Smirnoff Raw Tea Partay

Smirnoff‘s new product, “Raw Tea”, is at the centre of an incredibly popular viral music video, “Tea Partay” gone wild on YouTube. Diageo, the distributor of Smirnoff, has launched “Raw Tea” in three flavours, focusing on the East Coast first. With that in mind, BBH New York, the brand’s first advertising agency, decided to hone in on the iced tea culture of New England. The budget prevented investment in saturated television advertising. Besides, the young adult market were more likely to relate to an online viral campaign that was high on entertainment and low on hard sell. The spoof music video features three male “prepsta” (Prep Gangstas) rapping about the social lives of young preppies who use Smirnoff Raw Tea on the South Wing verandah. The chorus line, “Partay” is sung by three Preppie women. Wearing pastel colours, the rappers tell it like it is for privileged wealthy East Coasters. The 2 minute music video ends by inviting viewers to a microsite, teapartay.com, where Smirnoff Raw Tea is described as tasting like new ryhmes laid on a classic track. “Its straight up natural raw tea flava blends nicely with a triple filtered premium malt beverage for an incredibly smooth and refreshing taste.”

Girls in Smirnoff Tea Partay ad

From all accounts the Smirnoff Raw Tea brand has started to pick up demand on the East Coast, despite the lack of clear information about the product in the ad or on the web site. Retailers on the West Coast are reporting requests for the product as well.

Guys in Smirnoff Tea Partay ad

Online Engagement

Visitors to the site are provided with zipped versions of the music video in Windows Media and Quicktime formats, along with the opportunity to browe through a flash-based 12 page guide to Prepsta culture. The pages in the book are small and the text is difficult to read. The version uploaded to YouTube by Iamigor, on August 2 2006, has today been viewed by 2,045,285 people. That’s not counting the versions uploaded since then. And then of course there are a few spoofs uploaded in response.

Screenshot from Smirnoff Raw Tea Partay web site

Smirnoff Raw Tea Partay Credits

The Smirnoff Raw Tea Partay campaign was developed at BBH New York by executive creative director Kevin Roddy, creative directors Rob Ingalls and David Moranville, art director Amee Shah, copywriters Matt Ian and Clay Weiner, head of broadcast Bruce Wellington, senior producer Lisa Setten, and producer Melissa Bemis.

Diageo has since moved the Smirnoff Raw Tea account to JWT.

Filming was shot by director Julien “Little” Lutz via HSI with director of photography Max Goldman, executive producer Ellen Jacobson, producer John Winter, president Stavros Merjos, VP/Commercial Division Kerstin Emhoff and head of production Michael McQuhae. Lil X is known for his many music videos, including Sean Paul (Get Busy) and Nelly Furtado (Promiscuous Girl).

Editing was done by Crandall Miller at The Whitehouse, with assistant editor Kim O’Donnell and editorial producer Lauren Hertzberg.

Post production was done at The Mill, New York, by VFX producer Carrie Van Den Vussche, lead smoke artist Jeff Robins, smoke artist (DCP) Tom Poole, assistant telecine artist Sal Malfitano, telecine producer Angela Botta.

Music was mixed at Maxamus Entertainment. Sound was produced by JDiggz at Sterling Sound with engineers Chris Athens (Sterling Sound) and James Czeiner at EMW Studios (Elaborate Musik Workshop). Sound was mixed at Nutmeg Recording Studios.

Lyrics for Tea Partay

Thanks for the help from commenters in filling the gaps.

P Unit Foreva
P Unit
P Unit what’s up fellas?

Yo yo where my WASPs at?
M V Martha’s Vineyard

Holla back
Tell Buffy to chirp me

Sip sip
Yo!
Straight out of Cape Cod
We’re keeping it real
We’re going to have a party makes the ladies squeal
We’re going to turn it on
with our parents’ riches
We’ll serve Smirnoff raw tea and finger sandwiches

We keeps it real
by real we mean rich
from New Hampshire to Vermont
from the Main line to Greenwich
Cause no one’s harder than a New England gangsta
We drink raw tea on the south wing verandah

Tea Partay!

High tea in the palour makes the ladies holla

Partay!
Smirnoff raw tea Lemon peach and raspberry

We sail yachts and we ride on horses
Every meal we eat comes in multiple courses
When it’s time to party
we have a tea partay
And we keeps it real
the old money way

Haters love to clown our
Ivy League education
but they’re just jealous
’cause our families run the nation

Yo where’s the love at the Tea Partay
but if you’re going to show up send an RSVP our way

Tea Partay

High tea in the parlour makes the ladies holla
Partay!
Smirnoff raw tea lemon peach and raspberry

We play croquet and we go rollablading
Here’s to homies on lock
for insider trading
It’s a tea partay from Maine to Amagansett (some hear Megansett)
We might be vanilla but our labs are chocolate
We’re chilling from our heads and white tennis visors
Right down to our toes in a pair of top siders

But now it’s time to break
but please will you promote
Smirnoff raw tea parties
and we’ll send a thankyou note
in cursive…

Tea Partay…
Tea Partay…
Tea Partay…

Please drink responsibly and visit teapartay.com
playa

23 Replies to “Smirnoff Raw Tea Partay”

  1. Duncan,
    (1) Great site! Thanks.
    (2) Great info on this video. Sad the acount got pulled. I have watched this video a dozen times – just discovered it a few days ago. I grew up in Connecticut. I went to high school with these folks…
    (3) I have people wanting to know who the actors are. Any chance you have access to that info?
    (4) Hope you don’t mind, but I ‘dugg’ your story.
    Thanks!

