“Ça plane pour moi (everything’s going well for me) has to be what Anomaly was feeling when it won the Johnnie Walker account from BBH the week before Christmas last year.
The 1977 brain worm song by Plastic Bertrand underscores what Johnnie Walker calls an evolution of the Keep Walking campaign. it feels like a rebrand.
Young, hip, upbeat, music clip…ad. The 90 second ad promotes the idea that joy brings success instead of success bringing joy. The brand’s new tagline is Joy will take you further.
“Based on new insights into how success is viewed by consumers today, it brings to life the concept that joy can be a catalyst to the progress they seek, and aims to generate a positive culture shift by promoting and encouraging the idea that finding joy in the journey is part of the recipe for success,” Johnnie Walker’s parent, Diageo, stated in its press release.
Yes, Jude Law makes an appearance but only to press go on a montage of joy-infused messages
Its joyful achievers include Formula One world champion and McLaren Honda driver, Jenson Button; China’s billionaire actress, Zhao Wei; Mexican model, Montserrat Oliver; US rock band, OK Go and Sweden’s Eva Hakansson, creator of the “ElectroCat” motorbike.
Johnnie Walker master blender, Jim Beveridge, the sixth only master blender in the 95 year history of the brand, makes cameo appearances.
The campaign launched on September 16 in more than 50 countries and, according to Diageo, will “reach nearly 270 million consumers around the world within the first weeks of launch.”
Syl Saller, chief marketing officer, Diageo, commented on the campaign, “It is rooted in deep consumer insight and tells true stories of people who have truly walked with joy. At Diageo, we believe in building brands with purpose – meaning that goes beyond product benefits – and this is a great example of an incredibly strong idea that is brought to life with outstanding creative.”
Guy Escolme, Johnnie Walker global brand director, added, “Johnnie Walker has always stood for progress – it’s been the story of our whisky since our founder John Walker started it all nearly 200 years ago. What two centuries of experience have taught us is that progress doesn’t have to be an endless uphill journey – we can enjoy the steps we take and the more happiness we find in them the more likely we are to achieve our goal. Evidence is confirming a conviction that sits at the heart of our brand: ‘Joy Will Take You Further’.”
The campaign – new TVC, print and digital advertising, point of sale materials and engaging digital content – will support Diageo’s investment in “mentoring and customer experiences.”
Guy Escolme, Johnnie Walker global brand director, noted, “We intend to lift the lid through the course of this campaign on our blending and our blending team. There have been fewer master blenders at Johnnie Walker than there have been British monarchs.”
Behind the new work is a psychologist, Matt Killingsworth, who studies human happiness, and the campaign will be bolstered by documentary-style films narrated by Killingsworth that include social experiments exploring a range of questions like, “Can a positive mindset can improve someone’s golf game?”
Johnnie Walker has not had the best year in its history, with organic sales declining 9% in 2015.
