Rowson's Reserve

Challenge

Diageo decided to tap the IMFL segment with a new product – Rowson’s Reserve. The task was to give consumers a sample of this smooth new blend, create a switch in customer preference and establish it as a better choice over competition.

Solution

The USP of Rowson’s Reserve was that it was one of the smoothest whiskies at that price point. The activation was planned around this USP, to create awareness while inducing trials and reinforcing the premium image for the brand.

We took the route of experiential marketing to be executed across 18 cities. The task of this experiential campaign was to introduce the customer to the smoothness attribute of the drink. The experience was meant to spread throughout the outlet and induce not only trials but repeats.

How it worked?

The experiential activity was divided into two parts. There were many elements designed to reinforce the smoothness of the brand. The visual characteristics though were inspired from a line associated with the brand - Vela Dare (meaning 'let the ship sail'). The visual elements were created around sailing. 'Reserved for Smooth Folks' tags greeted people who visited the outlets. This created intrigue and curiosity. They were then greeted by well-dressed promoters in sailing-themed attire.

People on that table were informed that for a smooth evening, they just had to raise the flag and they would get their first drink on the house. The raised flags created curiosity on the other tables, on what the flags were and why they weren’t on their tables. That pushed people to ask about the experience and led to trials. Post trials, they were given a re-order ticket which also introduced them to the price of the brand.

Results

Rowson’s Reserve made a powerful announcement of its presence in the IMFL segment as the campaign led to 15,000+ customers sampling over 50,000+ pegs, which led to 76% conversion rate exceeding all expectations.

  • Idea
  • Idea