Faced with a category in decline and five years of falling sales, Johnnie Walker needed relevance among a younger, fashion forward audience – and to excite them about Black Label’s big bold flavour.

Our PR campaign reversed a five year trend, reached over 300m people and increased sales in all markets.

We collaborated with Harris Tweed Hebrides to create a world first - tweed imbued with the flavour of whisky – which was given to influential trendsetters and fashion designers, who created backpacks, capes, hats, suits, bow-ties and scarves. It was used in activations and promotions across Europe, at multiple influencer and media events, including Berlin Fashion Week, before the items went on sale in boutiques.

Our campaign delivered over 300 pieces of coverage and reached over 300m people. The PR value of the campaign exceeded £1m – increasing sales in Greece by 7.9%, Belgium by 9.7% and in Germany by 0.3%.

Johnnie Walker needed to be more relevant among trendsetting 25-35 year old men in Western Europe; who had little understanding of the world of blended whiskies but loved the worlds of style, design and innovation.

The activation needed to be bold and innovative, with the core product credentials and brand’s progressive attitude at its heart. Our strategy focussed on reinforcing Johnnie Walker Black Label as the pioneer of big, bold flavour while making it truly relevant to our core target audience by bridging the gap between our whisky and their core passion of design, style and innovation.

Tapped into a pre-existing passion point:

• 900m of flavoured fabric was turned into backpacks, capes, safari blankets, hats, bow-ties, scarves and hip flasks

• At multiple events, including Berlin Fashion Week, hundreds of influencers saw the designer creations before they went on sale in high-end boutiques

• Approached by a number of high profile designers across Europe, requesting collaborations and fabric for their own designs, including an invitation to show at Milan Fashion Week

Appeal to a new, younger audience of 25 to 35 year old men in Western Europe

• Over 300 pieces of coverage delivered 97% message penetration and reached over 300m people

Drive brand reappraisal and sales

• Brand talkability among 25 to 34 year old men grew by 33%

• Sales increase reported in Belgium (9.8%) and Greece (7.9%)

• Increased penetration and value share in Germany above category levels

• Increased Facebook engagement by 55% across Western Europe

The campaign was live from October 2014 for four months.

Partnered with Harris Tweed Hebrides to pioneer a fabric imbued with the scent of whisky. Each colour represented an individual flavour of Johnnie Walker Black Label and the scent was physically blended into the fabric using technology we pioneered with a Scottish University.

1. The “fabric of flavour” was given to Belgian, Greek and German style influencers, who created fashion items and luxury accessories inspired by the spirit of Johnnie walker, turning 900 square metres of whisky-imbued tweed into backpacks, capes, safari blankets, hats, tailored suits, bow-ties, scarves and hip flasks.

Media and influencer showcases through multiple events, including Berlin Fashion Week, ensured consumers engaged directly with the project – alongside promotions in key titles and retailers.