Our “Best Of” series this week highlights some TV ads from Johnnie Walker. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
What’s your favorite TV show? That’s really the start of a very long discussion as there are so many fantastic shows airing at the moment. One of our favorites is Mad Men, and not just because it’s about the advertising industry. The writing is phenomenal, the characters are interesting, and the acting is superb. One of the most interesting characters is Joan Harris, played by Christina Hendricks. When Johnnie Walker found out Ms. Hendricks enjoyed Scotch whisky, and that their brand was her favorite, the following was created:
The ad in itself isn’t anything that startling. Ms. Hendricks is gorgeous and Johnnie Walker is delicious. We’re sold. What’s really brilliant about this ad is that it’s not slotted anywhere else other than on Mad Men. That’s about as targeted an ad as you get.
Johnnie Walker has a history of making really interesting ads, though. Do you remember this gem from a few years ago?
Ok, so that’s not a TV ad…it’s more of a short film. The entire history of the company in 5 and a half minutes, perfectly timed as Robert Carlisle strolls along a Scottish country lane. The most brilliant thing about that film though is that the props are barely noticed. It’s the story, and the storyteller, who really make the ad.
So what lessons have we learned here? You don’t always need the most stunning ad on the face of the planet if you know exactly where to place it and the Scottish accent is a thing of garbled beauty.
