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The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Gallery will be hosted at Changi Airport T1 until 31 October | |
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“We are constantly searching for truly innovative ways to provide our customers with the ultimate airport experience“ |
Brooke Supernaw Vice President, Wines & Spirits DFS Group |
SINGAPORE. Diageo Global Travel has launched a new airport art installation supporting its premium blended Scotch whisky Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Gallery, described as the world’s first 3D art installation in a bottle, was unveiled with DFS at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 on 19 September. The Moodie Report’s Melody Ng was on hand to witness the official launch.
The installation uses the latest projection technology to display digital artworks in oversized bottles, standing almost three metres tall. The bottles will hold specially created 3D and CGI graphics from famous local artists as the installation tours the world’s major airports.
In Singapore, Johnnie Walker commissioned three leading contemporary artists to show their interpretations of “˜The Rarest Blend’ and of the city itself: fashion designer Priscilla Shunmugam, Phunk Studio’s Alvin Tan and multimedia artist Brandon Tay.
Shunmugam said: “During the collaboration process we wanted to create truly rare works to bring to life different representations of the rarest blend.
“We also wanted to define the unique character of Singapore and create works which perfectly reflect the pioneering entrepreneurial spirit of Singapore. Our three interpretations feature elements from the worlds of fashion, design, premium whisky and even nature itself.”
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“This is a genuine first… reflecting our desire to raise and change the game. It shows our commitment to this sector, one of the fastest-growing retail channels worldwide.“ |
Doug Bagley Chief Operating Officer Diageo Global Travel & Middle East |
To celebrate the opening of the travel retail exhibition, Diageo has created 150 limited edition Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottles in partnership with DFS. The bottles are etched with the Singapore skyline – including the iconic Marina Bay Sands, the lotus-inspired ArtScience Museum and the Singapore Flyer – in rare gold liquid imprint. They will be available for a limited time exclusively through DFS at Changi Airport retailing at S$600 (US$480) per bottle.
The bottles are part of a wider Skyline range comprising six other city editions: Hong Kong, Mumbai, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Auckland. Each serialised bottle features the respective city’s skyline and will retail exclusively at the city’s DFS airport store. The Singapore Skyline is the first to kick off the range.
All the bottles in this range were individually engraved by a team of three skilled craftsmen at Diageo’s Super Premium Finishing Centre in Singapore. Established specifically to develop and execute customised and often complex bottle packaging, the Centre is said to be an integral part of Diageo’s regional supply chain strategy focused on capturing the luxury opportunities here in Asia Pacific.
Speaking to The Moodie Report at the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Gallery opening at Changi Airport, Diageo Global Travel & Middle East Marketing Director Steve White said: “When we created the Singapore Skyline pack, we were looking at what inspired us and people around Singapore, and I believe it manages to bring that to life in a way that is truly differentiated from the normal product.
“It wasn’t about just putting the Singapore name on there, but actually creating an original design that really celebrates the city and some of its key icons. Coupled with the standard of its finishing, I believe that it will be a collector’s piece and treasured by consumers for many years to come.”
Commenting on the inspiration behind the gallery, White said the idea of using art as a vehicle to promote Blue Label came naturally, as it was in line with the pursuits of Johnnie Walker’s sophisticated consumers. The use of high tech 3D and CGI graphics also align with the brand’s progressive heritage.
He explained: “The idea of creating something that was bespoke in travel retail and also progressive in spirit and representative of what Johnnie Walker stood for led us to a place which was about young up-and-coming artists, rather than those older and established, and the use of different media and a different medium [of presenting art]. The brand’s forefathers have always been progressivists – always on the leading edge of trends.
“The use of the bottle as a medium – to deliver “a message in a bottle” – was an interesting idea and provided a creative platform for the artists to work on and to express themselves, and their work have truly surpassed our expectations,” he underlined.
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The Singapore Skyline bottle, only available through DFS at Changi Airport |
White added that the launch of the Singapore Skyline in the week of the Formula One (F1) Singapore Grand Prix provides Johnnie Walker’s high-flying consumers with a chance to bring back a unique memento as a reminder of their travel experience.
“Whenever we are creating a marketing programme or a product innovation, we’re looking for something that speaks to these people and are a part of their journey. The idea behind the Singapore Skyline pack is that it can serve as a great souvenir from a memorable trip,” he said.
“The timing for the launch of the art installation as well as the bottle launch during the F1 Grand Prix in Singapore is no coincidence – our association with McLaren is something we’re very proud of [Johnnie Walker has been a partner of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes since 2005 -Ed] – and we know that as consumers depart Singapore after a great time at the Grand Prix, they will want a memento to remember that trip and that journey – and hopefully McLaren wins!”
Diageo Global Travel & Middle East COO Doug Bagley said: “This is a genuine first for the worlds of art, whisky and the travel retail industry, reflecting our desire to raise and change the game. It shows our commitment to this sector, one of the fastest-growing retail channels worldwide.
“We are confident that the gallery will surprise and delight voyagers travelling through Singapore Changi Airport and provide them with a unique and completely immersive experience.”
DFS Group Vice President, Wines and Spirits Brooke Supernaw added: “DFS has an award-winning Liquor & Tobacco concession in Terminal 1 and we are constantly searching for truly innovative ways to provide our customers with the ultimate airport experience.
“We are glad to have found a great partner in the Diageo Global Travel team. The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Gallery is the latest game-changing activation, and we are pleased to be the first to be part of an exhibition that upholds the same standard of beauty, engagement, innovation and technological sophistication that we strive to meet every day with our concessions at Changi Airport.”
The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Gallery will be on display at Changi Airport Terminal 1 until 31 October. Its next stop will be London Heathrow Airport in November, followed by Miami International Airport.
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(L-R) Diageo Global Travel & Middle East Commercial Director Peter Jacobsen, Diageo Global Travel & Middle East Marketing Director Steve White, Changi Airport Group Senior Vice President Airside Concessions Ivy Wong, DFS Changi Airport General Manager Parker Gundersen, and Phunk Studio’s Alvin Tan at the official opening of the gallery at Changi T1 |  |
Diageo Global Travel & Middle East Marketing Director Steve White (far right) and Phunk Studio’s Alvin Tan (middle) at a casual Q&A session about the art gallery project |
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Artist Alvin Tan’s animation featured visionairies including Aristotle and Dr Livingstone to bring ‘The Rarest Spirit’ to life |
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The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Gallery lights up the concourse at Changi T1 |
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