The Challenge

We had previously worked with Republic of Media and the Whyte & Mackay’s marketing team to develop brand creative that in many ways was dictated by broadcast sponsorships (brokered prior to our appointment).

Whilst the Quest and John Bishop Show sponsorship idents allowed us to show consumers the luxurious liquid of our whisky, we were limited with our messaging due to sponsorship restrictions.

This time we were challenged to explore how the legacy brand platform ‘Surprisingly Smooth’ could evolve to live as a long-term strategic platform that would work beyond the restrictions of broadcast sponsorship, give the brand an ownable distinction that not only appealed to new whisky drinkers, but also didn’t alienate those who already loved and cared for the brand.

The Insight

For those who consider themselves connoisseurs, complexity of flavour, quality of ingredients, distilling methods, smoothness and how it is aged are some of the many factors that are taken into consideration. For non-whisky drinkers, there’s also a barrier to entry due to the common misconception that the taste can be fraught and harsh to drink.

We knew that for our first big TV led brand campaign we needed to focus on why Whyte & Mackay is so ‘Surprisingly Smooth’ to give audiences a reason to believe and drive meaningful awareness.

The answer was simple - the triple maturation, the final step that elevates our brand above the rest.

The Idea

What better way to land the core product truth of what makes Whyte & Mackay richer and smoother than other blended scotch whisky, than to create a first of its kind TV commercial that got better with each take?

As a Whyte & Mackay whiskey improves with maturation, as does an actor's performance by the third take. Third Time Smooth.