Sons and daughters

Dads drink Scotch, but what can be done to attract their grown-up children? Andy Knott wonders how young Scotch can go, and how young should it go?

SCOTCH SALES continue to yo-yo.  After breaking through the billion bottle barrier for the first time in 2001, volumes dropped by 6.9% during 2002 to 943.4 million, while value remained static at £2.3 billion.

Early figures for 2003 are far more encouraging.  The first four months (January to April) showed export volume up 0.4% and value increasing 5.7% compared to the same period the previous year.

The UK contributed to this upturn with a 6.7% volume incline.  Producers are benefiting from substantial investment – Allied Domecq’s colossal £80m injection into Ballantines’ "Go Play" campaign across 56 countries being a prime example.

This investment is yet to yield, with Allied’s 2003 interim report revealing a 2% drop in volumes of Ballantines which is primarily the result of re-structuring in the key Spanish market; elsewhere volumes appreciated by 11%.

One of the tangential themes of the "Go Play" campaign was the targeting of young males in their 20s – a demographic not traditionally associated with Scotch whisky.  So have the hordes followed suit? No, appears to be the operative answer.

Whyte & Mackay has unleashed in excess of £5m on its above-the-line campaign for its eponymous leading brand.  The target demographic remains, however, in solid territor y, aiming for the 30-45 BC group.

"This demographic is the heart of the blended Scotch drinker," insists Glen Gribbon, marketing manager at Whyte & Mackay.  "Taking Scotch younger is just not a job for us at this stage."

Gribbon believes that in the UK the blended category is not growing, and strategically, Whyte & Mackay’s aim has to be stealing share off its competitors.  He adds, "Also, the brands we believe to be most vulnerable are very strong in our key target area."

Whyte & Mackay’s plan is two-fold; to consolidate the Scottish market, where it has recently become number one in the off-trade (second in on-trade), by "encouraging loyalty"; and "recruiting new drinkers".

This recruitment, initially, will be conducted in the north of England, an area where the company has secured widespread distribution.  "We want to tieup the domestic UK market before aggressively expanding internationally, and despite a lack of activity over the past years, we see good opportunities in northern England‚" adds Gribbon.

One tool in this armoury is a £1.5m press and TV advertising campaign, which ran through May and will be continued in the lead-up to Christmas. 

The campaign  encourages drinkers to "be true to themselves" rather than surrendering to the fickle  mature of fads and fashion, and features the cool delivery of actor Robert Carlyle providing the endline "Refusing to blend in".

Alongside a re-jig in the bottle design providing extra clarity, and a new website www.whyteandmackay.com), football sponsorship is the preferred mechanism.  And Leeds United are the team of choice. 

The sponsorship provides a guaranteed £3m over three years, which could rise to £6.3m for performance bonuses.  "With football, we wanted a team in the long-term top quartile of the Premiership, otherwise we would have pursued a different route," says Gribbon.

For what it’s worth, my prediction is that next season Leeds are far more likely to be flirting with the bottom quartile. 

Their financial problems have been well documented, and the club have been forced to sell over half the team that reached the semi-final of the Champions League a couple of years ago.  Gribbon believes that the club is back on track.

The deal will expose the brand to three million Leeds followers, and a further 18m who follow the Premiership around the world. "We don’t see this move as purely a northern [England] initiative; we’ve been surprised at the excitement from abroad, particularly the Far East, South Africa and Scandinavia."

These will, perhaps, be the target of Whyte & Mackay’s international plans, though Gribbon would only concede that four markets, including India, are in its sights.  Gribbon also pointed to reinforcing the "quality" message, suggesting that many blends are almost "apologetic" on this front.

This very same quality message is the one pursued by Grant’s with its "Our Passion. Your Pleasure" integrated international campaign, executed by McCann-Erikson.  This multi-million pound programme aims to highlight the passion instilled in the blend, and the pleasure derived from that passion.

"We wanted to break down the barriers of blended Scotch imagery and inject a bit of innovation into the category," explains David Hume, marketing director.  Grant’s target is slipping down the age demographic, aiming at the "25-plus, mainly 25-35 male".

The female body, therefore, is the object/subject of choice to reach this crowd.  The image features a droplet of whisky running down three parts of the female’s anatomy; navel, thigh and shoulder.

"The adverts use the female body as a landscape.  It’s artistic rather than sexist. In research the shots appeal to women," opines Hume.  "It’s always a fine balancing act between protecting the brand heritage while creating imagery and association which reflects it as a modern, dynamic brand."

Diageo, meanwhile, has pursued an altogether different route by targeting relationships via event marketing.  It estimates that Father’s Day is worth an additional £30m (and growing) to UK retailers, while being the biggest volume peak for whisky outside the Christmas period.

Naturally, the company’s aim is to fortify the link. "We recognise that buyers are not always consumers, and we geared our campaign to engage gifters and ensure consumers were aware of our activity," reveals Rob Mitchell, Bell’s brand manager.

The £1.5m campaign was spearheaded by UK nationwide TV advertising for Bell’s, but featured additional activity for Johnnie Walker and Talisker. 

The Bell’s ad – typical of Diageo – is a humorous take on the father/son relationship, featuring the latter (complete with a distinctly extended chin) providing his father with a well-deserved gift-packed Bell’s.

The message is that Bell’s is the perfect present to cement the father/son relationship – "a way of saying ‘thank you’ without actually saying anything".  Diageo was delighted with the results, and will develop the theme next year, probably expanding the concept beyond the confines of the UK.

"Our brands stimulated growth for the category.  If brands invest around Father’s Day, that growth (and the opportunity for retailers to capitalise) will continue to improve.

One of the major multiple grocers saw whisky sales up 53% year-on-year as a result this year," says Mitchell.  The campaign was actually for the launch of a 12- year-old version, based on research that "shows sons and daughters want to buy something special for their fathers at Father’s Day, rather than an everyday brand", according to the press release.

Whyte & Mackay has also gone down the 12-year-old route. Johnnie Walker piloted a same-day, motorcycle courier delivery service so "forgetful sons and daughters" could provide for their "almost forgotten fathers".

Chivas Regal is due to re-position in the lead-up to Christmas, with a new £28m international advertising campaign.  Full details are as yet unavailable, but the campaign will focus on "fulfilling shared moments with Chivas Regal". 

Unsurprisingly, the target attdemographic will be "35-plus, predominantly male", and will highlight the "premium" nature of the brand, following independent research by Synovate confirming it as "a leader when it comes to images of prestige and sophistication".

Ballantines’ youthful targeting, then, was more likely driven by its core Spanish market which, according to Allied’s recent trading statement, has bounced back from the most recent figures.

Spaniards and dark spirits have a deep cultural and historical link – through Brandy de Jerez – but the whisky boys have cleverly exploited the generation gap to tap into the youth market.

That rationale obviously doesn’t translate too well to the UK where the "yoof" market is already over-subscribed and palates tend towards vodka’s cleanness and neutrality.

 Instead marketers and advertisers have recognised two things caused by shifting demographic factors – the yoof segment is getting smaller, while the next age category up is not only undertargeted but also progressively more youthful in its attitude.