INTERNATIONAL. In Impact Databank’s Top 100 ranking released this week, Diageo retained eight brands among the top 20 premium spirits brands in the world by volume, and seven in the top 20 spirits brands by value.
Scotch continued to be an industry leader with Johnnie Walker ranked as the number one spirit in the world by value. It has a retail value of approximately US$4.705 billion, nearly three times greater than its closest Scotch competitor on the list. Johnnie Walker is also the number three premium spirit by volume, with an estimated 16 million nine-litre equivalent cases sold in calendar year 2010.
Scotch whisky continues to post significant growth in both developed and emerging markets, representing 20% of the top 100 brands on the value list. The category grew by over US$1.1 billion last year. Top selling brands in the category outpaced the value growth of the top vodkas in 2010, reversing a trend that had favoured the white spirit in recent years, according to Impact Databank.
Diageo Scotch whisky brands hold five of the top 19 Scotch brands on the Impact Top 100 value list, including Johnnie Walker, J&B, Bell’s, Buchanan’s and Windsor.
“We’re proud of our Scotch portfolio and that Johnnie Walker once again is the number one brand by value according to Impact Databank. Scotch whisky is an important category for Diageo, specifically Johnnie Walker, which contributed over a third of Diageo’s organic net sales growth in our first half, driven by emerging markets,” said Diageo Global Category Director, Whiskies David Gates.
“We’re excited to continue our investment in the brand both from a supply standpoint and through dynamic marketing in order to see the growth in volume and value continue,” Gates added.
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Johnnie Walker’s “˜Walk with Giants’ campaign boosted sales for Johnnie Walker Black Label Blended Scotch Whisky |
In the six months ended 31 December 2010, Diageo reported share gains in some Latin American and Asian markets including Mexico and China. Johnnie Walker was the key driver of this Scotch performance, posting +11% volume and +10% net sales growth on an organic basis in the first half. This was primarily driven by strong sales in the super deluxe variants such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and Johnnie Walker Black Label performed well as consumers began to trade back up.
Formula 1 campaign extended
Meanwhile, Johnnie Walker is expanding a global campaign platform inviting consumers to “˜Step Inside the Circuit’ of Grand Prix racing. This expansion will kick off at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend 25-27 March 2011.
Diageo said: “Johnnie Walker’s “˜Step Inside the Circuit’ is a fully participative campaign leading the way in digital and experiential marketing, engaging consumers more deeply with the brand and the aspirational world of Grand Prix racing through “˜money can’t buy’ content, experiences and rewards.
“With unique, behind-the-scenes access to the lifestyles of Formula 1 world champions, the campaign brings the stylish and sophisticated lives of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button’s to Johnnie Walker consumers, as they continually pursue success around the world. The drivers are the icons at the heart of a digital content campaign spanning both paid media channels and social media in a variety of formats,” the company added.
Originally launched in eight markets in winter 2010, Step Inside the Circuit is set to launch in over 30 markets throughout the next year, spanning six continents.
Gates continued: “Johnnie Walker continues to outpace the Scotch whisky category in sales and much of its growth is occurring in the super premium level and in emerging markets. The Step Inside the Circuit campaign will continue Diageo’s commitment to this category and this brand by further investing in its growth.”
Last year Johnnie Walker continued its “˜Walk with Giants’ digital campaign across the majority of global markets with a series of audio recordings of “˜walks’ with “˜Giants’ in their respective fields, offering exclusive online content by Johnnie Walker. Increased marketing investment led to organic net sales growth and share gains in many key markets such as Global Travel, Mexico and China. The roll out of Johnnie Walker Double Black in most duty free shops also helped contribute to the continued strong performance of Diageo’s International market.
