Creating the right image

right image

As Glenfiddich sets out to target a younger consumer base, Jo de Mille was invited behind the scenes of a photo shoot for the whisky's Christmas print campaign

On a sweltering summer's morning a group of young people are hanging out in the basement of Almanach, a whisky bar on London's Trafalgar Square. Although it's only 11am, glasses of whisky already line the bar and, even though the sun is beating down outside, you'd think it was autumn from the way everyone is dressed.

But this isn't the sad remnants of a lock-in from the previous night. On the contrary, everyone has glowing skin and is immaculately styled to create that oh-so-cool, perfectly-messed-up-hair look. For these are the faces of the new £1m Glenfiddich Christmas ad campaign, which launches at the end of this month in national style magazines and aims to portray the 'aspirational, accessible,' side to drinking whisky in the on-trade.

While the iconic stag will still feature on the product's packaging, the beast is no longer the focal point of the campaign. Instead, the ad focuses on two groups of young people aged 25 and over, chosen to portray the 'sociability' of the brand, using the strapline 'inspiring great conversation since 1878' - when the whisky was first distilled.

'The idea was to present whisky in a different way and show that it doesn't just have to be drunk on a sofa by the fire at home, how your dad might have drunk it,' says Katie Rawll, business development manager UK for William Grant & Sons, which owns Glenfiddich.

According to the company, 16% of its sales are through the on-trade, where it has a 21% share of the buoyant £52m malt whisky market. Like other producers, William Grant is keen to increase trial among younger drinkers on a night out, which is the main reason for choosing to shoot the advert in a pub setting.

Doesn't have to be drunk straight

Rawll adds: 'Similarly, it doesn't have to be drunk straight: you can cut it with water, or mix it with ginger or orange. We also know that young people are increasingly after premium products that have real heritage. People want less of a product, but better quality.'

It is now 11.45am. There are still a couple of models standing by the rails of clothing, being accessorised or having last-minute make-up touches. Tables of crocheted Topshop tights, still in their packets, coils of tan belts and wooden bangles to make any fashionista squeal with excitement are left untouched and the show begins.

A group of four men crowd the bar in the foreground, while the second - mixed - group of six, sit around tables in the background. The 'best friends' chat and laugh so comfortably together, that you would never guess they had only met this morning. And although each person will be the size of a finger tip in the finished ads, the make-up artist rushes in between shots and touches up everyone's make-up, including the men's, to ensure that no shiny faces mar the quality of the finished ad.

Learn some tricks of the trade

The shoot is also an opportunity to learn some tricks of the trade. If your eyesight is exceptionally good, you may notice the huge, yet perfectly square ice cubes in the drinks that are actually made of plastic. Similarly, the guy in the pinstripe jacket in the foreground, Charlie, is shot with his back facing the camera and his forearms out of sight - not for artistic reasons but simply because the wardrobe people under-estimated his size: everything is too small for him, even his shoes. And although the rails hold enough garments to clothe the 5,000, they are not right for the 'character' assigned to Charlie for the purpose of the shoot. 'This is my second ever modelling event,' says model Charlie, 29. 'The clothes are all too small for me: the jacket cuts across the top of my back and the arms are far too short, but I've got to smile and look relaxed.'

The photographer, James Merrell, tells the actors and models to edge one way slightly, move an arm, or turn their head. The group in the background is told to look more 'coupley', by leaning towards each other, or casually placing their arms around each other's shoulders.

As Merrell says: 'Ultimately, it is me clicking and shouting, but I am really dependent on quite a large team - around 10 people. A press ad is akin to making a small film: the creatives have been working on it for a year now, although I didn't get involved till three months ago.'

He adds: 'It took a lot of castings to find the right sort of person and look for each character as it's obviously important that we provide an image that everyone can relate to. We also had to check out suitable venues and consider how well they would work from the camera's point of view.'

As well as the Almanach shoot, there are four other on-trade venues that will provide the backdrop for the series of adverts. They are all slightly different: the Belsize, in London's Belsize Park - a relaxed gastro-pub, and two Scottish locations, the Potshill and the Corinthian.

Hoping the reader will relate

Each ad has a different script, which the actors play out to get the desired shots, telling the consumer a bit about the characters who are drinking Glenfiddich in the hope that the reader will relate to the scene being played out. For example, in one, the direction given is: 'Max felt passionately that more could be done regarding the redistribution of wealth in society. Looking into an empty glass, Paul suggested he redistributed some of his in the direction of the barman'.

With Merkley & Partners, the creative agency behind the ad, based in the US, conference calls also have to take on a new meaning. 'We would hold a conference call purely to discuss one of the character's flowery shirts,' says Merrell. 'Do we like it? What does everyone think?' It would clearly be an issue if an ad campaign put the target audience off by getting the clothes wrong.

While he says there are no TV ads planned for the brand at the moment, Merrell says there will be another similar press campaign launched next year. 'The main thing is that we continually keep the message fresh and relevant, to move on through time and keep attracting the younger consumers as well as still appealing to our older drinkers.'