Johnnie Walker launches biggest global campaign

Johnnie Walker, the number one Scotch whisky in the world, has launched its largest ever global marketing campaign. Joy Will Take You Further will launch simultaneously in more than 50 countries and will reach nearly 270m consumers around the world within the first weeks of launch. Joy Will Take You Further is an evolution of the brand’s Keep Walking campaign and represents a new perspective on personal progress. It brings to life the concept that joy can be a catalyst to the progress people seek, and aims to promote the idea that finding joy in the journey is part of the recipe for success.

Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button stars in Johnnie Walker's new brand campaign

Encouraging shoppers to find joy in their journey

The campaign features stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment such as Formula 1 World Champion and McLaren Honda driver Jenson Button, Oscar-nominated actor Jude Law, Chinese actor Zhao Wei, US rock band OK Go and Mexican supermodel Montserrat Oliver alongside a cast of extraordinary achievers who share the brand’s view of how happiness in life is a fuel for success.

In travel retail the campaign will be brought to life through a number of airport activations. This will include offering travellers exclusive insights into the joy of blending as well as encouraging our shoppers to find joy in their journey.

Syl Saller, chief marketing officer of brand owner Diageo, said: “The launch of Keep Walking marked a fundamental shift in the way Scotch was marketed and kick-started a decade of transformational growth for both Johnnie Walker and the category as a whole.

“I am hugely excited about the potential of this new campaign to drive Johnnie Walker forward to the next decade of growth. It is rooted in deep consumer insight and tells true stories of people who have truly walked with joy. At Diageo, we believe in building brands with purpose - meaning that goes beyond product benefits - and this is a great example of an incredibly strong idea that is brought to life with outstanding creative.”

Significant investment in customer experiences

Peter Fairbrother, global marketing director of Diageo Global Travel and Middle East, added that the new campaign challenged the conventional wisdom that success guarantees you happiness and instead celebrates the fact that happiness actually helps people achieve success. He said: “Johnnie Walker has always stood for progress - it’s been the story of our whisky since our founder John Walker started it all nearly 200 years ago, right through to today as the best-selling spirits brand in travel retail. What two centuries of experience have taught us is that progress doesn’t have to be an endless uphill journey. We can enjoy the steps we take and the more happiness we find in them the more likely we are to achieve our goal. Evidence is confirming a conviction that sits at the heart of our brand: Joy Will Take You Further.”

Developed in partnership with the brand’s global creative agency, Anomaly, Joy Will Take You Further brings to life the art of blending and the blenders who create the world’s most iconic Scotch whisky through a significant investment in mentoring and customer experiences, in addition to a new television commercial, print and digital advertising, point of sale materials and engaging digital content.

The new Joy Will Take You Further television commercial from Johnnie Walker can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9R9YtaoYAE

Malibu brings a tropical touch to cross-Channel ferry

Malibu has held a light-hearted promotion driven by social media onboard P&O’s Pride of Canterbury ferry, as the ship set sail from Dover to Calais in September 2015. The activation aimed to bring the brand’s vibrant personality to the newly refurbished onboard store, offering passengers the chance to sample Malibu Original Rum, and presenting travel-friendly flat-pack speakers as a gift with purchase.

Malibu promotion onboard P&O's Pride of Canterbury ferry

Harnessing the power of social media

Whilst in-store, the first 150 passengers that captured their #bestsummerever moments with Malibu on Instagram and Twitter received Caribbean-inspired garlands, by tagging #sippingscocktails @Malibu_Rum and @POferries.

Charlotte Barton, Buyer at P&O Ferries, said: “We are really excited to be teaming up with Malibu for our first Malibu Pop Up Shop onboard our vessel the Pride of Canterbury. It is great to work with a brand which has great ideas in how to utilise the power of social media during an activation, and we cannot wait to see our customers photos on Instagram and Twitter from the Malibu Pop Up Shop.”

Furla sees Lights of Colour for spring

Furla’s Spring/Summer 2016 Lights of Colour collection recounts a journey through Italy in search of light and its endless shades. The new-season bags create graphic compositions in bold colour blockings for day-into-night versatility. Colours such as shell, onyx, acid green, turquoise, sienna brown and deep red combine to playful, artsy effects with an op-art twist, appearing on deconstructed shapes with a distinct gender-bender appeal.

