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Because the best-selling scotch whisky model on the earth, Johnnie Walker has attained international recognition in no small half on account of key promoting choices, which make sure the model stays an integral and progressive contributor to Scotland’s whisky heritage and business.
Celebrating the launch of The Whiskey Wash’s Johnnie Walker Advert Archive, a set curating practically 100 print ads from 1911 to 1963 – a sequence of three articles explores the important thing promoting choices from the Johnnie Walker model’s Nineteenth-century origins to Twenty first-century international advertising and marketing. On this second article, Johnnie Walker’s iconic mascot the ‘Striding Man’, and its position inside early model promoting is taken into account – linking with adverts collected within the Whiskey Wash archive. This text additionally explores the methods through which the model has used print ads to interact with customers throughout social and historic occasions.
An Iconic Mascot: The ‘Striding Man’
When the Johnnie Walker model was launched in 1909, George P. Walker and firm managing director James Stevenson sought to overtake the mix’s advertising and marketing by approaching well-known cartoonist and illustrator Tom Browne to design a brand new mascot in 1908. Browne allegedly sketched the primary iconic ‘Striding Man’ design on a menu through the assembly with Walker and Stevenson. Stevenson would additionally devise the basic advertising and marketing strapline ‘Born 1820 – Nonetheless Going Sturdy’.
Johnnie Walker’s well-known ‘Striding Man’ mascot depicting a Regency gentleman attired in coattails and a high hat has gained international recognition, initially showing within the model’s printed promoting from 1911. The earliest print model ads featured the ‘Striding Man’ enjoyable socially or taking part in sporting actions, together with bowls, tennis, and cricket – whereas the advert’s textual content referenced the Johnnie Walker whisky.
For instance, ‘No! It Is Not Luck’ (The Illustrated London Information, November 11th, 1911) depicts the mascot demonstrating his archery abilities at an outside truthful, explaining to a woman, ‘No! It isn’t luck’ however the results of a gentle purpose and apply – linking to the 90 years of distilling and mixing practiced by Johnnie Walker since 1820, producing a top quality whisky.
All through the Nineteen Twenties’, the ‘Striding Man’ would seem in a sequence of themed ads. This started with the ‘Johnnie Walker Journey Collection’ which noticed the mascot illustrated journeying to international locations together with New Zealand (‘Properly, What do you consider this Māori carving?’) and Borneo (Is that to maintain the evil spirits away?), emphasizing the cultural and historic significance of those places. ‘The Previous Craft’ themed sequence depicted the mascot observing conventional British crafts akin to, ‘Thatching’ and ‘Yorkshire Stone-Walling’ – linking craftsmanship to high quality Johnnie Walker.
As pictures changed hand-drawn promoting illustrations, the ‘Striding Man’ was transformed right into a model brand, showing on bottle labels from 1960.
Participating Promoting: Wartime Advertising and marketing
Johnnie Walker’s printed ads had been produced throughout a dynamic interval of world historical past, with content material usually reflecting modern occasions together with two world wars and Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. Within the 1910s, Johnnie Walker referenced the position performed by troopers from British colonial territories within the First World Conflict by depicting the ‘Striding Man’ participating with troopers from Canada and New Zealand.
Throughout the Second World Conflict, the ‘Striding Man’ is conspicuously absent from the model’s promoting as wartime propaganda dominated to spice up morale, encourage rationing, and recruit troopers. The ‘Good work… good whisky’ sequence of adverts predominantly locations a bottle of Johnnie Walker within the foreground, while a background scene depicts actions of wartime resilience. These scenes vary from planting seeds to ‘Dig for Victory’ and investing in ‘Defence Bonds’, to repurposing ‘Metallic Fencing’ for the conflict effort and serving in ‘Naval Convoys’ – whereas nonetheless emphasizing the enjoyment of a top quality whisky.
The ‘Striding Man’ would return within the postwar period, notably within the advert, ‘Time Marches On!’, the place the scene depicts the mascot stepping between the totally different eras of the 19th century and the modern Forties, symbolizing the journey into a contemporary world whereas persevering with to emphasise Johnnie Walker’s high quality and legacy. Within the Fifties, the ‘Striding Man’ would reference the model’s enduring presence and custom in an advert that includes vibrant illustrations of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation procession in 1953 – the seventh coronation for the reason that origins of the Johnnie Walker model in 1820.
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