The Famous GrouseThe world’s largest bottle campaign

client profile

The Famous Grouse

The Famous Grouse Blended Scotch whisky has a history that stretches back over 200 years.

It is the number one selling blended whisky in the UK, and exports to over 100 countries around the world.

{Katy Stollery}Global PR Manager, The Famous Grouse

“In 2012 we set ourselves a particularly big target – to create the world’s largest bottle of whisky. We needed a PR campaign that would deliver coverage in the UK and around the world for the brand while simultaneously driving footfall to The Famous Grouse Experience.”

what we did

In order to generate maximum media coverage in the UK a number of news and photo stories were identified starting from the announcement of the record attempt, through production phases to the record breaking day itself.

This ensured a constant stream of coverage in the UK allowing us to raise the profile of the brand and help to drive footfall to The Famous Grouse Experience on the day of the record attempt.

our brief

On the day of the record attempt visi-tors to The Famous Grouse Experi-ence were invited to pour in a litre of whisky to help fill the bottle – 228 litres in all.

This provided us with strong imagery to issue to picture desks on the day, as well as engaging with visitors to The Famous Grouse Experience.

what we did

A global campaign was launched to run in parallel with the UK activity. We developed a global press kit that could be shared with international markets.

In addition, series of replicas of the world’s largest bottle were created and sent around the world to form the basis for tailored PR campaigns in 5 different countries including Russia, Holland, Austria, Bulgaria, and Malaysia; and to drive brand engagement at selected international airports to support Global Travel Retail.

end result

The campaign generated 111 pieces of media coverage in the UK, including BBC Radio Scotland, Daybreak, STV News at 6, Scottish Daily Express, Scottish Sun, plus regional and local titles. The potential audience reach was over 38 million.

In Bulgaria, the ‘message in a bottle campaign’ ran over 11 weeks, reaching a total of 400,000 people. At international airports, displays featuring the replicas had a direct impact on sales leading to a 52% uplift at Schiphol airport and 30% rise in Kuala Lumpur airport.

Visitor numbers at The Famous Grouse Experience were up 191% compared to the weekend prior to the record being set and sales turnover at the visitor centre doubled based on the same weekend in 2010.

testimonial

{Katy Stollery}Global PR Manager, The Famous Grouse

“Trying to break a world record is one thing. Capitalising on that success in order to deliver on your business objectives is another, and the campaign achieved this. We were particularly pleased with the success of the global campaign and the consistency of the campaign messaging across the world. So far results show impressive engagement levels and we can link our activity to a direct rise in sales..”

Glasgow

Fountain House,1-3 Woodside Crescent,Glasagow G3 7UL

0141 333 9585

Edinburgh

Venue Studios21 Calton Road, Edinburgh EH8 8DL

0131 557 5252

Aberdeen

Westgate, 8 Alford Place, Aberdeen AB10 1YB

01224 211045

Liverpool

The Plaza, 100 Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9QJ

0151 600 5126

Dunfermline

Largo House, Carnegie Avenue, Dunfermline KY11 8PE

01383 626510

www.bigpartnership.co.uk info@bigpartnership.co.uk