A REPORT ON JOHNNIEWALKER

DONEBY : AJAY RAJENDRA BANNER ID: @03165721

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COHORT NO : A3

A Study on Johnnie Walker

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPICPage Nos

1. Executive summary2

2. History of the company2-4

3. Blends4-5

4. Competitors5-6

5. Marketing strategies6

6. Mission and Aims6

7. Company’s Production7-8

8. Advertisements8

9. SWOT Analysis9-10

10. Brand Personality10-13

11. Marketing Mix and Promotion14-16

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12. Accolades16

13. Keep Walking Campaign16-19

14. Brand Loyalty19

15. Chart showing blends according to year ofproduction 20-21

16. Sponsorships21-22

17. Limited edition/Special bottles24-26

18. Snapshots27-30

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Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky owned by Diageo that

originated in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.

The most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky in the

world, it is sold in almost every country, with annual sales of

over 130 million bottles.

Executive summaryJohnnie Walker is a famous trade mark for Scotch whisky all over

the world. As the world’s greatest whisky house, Johnnie Walker

is known for big flavors and experts blends. The vision and

ambition of the Walker family has inspired progress and great

achievements for almost two centuries. With five unique blends,

Johnnie Walker becomes one of the most popular whiskies that

achieve high class of wine in consumers’ choices in the world.

However, Johnnie Walker with its slogan “Keep Walking” continues

to satisfy the demands of every kind of customers by launching

new product Pink Label to target female consumers. In this

campaign, Hong Kong is the target market that Johnnie Walker

wants to introduce its new product because Hong Kong is known as

a paradise for shopping and luxury goods. So we believe that this

market will be the best way for the company to launch the new

product and increase sale volume in the shortest time. In respect

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to have a lot of competitors, Johnnie Walker with the new

pricing, sales, promotion, we believe that our company can become

the leading manufacturer of whisky wine all over the world.

HistoryOriginally known as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, the Johnnie

Walker brand is a legacy left by John "Johnnie" Walker after he

started to sell whisky in his grocer's shop in Ayrshire,

Scotland. The brand became popular, but after Walker's death in

1857 it was his son Alexander Walker and grandson Alexander

Walker II who were largely responsible for establishing the

whisky as a popular brand. Under John Walker, whisky sales

represented eight percent of the firm's income; by the time

Alexander was ready to pass on the company to his own sons, that

figure had increased to between 90 and 95 percent. Prior to 1860, it was illegal to sell blended whisky. During that

time John Walker sold a number of whiskies—notably his own

Walker's Kilmarnock. In 1865, John's son Alexander produced their

first blend, Walker's Old Highland.

Alexander Walker introduced the iconic square bottle in 1870.

This meant more bottles fitting the same space and resulted in

fewer broken bottles. The other identifying characteristic of the

Johnnie Walker bottle is the label, which is applied at an angle

of 24 degrees and allows text to be made larger and more visible.

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From 1906 to 1909, John's grandsons George and Alexander II

expanded the line and introduced the colour names. In 1908, when

James Stevenson was the Managing Director, there was a re-

branding of sorts. The whisky was renamed from Walker's

Kilmarnock Whiskies to Johnnie Walker Whisky. In addition, the

slogan, "Born 1820— Still going Strong!" was created, along with

the Striding Man logo, a figure used in their advertisements to

this day, created by illustrator Tom Browne, in honor of the

founder, and given the same name.

Johnnie Walker White was dropped during World War I. In 1932,

Alexander II added Johnnie Walker Swing to the line, the name

originating from the unusual shape of the bottle, which allowed

it to rock back and forth.

The company joined Distillers Company in 1925. Distillers was

acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand

Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997.

Johnnie Walker is no longer blended in Kilmarnock, and has not

been for many years. The bonded warehouses and company offices

(now local authority) can still be seen in Strand Street and John

Finnie Street.

On 1 July 2009, Bryan Donaghey, Diageo Managing Director for

Global Supply Scotland, announced that Diageo intended to cease

production at the plant in Kilmarnock. Under a restructuring

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programme across Scotland, production would be moved from the

brand's original home to Diageo plants in Leven, Fife, and

Shieldhall, Glasgow.

News of the planned closure had widespread media attention and

condemnation. Following the decision, a public campaign was waged

to try to persuade Diageo to reverse this decision. However on 9

September 2009 Diageo stated that they intended to press ahead

with the move away from Kilmarnock and that the matter was

"closed".

The Johnnie Walker plant, the largest employer in the town of

Kilmarnock, closed its doors in March 2012.

BlendsFor most of its history Johnnie Walker only offered a few blends.

In recent years there have been several special and limited

bottlings.

Standard Blends Red Label: an 80 proof (40% ABV) blend of 35 grain and malt

whiskies. It is intended for making mixed drinks. According

to William Manchester this was the favourite Scotch of Winston

Churchill, who mixed it with soda. Red Label has been reported to

be former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's drink of choice.

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Black Label: an 80 proof (40% ABV) blend of about 40

whiskies, each aged at least 12 years.

Double Black Label: A new addition, the whisky was created

taking Black Label as a blueprint and adding heavily peated malts

and some aged in deeply charred oak casks.

Green Label: is no longer internationally available, but

remains in limited production for the Taiwanese market.

