Whyte & Mackay partners with top Taiwanese whisky influencer in digital campaign

Whyte & Mackay has collaborated with leading Taiwanese whisky influencer Steven Lin in a successful omnichannel campaign to help offset reduced passenger numbers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Whyte & Mackay’s partnership with Lin follows the opening of a The Dalmore shop-in-shop at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in October, along with high-profile pop-up stores for its Jura and Fettercairn single malt Scotch whisky brands.

Lin’s video includes tastings, a tour of the stores and brand stories, targeting malt whisky shoppers who seek online engagement and experiences. The digital campaign surpassed its initial target, reaching 355,000 views and 718,000 impressions.

Popular Taiwanese influencer Steven Lin helped raise visibility of the Whyte & Mackay single malts both in travel retail and beyond

The digital campaign aims to bring the Whyte & Mackay stores and brands to life, to reach a wider consumer audience and drive penetration at the Taipei airport and in offshore shops run by Ever Rich Duty Free and Tasa Meng in locations such as Kinmen and Penghu.

Whyte & Mackay said its strategy and investment helped the company to outperform the wider travel retail sector in Taiwan, ending 2020 down only -13% down year-on-year compared to an industry average of -59%.

“They can’t experience our brands at the airport, so we brought the experience to them” – Whyte & Mackay Head of Marketing GTR Clarisse Daniels

Whyte & Mackay’s leading single malt Scotch whiskies feature in the digital campaign 
Steven Lin guides whisky fans and his social media followers through Fettercairn and Jura tastings

“The campaign’s combination of physical and digital showcases the omnichannel approach with which Whyte & Mackay is leading the way in the travel retail single malt market,” the company said.

“It allowed the brands to engage shoppers in both the domestic and duty free channels, while highlighting the unique experiences which are only offered in travel retail. The online and offline initiatives also reflect a continued investment in the category and a passion for driving penetration, which is the number one challenge for retailers in the sector and will be especially important as the market looks to recover from recent challenges,” Whyte & Mackay added.

[Steven Lin takes whisky fans on his journey through the Whyte & Mackay stores and brands in the video below]

Whyte & Mackay Head of Marketing GTR Clarisse Daniels said: “Times like these require a new way of thinking and a new way of doing things in all retail sectors. It demonstrates Whyte & Mackay’s agility and ability to come up with creative solutions to drive our customer’s business in difficult periods.

“We believe it is vital to continue creating exciting experiences for our retail partners and duty free shoppers throughout their purchase decision journey, so we have taken a new and innovative omnichannel approach to bringing these to life for consumers who are desperate to travel again and enjoy the beautiful experiences our brands are offering in this channel.

“They can’t experience our brands at the airport, so we brought the experience to them,” she added.

Whyte & Mackay said the digital amplification of its airport store also created wider visibility. “This demonstrates the success of Whyte & Mackay’s focus on deploying omnichannel campaigns in travel retail which drive penetration, conversion and spend across the board,” the company added.

“For the newly-listed Jura and Fettercairn, the impactful, engaging and distinctive pop-ups in prime locations, combined with the partnership with Steven Lin, positioned these brands at the forefront of Taiwanese hearts and minds.”

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