“In the early 2000s, 42BELOW vodka orchestrated what advertising insiders still consider the definitive challenger brand campaign. From their Auckland garage, a team of irreverent Kiwis systematically dismantled premium vodka conventions through a series of audacious marketing provocations. Their weapon of choice? Brutal honesty wrapped in razor-sharp wit. While established vodka brands were busy casting supermodels in ice palaces, 42BELOW was busy publishing full-page ads apologizing to Sweden for 'stealing their national drink and making it better.' They turned their small budget into an advantage, creating deliberately low-fi videos that felt like contraband communications from vodka revolutionaries. The result? Within 36 months, Bacardi acquired the brand for $91 million. More importantly, 42BELOW wrote the playbook for how challenger brands could use wit and authenticity to outmanoeuvre giants”