growth, and they used TikTok Ads Manager to ensure they had control over every aspect of their campaign. Au Vodka adopted a full-funnel strategy to introduce their brand to new audiences and build early recognition, then used mid-funnel activity to nurture and educate prospects, moving them from discovery into consideration and closer to conversion.

Au Vodka increased engagement with In-Feed Ads that showed up on age-appropriate audiences’ For You pages and Search Ads that put them in front of viewers actively looking for similar content. With a clear focus on responsible marketing, including age gating, precise audience controls, and full compliance with alcohol advertising policies, their approach ensured content was delivered to the right audiences. Their successful ad strategy also included a focus on UGC content and a collaboration with the Jake Paul, who created high-performing content featuring Au Vodka.

By running a full-funnel campaign strategy and continuously testing creative, Au Vodka built a strong base of engaged audiences. These signals fed into the TikTok Pixel, giving the team deeper insight into user behavior and enabling more precise targeting.

Leveraging TikTok’s auction system, Au Vodka was able to deliver the right content to the right audiences, improving efficiency and driving stronger lower-funnel conversion performance at scale.

The results

TikTok becomes a major growth channel for Au Vodka’s global expansion

TikTok emerged as a major growth channel for Au Vodka, playing a pivotal role in their expansion into the U.S. market. TikTok audiences engaged enthusiastically with Au Vodka’s full-funnel campaign, helping the brand achieve its first $1M month in the U.S. By combining awareness-building strategies, audience nurturing techniques, and data-driven insights with custom and lookalike audiences, Au Vodka connected with consumers and made conversion-focused campaigns more efficient and cost-effective. Their paid presence drove a significant spike in TikTok followers and engagement, while a low cost per mille (CPM) amplified U.S. awareness.

Ads on TikTok unlocked a new audience for the brand, leading to a 224.4% increase in conversions and a 65.4% return on ad spend (ROAS). Fueled by this sales surge and 45% year-over-year growth, Au Vodka plans to scale its TikTok paid strategy aggressively to accelerate its global ambitions in 2026.

Tips & Takeaways

• Build awareness first, then convert: Use a full-funnel approach to turn discovery into measurable results

• Lean into creator-style content: Partner with creators or use UGC to make your ads feel native and drive engagement

• Continuously test creative: Iterate on content to learn what resonates and improve performance over time

• Use data to refine performance: Leverage signals from tools like the TikTok Pixel to optimize targeting and drive more efficient conversions