Cornering the market with Grant’s Whisky

In May 2009, Grant’s Whisky mandated that Grant’s had to take back #1 position before the end of the calendar year. The old rules no longer applied. We needed to change the game in the NZ whisky market.

Our strategy was to generate greater loyalty by engaging our older male audience in a relevant way where Grant’s is fundamental to the overall brand experience.
Grant’s global positioning concept ‘Grant’s – try a different angle’ reflects their unique 3 sided bottle and the independent attitude of this family owned company. This idea is usually used in traditional media communications but we used it as an organizing idea to create a completely new version of Lawn Bowls.

This new game would become the heart of a six month promotional brand experience to engage with our target audience on their terms. The messaging was simple – ‘Grant’s Corner to Corner Lawn Bowls tournament: Try a different angle.’ Play corner to corner with your mates for some fun and win whisky, branded merchandise and ultimately a grand prize of $5,000 for your club.

The proof that this single minded strategy worked is seen in the voluntary and spontaneous feedback we received from clubs and consumers in letters, e-mails and comments. They testify to a unique depth of brand connection that we created with the core of our most valuable target audience.