To help Smirnoff support British Pride in 2017 – and to spread Pride's positive message in a unique way – we came up with a new take on 'Choose Love'. Without turning our back on the iconic rainbow, we created a symbolic design featuring 6 embracing couples, representing love in an inclusive way. It's a design that has real power, presence and meaning – and the potential to change attitudes and behaviours.

We created a series of 6 bottles, one in each colour of the Pride flag. Working closely with illustrator Rob Bailey, we Art Directed a range of beautifully observed illustrations of embracing couples, all in his signature, minimalist style.

The couples have been meticulously crafted to represent national diversity and inclusivity – an idea that is central to the Smirnoff brand – and there are hidden details, such as tattoos and jewellery, to discover on each bottle.

Much of the typography has been personally hand-drawn in-house adding an almost handmade and ownable quality. Additional elements such as the numbering, which links each of the six bottles to its colourful position within the Pride flag, and the special rainbow coloured seal add extra layers of storytelling and discovery on pack.

The inclusion of a Snapchat lens allowed consumers to capture and share their own Pride celebrations, wherever they were.

Designed exclusively to be sold in Tesco stores, the bottles were so well loved that the retailer made an order of unprecedented scale. In fact, Tesco decided to completely dominate its Spirits shelves nationwide with the 6 different variations during Pride season, and this was the first time that the Smirnoff 21 bottle had been replaced by a limited edition design in the UK.

The Instagram response was overwhelming. People were photographing and sharing Smirnoff Choose Love bottles across social media the minute they laid eyes on them because they felt so strongly about the positive message being shared by Smirnoff and Tesco.

Smirnoff Choose Love makes us proud to live in an era in which huge supermarkets like Tesco will promote a pack featuring two guys kissing, regardless of any potential controversy.