David Beckham, Diageo’s Haig Club whisky brand partner, flew
into Cannes to meet customers and media attending the TFWA World Exhibition
2014 – including MJ Rabbit. Haig Club, Diageo’s new single grain Scotch whisky, was
created in partnership with the sports star and British entrepreneur
Simon Fuller, who have both played a major role in creating the brand.
Speaking at an exclusive press launch for the brand in
Cannes, Beckham (wearing a red Remembrance Day poppy on his Maison Martin
Margiela suit) told the media guests: “Whisky has always interested me. Every Christmas and New Year my grandfather would bring out his Dimple
bottle and his whisky glass. Only he would be allowed to drink it, and this memory remains very precious to me.”
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| David Beckham toasts the launch of Haig Club whisky |
Beckham, who counts more than 50m Facebook fans and over 500,000
social media hits per day, told the gathering that when he flew to Singapore in
September for the travel-retail launch of the brand with leading operator DFS
at Changi airport, he was “immensely proud” to see the product in the duty-free
brochure – and made sure to buy a bottle, much to the amusement of the staff
who served him.
Beckham highlighted the 400-year distilling heritage of the
Haig family and hoped that the relatively affordable price would attract new, non-whisky
drinkers to the brand. “If you’re interested in whisky and not a whisky
drinker, it’s a great place to start,” he said. This was certainly the case with his fashion designer wife Victoria, who, according to Beckham, as a non-whisky drinker enjoyed her first sips of the whisky and apparently demanded 10 bottles for her office.
In Cannes, Beckham joined Diageo executives in
discussions with customers to talk about Haig Club’s potential and its premium
positioning in the travel-retail channel.
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| Haig Club single grain Scotch whisky |
Doug Bagley, managing director of Diageo Global Travel and
Middle East, enthused: “It is wonderful to have our Haig Club partner David
Beckham at this year’s TFWA World Exhibition. Haig Club began to roll out in
travel retail earlier this month and we are delighted that David is so heavily
involved in positioning the brand in the channel.
“Haig Club underlines Diageo’s commitment to innovation and
to premiumisation in travel retail. Whisky is the most vibrant spirits category
in the channel and we are working with our travel-retail partners to deliver
ground-breaking activations that will support our vision for Haig Club as an
accelerator of the whole whisky category.”
He continued: “We have big ambitions for travel retail this
year - it represents one of the fastest growing and most profitable
opportunities for Diageo. As the market leader in liquor, we are investing in
continuous innovation, in premiumisation and in creating luxury retail
experiences for travellers. Haig Club represents a dynamic and iconic
partnership and we believe it will have global appeal to whisky and non-whisky
drinkers alike.”
Scotland’s oldest grain whisky dynasty
Haig Club is a new product from the House of Haig,
Scotland’s oldest grain whisky dynasty, at nearly 400 years old. It is crafted
using a process that combines grain whisky from three cask types. This creates
a fresh, clean style that showcases butterscotch and toffee for a smooth taste
that the company believes will be enjoyed not only by whisky drinkers, but also
by those who have always wanted to try whisky.
Haig Club began rolling out in duty-free outlets worldwide
from October with a recommended retail price of £40/$62.50 for a 70cl bottle.
Visit www.haigclub.com
MJ Rabbit says: The beauty industry has long used “spokesmodels”
for new product launches, picking celebrities who align with their brand
innovations. Although David Beckham is way more than a spokesmodel in this case
– he is a business partner in the brand with Diageo – I loved the way in which
Beckham provided a human face and an emotional element to the Haig
Club launch. He referred to the lasting memory of his late grandfather, who
would traditionally drink whisky every Christmas. I believe many liquor
companies would do well to note what Diageo has achieved and bring much-needed
(dare I say it) feminisation to a product category that can be overly
traditional, staid and lacking in excitement.
