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MARK940- Marketing

Communications

Case Study – Chapter 3

Johnnie Walker – From Whisky Producer to Global Icon: The

Story of ‘Keep Walking’

Q1) WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY FOR COMPETITION TO REACT TO SUCH AN

INTERNATIONALLY SUCCESSFUL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN?

What made Johnnie Walker’s advertising campaign so successful was that they reintroduced

their icon, the “Striding Man”, as a re-envisioned symbol of masculinity in the 21st century. The

“Striding Man” became something that men all around the world try to emulate, the classy

gentleman. Competition would have to react to this rebranding strategy in very much the same

way. Any brand which has experienced recent slumps in sales would have to identify the reasons

in its branding as to why. In the whiskey market, companies such as Johnnie Walker, Jack

Daniels and Chivas have shown that tradition is a major factor in their marketing, as well as

manufacturing, process. Their customers identify with the timelessness of the product. Therefore,

it would be a bad idea if a competing company would attempt to change the actual product itself.

A competing company would rather focus on its marketing campaign, inserting itself into

elements of popular culture and creating an identity which men of the 21st century would relate

to. It is important to note that men of legal drinking age would still be the primary focus of the

advertising campaign, because, sticking with tradition, whiskey is still a very masculine drink.

An example of such a campaign is Jack Daniels’ collaboration with NASCAR or Johnnie

Walker’s collaboration with the McLaren Mercedes F1 team. In both these cases, the brand is

visible in a predominantly male sport where viewers identify strongly with the racers. Therefore,

the racers themselves become embodiments of the brand. It is important to note in the case study

that Johnnie Walker underwent a rebranding of its major icon, the “Striding Man”. A competing

brand would also be encouraged to do this, if they haven’t done so and if they already have an

icon or a logo. For example, Famous Grouse recently underwent a packaging change for its new

Alpha brand to make it more dramatic.

Q2) DRAWING UPON THE CASE, PICK A BRAND OF YOUR CHOICE & DESIGN A

STRATEGY TO TURN IT INTO A GLOBAL BRAND.

Building on the case, let us take Etihad Airways as a brand to transform it into an iconic brand.

Etihad Airways is the flag carrier airlines of the UAE and it can reflect the country’s icons, since

it doesn’t do so already. The Emirati Falcon is a symbol of national pride in the UAE and also

symbolizes the falconry heritage of Emiratis, making it an ideal icon for Etihad. An Iconic

presentation of a falcon in the national colors of the UAE (Black, Green, Red, and White) would

be an ideal presentation of Etihad as UAE national carrier. Etihad already is using the UAE

official logo on the airplanes tale; however in its communication to the public it is not using any

symbol or icon of any type. We can add colors and a modern depiction of the falcon in order to

resemble UAE as a whole. Since Etihad is already a sponsor of many social and sport events,

Etihad can easily spread its new icon as UAE’s national carrier, instead of using the plain text

logo. Advertising can be used to communicate icons in the UAE in general, for example they can

show that the airlines can take you close to Dubai where the Burj Al Arab is, or close to Al Ain

with resorts, water, etc. After promoting the airline through different media, the brand will

directly be associated to UAE’s tourism points and business centers. After all, people can use

Etihad for reaching several points in UAE, since distances within the country are not significant

when compared in par with other countries like Australia. Soon enough, the Emirati Falcon will

be a key part of Etihad’s brand.

Q3) EXPLAIN HOW THE KEEP WALKING CAMPAIGN DOES OR DOESN’T APPEAL TO

EACH CATEGORY OF CHOW AND AMIR VALUE DIMENSIONS.

Considering Chow and Amir’s value dimensions that would segment a product to one of six

dimensions to range from Striver to Altruist, Johnnie Walker’s “Keep Walking” campaign seems

to appeal to the Striver, Creative, and Devout, however it is not appealing for Fun seekers,

Intimate and Altruist people. The “Keep Walking” campaign appeals mainly to the striver

because it is a symbol of ambition, status, and public image. The striding man is meant to be an

example of what the 21st century man strives to be: the gentleman, the man who never stops

moving forward. The “Keep Walking” campaign also appeals to the creative person for

portraying the values of self-esteem and knowledge. One of the main aims of the campaign has

always been to show the striding man as a symbol of self-success. People falling in the Devout

value dimension will also relate to the “Keep Walking” campaign as it embodies the tradition of

scotch whiskey. However the campaign would not appeal to the fun seeker because it does not

show thrill seeking of any kind and seeks to strengthen its position as a serious brand. As for the

intimate, it doesn’t seem to convey loving emotions; instead it seems to reflect the rational and

self-dependent man of the 21st century. Moreover, the altruist would not relate to the campaign

either because the campaign doesn’t position the brand as one which is environmentally

responsible or reflecting justice. However, we must note that Johnnie walker is a socially

responsible brand, requiring 21+ for following them on Twitter or Facebook.

Q4) DESCRIBE HOW THE JOHNNIE WALKER BRAND HAS ACHIEVED

CREOLIZATION THROUGH THE KEEP WALKING CAMPAIGN.

“Keep Walking” started on a global scale with an emotionally-appealing message to the target

audience who is striving for self-development and progress. It was an image focused message

which aligned the brand globally and gave it perceived brand globalness. The Striding Man, who

is every man’s intention to progress, was flipped to the right side reinforcing the future heading.

In the next stage, Keep Walking started appealing to cultural divergent aspects through trans-

creating the global positioning to more perceived brand localness. This was the phase were the

campaign started getting the “glocal” messaging after highlighting celebrities and life examples.

Applying the local appeal to the global statement worked in more than 120 markets by applying

trans-creation and moment marketing, and audiences were emotionally connected to the brand.

Customized communication created an emotional global/local acceptable personality which gave

it credibility among different cultural values and factors. Brilliant integrated campaigns made

Johnnie Walker a story telling for every culture.

From individualism to polychronic, and from strivers to altruists – Johnnie Walker resonated

with all, their way. Johnnie Walker has successfully achieved creolization through the Keep

Walking campaign, and brands keep learning from that experience till date. The brand “kept

walking” after creolization and is still coming up with innovative communication.

References:

Airline Logos. 2014. Airline Logos. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.ranklogos.com/logos/airline-logos/. [Accessed 6 February 2014].

Chow, S., Amir, A.: The universality of values: Implications for global advertising strategy,

Journal of Advertising Research, September, 2006, pp. 301-314.

Digital Arts Staff. (2013). Taxi Studio redesigns Famous Grouse whiskey packaging. Available:

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/graphic-design/taxi-studio-designs-new-look-for-

famous-grouse-whisky-packaging/. Last accessed 15th Feb 2014.

Maclean, C (2003). Scotch Whiskey: A Liquid History. London: Cassel Illustrated.

Reviving Johnnie Walker as a global brand. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/industries/advertising/advertising-case-

studies/advertising-case-2-johnnie-walker/. Last accessed 15 Feb 2014