Elsewhere, as of mid 2014 it can still occasionally be found in

retail channels. This variety is a  blended malt, meaning it is

made just from single-malts with no grain whisky added. Green

Label uses predominantly four malts "drawn from the four corners

of Scotland"—the intent of the blend is to deliver depth,

substance, and intensity. Each of the malts

(Talisker, Linkwood, Cragganmore, and Coal Ila) was selected by

the blender for balance, with each malt whisky matured for a

minimum of 15 years.

Gold Label: an 80 proof (40% ABV) blend of over 15 single

malts. It was derived from Alexander Walker II's blending notes

for a whisky to commemorate Johnnie Walker's centenary. His

original efforts were thwarted by a shortage of these malts

following World War I. Gold Label is commonly bottled at 15 or 18

years, or without an age statement as Gold Label Reserve. Gold

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Label has been replaced, without an age statement, as "Golden

Label Reserve" as of 2013.

Platinum Label: an 80 proof (40% ABV) private blend—aged 18

years to replace the original Gold Label in the Asian market, and

sold alongside Gold Label Reserve. It is also available in

Australia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa and Israel.

Blue Label: Johnnie Walker's premium 80–86 proof (40–43%

ABV) blend with no age statement. Johnnie Walker Blue Label, also

known as Max Walker, is blended to recreate the character and

taste of some of the earliest whisky blends created in the 19th

century. Bottles are numbered serially and sold in a silk-lined

box accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. It is one of

the most expensive blended Scotches on the market, with prices in

the range of US $200–$300.

Johnnie Walker Swing: supplied in a distinctive bottle whose

irregular bottom allows it to rock back and forth. It

was Alexander II’s last blend: it features a high proportion of

Speyside malts, complemented by malts from the

northern Highlands and Islay, and is "almost as sweet as

a bourbon".

Red & Cola: a premix of Red Label and cola, sold in cans and

bottles similar to beer.

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CompetitorsIn the whisky wine market, Johnnie Walker has a good reputation

and famous trade mark. So there are not many competitors that

have the same class with our company. Chivas Regal can be the

main competitor with Johnnie Walker. Chivas Regal was first

established in 1801, in Scotland. It is the market-leading Scotch

whisky aged 12 years and above in Europe and Asia Pacific. Chivas

Regal sales have grown by 61% between2002 and 2008.

For Johnnie Walker Besides, other indirect competitors in alcohol

drink market for Johnnie walker are Hennessy (Cognac), Smirnoff

and Absolut (Vodka), Bacardi and Jack Captain (Rum), etc.

History of company’s development and marketing

strategies The marketing progress of the company starts in 1909, when

Walker brothers decided to hire a popular cartoonist Tom Browne

to create a logo – the Striding Man, which is the main figure in

the all Johnnie Walker advertisement campaigns. The slogan “Keep

Walking” was later incorporated to accompany the Striding Man,

and is undeniably one of the most memorable world-wide

advertising campaigns today. Johnnie Walker® is growing very

fast. In 1909 they decide to start producing more and more

products. They renamed their whiskies in deference to their

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customers’ habit of identifying them by their coloured labels –

Johnnie Walker® Red Label® and Johnnie Walker® Black Label are

born. That is the main reason we don’t usually say Johnnie

Walker. The Johnnie Walker® Gold Label® was born in 1920 to

celebrate 100 years of the Walkers’ business. Lately, a “whiskey

for the waves” was introduced by Sir Alexander Walker. It was

called “Swing” and it was a gold- coloured whiskey. Each “label”

aims to attract a group of customers, depending on their class,

differentiating the quality and the price of the beverage.

Mission and AimsJohnnie Walker is one of the biggest companies with a traditional

spirit. Their mission is to keep the quality of the beverage,

because of their great success over the years. The marketing plan

of the company is to keep their current consumers and create a

favorable environment to its potential customers. We can say that

the slogan of the company – “Keep Walking” – is one of the most

respected marketing tagline nowadays. In my opinion, when

something is positive for the company and it is pulling the sales

up, it should not be changed. Over the years, the company had

more than great success with this tagline. As I mentioned,

Johnnie Walker is classic market leader, and for sure this is

because of the maintaining the style of the company, which is

adored by millions of people all over the world.

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Analysis of the customersJohnnie Walker is the favorite alcoholic drink to many British

and people all over the world. It is luxury beverage and the

consumers are real connoisseurs. When we talk about the United

Kingdom, the Johnnie Walker is holing a big percentage of the

customers, and there is a huge potential for new customers.

Basically, such a beverage is consumed by people over 18 years

old. Many businessmen rely on Johnnie Walker, which makes them

classical customers.

Analysis of the Employees“One of the world’s largest manufacturer of drinks, Diageo,

announced July 1 the closure of the Johnnie Walker whisky

bottling plant in Kilmarnock and distillery at Port Dundas,

Glasgow in Scotland.”

This is a quote from a famous newspaper. Diageo is currently

holding the Johnnie Walker Company, which means that there will

be a change in the staff, which may affect the product’s quality

somehow.

Analysis of the Competitors

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There are a lot of competitors while we talk about beverages, but

malt whiskies are all different, and each has its own unique

flavour profile. Johnnie Walker is paying attention to its long

history.

Company Production The Johnnie Walker portfolio features five award-winning whiskies

– Red Label® Black Label® Green Label ® Gold Label® Blue

Label®.

