Chivas Regal embraces branded films to drive global creative strategy
Chivas Regal, the luxury whisky brand, is to look at releasing a feature length film as part of a shift in global advertising strategy to longer-form content following the launch of its new integrated campaign earlier this month.
The campaign, which focuses on “real friendship” between four characters, spearheads the brand’s strategy to build preference with young males.
Mick Mahoney, executive creative director at Euro RSCG, says the campaign’s ultimate goal is to develop the concept of the four friends into a feature length film “that’s still attributable to Chivas but isn’t branded in an advert.”
He adds: “We’ve created a branded entertainment property around the friendship of four guys and our ambition is to go on to produce more long-form content. For example over the next 12 months we’d like to make a film around these characters with a studio and get an official release for it.
“By using online, TV and print media to advertise the films rather than the product, we’re able to concentrate on developing Chivas Regal’s association with friendship outside of advertising.”
Branded content has been used by rival whisky brand Johnnie Walker and agency BBH in recent years as the business has executed a series of “epic and intimate” ads to boost engagement with its “Keep Walking” strapline.
Speaking at last month’s Media Guardian Changing Advertising Summit, David Gates, global category director for whiskies at Johnnie Walker owner Diageo said that brands should be more experimental with how they build intimacy with consumers around entertainment content, “where the relationships can become so much more powerful.”