The latter was pivotal in developing the collection’s practical inventiveness and two-in-one character for which detachable mini bags on roomy totes and clutches serve as both an extra pocket or as a standalone evening style. Both the Dama tote and the Fantasia maxi clutch come with a detachable Metropolis bag on the outer flap, while the Artesia bag is characterised by a removable inner panel with slots for wallets, smartphone, coins and other everyday essentials.

Furla Zafiro work bag for Spring/Summer 2016

New bag exclusive to travel retail

Similarly, a micro Metropolis bag tempers the tautness of the bi-colour Zafiro work bag, a revisited men’s style, while timeless shoppers feature multi-functional double-layered pockets. All are crafted from full-grain calfskin, at times featuring a hammered deer skin effect or printed. Furla’s signature Metropolis universe incorporates a larger bi-colour version featuring a geometric 3D-printed strap and with details such as hand-woven flaps and hand-knotted piping for the small size.

Brand new and exclusive to travel retail is the Yoyo bag, a mini crossbody with a zip top and chain strap available in three colours. A combination of Ares and Pop Star leather make the Yoyo bag a trendy lightweight bag.

Travel retail exclusive Furla Yoyo bags

Said Furla global travel retail director Gerry Munday: “I’m delighted that the Spring/Summer 16 offer will include another travel retail exclusive offer. The Piper medium dome has been incredibly well-received by our customers and the sell-through is superb. The Yoyo bag is equally perfect for travel retail and complements another amazing collection from Furla.”

Meanwhile, the footwear collection spans formal-informal styles, along with ultra-coloured models and shoes enriched with precious artisanal details.

Furla’s Spring/Summer 2016 presentation was held at the Salone Dei Tessuti in Milan on September 24 in a minimalist tunnel-like setting evocative of art installations where coloured panels, smoky mirrors and display columns enhance the 10 key shapes, colours, textures and details. 

Lanson unwraps travel exclusive pack

Champagne Lanson has launched a travel-themed gift box which revisits the iconic symbols that have made the brand what it is today. Available during September at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport with French travel retailer Aelia, the exclusive travel retail gift box is described as a wonderful representation of the history of the brand. 

Champagne Lanson's travel retail gift pack

Decorated with travel symbols and seals, chosen to highlight the brand’s historic past, the gift box is offered with Champagne Lanson’s Black Label Brut Non-Vintage. With its matte black appearance, black lacquer and gold finish, this new travel retail exclusive is designed to create an elegant and eye-catching look. The iconic symbols have been redesigned to incorporate the Lanson Cross, while some of Lanson’s old seals have been transformed into stamps, making the gift box unique. The French origin of the Lanson house has also been subtly represented through the use of delicate French flag designs.

Olivier De La Giraudière, export director of Lanson Champagne, said: “This original gift pack exclusive to travel retail is another indication of Champagne Lanson’s commitment to the channel. We pride ourselves on giving our travel retail customers unique and outstanding products that cannot be bought in the domestic market. By incorporating elements of Champagne Lanson’s history onto the gift pack, along with travel related symbols, we have created a very relevant item for the category; one that we hope that travellers will want to enjoy with their friends and family. By featuring our most successful and original Champagne, Black Label, with its redesigned label, we are positive this new gift pack will fly off the shelves.” 

MCM debuts eyewear with celebrities in Beijing

MCM has unveiled its first full range of sunglasses and eyewear for Autumn/Winter 2015, produced by its licensee, Marchon. The collection is described as a daring, futuristic and iconic series with novel designs. Crafted in Italy, the collection is inspired by the unique textures and graphic patterns of MCM’s accessories, ranging from pop aesthetics, punk facades to pure elegance, spanning a range of classic motifs and contemporary silhouettes.

MCM's sunglasses collection for Autumn/Winter 2015

Exclusive launch event for the Beijing glitterati

The new eyewear collection premiered at Beijing’s Park Life shopping centre at an exclusive party. MCM rolled out its signature Cognac-coloured carpet at the event, which was hosted by singer and actor Jing Boran and graced by Beijing’s top trendsetters, tastemakers and glamorous glitterati.

Winner of China’s 2007 My Hero contest, Jing Boran is a renowned actor and vocalist, best known for his role in the 3D animated fantasy adventure film, Monster Hunt. The part-Russian, part-Chinese performer is also co-founder of the Chinese boy band BOBO with My Hero finalist, Fu Xinbo. For the exclusive event, Boran mixed MCM’s signature biker jacket with the latest accessories of the season.