Johnnie Walker’s product line covers a broad range of occasions

for the whisky drinker from every day to special moments. The

five premium brands represent a range of prices and tastes that

share a remarkable history and a commitment to quality. Let’s

take a closer look on each label. RED LABEL® also known as “Extra

Special Old Highland Whisky,” was introduced in 1909.By 1945, Red

Label was the world’s best selling Scotch Whisky, and today is

still number one. It is described as a powerful combination of

spicy, smoky malts, such as Talisker and lingering lighter

grains. BLACK LABEL® created in 1820 and originally known as

“Walker’s Old Highland Whisky,” was re-launched in 1909 under its

new name. As many as 40 whiskies, each aged 12 years or more make

up this satisfyingly complex blend. GREEN LABEL™ is the newest

addition to the Johnnie Walker portfolio. Introduced in 2004,

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Green Label is a pure malt scotch whisky, blended from four

characteristic single malts (each at least 15 years old), which

together create a balanced whisky evoking freshness and smoke.

GOLD LABEL® launched in 1995, is the ultimate whisky pleasure

with notes of honey. A skillful fusion of rare aged whiskies

inspired by the notes originally kept by Sir Alexander Walker,

Gold Label is crafted from only a small number of Scotland's most

renowned distilleries, each matured for a minimum of 18 years.

BLUE LABEL® is heralded as Our Rarest and Most Exclusive Blend.

Released in 1992, Blue Label is the ultimate luxury Scotch Whisky

and is created from the most unique and premium whiskies in the

world. Blue Label is also known as the whisky for connoisseurs,

and as such, each bottle is individually numbered.

Marketing strategies and Advertisement

The makers of Johnnie Walker Blue Label are using contemporary

art as the backdrop for a new multi-million dollar marketing

campaign to reinforce the whiskey as a luxury brand. The effort

is part of a renewed push for the beverage, which tripled its ad

spending this year. Jason Colvin, a New York-based film director,

has written and directed a spec commercial for Johnnie Walker

whiskey. Drawing from the brand’s successful “Keep Walking”

campaign, he tells the story of an artist who doesn’t give up

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when faced with knock-downs and insults; in fact he is inspired

by them. We should take a look at the Facebook fans page

statistics:

For the past few years the social activity is increasing

steadily, thanks to the company’s internet marketing

advertisement.

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths

Long history ,Strong Brand Name, Good reputation, Connoisseurs

customers, Unique Tagline and advertisement, Variety of different

products, Favorable conditions for development, Many winning

Awards, High quality of the products, Good management and

delivers all over the world

Weaknesses

Not that cheap ,The products are killing brain cells ,The drunk

driving, Alcohol poisoning, Alcohol dependence

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Opportunities

New Flavors and Recipes , Parties and Events and More contests

Threats

Strong competition, Grape diseased plants, Organizations against

drunk driving , organizations against alcohol

dependence ,Religious influence ,home brewers and Revenue taxes

From the SWOT analysis we can see, that there are a lot of

strengths because of the strong management and marketing of the

company over the years. Opportunities for Johnnie Walker – they

definitely need to be more active when we talk about events,

contests and parties. New flavors and recipes are not that

necessary, because their current products are awesome. The

weaknesses are actually affecting every company in this industry.

So these weaknesses are not directly affecting Johnnie Walker as

a company. The threads that are facing Johnnie Walker are many.

Since the alcohol is somehow illegal drink, we have to keep in

mind when we consume it. Many organizations against the alcohol

have been formed due to the alcohol influence. When we talked

about the political factors of the United Kingdom we mentioned

the revenue taxes and how they affect the sales of Johnnie

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Walker’s products. We said that they don’t affect that much,

because of some reasons. However the revenue taxes are still

being a thread.

JOHNNIE WALKER BRAND PERSONALITY

Johnnie Walker is the biggest selling Scotch whisky and the third

largest spirits brand in the world; which has presence in more

than 200 countries. The brand outsells its nearest rival by over

10 million bottles a year. “Johnnie Walker Red Label” is the

third largest spirit brand in Australia and the market leading

Scotch whisky brand in the Australian market. With a strong

heritage and an interesting history since 1820, the brand raised

its own personality and brand elements such as the Striding Man

or the square bottles; which lately became well recognised global

icons and were registered trademarks and in the market place long

before McDonald’s, Nike and Coca-Cola. In the 1990’s the brand

faced difficult times not only itself but the whisky industry, as

emerging brands and new tastes appeared on the market. However,

during 2007, Diageo Plc., the owner of the Johnnie Walker brand,

announced record results for Johnnie Walker and the delivery of

an exceptionally challenging 5-year business goal for the brand,

which was to achieve an annual sales volume of 15 million cases

worldwide. Considering this target was set following a long

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period of stagnation in the whisky category, this is a remarkable

achievement, made possible, largely, by Scotch whisky distillers

actively repositioning their products to appeal to a new

generation of drinkers. The “Keep Walking” campaign helped to

give Johnnie Walker the positioning it was looking for; as well

as strengthened the core concepts rooted in its history; enabling

it to become an international symbol to continue the trip to

fulfil consumers’ dreams. The Johnnie Walker family of whiskies

shares the values of progress, substance and vitality. These

values are visually communicated by the core elements of the

packaging, the Johnnie Walker brand name and the Striding Man.

