Glenfiddich issues a challenge to whiskey drinkers with ‘Where Next?’ campaign
Award-winning single malt scotch whiskey maker Glenfiddich has launched its new global campaign, reimagining the brand’s Stag icon as a symbol of the uncertain and challenging journey of growth.
Introducing the new brand idea of ‘Where Next?’ the new campaign was created by London-based agency Space, with a film and accompanying social, digital, OOH and print.
Glenfiddich ‘Where Next?’ Campaign
The new campaign sees Glenfiddich unite all markets and communications behind the ‘Where Next?’ idea, aiming to align the branding with an entrepreneurial target audience looking for opportunities for personal growth in an incredibly uncertain world.
The film was produced by Independent Films and directed by Phillip André, with The Mill behind the CGI creation of the iconic stag as well as post-production.
It follows the Stag from its natural highland habitat, as it sheds its antlers for the year and must embrace an unknown and threatening cityscape. The Stag then reaches the top of a mountain with a new set of antlers, aiming to inspire the idea of leaving one’s comfort zone.
Space has been working with Glenfiddich for over four years now, and the agency has designed the campaign to build with additional messages being ‘At the top, the only challenger is you’; ‘Reaching the top is just the beginning’; ‘Embrace the unknown’ and ‘Uncertainty is possibility’.
The global campaign assets will first roll out across India, China, Australia, Taiwan, Korea and the USA, before rolling out in Europe and the UK in Q1 of 2021.
Glenfiddich Global Brand Director at William Grant & Sons, Claudia Falcone, said the key to the new campaign is a new “unified single creative position” worldwide.
“We are excited to launch this bold new direction and a unified single creative proposition for Glenfiddich across the world. We worked closely with Space to understand the mindset of our customers and what it is that makes them – and us – stand out from the crowd,” she said.
“The idea is about challenging yourself. It’s incredibly important not to rest on your achievements and to always look to what comes next, a way of thinking driven our brand’s success. That’s the idea behind this campaign – that a stag is proud and masterful but must embrace is own vulnerability with the annual loss of its antlers before it grows stronger still.
“Space’s striking campaign platform and creative work reinforces that concept and is a great metaphor for how Glenfiddich drinkers do the same.”
Space executive creative director Greg McAlinden said the new campaign was the perfect time to reintroduce the iconic Glenfiddich stag.
“From William Grant & Sons first distillery, to increasing production during prohibition to defining the Single Malt Whisky category as we know it today, Glenfiddich has innovated by continually going out on their own. This was a perfect opportunity to reintroduce the brand’s stag icon, as a symbol of that mindset and a reminder of the need to shed our armour in order to grow,” McAlinden said.
“The whole campaign encapsulates this idea. In collaboration with the Glenfiddich team, Phillipe and The Mill we wanted to draw on the brand’s rich history but look to the future, to capture both in a story of the stag for the here and now – iconic and powerful but also connecting with its fear and trepidation.
“And setting this against the epic Highland backdrop and the modern city – both very much a part of the brand – creates a beautiful image.
“We had the amazing opportunity to build an entire global brand campaign that encapsulated that idea, and the fact that every connoisseur of scotch knows the Glenfiddich stag gives us an iconic image to take the lead.”
Credits:
Client: William Grant & Sons – Glenfiddich
Clients: Grainne Saunders, Claudia Falcone
Agency: Space
Executive Creative Director: Greg McAlinden
Associate Creative Director: Andy Preston
Creatives: Liam Nicholson
Cameron Black
AV Producer: Alister Campbell
Campaign Producer: Michelle Kuginis
Account Handling: Sean Kelly
James Wootton
Anthea Knight
Strategy: Aaron McFeely
Agency Designers: Will Meighan
James Newport
Rosie Palmer
Media Agency: Vizeum Global
Production Company: Independent Films
Director: Philippe André
Producer: Verity White
Doochy Moult
Editor: Whitehouse Post
Adam Rudd
Composer: Philip Kay
Woodwork Music
Post Production: The Mill
Dan Crozier
Alex Fitzgerald
Sam Driscoll
Pete Hodsman
Stanleys Post
Photographer: Dan Burn Forti
Sound Design: Guilt Free Post
Voice Over Artist: Andrew John Tait
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Zanda Wilson was a reporter and podcast producer at Mumbrella, specialising in radio reporting. He left Mumbrella in September 2021.
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Claudia Falcone
Glenfiddich
Greg McAlinden
Phillip Andre
space
Velvet PR
Where Next?
William Grant & Sons
