Johnnie Walker GoT a Revamp

How a story-centric, special edition whiskey drove cultural conversation

Author

Ali Kaltman
June 09, 2024

Brand: Johnnie Walker

Campaign: White Walker

Read time: 5 minutes

💬 Overview 💬

It’s 2019.

Game of Thrones (GoT) is the BIGGEST TV show of the decade.

GoT appealed to a pretty broad audience, resonating especially well with affluent millennial men.

Johnnie Walker’s target consumer was the perfect overlap.

They attracted wealthy professionals aged 25-40 who take pride in their whiskey and love a good limited edition.

With over 44 million people tuning into the final GoT season, Johnnie Walker knew it was an opportunity to make a big splash with their target audience.

💙 The Branded Moment 💙

Enter: The White Walker by Johnnie Walker

First, let’s define a White Walker.

Primarily referred to as the Others in the novels, White Walkers are a supernatural threat to mankind who dwell north of The Wall in Westeros.

The Others are described as "Tall ... and gaunt and hard as old bones, with flesh pale as milk" with eyes "deeper and bluer than any human eyes, a blue that burned like ice".

They also wear armor that "seemed to change color as it moved", and wield thin crystal swords capable of shattering steel.

Can you picture what that would look like as a whiskey bottle?

Pretty cool, right?

And the White Walker ~Whiskey~ delivered.

The bottle design is a true standout.

When placed in the freezer, the bottle's exterior reveals a bright blue pattern, including the iconic Johnnie Walker figure AND the ominous "Winter is Coming" motto from Game of Thrones.

For people who are both fans of the series AND fans of the whiskey, it captures the best of both brands.

💡 Results 💡

The product reviews were just okay, BUT there are several threads dedicated to tastings for the product, how to drink it, the packaging design, etc.

From a marketing perspective, if Johnny Walker’s goal was to 1) drive trial and 2) surprise and delight fans with a new experience, then they certainly succeeded.

The fans were excited AND the limited edition launch drove conversation.

🎬 Take Action 🎬

I know you might be thinking… Ali, isn’t this just a special edition whiskey? What’s so special about this version that you wanted to dedicate a whole week of your newsletter to it?

It comes down to two things: 1) I loved the niche story integration here and 2) I think it’s interesting to look at products that might not have been a smashing viral success but resonate super well with their target consumer.

Therefore, if you are evaluating any special editions, I’ve put together this list for you to reference as the most important qualifications for success.

For a successful special edition product, you must have:

  1. Clear Goals: Your goal might be to drive conversation, but it could also be to test out working with new talent. Be crystal clear on what this is from the start so you can measure success properly.

  2. A Good Story: This was successful because of how intertwined the GoT story was with the brand story. Redditors were talking about this not because the product was phenomenal but because they were fans of both the TV show and the whiskey.

  3. Good [Enough] Product: If the reviews are bad, no one is going to buy. However, the product doesn’t need to be amazing if it fits in well to the story you are trying to tell. It’s more important that you get the product out the door rather than waiting for perfection.

Nail your goals, then the story, and then let it drive the product.

What’s New This Week

One new product I tried this week 👉 Truff Hot Sauce. In Truff we Trust.

One new campaign I’m loving 👉 I talked about it on LinkedIn already but… GBT x Beis is my campaign of the week for sure.

One new creator I’m following 👉 Keith Bendes - Keith is an influencer marketing industry vet and gives us the top takes in the space.

Brandkeeping

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it on to 3 marketers you know!

And if you have a brand or campaign you want to spotlight, please reply directly to this newsletter.

Let’s chat!

See ya!

Ali

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