This distinctive brand identity is aimed at supporting the

brand’s dominant and global leadership positioning.

The brand team conducted a research of the market situation at

the time. They categorized their market in 3 different markets:

mature, developed and emerging as Johnnie Walker has worldwide

presence but different situations in each market. For example, in

the emerging market there were undeveloped trade and distribution

whereas in the mature one the cost of doing business was rising

along with the retail power. The team acknowledged that there was

an intense competition as well as a declined in alcohol

consumption in mature markets. They found out the changes in the

consumer trends and preferences as other drinks were rising and

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Johnnie Walker was depending mostly on aging consumer base.

Another key finding was that the market did not had a clear

perception and understanding of the differences between Scotch

brands, for example, between standard and deluxe blended

whiskies. Therefore, the consumer decision purchase was based on

price rather than on brand. Important to mention as well that

Johnnie Walker was positioned in different ways from one country

to another, and the ads used where the conventional one for a

whisky with Scottish landscapes or middle age men with young

women; which result in an unclear brand image and a lack of brand

building. With these key findings, the brand team created a 5

years plan that aimed to attract new drinkers as well as

maintained the loyalty of the actual ones. Therefore, in 1999

they launched the first global campaign “Keep Walking” which gave

the right positioning that the brand was lacking of. This

alternative campaign appeals to consumer in a more emotional and

higher level. It is not selling just a whisky but a lifestyle, an

inspiration that tap into human motivation. The strong heritage

and the great history that the brand owned such as the “Striding

Man” remains central to the brand’s communication strategy. In

that sense, it was essential to understand men’s lifestyles,

expectations, concerns, motivations, values and aspirations; as

well as to relate it to the historic associations and icons of

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Johnnie Walker in order to be able to create a focused,

differentiated, universally implementable and sustainable

positioning brand. The “Keep Walking” campaign has been seen in

more than 200 countries and it has been a crucial part of the

enormous growth that the brand shows in the 21th century. It gave

to the brand its own identity which achieved to be universal and

to differentiate it from the rest. Nowadays Johnnie Walker is

pushing into emerging markets to catch the middle class that is

transforming the world and seems to be the growing and potential

market for the upcoming years. 

A Brand Personality Review   of Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is not just the world leading Scotch whisky brand

but has become an international symbol of progress thanks to the

successful associations and brand awareness created in the “Keep

Walking” campaign. “A brand name is more than the label employed

to differentiate among manufacturers of a product. It is a

complex symbol that represents a variety of ideas and attributes.

It tells the consumers many things, not only by the way it sounds

… but via the body of associations it has built up and acquired

as a public object over a period of time” (Gardner and Levy, 1955

P.35). Johnnie Walker is a clear example of this definition as

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its’ square bottles or slanted label help not only to

differentiate it from the rest but become part of the iconic

symbols of the brand, which with the time acquired and built

associations between the consumers and itself. Nowadays the brand

personality of Johnnie Walker is the result of the mix of a

strong heritage and history and the understanding of the actual

trends and needs of the market; as Aaker (2001) suggested this

concept of trait inference updating mechanism. The “keep walking”

campaign was a key element of its actual success but also of the

building of its actual personality. The brand strategy of Diageo

group rely on the identification of the key brand’s benefit which

will meet the consumer’s need. When the group became the owner of

the brand, after an extensive research was conducted, they

understood that in order to become a powerful and meaningful

brand for the consumer, its positioning should be far beyond a

whisky but a more emotional and personal concept. However, they

successfully managed to maintain the roots of the brand, as the

“Striding Man” remains in the logo and its part of the brand

image. Aaker (1997) defined brand personality as “the set of

human characteristics associated with a brand” and according to

the consumer research conducted by Diageo’s Team; Johnnie Walker

was associated in consumer’s mind with distinct brand values such

as substance, excellence and masculinity, all of which are

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relevant to men in different stages in their lives”. (Pavoola,

2006). In Aaker’s brand personality scale, Johnnie Walker could

be part of the “Sophistication” group as it is related to the

upper class and charming; or of the “excitement” group as it is

imaginative, spirited and maintains itself up to date. Referring

to the different stages in men’s life is an important

characteristic, as it involves the concept of progress which is

the key brand’s concept and it is portrayed in its advertising.

The “Keep Walking” campaign represents the concept of personal

progress just as John Walker did it when he founded his business

in 1820. This emotive tag line draws on the traditional

association of drinking whisky while celebrating significant

achievements and marking the rites of passage in a man’s life. In

this sense, the consumers may feel connected or associated with

the brand itself as it encouraged them to “keep walking” to

fulfil their dreams. Today, brands have become an iconic meaning

to the consumers. Archetypes are components that refer to the

subconscious mind, which root deeply in human thoughts and

actions. By archetyping a brand marketers create a common

definition that is accepted throughout all cultures and thus

generates immediate recognition (Batey 2008, Franzen & Mortiarty

2008, Siraj & Kumari 2011). According to 12 master brand

archetypes identified by Mark and Pearson (2001) Johnnie Walker

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could be identified as the “Care Giver” as its masculinity

characteristic is related to be the provider, the protector; as

well as the “Sage” as it understand the world and shared the

passion and persistence of keep moving towards its goals. What is

the Next Step?

