Dive Brief:
- Beverage giant Diageo released a limited-edition Johnnie Walker whisky to promote its collaboration with the "Blade Runner 2049" movie ahead of its Oct. 6 premiere, according to a press release.
- The new Johnnie Walker Black Label product — called The Director's Cut — includes futuristic packaging and pays homage to the brand's appearance in the original 1982 "Blade Runner" as the whisky of the future. The production run is limited to 39,000 bottles and the whisky has an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 49% as a nod to the year in which Blade Runner 2049 is set, per the release.
- The promotional campaign includes four digital vignettes with director Denis Villeneuve discussing the collaboration with the Johnnie Walker brand, as well as a series of videos featuring five cocktails inspired by the movie.
Dive Insight:
"Blade Runner" is a classic sci-fi film, and Diageo is betting that the update to the franchise will gain new fans as well as evoke feelings of nostalgia in those who loved the original. The limited-edition Black Label product hits a number of notes for a special product release, including its distinctive custom packaging and a bit of a wink for fans in making the whisky's ABV 49% to match the year the new film is set.
Johnnie Walker's approach speaks to a broader trend in the industry of marketers using collaborative product tie-ins to generate buzz around some event or premiere. In July, Patrón Tequila rolled out a special product with famed director Guillermo del Toro, and on Sept. 25, the duo debuted a nearly three-minute video using del the filmmaker's classic gothic style.
Diageo has used emerging technology and its Johnnie Walker line for a number of marketing initiatives over the last year, including creating a virtual reality (VR) scene that brought a fatal drunk driving crash experience to consumers, and tapping Amazon Echo and a Facebook Messenger bot for a “digital mentorship” program that guides users through personalized tastings, recommends products, shares anecdotes from the brand’s history and suggests recipes that can be downloaded via the Amazon app.
