The democratisation of whisky continues and DDB Paris has taken a very bold step towards embedding Glenmorangie Highland single malt Scotch whisky in trendy, rather than just connoisseurs’, circles. Its new brand campaign, shot by celebrated photographer Miles Aldridge, is unashamedly quirky with its technicolour palette, unusual scenarios and cinematic style. Even the tagline, It’s kind of delicious and wonderful, defies the pretension that has historically been associated with whisky.
Alexander Kalchev, chief creative officer of DDB Paris, explained, “We set out to showcase everyday experiences – a trip to the laundromat or a train journey – all made more wonderful, to reflect Glenmorangie’s perspective. Inspired by the brand’s signature orange colour, we decided to use colour as a metaphor to open up the whisky’s world. And of course, as a master of colour, Miles Aldridge was the obvious talent to bring our vision to life.”
The campaign also underlines the brand’s wilder (for a whisky) personality. Glenmorangie crafts its more delicate, fruity spirit in stills as tall as a giraffe (Glenmorangie’s spirit animal), to create more space for taste and aroma, for example. That the campaign film is saturated with colour connects it to the bold orange hue long associated with the brand and is a feature of Aldridge’s directing style.
Aldridge’s style and precision are evident throughout. Each colourful scene contains playful visual clues to the brand, including tributes to its spirit animal. He noted, “Throughout the campaign we peppered little Easter eggs, little things to find. There are anagrams of Glenmorangie, A Ginger Lemon, in the train and, Mango Reeling, as a neon. As well as the anagrams, each of the visuals has the recurring motif of the giraffe. The idea was that these would appear in each of the visuals like little games, almost cameo performances. The amazing thing about this campaign is that it’s so contrary to what we’re used to with whisky campaigns. For Glenmorangie to have the courage to take on this campaign is really refreshing.”
Louise Dennett, global head of brand at Glenmorangie, commented, “We make whisky because we want people to enjoy it. There are many technicalities as to how we make it taste so good. But ultimately, what matters is that our single malt is delicious, and that we open the doors to the wondrous moments you can have with our whisky. Because we think there’s a simple joy in that. Through our collaboration with Miles Aldridge and DDB Paris we have created a visual feast of a campaign. We hope it will welcome more people into our delicious and wonderful world.
“Miles has been a wonderful partner in building our campaign. When you look closely at each scene, there is an extraordinary richness to the storytelling. By considering every aspect, he has helped us create not simply images, but a whole Glenmorangie world, open for all to explore.”
Credits:
Agency: DDB Paris
Executive Creative Director: Alexander Kalchev
Art Directors: Nicolas Malcorps & Mathieu Masse
Agency Producers: Justine Bruneau & Pia Schneider
Account Management: Alban Callet, Andéole Vu Dinh Ba & Louise Guyon
Strategists: Odile Song & Violette Van Den Berg
Production: 2B
Photographer & Director: Miles Aldridge
Sound: Michael Kiwanuka @ Cold Little Heart
Post-Production: Mikros
Post Producer: Jérôme Deplatière
Print Producer: Christine Rétaux
Social Media Consultant: Marie Le Scao
Social Creative Team: Perrine Tixier & Maxime Dagault
Client: Glenmorangie
Marketing Director: Caspar MacRae
Head of Brand: Louise Dennett
