Johnnie Walker has launched its largest ever global marketing campaign, ‘Joy Will Take You Further’.
The campaign, its largest in the brand’s history to date, will activate simultaneously in more than 50 countries and is expected to reach nearly 270 million consumers around the world within the first weeks of launch.
‘Joy Will Take You Further’ is an evolution of the brand’s famous ‘Keep Walking’ campaign and according to the whiskey brand, “represents a new perspective on personal progress, which has defined its philosophy for more than 15 years”.
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”.
The campaign features stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment such as Formula One World Champion, Jenson Button; actor, Jude Law; Chinese actor, Zhao Wei; US rock band, OK Go; and Mexican supermodel, Montserrat Oliver.
“The launch of ‘Keep Walking’ marked a fundamental shift in the way scotch was marketed and kick started a decade of transformational growth for both Johnnie Walker and the category as a whole,” Syl Saller, CMO, Diageo, owner of Johnnie Walker, said.
“I am hugely excited about the potential of this new campaign to drive Johnnie Walker forward to the next decade of growth. 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 that the new campaign – drawing on decades of research – challenged the conventional wisdom that success guarantees you happiness and instead celebrates the fact that happiness actually helps people achieve success.
“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,” Escolme said.
“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’.”
Developed in partnership with the brand’s global creative agency, Anomaly, ‘Joy Will Take You Further’ is set to include a new television commercial, print, and digital advertising, point of sale materials, and engaging digital content.
