The 2020 pandemic triggered a significant shift in business strategy, leading companies to reconsider their market approach and rethink how to reach their customers through new technologies. An illustrative example of this adaptation can be found in the experience of Pernod Ricard. Manuel Matti, Content Coordinator at the company, faced a new challenge related to Pernod Ricard's premium brands. However, he exceeded expectations, making this situation a relevant case study for future academic research.
Within the framework of the Master's Degree in Content Management of the School of Postgraduate Studies in Communication of the Universidad AustralManuel Matti found an opportunity to showcase the campaigns carried out by Jameson Irish Whiskey and Chivas, two brands under the Pernod Ricard umbrella. Technological advances and the trend of users seeking information within small micro-worlds presented these brands with the challenge of impacting and attracting their target audiences in an adverse context.
The analysis focused on the "Say Whiskey to St. Patrick's Day" campaign by Jameson Irish Whiskey and "The Chivas Experience" by Chivas Regal, contextualized within the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to examine the digital communication strategies adopted during the main 2021 campaigns by Jameson Irish Whiskey and Chivas Regal in Argentina, identifying the most effective communication channels for reaching whisky consumers, and evaluating whether the campaigns achieved their objectives.
Although both brands had to rethink their product presentation and communication to their target audience, both Jameson and Chivas managed to overcome the pandemic barrier and carry out considerably successful strategies.
From the outset, I had a general idea of what the master's program would cover. My intention was to present a relevant case study from my company that I considered valuable to the academic community. With all the information I have at my disposal from Pernod Ricard, I wanted to explain to people how we arrived at that outcome.
Initially, my intention was to address the strategy present in the various Pernod Ricard brands. However, covering them all would have been too extensive, so I needed to focus on a more specific aspect. I decided to analyze two premium whiskies, whose target audiences and objectives are completely different. The pandemic intervened while I was pursuing my master's degree, and I hadn't yet finalized my thesis.
Within the company's diverse product range, I had the opportunity to provide the University with two distinct brands that successfully navigated a challenging environment. Pernod Ricard boasts high-quality brands. Brands with an international reach face certain restrictions that limit my ability to expand the scope of campaigns specifically for Argentina. In the case of Absolut, for example, we are obligated to follow global guidelines. However, with Jameson and Chivas, we had the autonomy to make decisions regarding how to approach the brand. These campaigns were created entirely in Argentina, reflecting our local perspective and creativity.
In my thesis, I selected brands that have a direct impact on the moment of consumption, and the pandemic brought about a profound transformation in this regard. I focused on the experience in Argentina, as each country has its own particularities, and the pandemic affected everyone significantly. The challenge was communicating to consumers that the context had changed: what was previously enjoyed in certain places was now experienced at home, without the usual company of friends. Adapting to these transformations required understanding new consumption patterns, adjusting our brand strategies, and understanding the new platforms our users were using. In the case of Jameson, consumption used to be associated with going out with friends, but the pandemic altered this dynamic. The response was to show that Jameson could also be enjoyed at home, having a drink at 10 p.m. In the case of Chivas, the main challenge was to rejuvenate the brand.
Furthermore, we faced the challenge of reinforcing our communication pillars within the context of the pandemic. Each brand has specific market challenges. In the case of Jameson, its strategy is based on solid communication pillars, focused on the origin of whiskey and its holidays, with St. Patrick's Day being the strongest celebration related to its origins. Characterized by its triple distillation, Jameson presents itself as a smooth whiskey and the gateway to the world of whiskey. In contrast, Chivas adopts different pillars, with a solid position in the whiskey segment. During the pandemic, we introduced the aging indication on our whiskeys to increase their competitiveness. Before the crisis, the Chivas House concept offered specific spaces for each bottle, designed for different consumption occasions. With the pandemic, this idea proved unfeasible, which led to the creation of Chivas Experience, a digital version that represented the main challenge for Chivas during that period.
“Say Whiskey to St. Patrick’s Day” is a campaign that was updated, but we had already worked on its core elements. What we did this time was to see where it was being consumed and which platforms were being used. We carried out two projects that were very successful: on the one hand, we took advantage of the pandemic boom in dating apps, and through the Happen platform, our users could match with Jameson and talk to the brand. On the other hand, we identified a growing presence on Spotify. Instead of creating radio spots, we developed specific audio content for this platform, adapted to the digital environment and Spotify, which proved to be a remarkable success.
For its part, Chivas faced the challenge of creating a web platform from scratch, achieving this in record time. Furthermore, the brand is characterized by its close connection to the product at the point of purchase, as it is typically bought in wine shops and consumers want to be present during the buying process. The reopening of supermarkets during the pandemic made it easy to reach shoppers. Screens were installed on the product shelves that detected movement and offered product information, inviting consumers to scan the QR code to access the platform.
Each of these international brands has its own story, but the strategy is based on the communication pillars of the Argentinian market. For example, Jameson emphasizes its Irish origins, and therefore sought to further solidify its ownership of one of the most emblematic Irish celebrations while continuing to highlight that it is a triple-distilled, double-smooth whiskey that welcomes non-whiskey drinkers. Chivas Regal is a premium Scotch whisky that needed to rejuvenate its brand, and to achieve this, it had to both modify the presentation of the products themselves and change the way it communicates with its target audience.
At the company level, the consumer is always at the center; every strategy and campaign focuses on providing value to people. In the case of Chivas, we created a web platform that allowed consumers to continue experimenting with the products while also providing information about their features and consumption occasions. In the case of Jameson, the focus was on dating and online platforms. The consumer was actively engaged; while some platforms generated more interaction than others, their presence was consistent across all of them.
The experience provided us with several lessons. Collaboration between departments stood out as the most important, demonstrating the synergy between teams in an adverse context. Investment in new channels was required, redefining the way things were done, albeit without a pre-established logic.
And the campaigns also yielded valuable lessons. Sometimes the business doesn't allow you to do everything you want. There are many areas where the brand could be present, but due to viability and budget constraints, you can't be everywhere, as the business reality varies greatly. These campaigns helped us overcome our fear of unfamiliar platforms and we learned to take greater risks.
