Benriach Single Malt Scotch Whisky, part of the Brown-Forman Corporation portfolio of brands, has launched a new UK campaign titled, ‘Say No to Bad Gift Giving’, in partnership with Buzzfeed, to raise awareness of the common mistakes people make when gift-giving.
Benriach, known for its long-standing tradition of producing three styles of whisky and its vast eclectic cask inventory sourced from around the world, is encouraging people to trade in unwanted gifts for a bottle of The Original Ten.
Currently running from now until the end of December, the three-pillar approach aims to enhance brand awareness and build brand momentum and was devised by Brown-Forman UK’s media agency, Spark Foundry, who has handled the media planning, buying and execution.
The first pillar of this campaign will see two animated videos featured on social platforms, Facebook and Instagram, showing ‘highball’ and ‘rocks’ whisky cocktails with the brand’s call to action – encouraging people to ‘raise the bar this Christmas’ with Benriach.
Secondly, Buzzfeed will take to the streets to conduct ‘voxpop’ style interviews with members of the public, asking about their experiences with ‘bad gift giving’ and presenting them a bottle of Benriach in return.
The third pillar of the campaign will see people invited into 15 Bateman Street in Soho to exchange gifts they have received previously that might not have been right for them, with a bottle of Benriach – The Original 10. The event will take place in December, with footage being shared across Buzzfeed’s social platforms with the previous “not quite right” gifts being exchanged, donated or recycled.
“This Buzzfeed partnership is a fun way of introducing Benriach Single Malt Scotch Whisky to a wider audience, boosting our brand recognition,” Emily Richardson, Marketing Director at Brown-Forman UK & Ireland, said. “With the campaign going live in the leadup to the holiday season, this will engage consumers as they begin to think about their Christmas lists.”
“When it comes to media, search is massively important for Benriach’s audience as they ‘discover’ and explore the category,” Rachel Card, Managing Partner at Spark Foundry UK, said. “According to Mintel, whisky represents about 20 per cent of all spirit sales in the UK, yet, according to our own research, commands over 30 per cent of spirit-related searches, that’s 50 per cent more than one might expect based on market value! But with only 12 per cent of search related to specific brands, we wanted to make sure that people are thinking of Benriach when it comes to whisky exploration.”
