IAKI develops a project of unconventional marketing for the launch of the new reference of Ardbeg: the mysterious Corryvreckan. A product with a multi-faceted identity that becomes the object of an equally complex integrated campaign. Through a strategy that integrates online and offline, the right audience is recruited for the launch in an exclusive event.
Sandro Marchetti, CEO of IAKI explains this strategic decision.
What’s the value of an unconventional integrated project in the launch of a new product?
Corryvreckan is the latest product of Ardbeg, an Islay distillery that has an articulated history and an ancient culture. It is not easy to communicate this complexity through a single channel: the risk is to be arrogant. Since Ardbeg is the enfant terrible of whiskey, we could not limit ourselves to a social event. Different channels of communication have allowed us to choose the appropriate settings on storytelling: speaking of Islay and unravel the legend of the product, without overloading people with too much information.
Why on social media?
We followed an innovative direction for the alcohol segment, the only one that would allow us to develop a level of engagement for the product. A whiskey like Corryvreckan not only needs to express itself on a multi-channel (like Facebook), but also to give space to people. With the availability of a rich history of emotional content, we sought a framework that could record and put in the foreground responses, appreciation and involvement of the people we met.
Why a fan page on Facebook?
It makes sense to open a fan page only for products that are truly capable of being loved by the people who choose them and Ardbeg brings with it a tremendous experience. For instance, when Moet Hennessy reactivated the original Ardbeg distillery, a special committee composed of all the fans was formed, to watch over the tradition of the product. In our case, we used the fan page as a meeting place, but also as a channel where to publish the Celtic legend behind the myth of Corryvreckan through cartoons and posts. We tried to enrich the experience of those who discover Ardbeg for the first time, making them discover a part of this strange world made up of Scottish distilleries and Vikings princes.
Why guerrilla?
Through guerrilla we have reached people who might fall in love with such a whiskey as Corryvreckan, in places where they could meet it for the first time. In a way it was like going to a blind date, we have tried to impress. We have developed an animation that was intended to amuse, taking care to give people a performance that would be worthy of the product, as evidenced by the enthusiasm which gave rise to the Prince fanpage photos and videos of the guerrilla.
Why did you choose a DEM, within this contact strategy?
The DEM was useful as a channel to increase the awareness, not only of Corryvreckan, but of the Ardbeg brand. We wanted to take this opportunity to let everybody know with a selection of 40,000 entrepreneurs, professionals and managers, that one of the oldest and most award-winning Scottish distilleries is launching a new whiskey exceptionally peaty and powerful. Although its popularity is considered down, I think that the DEM has still a voice in the marketing mix, when the mission is to communicate a few specific information.
What’s the spin you gave to the event?
Since Ardbeg is a product dedicated to the single malts lovers, we agreed with the client on an event with a very accurate selection of the participants. At this stage it was important to talk to the enthusiasts, with a contact strategy that seeks to create stable relationships, rather than an evening with a glass and on.
How have you reconciled the launch of a new product with the possibility of increasing Ardbeg brand awareness?
On the Italian market, it was essential to convey the message that Corryvreckan is the ultimate expression of a wider world, the Ardbeg one. Corryvreckan has a very strong product identity, which actually present a risk to monopolize attention at the expense of the brand. To avoid this to happen we have to use the language and iconography of Ardbeg like a palette with which to draw all of our materials, so as to give the project a strong internal consistency.
How do you integrate offline and online elements of this kind of communication?
Managing a project in its entirety is to have an total overview. This means being free to adjust the weights of the various elements as needed: this allows us to recognize the right moment to invest more energy on guerrilla and when to push online. Through these controls we can create a full environment that welcomes people into a social experience.