News

Johnnie Walker launches Bold Steps campaign

15 February 2023 By Louis Thomas

Diageo-owned Johnnie Walker recently unveiled a new campaign in collaboration with inaugural partners Diet Paratha, a community platform specialising in South Asian talent and creativity, and British-Indian actress Simone Ashley, known for her roles in the Netflix series Bridgerton and Sex Education.

The partnership will support Diet Paratha’s Family Tree Mentoring — a programme aimed at British South Asians looking to break into or advance in creative industries.

As part of the campaign, a short film celebrating Ashley, whose success marks a milestone towards greater South Asian representation on screen, has been released. In the video, Ashley advocates for “taking bold steps towards a direction we were taught to avoid”, walking instead into a world we created for our own lives”. Throughout, Ashley features in numerous striking visuals alongside a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label.

The commercial concludes with Ashley declaring: “It’s not often we’re told we’re brown and brilliant and to live out our dreams. But our brown pushes boundaries, from our people it beams.”

Diet Paratha founder Anita Chhiba commented: “We’re so proud to work with Johnnie Walker, an iconic brand with generational ties to many of our community. Our shared mission to further cultural progression and ensure authentic representation on this campaign, as well as the sponsorship of our mentoring programme, serves as a fantastic example of how brands can work with different communities, to help platform authentic stories which create meaningful change.”

Pranay Chandra, head of Johnnie Walker and single malts, added: Anita and Simone are both trailblazers paving the way for future generations of creatives and using their platforms for real, meaningful change. Given Johnnie Walker’s huge cultural resonance across the globe, our brand really resonates with the South Asian community in the UK – a group too often left out of the national cultural narrative, and we are so proud of our diverse customer base. One of Johnnie Walker’s global goals is to celebrate and stand up for representation and progression and we are proud to put the power of the ‘Keep Walking’ platform in the hands of the community.”