"Our biggest challenge is to break through the shackles of the vodka category and become more of a brand than a product . Smirnoff as a brand needs to get beyond vodka, and actually not be conditioned by any of the rules that vodka has . We don't define ourselves through the lens of vodka."
These words were spoken five years ago by Matt Bruhn, Diageo's then-global senior VP for Smirnoff. They've stuck in my head ever since.