This campaign for Johnnie Walker Refreshing Mixer Non-Alcoholic got me thinking about how “Keep Walking” has kept the world engaged for 25 years in an era where trends change before the season ends and attention spans shrink in milliseconds.
Here’s what I discovered:
It all starts with a universal thought that’s timeless. Nike’s “Just Do It” is a classic example of that. It’s a thought that fits itself in any part of the world over any event, and at any time in the history. “Keep Walking” is just that.
I asked Jennifer English, the Global Brand Director of Johnnie Walker, if at the start of the campaign itself, they realized they had a winner on their hands, “Those who worked on the first campaign did say they had all the tingles and feels of being at the precipice of great work, no one could predict it would last 25 years”
Dare I say, the World has seen more change in last 25 years than, even the preceding hundred years with the advent of technology, the internet and social media. It’s just in the last 25 years, where the World has seen the invention of the iPod, smartphones, the Internet Economy, acts of terrorism, A few wars, the Global Financial Crisis, many social revolutions around the world, meme-culture, AI and an unprecedented pandemic among others. Campaigns had to stay relevant through all that and more.
That brings us to the more important bit – Staying relevant. While a universal thought is a great start, it has to be kept fresh by working on it through the years with smart advertisements backed by great production.
Here are some iconic Johnnie Walker ads through the years that are timeless, yet tell you a lot about the times the world was in, when they were made.
1. The Man Who Kept Walking
This 2009 ad, according to me, is the most incredible of all the Johnnie Walker Ads ever made. It’s a 6 minute long film featuring Robert Carlyle walking the hills of Loch Doyne in Scotland recounting, in full detail, the story of how the Scottish farmer turned his product into the world famous brand it is today. I shudder to think the hard work that would’ve gone in making this one-shot film a success. The timing, production and emotion along with the swagger is just spot on. I’m told, it took the actor 40 tries to finally get it right.
2. Android, AI
It’s an ad from 2006 but still relevant as it looks to answer the eternal question – now more than ever before – Man or Machine? The innate drive of humans, our creativity and the beautiful emotions we experience are things that can never be manufactured and stuff that androids would trade for their infinite capabilities.
3. Dear Brother
This 2015 film is iconic because it’s the best ad to be never made by Johnnie Walker. Yes, you read that right. A campaign can consider itself successful when the audience gets the brief by just viewing their work over the years and end up creating something that fits right there. We’ve all seen Fevicol or Amul ads that are made by users for views online, or the many user-generated content pieces that brands are chasing so desperately.
German students Daniel Titz and Dorian Lebherz in Germany came up with this ad with no brief whatsoever, hoping to make it big in the world of Advertising and Film Making. This 90 second ad is actually better than most movies when it comes to the emotional twists and turns along with the suspense at the end.
After 25 years of success, the key question is: What Next?
It’s interesting that a lot of brands now speak about collective themes – We as a nation, We as a society, We as a race, We as humanity versus content from a decade ago which was more individual focused – My aspirations, My dreams, My goals and My Achievements.
However, it’s ironic that more content is consumed individually now on phones and personal devices versus collectively via television, hoardings or newspapers earlier.
What’s Johnnie Walker doing then, to stay relevant after all these years and what does the future look like? Jennifer English believes, “Johnnie Walker has been around for over 200 years and managed to stay relevant through multiple changes in the world in that period. The last 25 years were about personal progress turning into collective progress for the society. However, the next 25 years will be all about consumers wanting to live their best, fullest life by collecting great experiences that enable them to grow, Keep Walking will now reflect that.”
The other thing that will be a prominent feature according to me is regionalization of communication. Different countries, sensibilities and cultures would need different aspects of focus from a messaging and content perspective. Incidentally, all of these aspects tie back to Keep Walking’s latest campaign with Priyanka Chopra Jonas in India for Johhnie Walker Refreshing Mixer Non Alcoholic – “I can’t stand still”.
Check it out here:
Note: The author, Mangalam Maloo is a consumer sector geek who is obsessed with advertising, content and all aspects around the business of consumption. He’s a teetotaller but intoxicates himself with creative content, financial market analysis and new sneakers regularly.
