Hard work works, but joy works harder.
When we earned the privilege to help Johnnie Walker turn their declining brand around, the complex question was: How do you reignite a category, invite new consumers in, and create momentum within Diageo?
The answer was to create a new lens on the brands core DNA of progress. Because times had changed; the old-world notion; that blood, sweat, and pain lead to success was long gone, but the brand's core DNA of human progress was as relevant as ever. And so our stupid, simple, science-backed insight, was to remind the world to "keep walking" — yes — but add a skip in its step. A timely and culturally relevant idea: "Joy Will Take You Further."
50 markets and 270 million consumers
In a global marketing push spanning 50 markets, and targeting 270m consumers, with contextual and localised ads, social experiments, and a short film featuring Jude Law, Zhao Wei, and Bond villain, Giancarlo Giannini (watched 90m times online!) it was the biggest marketing push Johnnie Walker and Diageo had ever done. A campaign that would reignite the love of whisky — and remind the world that progress it is not something to be endured, but enjoyed. That success might not lead to happiness, but happiness might very well lead to success. — so Keep Walking, with a smile on your face, and a Blue Label in your glass!
To Ivan Menezes, CEO of Diageo, this was more than a campaign; it was a company-wide turning point. A moment for the organization to rally around its most iconic brand. The idea of joy as a driver inspired everyone, from the boardrooms to the guy stocking the shelves in Laos. Eventually, Diageo and scientist Matt Killingsworth, Ph.D., released a white paper on JOYNOMICS™, and across the organization, joy became a new way to measure growth, excitement, and revenue. And so, joy became a measure in Diageo’s annual reports.
