Campaign Summary

Johnnie Walker is a market leader in the scotch segment in India. Despite its popularity, the company suffered from the stigma of being for older consumers. The company wanted to reposition itself as a brand for Indian youth. Its biggest challenge in reaching them, however, was that India did not allow alcohol advertising.

In response, the company developed its "The Worlds Most Travelled Billboard" (TWMTB) campaign. The social-first campaign featured a billboard of the iconic Johnnie Walker character "touring" five unexplored locations across India, with the journey being captured by photography influencers to be shared across social channels. The campaign ultimately wanted to connect with Indian youth through their love of travel and new experiences.

Strategy

Objective and Context:

Johnnie Walker's strategic objective was to create a campaign which resonated with a much younger Indian audience than what was perceived to be the brand's core. Historically, the company has always been seen as a "father's brand," but it now wanted to become the youth's brand.

The biggest challenge in reaching the youth in India was that the nation doesn't allow alcohol advertising. So, creating an outdoor campaign that struck a chord with a new target audience without showing alcohol was a challenge the brand had to overcome.

Target Audience:

A 200-year-old brand that was perceived as being a drink only suited for mature taste buds wouldn't effectively engage India's young audience. Johnnie Walker wanted to connect with the youth of the country. This campaign's target was young men and women of drinking age who looked at life as an experience and didn't mind spending extra to enjoy it.

Creative Strategy:

Since the youth loved experiences, Johnnie Walker created a campaign that was one.

The company created The World's most Travelled Billboard, a physical billboard with the iconic Johnnie Walker logo in the center travelling across the country.

The campaign enticed the explorers inside every young adult to come along on the journey with the company. Johnnie Walker enlisted the help of some of the most-followed travel photographers on Instagram to capture visuals that were transformed into digital films and social media content.

The brand also created a miniature version of #TheTravellingBillboard and sent it to 150 additional influencers to take on their personal journeys.

Execution

Overall Campaign Execution:

The campaign was designed primarily for Instagram with a hashtag-first approach in mind. Downloadable frames, for example, helped drive user-generated content. Twenty-three percent of the campaign's overall budget was allocated to designing the campaign to be mobile-friendly.

Mobile Execution:

• Hashtags played an important role in the campaign, primarily #TheTravellingBillboard.
• The Travelling Billboard went to five unexplored locations across the four corners of India with top travel photography influencers. They posted their experiences in real-time on Instagram for followers to see.
• The campaign activated a community of over 200 Instagram photography influencers.
• Johnnie Walker created a downloadable Travelling Billboard frame to engage consumers via a photography contest.

Results (including context, evaluation, and market impact)

• Over 80 million overall reach garnered across paid and earned media platforms
• Over one million engagements (likes and comments) led largely by influencer handles
• 73 percent awareness among young adults
• Johnnie Walker sales grew 42 percent compared to the fourth quarter of last year.
• Generated over 2,000 user-generated content entries via photography contest where people could share their travel stories using the downloadable frame.
• The campaign helped increase brand KPIs including top of mind awareness, ever consumed, past one month purchase, and brand love.