Drambusters! Scotch whisky has a change of image

Scotch whisky is moving away from its traditional image to grab a share of the youth market

Since its heyday in the seventies, scotch whisky has been synonymous with the older, more mature and discerning drinker. This has meant that the enduring imagery of leather armchairs next to roaring fires, windswept Highlands and grouse moors has dominated major whisky brand advertising.

However, in a move that proves that nothing in this industry is sacred, whisky is trying to rid itself of this cultural baggage and has emerged as the latest category to turn its traditional advertising on its head. It succeeds the likes of vodka, cask ale and gin in its attempt to reinvent itself and capture the imagination of a younger market.

The major whisky players are looking to replace their 60-plus audience with a whole new generation of potential whisky drinkers which remains as yet untapped.

UK consumption of scotch whisky has been in steady decline since 1996, and industry observers predict this depression to continue unless the major brands prise the youth market away from the vice-like grip of the pre-mixed spirit "cartel" led by Bacardi Breezer and Smirnoff Ice.

The common view in the UK is that whisky is drunk by old men - an image that differs greatly from its status in other parts of the world. In the UK, 60 per cent of 18 to 25-year-olds say they would try whisky with a mixer, while 42 per cent are prepared to try it if it had a trendier image.

Liz Young at Johnnie Walker, the global leader in whisky sales, said: "People's attitudes to whisky in this country are unique. In places like Thailand and Brazil, whisky is held in very high esteem, if you are drinking a whisky it's a sign of affluence and a drink that proves you've made it, whereas in the UK there is a great deal of snobbery and baggage that stifles innovation within the category."

Alec Guthrie, marketing manager of Grant's Family Reserve, admits it will be an evolutionary rather than revolutionary conversion, but points towards the status whisky enjoys abroad as a desirable goal to aim for.

"If you go to Spain, a country traditionally dominated by wine, the image of whisky is a lot more appealing. It's not unusual to see a group of young drinkers ordering a bottle of whisky in a bar and slowly drinking it over the course of an evening," said Guthrie.

"There is a lot more imagination in terms of the way it is served. Instead of a standard tumbler with ice and water - which doesn't look particularly good - they are served a long drink which is something people can relate to."

Grant's has embarked on a number of campaigns and initiatives aimed not only at steering the category towards a younger audience but also kick-starting a blended scotch whisky revival.

First Drinks Brands, Grants UK distributors, recently announced the launch of a "Give Your Round An Edge" on-trade promotion offering a Grant's chaser for a pound when customers order a pint, half pint or bottle of beer. "We need to reinvent whisky and make it more dynamic and exciting. In order to be able to build a brand it is essential to take on-trade activity seriously," said Guthrie.

"The on-trade is vital territory, as pubs and bars are where you can get the message across to younger drinkers. But it will take a long time - up to 10 years - to change attitudes," he added.

To coincide with its sponsorship of the Jaguar Formula One racing team, Grant's has also introduced a Formula One Optic promotion giving customers the chance to win free shots. Guthrie sees the Jaguar association as the best way to attract the younger, male 18 to 24-year-old audience as well as the older whisky drinker.

"The prestige, excitement, razzmatazz and exposure linked with Formula One represents another step away from the stuffy image associated with whisky," said Guthrie.

He believes it is possible to go after a new market without alienating the core market.

"The traditional, more mature, whisky drinker has nothing to fear, though, as the majority of the 55-plus audience enjoy their whisky at home, there are two completely separate markets."

The Johnnie Walker brand, which currently commands 15 per cent of global whisky consumption and boasts sales of approximately 10 million nine-litre cases, also gave a much-needed tonic to any potential blended whisky comeback with the launch of a massive £100million global marketing campaign aimed at breaking the mould of traditional whisky advertising.

The "Keep Walking" campaign will hit British cinema screens this week and is centred on the famous Johnnie Walker "Striding Man" logo. The executions focus on emotional and inspirational walks such as a Russian fireman striding into a burning building, a French tightrope walker completing a daring walk between two New York skyscrapers and an ad featuring the Hollywood film star Harvey Keitel.

Keitel, who has previously shunned approaches to do advertising, is a centrepiece for a one-off cinema advertisement shot in the unusual setting of a Roman coliseum.

Keitel waxes lyrical about his experiences on Broadway over footage of himself strolling into an arena full of lions. Keitel walks towards a wall in the middle of the arena, which he demolishes to take centre stage.

"In the UK, there's been a general feeling that blends are the poor cousins to malts, but things are changing and Johnnie Walker wants to break the clichés and kickstart a change in perceptions. The new campaign will hopefully breathe new life into the category as a whole," said Young.

UDV has until now opted for Bell's - a brand relatively unknown abroad - as the leading scotch whisky brand in its UK portfolio rather than Johnnie Walker, which is widely considered the jewel in the crown. Whether the "Keep Walking" initiative represents a significant change in the strategy remains to be seen.

The adoption of a younger image is not confined to the blended brands, however. Glenfiddich, the world's best selling single malt, recently announced the launch of a £1million advertising campaign to coincide with the release of a number of rare and vintage single malt whiskies.

The two executions, aimed at moving the category and brand away from its traditional territory, draw a parallel between famous inventions and inspirations and the creation of Glenfiddich Special Reserve.

Commenting on the new campaign, Glenfiddich marketing manager Sarah Clark said: "There is a role to be played at the upper end of the market as people coming into whisky are going to want the best there is and are prepared to pay for it.

"We want to foster an association with current drinkers as well as with a wider, younger audience - but the whole category has to move together."

A similar attempt by the gin sector to move away from the "gin and jag" set not only led to a renaissance in pubs and bars but also precipitated the rise of less mainstream brands like Plymouth Gin and Bombay Sapphire.

Most observers agree that the prospects for whisky are good. A premium sector is slowly emerging in upmarket style bars where mixing deluxe blends such as Chivas Regal, J&B Rare and Black Bottle with cola or in cocktails is no longer considered a gross act of sacrilege. There is no reason why whisky should not become as fashionable as vodka in the long term although it will never be as versatile as a cocktail ingredient.

According to Karen Prentice, media and government affairs manager at the Scotch Whisky Association, it will be the prestige brands bringing something new and something young to the market that will spearhead the whisky revolution.

"There has been a huge rise in drinking prestige and deluxe blends in the US - where the standard blend market has remained stagnant," she said.

"Young people are choosing to drink the more innovative whiskies as a sign that they have moved on from what their parents have been drinking. It might well happen in the UK as more often than not what happens in the US ma