In November, Johnnie Walker revealed its Keep Walking campaign inviting a new generation of whisky drinkers to explore their world’s possibilities with Johnnie Walker.
Blended Scotch Whisky has become a category for discovery, with Johnnie Walker seeing a 9 percent net sales growth in North America in fiscal year 2019.
“Scotch isn’t the staunch drink of our grandfathers anymore. It is an all-encompassing liquid to be enjoyed in any moment you want to celebrate,” says Sophie Kelly, senior vice president of whiskies at Diageo North America.
Demographics experimenting with whisky include millennials, females and multicultural consumers, who are not yet delving into the Scotch category, Kelly says.
“Too many people feel the Scotch category is not for them. We know that’s not true, so we are inviting new people into this category,” she says. “... Our spirit is diverse, inclusive and progressive.”
The campaign uses visually evocative imagery to excite curiosity to try Scotch, Kelly says.
Each of its blends has a different personality, she notes. “The red label, for instance, shows cactus flowers, beautiful florals, and intricacies of the Scotch matched with a little sting: soft petals combined with prickliness,” Kelly says.
These contrasting visuals, she says, express the dimensional experience that Johnnie Walker creates. Kelly says the brand will continue to find new ways of communicating the tangible experience that consumers can enjoy with Johnnie Walker, and she empowers other brands to do the same with their brands.
“Scotch has a new lease on life,” Kelly enthuses. “With every step, the plot thickens.”