Johnnie Walker is actually the world’s number 1 selling Scotch

whisky, and seems its campaign is working globally. Their

strategy relies on creating a concept where it sells an

aspiration and lifestyle in which people or even a nation can

feel identified. The brand has put its eyes in the emerging

markets were the potential consumers will drive the brand’s

growth. As it has been reviewed, the brand nowadays owns a

concept and personality that has been set assertively according

to the market needs but which does not forget its roots. It is

related to progress, and this concept is timeless as humans will

constantly pursue change and renovation. As the man around the

world says “200 years and Johnnie is still walking; and he’s not

showing any signs of stopping”.

Marketing Mix and Promotion of Johnnie Walker a. Above the line promotion, is promotion that is done

outside of the business, promotion like this often includes

TV advertising and radio advertising.

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b. To redesign there new image, Johnnie Walkers could

redesign all of there products packaging and design, they

could do this by maybe adding tartan design to the bottles

of whiskey, if they wanted to give there products an

authentic Scottish look, they could also redesign there logo

to make the company look more like how they want the company

to be thought of,

To promote there new image Johnny Walkers could also pay

famous celebrities to be seen drinking there products, this

way people will think its cool to drink Johnny Walkers

whiskey, they could get someone who is fashionable and not

considered an alcoholic to get rid of any bad images created

by heavy whiskey drinkers.

c. Johnnie Walkers could tell how there advertising campaign

is doing by keeping a very close track on sales, if they did

this they could make sure that they were increasing sales

significantly enough to warrant the huge amount of money

they are spending on the advertising campaign. Another way

they could keep track of sales and to find out what people

thought of there new marketing campaign would be to perform

a survey in major cities to see if people new about there

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new image, and if they thought the advertising campaign was

good and suitable for a whiskey company, they could then use

the information they got back from there surveys to further

improve there current advertising campaign.

Johnnie Walker could also monitor selected shops to see who

they are selling there whiskey to, and if the advertising

campaign is working, and the people who they are targeting

with the new campaign are actually buying the product, or if

its still the same people who used to buy the product.

All of these way combined would help Johnnie Walker get an

idea of how well there product is selling thanks to the new

advertising campaign, and if it is selling better than it

used to. Using these methods Johnnie Walkers could also find

it if redesigning their image is really working and if new

people are buying the drink thanks to the advertising. They

could also use the feedback they received from the surveys

both positive and negative to try and improve there

advertising to give a stronger sense of there new image to

people.

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d. Personally I do not think that a company would require to

advertise a product such as whiskey to the market as much as

Johnnie Walker are doing, I do not think that spending 20

million pounds on advertising a product like whiskey will

improve sales and demand dramatically. However I do think if

Johnnie Walker’s sales are falling and there main cash cow

is losing sales compared to other whiskeys I think that some

advertising would be a good idea, just not to the extent

that Johnnie Walkers are preparing themselves to do. I think

the better option for Johnnie Walkers would be to look at

the other 3 P’s of the marketing mix (Price, product, place)

and see if changing them could help increase sales.

For example instead of just spending millions on

advertising, Johnnie Walkers could do some market research

to see what is the hard drink of choice in clubs and pubs,

they could then make there product appear to be like that

but better, they could also make sure that ever pub, club

and disco sells Johnnie Walkers to try and rid them of there

old man image.

They could also see how different prices would affect sales,

they could try making the price higher in certain places,

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and lower in others, to see what has the best effect if any

on there sales. This would also help them find out if there

product is price elastic, to see if they could raise prices

in areas to increase revenue.

Lastly they could look at there product and try and find out

how to make it look more appealing to the masses, they are

redesigning there image, but redesigning there image has to

have a solid background, if they are trying to look like an

authentic Scottish drink, but have an English flag on

thefront of the bottle, people would be offended. They also

need to make sure that there product does not offend any

other cultures, or they could have the same problem as the

newspaper ‘The Sun’ has in Liverpool.

I think if Johnnie Walker took all the P’s into account

other than just one (promotion) they would have more luck

increasing the sales of there product, this would create

more revenue, in which they could plod the money into

redesigning there image. 

Accolades

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Johnnie Walker spirits have generally received strong scores at

international Spirit ratings competitions and from liquor review

bodies. The Green Label, for example, received an extraordinary

string of three double gold medals from the San Francisco World

Spirits Competition between 2005 and 2007. The Gold Label

received double gold medals from the San Francisco competition in

2008 and 2009 and won a gold in 2010. Spirits ratings aggregator

proof66.com, which averages scores from the San Francisco Spirits

Competition, Wine Enthusiast, and others, puts the Black, Blue,

Gold and Green Labels in its highest performance category ("Tier

1" Spirits). Johnnie Walker spirits have several times taken part

in the Monde Selection’s World Quality Selections and have

consistently received a Gold and Grand Gold Quality Award.

