Ali Hamze 4640251

MARK940Marketing
Rami Abou Reslan 4622303
Communications
S.M.MUSHFIQUR RAHMAN 3161389
Case Study Chapter 3
Johnnie Walker From Whisky Producer to
Global Icon: The Story of Keep Walking

Q1) WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY FOR COMPETITION TO REACT TO SUCH
AN INTERNATIONALLY SUCCESSFUL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN?
What made Johnnie Walkers advertising campaign so successful was that
they reintroduced their icon, the Striding Man, as a re-envisioned symbol of
masculinity in the 21st century. The Striding Man became something that
men all around the world try to emulate, the classy gentleman. Competition
would have to react to this rebranding strategy in very much the same way.
Any brand which has experienced recent slumps in sales would have to
identify the reasons in its branding as to why. In the whiskey market,
companies such as Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels and Chivas have shown that
tradition is a major factor in their marketing, as well as manufacturing,
process. Their customers identify with the timelessness of the product.
Therefore, it would be a bad idea if a competing company would attempt to
change the actual product itself. A competing company would rather focus
on its marketing campaign, inserting itself into elements of popular culture
and creating an identity which men of the 21st century would relate to. It is
important to note that men of legal drinking age would still be the primary
focus of the advertising campaign, because, sticking with tradition, whiskey
is still a very masculine drink. An example of such a campaign is Jack
Daniels collaboration with NASCAR or Johnnie Walkers collaboration with the
McLaren Mercedes F1 team. In both these cases, the brand is visible in a
predominantly male sport where viewers identify strongly with the racers.
Therefore, the racers themselves become embodiments of the brand. It is
important to note in the case study that Johnnie Walker underwent a
rebranding of its major icon, the Striding Man. A competing brand would
also be encouraged to do this, if they havent done so and if they already
have an icon or a logo. For example, Famous Grouse recently underwent a
packaging change for its new Alpha brand to make it more dramatic.
Q2) DRAWING UPON THE CASE, PICK A BRAND OF YOUR CHOICE & DESIGN A
STRATEGY TO TURN IT INTO A GLOBAL BRAND.
Building on the case, let us take Etihad Airways as a brand to transform it
into an iconic brand. Etihad Airways is the flag carrier airlines of the UAE and
it can reflect the countrys icons, since it doesnt do so already. The Emirati
Falcon is a symbol of national pride in the UAE and also symbolizes the
falconry heritage of Emiratis, making it an ideal icon for Etihad. An Iconic
presentation of a falcon in the national colors of the UAE (Black, Green, Red,
and White) would be an ideal presentation of Etihad as UAE national carrier.
Etihad already is using the UAE official logo on the airplanes tale; however in
its communication to the public it is not using any symbol or icon of any
type. We can add colors and a modern depiction of the falcon in order to
resemble UAE as a whole. Since Etihad is already a sponsor of many social
and sport events, Etihad can easily spread its new icon as UAEs national

carrier, instead of using the plain text logo. Advertising can be used to
communicate icons in the UAE in general, for example they can show that
the airlines can take you close to Dubai where the Burj Al Arab is, or close to
Al Ain with resorts, water, etc. After promoting the airline through different
media, the brand will directly be associated to UAEs tourism points and
business centers. After all, people can use Etihad for reaching several points
in UAE, since distances within the country are not significant when compared
in par with other countries like Australia. Soon enough, the Emirati Falcon will
be a key part of Etihads brand.
Q3) EXPLAIN HOW THE KEEP WALKING CAMPAIGN DOES OR DOESNT APPEAL
TO EACH CATEGORY OF CHOW AND AMIR VALUE DIMENSIONS.
Considering Chow and Amirs value dimensions that would segment a
product to one of six dimensions to range from Striver to Altruist, Johnnie
Walkers Keep Walking campaign seems to appeal to the Striver, Creative,
and Devout, however it is not appealing for Fun seekers, Intimate and Altruist
people. The Keep Walking campaign appeals mainly to the striver because
it is a symbol of ambition, status, and public image. The striding man is
meant to be an example of what the 21st century man strives to be: the
gentleman, the man who never stops moving forward. The Keep Walking
campaign also appeals to the creative person for portraying the values of
self-esteem and knowledge. One of the main aims of the campaign has
always been to show the striding man as a symbol of self-success. People
falling in the Devout value dimension will also relate to the Keep Walking
campaign as it embodies the tradition of scotch whiskey. However the
campaign would not appeal to the fun seeker because it does not show thrill
seeking of any kind and seeks to strengthen its position as a serious brand.
As for the intimate, it doesnt seem to convey loving emotions; instead it
seems to reflect the rational and self-dependent man of the 21st century.
Moreover, the altruist would not relate to the campaign either because the
campaign doesnt position the brand as one which is environmentally
responsible or reflecting justice. However, we must note that Johnnie walker
is a socially responsible brand, requiring 21+ for following them on Twitter or
Facebook.
Q4) DESCRIBE HOW THE JOHNNIE WALKER BRAND HAS ACHIEVED
CREOLIZATION THROUGH THE KEEP WALKING CAMPAIGN.
Keep Walking started on a global scale with an emotionally-appealing
message to the target audience who is striving for self-development and

progress. It was an image focused message which aligned the brand globally
and gave it perceived brand globalness. The Striding Man, who is every
mans intention to progress, was flipped to the right side reinforcing the
future heading. In the next stage, Keep Walking started appealing to cultural
divergent aspects through trans-creating the global positioning to more
perceived brand localness. This was the phase were the campaign started
getting the glocal messaging after highlighting celebrities and life
examples. Applying the local appeal to the global statement worked in more
than 120 markets by applying trans-creation and moment marketing, and
audiences were emotionally connected to the brand. Customized
communication created an emotional global/local acceptable personality
which gave it credibility among different cultural values and factors. Brilliant
integrated campaigns made Johnnie Walker a story telling for every culture.
From individualism to polychronic, and from strivers to altruists Johnnie
Walker resonated with all, their way. Johnnie Walker has successfully
achieved creolization through the Keep Walking campaign, and brands keep
learning from that experience till date. The brand kept walking after
creolization and is still coming up with innovative communication.
References:
Airline Logos. 2014. Airline Logos. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.ranklogos.com/logos/airline-logos/. [Accessed 6 February 2014].
Chow, S., Amir, A.: The universality of values: Implications for global
advertising strategy, Journal of Advertising Research, September, 2006, pp.
301-314.
Digital Arts Staff. (2013). Taxi Studio redesigns Famous Grouse whiskey
packaging. Available: http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/graphicdesign/taxi-studio-designs-new-look-for-famous-grouse-whisky-packaging/.
Last accessed 15th Feb 2014.
Maclean, C (2003). Scotch Whiskey: A Liquid History. London: Cassel
Illustrated.
Reviving Johnnie Walker as a global brand. [ONLINE] Available at:
http://www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/industries/advertising/advertisingcase-studies/advertising-case-2-johnnie-walker/. Last accessed 15 Feb 2014