Johnnie Walker Whiskies planned to launch the premium Platinum Label globally, the biggest change to the House of Walker family of blends in decades. The label was inspired by the private whisky blends that Johnnie Walker’s Master Distillers have produced for VIPs in the past. This heritage of exclusivity is a key part of Platinum’s story.

The 1 Bottle Bottle Store was a prestigious upmarket store where consumers could bid for the exclusive collector’s item, the first and only bottle of Johnnie Walker Platinum available in the country.

Consumers could also lodge a bid online through a Facebook app with proceeds from the winning bid going to charity.

The campaign was amplified through PR and social media, which culminated in a ceremony in front of selected journalists and opinion formers to handover the first bottle of Platinum Label to be sold in the country.

The winning bidder then had one week to own the collector’s item (and drink) the most exclusive whisky in South Africa.

In just one week, more than 2 000 verified bids were placed and 20 037 fans joined the Facebook page. The campaign was commended by Facebook South Africa as having the highest level of engagement ever achieved in the country. The campaign received 20.1 million media impressions via publicity.

Editorial coverage – with a 100% key message penetration was achieved in leading South African press, Sunday and daily newspapers, glossy magazines as well as lifestyle TV shows and talk radio with an AVE value of R 1 8-million. But, business results were outstanding. The first bottle of Platinum Label, which retails for €72, was sold for 76 times more at €6 370 – all of which went to charity. Within 2 weeks of being available in store, Platinum Label sold out and sales over a 4 month period rocketed to 2 151 units, exceeding the forecast budget by 103%.