Why the arts are important for Martin Miller’s Gin. A conversation with Nina Plowman

In many cases, art and madness go together.  We all know relevant artists that were called mad when they broke the established rules and disrupted art’s traditional path. The same thing happened when Martin Miller expressed his desire to create his namesake gin, just for gin’s sake.

Let’s enquire about this close relationship with Nina Plowman, managing partner and co-owner of Cultural Communications, one of the UK’s Top Ten Luxury PR Agencies.

1. Did you immediately see the link the brand's positioning could have with the cultural world and the opportunities therein for Martin Miller's Gin? Why?

I’ve worked with brands for many years and see the difference culture can make as a vehicle to changing the customer’s perception through basic human connection. Culture inspires and educates, and the commercial and creative outcome for the brand and audience response can be long-lasting.

Through artistic expression, we can inspire new thinking about Martin Miller’s Gin and that’s why it’s the perfect vehicle for sharing the news and narratives about the brand.

2. Why do you think art & creativity is the perfect fit for Martin Miller’s Gin?

If we go back to the origins of Martin Miller’s Gin, we see a founder who had the mind of an entrepreneur and was an avid collector of art and artefacts. Many said he had an ‘artist’s soul.’ Art was in his DNA. He was passionate and always obsessed about his creation.

The original vision for the gin was seen as a ‘mad’ idea, just as an artist would have been seen to be mad with a creative idea, but it ultimately became a genius product: The world’s most awarded gin.

Let’s remember here that Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime, and then he became the forefather of Impressionist genre with one of the most famous paintings on earth. We aren’t conjuring up a story from nothing. We are sharing an authentic truth about the original personality behind Martin Miller’s Gin. London is where it all started and where the founder sought to create the ultimate gin experience.

Art is global, it’s accessible, and it’s relevant. London is the hub of the global art scene, but art is a burgeoning scene all over the world; the biggest market in the world being North America.

Art is an expression of ideas, and the beauty about it is that it’s meritocratic; anyone can have access to it no matter in which corner of the world in which they live or their income bracket. It’s visual, it’s serious, but it’s also fun.

This is why it has an authentic place in the world of Martin Miller’s Gin. It’s a ‘home’ from which everything can be inspired and which nods to the personal creativity that Martin Miller and his co-founders gave to the brand right at the beginning.

In today’s pandemic world, relevance is fundamental; young people especially, want to move away from the establishment, and they’re increasingly drawn to artistic expression. Our work with Martin Miller’s Gin will undoubtedly provoke some thoughtful reactions.

3. Art is such a vast territory to venture into, how do you think for Martin Miller's Gin can make a difference?

It’s a broad territory full of many different artistic disciplines: from fine art, contemporary art, digital, performance arts, sculpture.

Violeta McGuire is going to produce a commission for the Affordable Art Fair in 2021. Both the founder and Violeta have shared story of transformation - their creative processes and their own ‘madness’ to genius.

Whichever artistic medium is chosen we will stand out by making it relevant and connecting right back into our own brand story - first and foremost that of the founder, and also by sharing the narrative behind the art. That’s our approach, and that’s how we’ll stand out.

4. How do you see this territory of expression for the brand moving forward?

The world of art is multi-layered and exciting. I see it as the bridge that we are going to use for Martin Miller’s Gin to meet the consumer.

People connect with stories not products, and people engage through emotion. People buy through emotion and rationalise with logic. Art and creativity provide us with the vehicle to meet many different audiences on many different levels.

The Affordable Art Fair is one good expression of this. This may be useful in your market, and if not, then be open-minded and feel free to experiment.

Thank you, Nina, for your time and for sharing your knowledge with us.

If you want to discover more about Cultural Communications check out their website and follow them on Instagram.