V2C Gin Creates Exclusive Bottle Openers From Drowned Bikes

Turning drowned bicycles from the canals of Amsterdam into exclusive bottle openers sounds like a Dutch idea. Well, it is.

Amsterdam is known for its bicycles. With over 800 km of bike lanes and more bikes than inhabitants, bikes are the city’s most prominent means of transport. However, there’s also a big downside: each year almost 15 thousand of these bikes end up in canals. V2C, the Amsterdam gin brand, and creative agency SuperHeroes have come up with the idea to pay homage to the city and give these drowned bikes a second life. Introducing: The Drowned Bottle Openers.

Together with artist and designer David Kroupa, discarded canal bikes were collected to re-use them as bar tools. From different parts of the bikes, Kroupa designed a series of different bottle openers. Each opener originates from a different part of a drowned bike. Finished off with V2C’s trademark red seal, the result is a unique handcrafted set of tools for bartenders and gin lovers.

Jorgo Costellenos, co-founder of V2C Dutch Dry Gin: “When you work and live in Amsterdam you use your bike every day. That inspired us to unite cycling in the city with our love for the Amsterdam canals. With the help of David, we could turn old bikes into beautiful bottle openers that will last for a long time. Plus, how special is it to open your bottle with a piece of a drowned bike?”

Creative agency SuperHeroes developed the idea for this exclusive on-trade premium (bars & restaurants). The campaign is rolled out to activate bartenders and create brand preference amongst a target audience of gin enthusiasts.

Django Weisz Blanchetta, managing director of SuperHeroes Amsterdam: “V2C is a young independent gin label and we’re proud to help them gain attention in a crowded gin market.

This campaign is one of the activities we are rolling out with V2C. It perfectly fits with their ‘Make it Memorable’ positioning and connects well with our post-advertising approach, in which we look at a mix of activities on different customer touchpoints to gain attention for brands.”