Client – Johnnie Walker
Markets – Global
Timing – Launched February 2015
Agencies/Vendors – iris Worldwide, MediaMonks
Tech Word Cloud – content marketing, tablet app, 360 degree experience, interactivity, gyroscope
Johnnie Walker creates new Brand Ambassadors with an interactive, 360 degree in-app whisky mentoring experience.
In the whisky sector, innovation is a slow moving process. Johnnie Walker wanted to bring the classic experience of whisky mentoring into the digital age by creating an interactive and engaging experience for consumers to interface with their Sommeliers inside within an app. The challenge was to create an experience that consumers wouldn’t forget while, at the same time, highlighting the complex flavors of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for a new generation of whisky drinkers.
The most important aspect of this idea was to provide consumers with an immersive, 360 degree experience that could bring the classic, one-on-one mentoring to larger audiences of 100-1000 people. The tablet app was inspired by Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s six core flavors, as well as the original Johnnie Walker store, and each unique environment is accompanied by a symphony based on neuroscience research to create a multi-sensory experience, allowing consumers to experience a world-class mentoring experience.
The whisky mentoring experience was brought into the digital space through the power of the tablet’s built-in gyroscope, to allow users to navigate a 360 degree experience within the app. The gyroscope can detect when the tablet is placed on a table, which triggers the tasting moment. The app is tailored to adapt to the environment and audience size, and allows people to experience the brand story through visuals and sound while simultaneously drinking the whisky.
The concept and journey was led by iris Worldwide in collaboration with Diageo’s whisky experts. The film, CGI and digital components were all produced by digital creative production house, MediaMonks. The integration of this creative idea with the tech components allows consumers to have the power of Johnnie Walker’s Sommelier in the palm of their hand, no matter where they are.
The Digital Mentoring app improved consumers’ recollection of the whisky’s six key flavors by over 25%. The beta test saw as much as a 38% increase in recollection. The app has been received with largely positive sentiments in the key markets and, perhaps most importantly, has created a new generation of brand ambassadors.