ASIA PACIFIC. Scotch whisky brand Dewar’s, owned by Bacardi, is welcoming the Year of the Rabbit with a colourful homepage makeover of The Moodie Davitt Report.
Dewar’s has launched its largest-ever omnichannel campaign in key travel retail markets to celebrate Lunar New Year and highlight the Dewar’s Double Double Series, a selection of small-batch, prestige, aged travel retail-exclusive blends.
The campaign is running at 11 locations in Asia Pacific travel retail throughout the Spring festival period. Several stores are offering the travel retail-exclusive Dewar’s Double Double 20 Year Old expression (50cl), which was named the World’s Best Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards in 2021 and the International Whisky Competition two years in a row.
The blend was crafted from a selection of whiskies aged for at least 20 years. It offers cinnamon, ripe vine fruits and cacao flavours with a smooth finish. It is 46% ABV and has an RRP of US$114.99.
The Dewar’s Double Double Series packaging features a vibrant Lunar New Year-themed illustration of a rabbit and zodiac wheel, which features all 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Offering a personalised interactive digital consumer experience, travellers can discover their zodiac fortunes by scanning a QR code on the back of the packaging. The fortunes are available in English and simplified Chinese.
The omnichannel campaign is underpinned by Dewar’s ‘Stay Curious’ brand motto. Dewar’s has teamed up with China Duty Free Group (CDFG) to host a pop-up at the Sanya InterContinental Hotel. The animation seeks to leverage the peak travel period during the holiday season and invites hotel guests to shop Dewar’s via CDFG’s ecommerce platform.
Impactful and premium in-store activations further enhance the Dewar’s Lunar New Year campaign with branded gondolas, banners and tasting experiences. In addition, colourful animated visuals are running at various retailers’ websites and social media platforms to build awareness for the campaign online.
“With an upturn in the number of Chinese tourists choosing to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Hainan, the fortunes of travel retail in China are starting to look much more positive again,” commented Bacardi Global Travel Retail Asia Pacific Regional Director Gaurav Joshi.
“In Chinese culture, the rabbit symbolises longevity, peace and prosperity which also bodes well for industry recovery. The Dewar’s Double Double omnichannel campaign is progressive and modern, epitomising the trend-setting, individuality and wit of Dewar’s. We are already seeing tremendous engagement from whisky tastemakers interacting with the regional campaign in-store in China, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia.”
Dewar’s is the fifth largest blended Scotch brand in global travel retail, growing +35% in value YoY based on the latest figures from IWSR. According to Bacardi, prestige expressions such as Dewar’s Double Double are fuelling spirits category growth, with prestige and prestige+ brands representing 30% of blended Scotch in 2021. ✈
