Johnnie Walker Keeps Walking Towards Success

Johnnie Walker has earned its place on Interbrand’s Top 100 Brands list year after year and has grown to be the one of the most successful spirit brands in the world.  However, only part of that success can be attributed to the quality of the liquid in the now iconic square bottle. The rest…you guessed it: the brand's positioning strategy.

A kick-start to Johnnie Walker's recent success stems from the decision to more clearly define its positioning target. The brand was one of the first alcoholic beverages to dig deep into customer insights resulting in its “Keep on Walking” campaign and a new direction for the brand. That direction was built around the idea that men continually face challenges in the journey of life and that the journey is as important as the destination. The initiative tapped into an emerging sense that success was not marked by status, but rather personal development. Johnnie Walker’s single-minded clarity and relevance of its positioning, paired with the marque’s excellent ability to adapt its execution for local cultures around the world has led the brand to a decade of growth that is still on the rise, with volume and value sales increasing 48% and 94% respectively.