Chinese actor Jing Boran wearing an MCM biker jacket

Meanwhile, MCM invited one of Beijing’s house-and-techno elite, DJ Gin, to spin the decks in style. The party also featured a theatrical live model display, showcasing the latest ready-to-wear, accessories and sunglasses collections. 

 

MCM sunglasses with the new Berlin box bag

Paul & Shark takes care of travellers

Luxury sportswear brand Paul & Shark, which recently supported the vintage sailing event Monaco Classic Week, wants men to “travel easy” with its new Spring/Summer 2016 collection. The new Travel Easy Care collection from the Smart Casual line draws on its traditional Made in Italy craftsmanship and fabric innovation, combining a casual, elegant look with fabric that makes it stand up to the pressures of packing and long journeys.

A look from Paul & Shark's Smart Casual line

Crease-free fabrics from dawn till dusk

The range includes coats, gilets, shirts and trousers, created using a special treatment that softens the fabric and makes it easier to care for. More importantly, the garments are crease-free from dawn till dusk.

Travel retail director Catherine Bonelli enthused: “As our travel retail distribution continues to grow globally, it is vital that each new collection continues to wow and shows off the quality and uniqueness of Paul & Shark. This year we have definitely achieved this and I am confident that the Travel Easy Care line will stand out as a must-have essential item.”

Alongside the Smart Casual line, Paul & Shark will be featuring its core Sportswear line. With a broad colour palette ranging from classic whites and blues, to bolder limes and fuchsias, the brand’s heritage is transformed into a range of stylish, modern garments. Key pieces include a rubber-coated linen double-breasted jacket, a classic Vichy print windbreaker, and a polyester and nylon 3D mesh jacket.

The Luxury Collection is described by the brand as a lavish range featuring high-quality materials, such as cashmere and silk, combined with expert craftsmanship. Designed for the most demanding of travellers, this collection embraces clean and sophisticated lines along with more traditional colours of blue and dark brown. Jackets are the stars of this line, with leather and cotton or cashmere and silk offerings that include technical details such as laser perforations. All knitwear is 100% silk, while the shirts are made from piqué cotton and the trousers from supima, the world's finest cotton. 

During the TFWA World Exhibition in October, personalisation will feature on the Paul & Shark stand with its embroidery offering. Showing its ability to customise, an intricate tooling machine will allow Paul & Shark to embroider a name or message of choice on the items offered.

Said Bonelli:  “Our tooling machines take up so little space that they are easily incorporated into our stores, giving us a real uniqueness. It’s a tool that can easily be incorporated into airport retail and we are about to announce an activation with a key operator this summer.”

An eternal launch from Royal Salute

Pernod Ricard-owned whisky brand Royal Salute has introduced Royal Salute The Eternal Reserve, which uses an innovative blending technique to create a whisky that will “live forever”. For this inventive take on legacy, Royal Salute selected rare and precious whiskies with an exceptionally long finish. They are then blended together and married in 88 casks to form the inaugural batch. Using a unique process called Circular Blending, the company has committed to use this original blend in every subsequent batch for decades to come.

Royal Salute The Eternal Reserve whisky

Distinctive porcelain flagon

Each time a new batch is released, half of the blend is re-casked in the Royal Salute Vault in Strathisla Distillery so that – even in 200 years – you could still find a little of the liquid born in 2015. The original blend is therefore forever preserved by this perpetual recirculation.

Retailing from $180 per 70cl, the whisky is presented in a distinctive, aubergine-coloured porcelain flagon, created to combine age-old techniques with a contemporary signature icon, which reflects the Circular Blending process.

The first batch of 88 casks will be available from September 2015 and sold exclusively in global travel retail, supported by an innovative experiential, digital promotional and merchandising campaign bringing Royal Salute The Eternal Reserve story to life.

Royal Salute global brand director Vadim Grigorian said: “Time is at the heart of Royal Salute. Our youngest blend is 21 years old but we were born alongside a thoroughly modern monarch, so we constantly blend tradition with the contemporary. The Eternal Reserve is inspired by artists, writers and philosophers – all dedicated to understanding the possibility of continuity in the modern world. This superb whisky is our suggestion that eternity doesn’t mean living forever. It means timelessness – and it belongs to those who live in the present.”