In BGS's report, Johnnie Walker Black Label (JWBL) faces two challenges:

Firstly, the brand is not perceived as dynamic and popular among young millennials and Gen Z.

Secondly, the product is perceived as an old-fashioned drink and its harsh taste is a barrier to trial. Thus, JWBL aims to focus on the "low-alcohol drink" trend in China market and the insights of young generation to achieve two marketing goals:

1) Building up the young, cool and trendy brand image among young generation and delivering the brand spirit of “KEEP WALKING”

2) Promoting Johnnie Highball and highlighting the "easy-to-drink" and "simple-to-mix" features

Young consumers, facing unparalleled choices and pressures, often use creative thinking to develop unexpected ways like fortune-telling and supportive groups to motivate themselves，and amidst life's uncertainties. These small encouragements help them persist. Johnnie Walker has consistently embraced the brand spirit of "KEEP WALKING," encouraging continuous exploration and perpetual progress. We aim to transform Johnnie Highball into a positive symbol, aligning with the brand ethos. The pronunciation of "Highball" in Chinese closely resembles the phrase "很棒", meaning "awesome" or "great" in daily praise. In the Chinese context, we give Johnnie Highball a new significance: "Johnnie Highball" now signifies "黑牌很棒", translating to "Black Label is great." Each Highball represents a resounding "很棒!" (Awesome), turning Johnnie Highball into a symbol that inspires young consumers to join the ranks of Johnnie Walker's "KEEP WALKING," and embracing a positive forward momentum.

Our target audience is young trend-lovers seeking fresh experiences. They value personal feelings in life and consumption, focusing on a brand's story and resonating with its identity.

For alcohol consumption, social gatherings are their main drinking occasion, preferring convenient, easy-to-drink options.

Thus, we aim to attract young audiences with content that showcase the "Black Label is Awesome" core idea. We're crafting diverse drink recipes, integrating Johnnie Highball into more casual gatherings, emphasizing Johnnie Walker's "easy-to-drink" and "simple-to-mix" traits. The positive symbol of "Black Label is Awesome" resonates with the youth, closing the brand gap and establishing JW's ownable and scalable perception, reinforcing a young image.

We leverage 2023's hottest trends—celebrity endorsements, lifestyle seeding, and sports community collaboration. Focused on platforms like Douyin, RED, WeChat, and Weibo, with brand ambassador JC-T, we amplify brand perception among trend-savvy youth.

On May 23, ahead of the 618-shopping festival, the official brand accounts across social media platforms released an ad announcing JC-T as the brand ambassador for Johnnie Walker Black Label in China. Simultaneously, 26 KOLs from various fields collaborated on content across Douyin and RED promoting cocktail recipes and celebrity merchandise. The brand also collaborated with surf clubs in key cities, conducting live marketing events on Douyin.

In July, capitalizing on JC-T's popularity from a new drama, 24 lifestyle and creative KOLs on RED collaborated to create content themed around "Summer is great with Black Label." They designed a unique comic image for the brand ambassador and crafted summer limited-edition celebrity merchandise as fan incentives.

Moreover, in daily communication, the brand stays abreast of trending topics, utilizes cross-industry resources, and collaborates with 11 KOLs on RED to create diverse and engaging content.

The marketing campaign achieved significant outreach, touching over 100 million people through integrated online social media. It garnered over 70 million views and 4 million engagements, with social media accounts growing by 40,000 followers, a 271% increase of RED followers in just three months.

During the campaign (July-October), Johnnie Walker led in whisky category engagement, with interaction and share rates nearly triple that of the second place. Engagement rates on RED and Douyin were notably high. Johnnie Walker's engagements, comments, and shares on RED led the whisky and cognac categories, with figures approximately double those of Hennessy, despite significantly fewer posts. These results greatly exceeded client KPIs.