Johnnie's Walker Strides Outdoors

Basgo Plains in Ladakh, renowned as one of the best locations in the world to stargaze, the abandoned Kuldhara village in Rajasthan, the underwater terrain of Andamans and three other such amazing, under explored locations in India will see the iconic striding man walking through. In its new campaign, “The Travelling Billboard”, Diageo's whiskey brand Johnnie Walker has created a miniature billboard with the man striding forward.

The liquor brand has associated with a bunch of influencer photographers who are travelling to these less chartered spots and click pictures with the billboard in the frame. The brand then selects the ‘most perfect’ ones and those are put on billboards in marque locations in Gurgaon, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore.ab

“We will capture the story of their travel and film it as video content. The whole idea is that the billboard is in pursuit of capturing the best landscape from the most unchartered locations of the country,” shares Abhishek Shahabadi, vice-president and portfolio head, premium and luxury brands, Diageo India. He adds, “At the heart of our media plans are influencer that we have taken to marquee outdoor sites. Apart from that, we will have print insertions and a huge digital media campaign.”

The photographers will continue their travel for the next two months and during the course, Johnnie Walker will roll out six billboards. Though it sounds like an outdoor initiative, the brand, as informed by Shahabadi, is spending the most on digital. “We have associated with 150 social media influencers across the country who will receive miniature billboards and they will post their travel stories with the striding man on our behalf,” he says. The buzz, he believes, will be alive for the next two years as they will roll out several initiatives in phases.

As far as the spend goes, digital media will get a larger share of the pie followed by influencers, outdoor and print. The purpose of this campaign is to inspire people to explore and that, Shahabadi believes, will grow the love for the brand. “Exploration has been at the heart of Johnnie Walker over its 200 years of existence. The brand instigates exploration of the rich possibilities of our world; to discover experiences that satisfy a thirst for life. Keep Walking is all about pushing boundaries to taste more out of life. This campaign celebrates this philosophy and is aimed at bringing to life the rich character of unchartered India through this exploration,” he concludes.