BALANTINE'S PRESTIGE

How street culture drove relevance amongst a Gen Z audience for a 200 year old whisky.

THE CHALLENGE

Ballantine’s, the Pernod Ricard owned premium scotch whisky, has long enjoyed a strong reputation in key Asian markets such as South Korea and China.

However, in recent years, it has struggled to maintain relevance with a younger audience, an increasing majority of whom saw Ballantine’s as a whisky for an older generation.

REDEFINING DESIRE

We identified a core audience known as ‘Cultural Pioneers’, a Millennial/Gen Z blend. 47% of this audience identify as being ‘creative’ and 52% 
identify with ‘street culture’.  

Our idea was to partner with influential New York street artist, Scott Albrecht, to create a limited edition pack, POS and content for use in social and trade - reinvigorating the brand in the process.

PROVOKING ACTION

The campaign ran in all major APAC markets, as well as across global travel retail.  

On pack artwork featured in each key market alongside a suite of social content featuring Scott’s design of the artwork and packaging.

The success of the campaign has led to the signing of a second artist for 2022.