Keep Walking’ campaignThe vision for Johnnie Walker was progress to motivate men

throughout the world (Dawson, 2008). Whisky always characterized

masculine success, but in the 21st century success wasn’t

restricted to money or status but to the internal quality

possessed (Dawson, 2008). The striding man was fundamental to the

advertisement of Johnnie Walker, which was changed to pace

forward into the future advertisements because the brand found it

essential toinspire consumers with advancement and not just sense

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of celebration (Dawson, 2008). The campaign is the same

worldwide, but differs to accommodate specific needs for

different locations in the world (Dawson, 2008). Johnnie Walker

tries to revitalise its ‘Keep Walking’ campaign by launching new

advertisements frequently, an example of a recent on being

launched via BBH London (Campaign Brief Australia, 2014)

Impact on receivers

Provincial analysis demonstrates that there is a huge difference

in the consumption of Johnnie Walker from different countries

resulting from the rate of exposure to the ‘Keep Walking’

campaign which was the key factor of increase in volume sales for

the brand (Appendix 2) (Dawson, 2008). The phrase ‘Keep Walking’

was popular to such an extent that people started to use the

slogan of the company to express their feelings and ideas in

correlation with the progress message. A good example to

demonstrate it is when in Greece, in 2008, party members used

this message to motivate the people (Dawson, 2008). In Lebanon,

during the protest, the community members carried banners with

the slogan ‘Keep Walking’ (Dawson, 2008). Another good example of

popularity of the slogan is of people tattooing their body with

the ‘Striding Man’ logo (Dawson, 2008).

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Effectiveness of the campaign

 The effectiveness of the campaign can be explained by the

following factors: The campaign was global for all markets that

provides a common basis for control over the final result and

overall message. The commercials do not only promote the brand

but appeals to human emotions leading them to identify themselves

with the brand. Johnnie Walker could use distinctiveness in the

advertisements which gave its campaigns a different place in the

minds of people Johnnie Walker keeps in its consumers minds using

message that emphasize the brand benefits. Ex. "Johnnie Walker,

where flavour is King"; The campaigns provide a positive social

message which leaves a constructive impact about the brand. One

of the campaign also pledges to ‘Join The Pact’ where on every

glass is etched a hashtag #ImNOTdriving to show assurance to the

cause of drinking responsibly (Marketingmagazine, 2014)

The effectiveness could also be proved in numbers, since the

‘Keep Walking’campaign was launched in the year 2001, the sales

increased by 48% in volume sales (Appendix 3) and 94% in value

sales (Appendix 4) represents 3.9% increase in market share in

the scotch category (Dawson, 2008). The keep walking incremental

value from 2000-2007 was UD$ 2.21 billion, with the revenue

return of US$ 3.2 billion (Dawson, 2008). The ‘Keep Walking’

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31 | P a g e

campaign not only describes progress, but also makes the customer

‘want to do it’ meaning involve the customer in using the

particular brand (Iezzi, 2006). 3.4 Criticism/Survey

Despite obvious advantages and effectiveness of the ‘Keep

Walking’ campaign there are some critics that can be supported by

a survey “Johnnie Walker – Keep Walking” (Appendix 5) The survey

was conducted among representatives of different countries and 59

respondents were questioned. It can be concluded from the survey

that: The exposure of the advertisements is very low as about 80%

of the respondents did not remember the last advertisement they

watched; The survey also depicted lack of extending the brand

towards women, which can be seen through around 85% of the

women’s interest, in seeing a woman in the advertisements,

preferably a business woman; It can be also said that the message

of progress isn’t sent through as intended by the brand as 30.51%

of people identify Jonnie Walker for party and progress both

equally.

Johnnie Walker ‘Keep Walking’ advertising campaign is one of the

most notable cases in field of advertising. Having analysed the

‘Keep Walking’ campaign, it can be said that to capture consumers

worldwide its necessary to tap basic human ideals and reflect the

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32 | P a g e

brand through it. Different advertising models can be used to

promote brands, but in case of Johnnie Walker, the brand’s own

communication model proved to be most successful for it. It’s

‘Keep Walking’ campaign has been a major success but a few more

modifications as stated above can improve the brand performance

worldwide.

Brand Loyalty Taking the example of the whiskey brand, Johnnie Walker, it can

be seen how these tips work for an established brand to retain

customers and make them loyal to the brand. Johnnie Walker, a

brand which boasts international success based on a long history

of creating quality whiskey blends (John Walker & Sons, 2012),

has set up Johnnie Walker Facebook pages for all the major

markets it caters to. Looking at the Johnnie Walker Singapore

Facebook page, it can be seen that all the tips recommended by

Kabani are implemented in some way. The page administrators

create posts every one or two days for people who have “liked”

the page to look at, share with friends and comment on. These

posts are not just about Johnnie Walker whiskey products, but

also sporting events (Johnnie Walker is a sponsor of the McLaren-

Mercedes team in the Formula 1) and interesting facts relating to

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33 | P a g e

distinguished people or events. Helpful posts, such as exclusive

recipes for preparing seasonal cocktails with Johnnie Walker

products, are shared on this page. Johnnie Walker makes its fans

the stars through competitions to win a place at the Circuit

Lounge, which is the party held during the Singapore Formula 1

Grand Prix, where Johnnie Walker selects people from its list of

people who have “liked” the page, to receive guest passes for the

exclusive party. The names of the winners are then posted on the

page. At other times, content shared by fans will be shared and

re-posted by the page administrators. Besides the exclusive party

invitations, Johnnie Walker posts sneak previews of new limited

edition product releases or information on upcoming events

related to the brand. Finally, whenever fans have questions about

products or events and are awaiting responses, the page

administrators promptly reply to inform them of the situation

(e.g. why a letter has yet to be received). This method of

interacting with consumers can be deemed successful for building

brand loyalty as so many fans have posted comments about how much

they love the brand and enjoy it for the special occasions in

their lives (Johnnie Walker Singapore, 2012).

