2013 Silver Best Launch Campaign

Client Ardbeg

How did the campaign make a difference? A global Ardbog Day brought the Ardbeg Committee together in 150 countries. The new Ardbog bottling sold out online in 48 hours. Ardbeg.com saw a 50% uplift in traffic. 50 blogger articles reached over 250,000 whisky fans. 10,000 people attended the global events. Email open rates hit 61.48%, with click-through rates of up to 43.74%.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? Ardbeg Single Malt Whisky is made on the small Scottish island of Islay. Ardbeg already 'owns' the last day of Islay's annual Malt and Music Whisky Festival. That event was named Ardbeg Day and went worldwide in 2012. The challenge was to develop a new theme for Ardbeg Day 2013 that would resonate and be understood in every market. The Ardbeg Committee is the brand CRM programme, with 90,000 members in 150 countries. Ardbeg Day gives them an opportunity to celebrate Ardbeg together, introduce it to friends, and get their hands on a limited edition Committee bottling. A new, bottling name, with integrated packaging, event platform and event communications was developed. Ardbeg own the Islay whisky category by entwining Ardbeg and Islay in the minds of the consumer. Islay is famous for its peaty whiskies and the island's numerous peatbogs. So for 2013, the global event became ARDBOG DAY.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? All bottling names for Ardbeg are rooted in truths. In years gone by, the Islay bogs have yielded archaeological treasures: axes, brooches and a leaf-shaped bronze sword. The bottling name ARDBOG leant itself to product packaging and a worldwide activation platform with the theme of archaeology. A short movie was filmed on Islay, revealing the moment that Ardbog was discovered…Committee members were sent a link, with a 'save the date' and tasting notes inviting them to join Ardbog Day celebrations. A special press pack also targeted key influential bloggers and whisky writers. The events (or "Shin-digs") took place at bars and venues around the world as well as at the distillery itself.

Results The bottling sold out online within 48 hours. Embassies had overwhelming attendance, with over 100 events worldwide attended by over 10,000 people. There was also a 50% increase in ardbeg.com visits and 12,227 people visited on 1 June.