Mystery and drama created for consumer and trade experience

New York, NY – November 16, 2009 -- Ballantine’s, owned by Chivas Brothers, is firmly situated as the world’s number two Scotch whisky brand. With a range of quality blended whiskies, Ballantine’s 12-Year Old acts as the bridge, providing consumers with a premium trade up from Ballantine’s Finest.

Playing off of a strong package design (developed by Dragon Rouge in October 2007) and quality product, Ballantine’s 12-Year Old needed an on-premise campaign that would engage and excite its influential on-premise audience -- bartenders in particular.

Dragon Rouge created a global program, rooted in one big idea that would increase awareness, advocacy and visibility, through trade engagement and consumer on-trade activation. Being a global assignment, it needed to be flexible and adaptable to markets and budgets.

Entitled, ‘Beyond,’ the campaign invites consumers to think beyond the ordinary and look at things differently. Building on the masterbrand campaign, ‘Leave an impression,’ it incorporates package design equities to create the look and feel. A range of point of sale materials and merchandise with a ‘Trompe L’Oeil’ look (an art technique that gives the illusion of 3D), together with sampling techniques, are designed to captivate consumers and create drama in bar environments. Bartenders and key influencers will receive training on product credentials to maximize the impact of the launch and make recommendations to consumers.

Chris Barber, Creative Director at Dragon Rouge says, “We drew inspiration from the brand figurehead, George Ballantine. It was his passion for discovering something new that lead us to our big idea – Beyond. Every manifestation of the brand toolkit is full of intrigue, visually engaging and appeals to a global market. The components of the label become wallpaper, tables and picture frames. These are then fused with the bottle profile to create the illusion of a corridor (for the tasting booth) and a cellar (for a floor decal). Just two examples of where the ‘Beyond’ idea is effectively brought to life. We are thrilled with the result, particularly as it translates the successful work we completed on the packaging into an holistic consumer and trade experience.”

Peter Moore, Global Brand Director for Ballantine’s adds, “This is an exciting new creative platform for Ballantine’s 12 Year Old, which perfectly showcases the flair and authenticity that underpins the brand. Brought to life across all aspects of the marketing mix, the program includes an engaging global advertising campaign which is set to reignite consumer awareness in the off-trade and a dynamic portfolio of ‘Beyond’ activities to trigger consumer interaction and strengthen the brand’s position in the on-trade.”

The global on-premise program rolls out in key markets following the launch in November 2009.

ABOUT DRAGON ROUGE

Dragon Rouge (www.dragonrouge.com) is the largest independent brand and design consultancy with offices in New York, Dubai, Hamburg, London, Paris and Warsaw. The firm develops brands around three areas of expertise: brand strategy, design and innovation.

ABOUT CHIVAS BROTHERS

‘Leave an Impression’ is the first global advertising campaign created for Ballantine’s by Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard.

Ballantine’s is the world’s No 2 Scotch whisky, selling 6.2 million 9L cases annually.

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits.  Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky with a portfolio that includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.