Johnnie Walker blends, by years of production, and from least expensive to

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34 | P a g e

most expensive.

Age 1865–1905

1906–1908

1909–1911

1912–

1931

1932–

1991

1992–

1996

1997–2012 2013–

young(blended)

OldHighlan

d

JohnnieWalkerWhiteLabel

JohnnieWalker

Premix /One

none given(blended)

SpecialOld

Highland

Johnnie WalkerRed Label

12(blended)

Walker’sOld

Highland

ExtraSpecial

OldHighlan

d

Johnnie WalkerBlack Label

none given(min. 12)[10]

(blended)

Johnnie WalkerDouble Black Label

none given[18]

(blended)Johnnie Walker

Swing

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35 | P a g e

15(blendedmalt)

JohnnieWalkerGreenLabel

15/18/none(blended)

JohnnieWalkerGoldLabel

JohnnieWalkerGoldLabelReserve

18(blended)

JohnnieWalker

PlatinumLabel

none given(blended)

Johnnie WalkerBlue Label

SPONSORSHIPSJohnnie Walker sponsors

The Johnnie Walker Classic, an Asia-Pacific golf tournament

The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, a golf

tournament in Scotland

The McLaren-Mercedes F1 team

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The Ashes, a cricket series between Australia and England

The New York Yankees baseball team

IN POPULAR CULTURECelebrities

Johnnie Walker Black Label was Christopher Hitchens'

favorite whisky; he dubbed it "Mr Walker's Amber Restorative".

Johnnie Walker Blue Label was a favorite of the late US

president Richard Nixon, who used to enjoy it with dry ginger

ale.

Film

In Superman 3 (1980), Superman is shown drinking Johnnie

Walker Red Label after being exposed to synthetic kryptonite.

In two scenes of Ridley Scott's film Blade

Runner (1982), Harrison Ford drinks Johnnie Walker Black Label

after it is poured from a futuristic Art Deco bottle.

In The Yacoubian Building (film) (2006), Adel Emam's

character bets with his friend for a bottle of Johnnie Walker

Black Label and later drinks it with another friend.

In The Man From Earth (2007), John Oldman shares a bottle of

Johnnie Walker Green with his friends (the production could not

afford Blue).

In Argo (2012), John Goodman's character references Johnnie

Walker Blue Label.[

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In Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) at in the infamous fight

scene in Marion's Nepalese tavern, when Indiana Jones is pinned

on the bar by a brute while a burning ribbon of spilled spirits

races toward his head, Indie whispers to Marion, "Whiskey" and

the camera pans to a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label sitting

next to her, which she quickly hands to Indie, who smashes it

against his attacker's head and dodges the oncoming flames.

In The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Colonel Saito, the

commandant of the Japanese prison camp, has Alec Guinness's

character (Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson) brought into his office.

In an attempt to smooth things over with the senior British

officer, Saito offers Nicholson some fine food and some Johnnie

Walker Red Label. Saito says of Johnnie Walker: "I prefer it

to sake." Nicholson refuses the food, but accepts the whisky.

Music

Marius Müller-Westernhagen sings about Johnnie Walker in his

song "Johnny Walker".

Krzysztof Klenczon sings about Johnnie Walker in the

refrains of his song "Port".

NOFX mentions Johnnie Walker in the song "Release The

Hostages" from Heavy Petting Zoo (1996).

Lynyrd Skynyrd mentions "Johnnie Walker Red" in the song

"Poison Whisky".

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Elliott Smith sings that "Johnnie Walker Red" helps him

"fake it through the day" in his song "Miss Misery", which was

nominated in 1998 for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in

the film Good Will Hunting (1997).

George Thorogood mentions Johnnie Walker Black and Red in

the song "I Drink Alone".

Lady Gaga mentions Johnnie Walker in the song "Speechless"

The Band mentions Johnnie Walker Red in the song "4%

Pantomime"

ZZ Top mentions Johnnie Walker in the song "Arrested for

Driving While Blind"

"The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" by Asleep at the

Wheel references Johnnie Walker

Television

In Entourage, Season 7/Episode 6 (entitled "Hair"), Turtle

tries to convert Johnny Drama to the new brand of tequila he is

promoting. Drama makes it very clear that he plans to stick to

his Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

In the Revenge episode "Lineage", Kenny Ryan describes his

father's favourite drink as being "Blue Label liquor", often

calling it his "rich man's candy".

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39 | P a g e

In the TV series Scrubs, Black Label is enjoyed by Dr. Cox,

with the "Janitor" claiming and naming the drink left at the bar

by the iconic character played by John McGinley.

In The Sopranos, Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero gives

Johnnie Walker Gold Label as a gift.

In a Suits, Harvey Specter’s old boss, Cameron Dennis,

drinks Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

In Supernatural, Season 3/Episode 15, Rufus Turner drinks

Johnnie Walker Blue with Dean Winchester, saying, "You know, I

don’t even bother drinking unless it’s this stuff. Nectar of the

gods I’m telling you." 

