Sailor Jerry cruises through Sydney Airport with Nuance Australia

William Grant & Sons has partnered with Nuance Australia in a promotion for Sailor Jerry Rum at Sydney Airport.

Launched in February 2013, the promotion offers passengers a taste of the spiced rum and highlights the life and work of the man behind the brand name, American tattoo artist Norman “˜Sailor Jerry’ Collins.

The activation includes a Sailor Jerry Bar area, supported by column and display signage and features a rare video screening of Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry, a documentary exploring the roots of American tattooing and the life of the man considered by many as the “father of modern day tattooing”.

The promotion offers tastings and highlights the life and artistic legacy of Norman Collins

Passengers are offered onsite sampling, the opportunity to play a Sailor Jerry ukulele and to experience how flash art tattoos can look on their skin through the Sailor Jerry Inkview Tattoo iPad application. Those purchasing a one-litre bottle of Sailor Jerry Rum also take part in a draw to win a limited edition Sailor Jerry ‘Airline’ guitar.

The promotion, targeting primarily Australian and New Zealand consumers, aims to “emulate the Sailor Jerry old school values of “˜keeping it real’ with the tattoo artist’s reputation as a freedom-loving, self-made man striking a chord (the Airline Guitar in this case) with these passengers”, according to William Grant & Sons.

The investment in the Sailor Jerry activation at Sydney is one step in the company’s regional focus for the brand.

William Grant & Sons Director for Global Travel Retail Asia Pacific Scott Hamilton commented: “Sailor Jerry is a straight up no nonsense rum, originally created to keep the spirit and legacy of the man – Norman Collins – alive.

“His is a story which we want to get across to travellers. In line with all of William Grant & Sons activations, we strive to deliver enriching customer experiences that activates the brand personality and of course incremental value to all. The quality of our brands speaks for themselves,” he said, adding that Sailor Jerry had recently been awarded a gold medal at The Rum Masters, a blind-tasting drinks competition organised by The Spirits Business. The drinks publication is dedicated to the spirits industry and is regarded as a leading authority on the global market.

Nuance Group Australia Category Manager Kathryn Martin said: “The Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum instore activities in both our Sydney and Brisbane major departure stores have far exceeded our expectations on both the activation of the locations and the sales. William Grant & Sons are known for their edgy and interactive instore activations with the Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum locations far exceeding sales forecasts with over +400% growth.”

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