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The 2008 Barclays Scottish Open, co-sponsored by Ballantine’s, was held at the stunning Loch Lomond course |
UK. Ballantine’s, the world’s number two blended Scotch whisky, celebrated its strong connections to golf this weekend with its co-sponsorship of the Barclays Scottish Open, which ended yesterday. The tournament took place in the stunning surroundings of Loch Lomond, and was won by Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, ahead of a stellar field that included Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie.
McDowell’s triumph carried a neat symmetry for the Scotch brand: his other victory this year was at the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea in March.
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The Ballantine’s brand team and media guests pose for photographs at the majestic Rossdhu House |
The Moodie Report was among a group of media guests and trade customers who attended the tournament as guests of Ballantine’s, Chivas Bros and Pernod Ricard.
Guests were treated to a sumptuous lunch and dinner, as well as an insight into the brand’s links to golf, by the Ballantine’s team at Rossdhu House, centrepiece of the Loch Lomond course.
Ballantine’s Brand Director Peter Moore said: “There’s a natural link between Ballantine’s and golf, through our shared values of authenticity, prestige and flair. Ballantine’s, like golf, is a national treasure of Scotland. In Korea we have made a US$12 million investment as title sponsor of the Ballantine’s Championship for three years, including US$3 million a year in prize money. It’s an event that gave us great reach, to 300 million homes, and great exposure in Korea, where golf is one of the top spectator sports.
“Here in Scotland, this sponsorship ties us into a major European event, at a terrific course in Loch Lomond, and it’s close to our home in Dumbarton. We have a strong presence on the course through the “˜Leave an Impression’ bar, and we also host a tasting bar in the players’ lounge. The key is that it complements what we do with our own tournament in Asia, it underlines the Scottish heritage of Ballantine’s and it grows our exposure to and relationship with the game of golf.”
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Driving ambition: Home favourite Colin Montgomerie plots a route down the 12th on Friday (top left) but later misses the cut; (Top right) Lee Westwood wrestles with the elements – and his raingear; (Below left) Spain’s Alvaro Velasco chips sublimely from the bunker; (Below right) Graeme McDowell repeats his victory at the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea with a strong final round at Loch Lomond (pictured with his Ballantine’s Championship trophy in Korea) | |
Duty free is playing a key role in driving the awareness of the brand’s golf connections. During the Korean event in March, the brand carried major promotions at Incheon and Jeju airports in Korea and at Hong Kong International Airport, which included tastings and putting competitions for passengers.
The duty free connection went even deeper at this year’s Korean event: King Power Group Hong Kong Managing Director Antares Cheng won one of only eight bottles of Ballantine’s 40yo exclusively made for the Championship with a bid of US$12,888 – the number 8 symbolising luck in China.
Peter Moore told The Moodie Report that duty free still represents a big opportunity for Ballantine’s. “One of the opportunities is to use the range better,” he said. “At the airport you have the chance to tell people a story, using the entire brand family and innovating at the point of sale. The US$40 million “˜Leave an Impression’ global campaign we launched last year told us a lot about how we could interact with consumers, and we are bringing those lessons to bear now.
“Duty free used to be a place for static promotions. But the golf tournament in Korea enabled us to come out of the store, to do different things, and demonstrated how well theatre works at Asian airports, especially when linked to golf. I’m keen to do more of that, using tools like golf simulators to get people interested and participating in the brand experience.”
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Ballantine’s Brand Director Peter Moore (top left) underlines the importance of the duty free business; (Top right) Chivas Bros aims to present a contemporary brand with classic values to the world; (Below left and right) The Ballantine’s name was on prominent display in the public areas during the Barclays Scottish Open | |
On the strategy for the brand in duty free, Moore said: “With the volumes we deliver, duty free has to be much more than simply a marketing vehicle, it has to be a true profit centre, but equally you have to use the airport opportunity as a showcase.
“That means more innovation in how we use the brand family, and it also means special editions and packaging. Duty free is a great channel for getting people to trade up, and we need to invest to make that happen, especially in the super-premium business where we dominate.”
He added: “The travel retail environments we are provided with are raising the standards all the time, which is vital. There’s a specific mentality in duty free, and that needs to be reflected in making the space special. Now, many Asian retailers have a great attitude to liquor as a luxury item. Previously, liquor would be sold with gwps such as a passport holder or other low-value gifts, but that doesn’t build the brand. Now, we have the opportunity to go off-shelf, which is important in brand-building.”
Moore pinpointed the key regions of Asia Pacific, Latin America and Eastern Europe for growth in the next three to five years. And of the portfolio today, Moore said: “There’s a new confidence in Ballantine’s as a brand today. I’m not knocking Allied Domecq’s treatment of it, but there was a feeling that the excitement factor had dipped, and it wasn’t always treated as a family, nor as a brand with the same values everywhere. There were different packs and even different blends in different markets, and the family was a bit disparate.
“We repackaged 12yo earlier this year, with the goal of revitalising it, as it felt in some ways like the poor relation. We spoke to consumers and the impression they got was that 12yo was a brand for people of a settled lifestyle, but there wasn’t much fun or dynamism about it. We wanted to show that it could still be sophisticated, proud and confident, but distinctive too. The response since we repackaged has been impressive, and 12yo is showing double-digit growth year on year. Plus it still works alongside Chivas 12yo as a brand with a different style and balance.
He concluded: “Now, our task is to be creative and to surprise people. We don’t want a static brand, but we want a contemporary brand with classic values.”
About Ballantine’s
Ballantine’s is the world’s second biggest Scotch brand, with 6.2 nine-litre cases and retail sales of over €1 billion in 2007.
In Europe Ballantine’s Finest is performing strongly in established markets such as Spain, France and Italy, and is the number one Scotch in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Croatia and Poland. It is growing by double digits in Eastern Europe.
In Asia, Ballantine’s has the leading super-premium range, through its 17yo, 21yo and 30yo lines. It’s the leading super-premium Scotch in Asian duty free, and other key markets include Japan, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. Finest sells 100,000 nine-litre cases in Korea, making it the best-selling imported super-premium whisky.
In the rest of the world, Latin America is a fast growing market, with 12yo and Finest performing strongly in Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Columbia and Mexico.
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