Positioning Royal Salute Whiskey
Client: Royal Salute Global (Pernod Ricard)
Strategic Service: Brand Positioning and Expression
Team: Helen Firth (Client Lead), Sarah Neary, Ophelia Stimpson & Hazel Barkworth (Brand Strategy, Expression & Semiotics), all Kantar.
Opportunity
Premium whiskey brand Royal Salute needed a global revamp of its positioning and visual identity.
A stalwart brand with a rich British heritage, Royal Salute had a compelling history but was perceived by consumers to be stale and out of touch.
Idea
Extensive qualitative and quantitative consumer research overlaid with semiotics and cultural insight revealed that as a luxury brand, Royal Salute needed a positioning and identity that appealed to contemporary notions of wealth and success.
Today, the term ‘luxury’ is no longer about promotions at work or having a lot of money – rather, true luxury is about creative freedom and self-enrichment.
This insight on the new luxury led us to Royal Salute’s global brand purpose – invite people to cultivate a life of enrichment and wonder.
Execution
Our new-found purpose helped inform the creation of a brand positioning, messaging and brand expression toolkit (highlights below) that has transformed the way Royal Salute shows up in culture worldwide.
Royal Salute’s communications and identity now lean into contemporary ideas around tradition, nature, fun and success to appeal to luxury consumers in a way that appeals to contemporary notions of what luxury means.
The essence and spirit of our work can be seen in the above hero image – a visual representation of Royal Salute’s purpose to evoke enrichment and wonder through their packaging and art direction.
