There’s no finer example than Johnnie Walker.
In the 1990s, sales of Johnnie Walker whisky were declining. London ad agency BBH was appointed to develop “an enduring brand idea that could transcend borders and adapt to local as well as global business needs.”
Yes, it mattered that Johnnie Walker had blended whiskies for almost two centuries. It mattered that they won awards and supplied whisky to the royal household. The agency had done its homework. But none of that was a big idea.
Then a flash of lightning illuminated the ravine. BBH understood what matters to a man drinking a whisky at the end of the day. On one occasion he may celebrate a milestone with friends, but on another he quietly acknowledges he made it through a truly difficult day at work. They understood that an unexpected intrinsic of the whisky – the Walking Man – could affirm one of the great truths about life: that it requires perseverance.
In one elegant arch, a big idea addresses the business problem and gives voice to what is important to people. It links whisky and people in a way not done before. Perseverance, of all things, becomes the heart of the brand and the source of its long-term competitive advantage.
Johnnie Walker is now worth more than the next four whisky brands combined. Its value has risen 48% and its volume 94%.
Keep walking. A truly big idea. The finest example of a repetitive pleasure. And the competition stands on the sidelines and ponders the unfairness of it all.