Smirnoff Ice Wants Love Island Fans to Decide Its Next Flavor

Smirnoff Ice is handing the villa keys over to fans.

The Diageo-owned malt beverage brand has partnered with Love Island USA as the show’s official malt beverage sponsor.

Together, they launched "The Fan Edit," a campaign that lets viewers vote on the next Smirnoff Ice flavor lineup.

The initiative doesn't limit itself to logo placements and branded cups, and instead builds the entire promotion around one thing that Love Island viewers already obsess over: voting.

From May 22 to July 22, fans 21 and older can head to the campaign website to help decide which four flavors will make it into a future variety pack.

The lineup includes Americana-inspired options like Watermelon Limeade and Strawberry Swirl, with eight contenders competing for a permanent spot in the cooler.

For Smirnoff Ice, the campaign is its way of engaging fans, working around the show instead of just attaching itself to a trending title.

After all, Love Island USA has evolved into more than your average reality dating series.

It now lives through reaction videos, memes, live commentary, and nonstop social chatter while episodes air.

And Smirnoff Ice wants in on this loop.

"Love Island USA fans know the power of a vote — it can shake things up and send someone packing," said Fergus McCarthy, Director of Smirnoff Ice.

"The Fan Edit brings that same energy to the cooler, giving fans the chance to decide which new flavor bombshells make it into our new variety pack."

In many ways, the initiative becomes a live product-testing campaign disguised as entertainment.

Beyond the Villa

Smirnoff Ice doesn't stop its efforts with digital voting. 

The alcoholic beverage brand is also bringing back Love Island USA Season 7 personalities Jeremiah Brown, Iris Kendall, and Nic Vansteenberghe to promote two seasonal variety packs:

• Smirnoff Ice Icy Island
• Smirnoff Ice Sunny Days

The two products are inspired by tropical and nostalgic summer flavors, including Orange Cream Pop, while visually borrowing from the bright vacation aesthetics associated with the series.

"There’s so much more to Love Island USA than just watching the show. It’s the reactions, the group chats, and the memes that everyone has fun with along the way," said Jeremiah Brown.

"That’s what makes this partnership with Smirnoff Ice so fun. It brings that same energy and takes it IRL."

Additionally, the campaign will include pop-ups, limited-edition merchandise drops, sweepstakes entries, and branded content starring Brown and Kendall.

One promotion even offers fans the chance to win a trip to New York City and attend a taping of Bravo’s "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."

Overall, the brand's goal is clear, and that's to keep Smirnoff Ice present during the entire summer conversation. 

Smirnoff Ice’s Fan Voting Strategy

Smirnoff Ice understood that Love Island fans already love picking sides and arguing over outcomes, so it built the campaign around that instead of interrupting it.

This is what makes "The Fan Edit" a strong example of how entertainment partnerships can keep consumers engaged and part of the brand's product launches:

• Giving consumers decision-making power can make product launches feel more personal and easier to follow weekly.
• Reality TV partnerships are more effective when brands tap into existing fan behaviors instead of inventing new ones.
• Combining voting, merch, sweepstakes, and influencer content helps campaigns stay active long after premiere night.

Once votes are cast, it'll be up to Smirnoff Ice to create enough emotional investment for fans to actually follow through once the winning flavors hit shelves.

Our Take: Can Fans Be Part of the Product Team?

Who knew market research found a place in reality entertainment?

Viewers already spend hours arguing over decisions online, so the brand simply redirected that behavior toward flavors, too.

And Smirnoff Ice knows fans don’t feel like they’re being surveyed, because they want to feel like they’re influencing something.

That's how to make a beverage brand's flavor development feel like episodic television.

Every vote becomes another reason to come back next week, check results, send memes, or debate favorites in the group chat.

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