In The West Wing episode "Bartlet For America", recovering

alcoholic Leo McGarry mentions Johnnie Walker Blue: in the

flashback, at meeting, drinks were poured from the bottle, with

the label clearly shown, and mentioned by name. Leo then lapses

by accepting a drink, saying: "That's what I remember."

In the Burn Notice episode "Last Rites", the team's target,

Ahmed, has his lackey order Blue Label from the bar on a cruise

ship, claiming it is "$100 a shot".

Special/limited bottlings "Johnnie Walker New Explorers' Club Collection": A

collection which will contain a number of 'series', the first of

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40 | P a g e

which is the 'Trade Routes' series, which contains "The Spice

Road" (~US$43) released Dec 2012; "The Gold Route" (~US$95)

released in Mar/Apr 2013; "The Royal Route" (~US$159) releasing

May/Jun 2013. The Trade Routes series will be available

exclusively in Duty Free.

"Johnnie Walker XR 21": an 80 proof (40% ABV) blend aged 21

years.

"Johnnie Walker Black Label Keep Walking New Zealand": A

special limited-edition pack to support fundraising efforts

following the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011

"Johnnie Walker Black Label: Project Black Inspiration":

Facebook fans across Malaysia and Singapore with the chance to

provide creative input to help shape the new bottle design. Only

200 bottles available worldwide, and only available in Malaysia

and Singapore. (2011/2012)

"Johnnie Walker Black Label Anniversary Edition" 1908–2008:

in two different editions (~US$34).

"Double Black": a blend that uses peaty west coast whiskies

to create a flavour that is more smoky than Johnnie Walker Black

Label.

Collectors Edition: a collectors' edition of 12 year

old Black Label was released in limited amounts (~US$43).

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Millennium Edition: a collectors' edition of 12 year

old Black Label was released in limited amounts in the year

2000(~US$130).

Odyssey - First bottling: a very expensive blend with the

first bottling of the barrel only 250 bottles (~US$3000).

Odyssey - : a very expensive general release (~US$1000).

Deco: a very limited number of 350 ml bottles were produced

in Art Deco–designed bottles, hence the name of this blend.

Premier: a blend aimed specifically at the Japanese market.

Swing Superior: a limited edition variety based on

the Swing blend, marked by its distinctive golden label. 86.8

proof.

Original Swing (Bottle has a cork top) (US$1500)

Celebrity

Johnnie Walker 1820 Decanter: A gift to employees to mark

the 50 years of operation at the Kilmarnock distillery.

Liquer Whisky (US$1200)

21 year old: a rare aged variation of Gold Label (US$1200).

Quest: a very special blend, rarer than Blue Label (~$500).

Honour: one of the most rare and most expensive blends of

Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky.

Excelsior: a very rare double matured Scotch whisky,

distilled in 1947, bottled in 1997 (~US$1700).

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Old Harmony: a rare blend marketed at the Japanese market

(~US$850).

15 year old Kilmarnock 400 Whisky: an extremely rare Gold

Label blend bottled to mark the 400th anniversary of the granting

of burgh status to Kilmarnock. Released in 1992 in very limited

amounts (~US$850).

150 years Anniversary 1820–1970: A 150th anniversary

commemorative blend. (~US$2,000).

Blue Label 200th Anniversary: 2005 saw Johnnie Walker's

extremely limited bottling of its ultimate blend. A special

release of cask strength Blue Label, in a special

squareBaccarat crystal decanter. It is the most expensive Johnnie

Walker product, selling recently for over US$3,600 a bottle.

Blue Label 1805: On 25 July 2005, the makers of Johnnie

Walker Blue Label celebrated the birth (200th anniversary) of its

founder with the release of just 200 bottles of a special edition

blend, specially created by the Johnnie Walker Master Blender,

Jim Beveridge. None of the 200 bottles were made available for

retail sale. In recognition of John Walker’s entrepreneurial

success in bringing whisky of the highest quality to the world,

the bottles were presented to individuals deemed to have made the

most significant contribution to modern life. It is estimated

that each bottle is valued at US$30,000.

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Blue Label King George V Edition (2007): To recreate the

Johnnie Walker blending style from King George V era. King George

V was the British monarch that first granted Johnnie Walker

its Royal Warrant in 1934. Oak casks dating back to the last

century were used to age the whisky, sourced from distilleries

operating during the reign of King George V. Special packaging in

crystal decanter accompanied by an individually numbered

certificate of authenticity. (US$600).

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Mini Blended Scotch Whisky: a very

rare item that includes a hand-blown nosing glass and sealed

tasting notes and booklet on blue label whisky, costing around

US$250.

The John Walker: This blend includes old whiskies from

distilleries long since closed. Only 330 bottles were made.

(>US$3,500)

Johnnie Walker Diamond Jubilee (2012): In honour of Queen

Elizabeth II 60 bottles of whisky distilled in 1952. Only sixty

bottles are being sold in Singapore at S$250,000.

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SNAPSHOTS

Johnnie Walker Red Label

 Johnnie Walker Black Label

 Johnnie Walker Double Black

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Johnnie Walker Swing

  Johnnie Walker Green Label & Green Label 180 Cask  

Johnnie Walker Gold Label

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  Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve

Johnnie Walker XR 21

 

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Johnnie Walker Blue Label

  Blue Label King George V Edition

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A Study on Johnnie Walker