In 2021, the message of ‘Keep Walking’ became more relevant and necessary than ever. Globally, Johnnie Walker was shifting its communications to give the decades-old advertising line new meaning - to inspire progress at a time when most could not imagine what progress might look like.

Our brief was to relaunch ‘Keep Walking’ in Africa, recruiting the next generation of whisky drinkers and inspiring people across the continent to stride boldly. Our audience insights showed us a highly engaged afro-optimistic, young audience desperate for the world to progress, and in admiration of those willing to take steps to do so.

We wanted to reimagine how the next generation sees Africa - to celebrate identity, inclusivity, equality, and the creative renaissance shaping the continent. To shine a spotlight on real people taking action and inspire viewers to follow suit, while positioning Johnnie Walker as a meaningful brand connected to local culture.

We knew we had to take a disruptive approach from the beginning. So, rather than simply telling the world what Keep Walking means, we asked those moving the world forward to share their stories - capturing the zeitgeist to inspire the next generation. It was a seismic move for Johnnie Walker, having always previously held total brand control of our talent and influencer content.

Again, we broke convention. Instead of a three-minute commercial, we made a 50-minute documentary.

Created with director Amarachi Nwosu and inspired by the growing trend of ‘Afro-Optimism’ (African Youth Survey 2020) the film shines a light on those reshaping Africa. From a continent that hasn’t always been able to express its true identity we uncovered a collection of powerful stories featuring pioneers from the past, alongside those shaping the future. The feature-length format gave these creatives editorial space to tell their stories, on their own terms.

Our strategic starting point was creating a platform which would demonstrate brand meaning by celebrating the stories of those who push boundaries. Those who Keep Walking - but in their words, not the brand's.

We wanted to put a wide roster of African voices at the heart of this model, enabling us to create rich, diverse, and inclusive content with local relevance. Working with these inspiring individuals would also allow us to drive cultural impact and connect with a new generation of Johnnie Walker drinkers.

We wanted the film to be beautiful and inspiring, but also to seamlessly connect with wider market activations through the line, including regional ATL, press, digital and OOH campaigns.

For this new approach to content, we also needed a new approach to distribution. We needed to deliver meaningfully at scale and so we developed a first-of-its-kind pan regional media approach.

Logistically, the project was complex and fast-paced. We worked with Amarachi to uncover the cast and their stories, then recruited 200+ local creatives to ensure it was told by, and for, Africans. The whole project was concepted, shot, and finalised in under six months, all against the backdrop of a pandemic which involved shooting in small teams across 10 countries.

To deliver meaningful placement at scale we secured a first-of-its-kind partnership with DSTV & Canal+ Network, using existing working media spend for Johnnie Walker to secure editorial distribution and co-promotion of the film with no incremental investment. Our compliant and native content unlocked this distribution opportunity that wouldn’t have otherwise been possible and allowed some emerging markets (inc. Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya) access to branded TV placement for the first time. Furthermore, it was the first time Premium Video programmatic buying was employed at scale on the continent.

The campaign helped the brand deliver 19% sales growth YOY across Africa (Diageo 2022 Interim Results). Through TV and digital, the film was viewed by 3.7+m people across 13 countries, with a total campaign unique reach of 40m (OMG media monitoring 2021/22). 72% watched all 50 minutes, doubling view through rate brand norms (OMG media monitoring 2021/22).

Amplification resulted in 1000+ pieces of coverage and exceptional online engagement, with 15.3m impacts and 10.2m unique reach (Smarts Media Monitoring/Social Listening Data Sprinklr 2022).

Beyond the numbers, the impact of the film was felt in its positive portrayal of the region, with 97% of social conversation measuring positive or neutral, and nearly half of views on owned channels coming from non-followers, displaying breakthrough to new audiences (Social Listening Data Sprinklr 2022).

Helping Johnnie Walker turn its marketing into a rallying call for a new era, inspiring millions of people to Keep Walking.