Uncommon wins two William Grant global whisky brands
Uncommon has won two global whisky brands from William Grant & Sons: Grant’s and Tullamore DEW. There was a pitch for the two brands, neither of which seems to have worked with an ad agency for a while.
It’s a nice win for Uncommon, which is still one of UK advertising’s great hopes, and seems to be notching up a good, balanced range of clients. The agency has well-known brands like ITV, ASOS, and now Grant’s, as well start-up businesses Ovo Energy and Habito; and purpose-driven brands like Ecover and World Wildlife Fun (Ovo fits in this category too).
Grant’s claims to be the third biggest-selling Whisky brand, and whisky is seems to be following Gin as a big growth spirit. Uncommon will launch the new Grant’s Cask Editions (the Scotch whisky is controversially matured in casks that once held ale) range this summer, having been tasked with bringing “energy” to the brand with an OOH and digital campaign.
Sylwia Pszczola, global brand manager at Grant’s, said: “With a brand relaunch initiated last year, these are exciting times for Grant’s and we have big ambitions for the future. We were looking for a creative partner that would bring a fresh approach to whisky advertising – Uncommon felt like the perfect fit to help us do just that.”
Tullamore DEW is a triple distilled Irish whiskey, which Uncommon will position as a challenger brand. David Moore, head of marketing at Tullamore Dew, said: “Uncommon sprinted out of the blocks and impressed us with their strategic rigour and creative ambition for Tullamore Dew from the get-go.”
Lucy Jameson, co-founder of Uncommon, said: “It’s a real pleasure to be taking on such pioneering and progressive whisky brands across such global markets. We’re excited to be working with William Grant & Sons, their independent spirit is very much aligned with our view at Uncommon. Tullamore D.E.W. and Grant’s have genuine opportunity to apply an approach that makes a difference and we can’t wait to get stuck in.”