QATAR. Qatar Duty Free and Diageo have partnered in what is described as “a ground-breaking first for the drinks category” at Doha International Airport with the launch of a new retail unit outside the main duty free store.
Launched to coincide with the Commercialbank Qatar Masters earlier in February, the initiative was designed with a strong focus on the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky association with Australian golfer Greg Norman.
The initiative, which supports Qatar Duty Free’s involvement with the Masters, combines brand building and direct retailing for Blue Label through to early March, in a bid to leverage the additional airport traffic arising from the event.
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Launched to coincide with the Commercialbank Qatar Masters in February, the initiative is designed with a strong focus on the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky association with Australian golfer Greg Norman |
Located on the mezzanine level, the open-fronted golf-themed experiential unit benefits from the passenger traffic using the 7/8 international gates on this level and from the adjacency with the food court. With over 70% of the passenger mix in transit with an average dwell time of 2.5 hours, Diageo said that the initiative would drive shopper footfall and penetration.
Passengers can try their best swing against a computer-animated screen and the top score wins a trip to Gleneagles in Scotland. Inside the unit, brand ambassadors are on hand with iPad applications to educate shoppers on the Johnnie Walker story and to answer questions about the brand, while offering direct retail.
“Qatar Duty Free is a great partner for us on this initiative – we share similar ambitions about the potential of this growing airport and it’s fantastic to be working together ahead of the curve,” explained Diageo GTME Lower Gulf Manager Claire Brockwitz.
“They’ve enabled us to position large-scale branding at key vantage points around the departures lounge – outside the main store, next to the escalator and on the walkways. The visibility is therefore extremely high and we are confident that shoppers will respond well to the call to “˜Swing Your Way to Gleneagles’.
“True to our intention to reach people at multiple touch points throughout their journey we have also handed out invitations at the Qatar Masters itself to maximise the footfall opportunity.”
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The open-fronted golf-themed experiential unit is strategically located on the mezzanine level, which sees high footfall |
Qatar Duty Free Senior Vice President Keith Hunter commented: “We are extremely happy with our partnership with Diageo on this exclusive promotion. We have been wanting to do something different with Diageo for quite some time and when this promotion was conceptualised, we were more than happy as it coincided very well with Qatar Masters, the most premium sporting event in the country of which Qatar Duty Free was the “˜Official Retail Partner’.
“The response to this promotion along with the display installed at our newly acquired retail area at Doha International Airport has been overwhelming. We are not only getting our regular customers trying their hand at the “˜Longest Drive’ but seeing the Johnnie Walker loyalists trying their hands at winning the coveted prize.
“The sales of not only Johnnie Walker Blue Label but also the entire range of Johnnie Walker blended whisky products has increased considerably and we are hoping the trend continues. I congratulate everyone at Diageo Middle East for putting together such an exciting promotion, one of the first for us in this category. I am confident that this is only the beginning of what we can achieve together.”
