Distilling a positive message
The Johnnie Walker logo is familiar to aficionados of the 19th hole at most of the world's courses - all the more reason why the whisky giant wants to emphasise its link to the links.
'Johnnie Walker's involvement in golf dates back to the mid-19th century. The Johnnie Walker Classic brings together what many would claim are Scotland's greatest gifts to the world: Scotch whisky and the sport of golf,' said Nikki Kirkwood, sponsorship manager for the company.
'The Johnnie Walker Classic is not just a showcase of Scotland's best, providing a fantastic opportunity to promote both whisky and golf, but is also an opportunity to bring to life the philosophy and message at the heart of the brand 'Keep Walking',' Kirkwood said. Unsurprisingly, golf has a strong fit with the brand, as the consumer profile is predominantly affluent men enjoying their own career success, to which the sport of golf is highly appealing.
'Like the brand, golf is a sport for successful and affluent people, offering an environment for personal challenge, progress and reward,' she said.
So what is the 'Keep Walking' message all about? Well, it aims to inspire people to take their next step towards their dreams and goals.
'This message is communicated in advertising and brand activities across the world,' Kirkwood said. 'At the Johnnie Walker Classic, people will see fantastic examples of what this message is all about - the world's leading golfers; men who have overcome great challenges to become the best in the world, and who themselves inspire so many others to chase their own dreams.'
In this sense, the tournament has impeccable credentials. It is the richest event on the Asian Tour schedule and is tri-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Australasian tours. 'It's Asia's premier professional golf tournament, bringing the biggest international golfers to China,' said Kirkwood. 'It's the strongest field ever assembled in the PRC and one of the strongest fields the classic has ever attracted.'
The classic will have a huge global audience too, with the broadcast reaching over 300 million households across 60 countries and territories. 'Looking at the huge interest in participation in the game, along with the booming number of international professional tournaments being staged in China in 2005, all the indications are that the game of golf is booming in China,' she said.
'The game is expected to benefit from the booming economy in China as people become more affluent. Underlining the links between golf and whisky, the Scotch market is also growing. There are signs that Chinese consumers love those international spirits brands and imports of Scotch whisky grew 142 per cent last year on the mainland.'