  2. P Unit Foreva
    P Unit
    P Unit what’s up fellas?
    ………
    (yo yo where my wasps at)
    M V Martha’s Vineyard
    Holla back
    ……….
    (tell puppy to churp me)
    Sip sip
    Yo!
    Straight out of Cape Cod
    We’re keeping it real
    We’re going to have a party makes the ladies squeal
    We’re going to turn it (out)
    with our parents’ riches
    We’ll serve Smirnoff raw tea and finger sandwiches
    We keeps it real
    by real we mean rich
    from New Hampshire to Vermont
    from the Main line to (Greenich)
    Cause no one’s hotter than a New England gangsta
    We drink raw tea on the south wing verandah
    (haters like) to clown our
    Ivy League education
    but they’re just jealous
    ’cause our families run the nation
    Yo where’s the love at the Tea Partay
    but if you’re going to show up send an RSVP (our way)
    Tea Partay
    High tea in the parlour makes the ladies holla
    (lets have a tea)Partay!
    Smirnoff raw tea lemon peach and raspberry
    We play croquet and we go rollablading
    Here’s to homies on lock
    for insider trading
    It’s a tea partay from Maine to Amagansett
    We might be vanilla but our labs are chocolate
    We’re chilling from our heads and white tennis splicers
    Right down to our toes in a pair of top siders
    But now it’s time to break
    but please will you promote
    Smirnoff raw tea parties
    and we’ll send a thankyou note
    in cursive…
    Tea Partay…
    Tea Partay…
    Tea Partay…
    (lets have a tea partay)

  3. I have a few corrections… Where it says, “painters love to clown…” I think it is actually “haters love to clown…” and “tell puppy to chirp me” is “tell Buffy to churn me”.

  4. “It’s a tea partay from Maine to Amagansett”

    is really: “It’s a tea partay from Maine to Megansett”

    (i’m from Cape Cod thank you very much)

  5. Instead of “no one’s hotter than a New England gangster” I think it’s “no one’s harder”, “Painters” should be “haters”, it’s “send an RSVP our way”, not always, and it’s “white tennis visors”, not splicers. Thanks so much for the lyrics I’ve been trying to find them!

  6. Definitely I hear “Amagansett” It’s on Long Island in the Hamptons. Sounds like “Mainland” too but that wouldn’t make sense as Greenwich is also on the mainland? Main Line is in Philadelphia Metro Area – Swarthmore College etc.

  7. HI, Just wanted to put my two cents in. I believe its Maine to naragansett. As in Rhode Island just past Ultra preppy Newport.

    Sarah from Pocassett, Cape Cod, MA

  8. Yo, wassup preps? It’s “Amagansett,” playas. We gotta represent the G’Island, too. We give a shoutout to the Cape right up front. Must be some west coast smack talkers who came up with “Meganasett” or “Naragansett.” Just keepin’ it real for the crews. Peace out.

  9. It’s definatly AMAGANSETT, not NARAGANSETT, or MAGANSETT. it dose not sound right! I’ve listened to the song multiple upon multiple times, I always hear AMAGANSETT. PLUSSSSSS, plus, AMAGANSETT, NY is Wealthier than Naragansett, and Magansett doesnt even exsit. There’s Magansett Harbor Co. but it’s not a city. I DARE you to google it. Do your research man.

  10. its mainE line. in the video they even show it. only idiots from penn (not a part of NE either) think its some obscure subway line.

  11. The Main Line is a very old and affluent area (read: old money) just outside of Philadelphia. It is known for its multimillion-dollar stone Colonial homes, exclusivity, and upscale shopping.

  12. after ‘send an RSVP our way’ there’s a ‘holler back’ and then your missing lines of it, but I assume there was a shorter than 3:30 version.

    after ‘rsvp’ our way up until ‘we play croquette’
    there’s a rock the all well and two missing lines that I just couldn’t get.
    ——–as follows————

    Holla Back!
    high tea in the parlour make the ladies holla, {Girls. Lets have a tea partyyyyyy}
    Smirnoff raw tea, lemon peach and raspberry {Girls. Lets have a tea partyyyyyy}
    Its just a twist! {Girls. Lets have a tea partyyyyyy}
    high tea in the parlour make the ladies holla, {Girls. Lets have a tea partyyyyyy}
    Sip Sip!
    Smirnoff raw tea, lemon peach and raspberry
    We intimidate, coz we’re kinda hard and Scary
    Suckas step aside when we board the Nantucket ferry
    We’re having a tea party, make sure your all there
    Rock them all well ………. …….., Keep that nose in the air
    We’re havin a party, lest check our sock returns, coz no money’s better than money we didn’t earn
    You know we likes to party with Smirnoff raw tea and kick it old skool like a f**ing P…R…E…P
    {Girls. Lets have a tea partyyyyyy}
    high tea in the parlour make the ladies holla, {Girls. Lets have a tea partyyyyyy}
    M..V, Martha’s Vineyard
    Holla Back
    Smirnoff raw tea, lemon peach and raspberry {Girls. Lets have a tea partyyyyyy}
    high tea in the parlour make the ladies holla, {Girls. Lets have a tea partyyyyyy}
    Smirnoff raw tea, lemon peach and raspberry

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