William Grant & Sons (WGS) will be showcasing its latest product innovations as well as some of its experiential airport activations at its booth at the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas (booth 100/110).
Examples of activations for Tullamore Dew, Monkey Shoulder and Grant’s Elementary, will show visitors how WGS captures the travelling public’s attention and drives footfall into stores through the use of theatrical activations and category management principles.
WGS Regional Director Stephen Corrigan commented: “Key to activations – in an increasingly competitive market – is that they are relevant to the brand and rather than stand alone, link to highly gift-able travel retail exclusive products, that together create a compelling offer. In Orlando, we’ll be showing just how effectively we can offer the best possible brand experience to travellers.”
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The Grant’s Elementary Trio will have its own dedicated booth at the IAADFS show |
The WGS booth will highlight two eye-catching activations planned for this year to support the introduction of 50cl versions of Tullamore Dew Cider Cask and Tullamore Dew Phoenix in gift cartons. Both activations, said WGS, will aim to promote both lines as gifts at a more accessible price point.
Described as a light-hearted version of the traditional “˜Peep Show’, the Pip Show invites consumers to take a peek through the spy hole and pick up the phone. They will see the Cider Cask brand story told through a black and white film reel and hear an Irish accent describing the product.
The TD Phoenix activation is designed to share the spirit of optimism shown by the people of Tullamore Dew when the town was destroyed by fire in 1785. The activation encourages consumers to print out individual ribbon messages which can be hung on a “Spirit of Optimism” peg wall, shown on the Orlando booth, or hung round the bottle neck as a gift tag.
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House of Hazelwood includes 18, 21 and 25-year-old expressions |
For Monkey Shoulder, a Destination Monkey promotion will be executed on WGS’ booth. It will feature the Destination Monkey Drinks Trolley and an “eye-catching” display that William Grant says can be positioned anywhere within a retail space for manning by a “Destination Monkey” host. As in airports, visitors will be invited to sample a Ginger Monkey and presented with a special safety card to ensure they understand the correct procedure for making and enjoying the drink.
This year, WGS will have an adjoining booth devoted to Grant’s Elementary. This trio of age statement whiskies, the first travel retail exclusive range from the brand, celebrates the “˜three hero elements’ of whisky making. Taking inspiration from the science behind whisky production, each blend is said to champion the influence each element has on the liquid. The age statement relates to its position in the Periodic Table of Elements: Carbon; a 6-year-old peated blend; Oxygen, an 8 year-old blended grain distilled under vacuum, and Copper, a 29-year-old blended whisky – the oldest Grant’s age statement ever released.
Alongside the Grant’s Elementary trio, WGS will be highlighting its new House of Hazelwood collection. Inspired by family doyenne Janet Sheed Roberts, it celebrates the Art Deco era of her heyday. House of Hazelwood comprises three inaugural expressions: 18-year-old, inspired by Paris in the 1920s; a 21-year-old, drawing on references from Mumbai; and a 25-year-old which features Shanghai as a central theme. All three whiskies feature Girvan and Kininvie as well as liquid from the family’s private collection.
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Malt Master David Stewart samples The Balvenie casks regularly to ensure their final notes are characterised with notes of vanilla, oak and honey, finishing with a layer of rich spice |
For The Balvenie, new global travel retail exclusive 21yo Madeira Cask will be featured, replacing the current 21yo Portwood. Aged exclusively in traditional oak whisky casks for more than two decades, the liquid is then transferred to casks previously used in the production of fortified Madeira wine for a further period of maturation.Â
“The exceptional combination of GTR exclusive products and gifting opportunities across our portfolio of whiskies, brought to life with theatrical and captivating activations, offers a truly compelling offer for retailers both across the Americas and globally,” continued Corrigan.
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Tullamore Dew will be supported by a TD Phoenix activation, which encourages customers to print out individual ribbon messages | |
“The Americas is a key tactical region for our global travel retail strategy and our focus is to continue growing our core brands with emphasis on the single malt and premium gin categories where we as a company play such a major role, whilst supporting our fast developing brands Monkey Shoulder, Sailor Jerry and Tullamore Dew. In addition to airport retail, we are also very focused on growing our cruise line business, one of the fastest growing tourist channels in the world.
“The Duty Free Show of the Americas is a highly valuable event at which we can showcase our portfolio and meet with our regional and global partners. This year visitors to our booth will be able to see for themselves why William Grant is the perfect partner for growing the whiskies category in 2016,” Corrigan concluded.
