20 Scottish single malt whisky distilleries - Precedent [PDF]

Commercial sector

20 Scottish single malt whisky distilleries No time to sit still – building brand awareness in the digital world

MEANINGFUL IDEAS, INTELLIGENTLY DELIVERED.

Contents 3

Introduction

4

About the report

6

The distilleries we looked at

7

Featured distilleries

8 11

Websites Is the website that important?

15 18

Social Being social: the importance of knowing what’s going on

21 23

Mobile Getting mobile, getting ahead

25 27

International Being international: same same, but different

29

Strategic digital integration creates awareness, but what’s your strategy?

32

The individual distilleries

52

Conclusion

54

Contributors

56

About Precedent

57

Contact us

Building brand awareness in the digital world | @Precedentcomms | © Precedent 2012

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Introduction A golden age There is no doubt that these are exciting times for Scottish single malt whisky producers. Benriach’s Billy Walker recently described the industry as having entered ‘a golden age’ based upon a core market which has not depressed that much despite prevailing economic conditions and citing the opportunities for growth ‘east of Beirut’ where ‘the world is booming’. The future looks bright with distilleries like Morrison Bowmore recently reporting that a strong performance by all its single malt whiskies had boosted profits and turnover. These kind of results have prompted groups such as Remy Cointreau to make its first foray into the premium single malt scotch whisky market with the acquisition of the Bruichladdich Distillery. Bruichladdich chairman Sir John Mactaggart commented on the acquisition that it was an opportunity for the company to reach its full potential and, crucially in the context of this report, take advantage of Remy Cointreau’s experience in brand development. And, nobody could have missed Diageo, probably the accepted king of drinks brand development, recently announcing investment of £1 billion in scotch whisky production, which will result in an increase of 50% to its existing single malt distilling capacity. So despite the speculative, and historically cyclical nature of the single malt market as well as the ongoing debate over the Scottish government’s minimum alcohol price law, and the prospect of Scottish devolution, Diageo has committed to its future, and as always is in prime position to capture more than its fair share of the boom in demand from the emerging markets. It is difficult to predict how the confidence shown by companies like Diageo and Remy Cointreau will change the market. However, what is certain is that these companies will not hold back on their marketing efforts and therefore, for other brands there is a real opportunity to piggy-back on these initiatives and increase awareness of their own products.

John Campbell Regional Director and Head of Mobile As project director and in- house mobile guru, John can be found conducting stakeholder interviews, holding focus groups and creating digital strategies. He ensures there is a strong understanding of project requirements, organisational objectives and audience motivations, before feeding this understanding in to every aspect of a project. He is also the regional director of Precedent’s Edinburgh office.

What to expect Clearly whisky brands concentrate a lot of their awareness efforts on point of sale campaigns, particularly at international airports as well as various PR ‘stunts’. However, this report attempts to ascertain how well 20 of Scotland’s top single malt brands are meeting the day to day demands of the digital age. Are they being efficient in building awareness in the digital space? Are they meeting the online expectations of their customers and potential customers domestically and internationally? Are they prepared to leverage the more general awareness of single malt that will be created when Diageo and others attempt to crack the newer developing single malt markets?


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About the report Brand building in the digital space This report is about building brand in the digital space. It is not about branding in as much as it pertains to packaging and point of sale promotional activity and it is not about the traditional underlying campaigns and PR activity that drive awareness of distilleries and their products. Of course the premium nature of the single malt product means that design and packaging are of enormous importance; does it stand out on the shelves of the World of Whiskies stores at Heathrow is a key consideration? However, given the expected boom in popularity of single malt whisky this report asks the question as to whether some of Scotland’s top single malt brands are digitally prepared to attract, engage and maintain the loyalty of their customers and potential customers?

A simple model We used a simple three stage model of customer engagement to explore how these distilleries are using digital channels and technologies to meet their customers’ needs. One key assumption is that brands have three different types of customers, the characteristics of which are briefly described below. The novice Is interested in single malt as a result of a recommendation, or a conversation. He or she might be the end user/drinker, but is more likely to be looking for a gift for someone else. The enthusiast Likes single malt whiskies of all types, but is yet to become a fan of a particular brand, or type of product. Has tried many brands, but might not have tried yours. The devotee Has an affinity to a particular distillery, or type of whisky, this is based on either a personal experience/preference or a refined understanding of the subtleties of the products on offer.


Adrian Porter Head of Strategic Research Adrian conducts bespoke research for individual clients to help them improve their digital presence. He has been producing industry reports for over 10 years, since benchmarking the FTSE 100 companies’ corporate websites and key government websites. He regularly researches and produces Precedent’s reports into industry sectors and online trends, as well as contributing at Precedent’s popular seminar series – often presenting report findings that help shape digital strategies.

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About the report Irrespective of the type of customer and their associated knowledge of a product, it is incumbent on brand owners to ensure that they are catered for at the three stages of the engagement model:

Awareness The brand needs to be appropriately represented, and easy to find, on all contemporary channels and via the customer’s technology of choice.

Engagement The brand needs to engage the customer in its product, its culture and ethos as well as offering an aspiration to become involved with the brand and its products.

Loyalty Assuming that the customer has positively experienced the brand, either physically or virtually, the brand needs to offer an incentive, either emotional or real, for the customer to re-engage with it. This, in turn, should result in greater awareness through recommendation, either virtually or by word of mouth as the customer becomes a brand advocate.

Awareness

Loyalty

Engagement

Where we looked In order to understand how well prepared our featured distilleries are to meet the demands of an increasingly digital world we assessed how they are using their websites, social media presence and mobile platforms to either raise awareness, engage or build loyalty with their customers. We also assessed what the brands were doing digitally to break into the emerging markets with China as our focus. Our assessment of each distillery (see page 32) was based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative parameters, which, when combined, produced a ‘score’ for each distillery against each of the three stages of the engagement model.


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The distilleries we looked at As an agency with a thriving studio in Edinburgh, and a company membership of the The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (a well-appreciated perk used by both our Edinburgh and London staff), choosing a selection of distilleries to assess proved one of the more challenging aspects of this report. We wanted to ensure that we looked at a diverse range of operations that represented both the principal whisky producing regions of Scotland (reflecting our internal wrangling around the merits or otherwise of various regions) as well as a range of owners from the large multinationals to the smaller more independent distillers (reflecting our belief that something can be learned from everyone and that an effective digital presence is within reach of all owners even if they don’t have the spending power of Diageo).

But how to choose? Ultimately we deferred to the websites of those who know more about single malt whisky than we do. Firstly we took the Scottish distilleries that featured as winners in the single malt category of the Whisky Magazine’s World Whiskies Awards 2012 www.whiskymag.com/awards/wwa/2012/#singlemalt, and we combined these with five others that are the personal favourites of Johannes van den Heuvel, the owner of the Maltmadness website, www.maltmadness.com and accepted independent malt whisky aficionado. We feel that the list we compiled is both representative of the industry in Scotland and the spread of personal preferences that prevail in our offices worldwide.

What we found In the following section we have provided an overview of our findings with regards to the 20 brands/distilleries’ websites, social presence, mobile capabilities and digital presence in China. Clearly each of these channels and technologies should not be seen in isolation since the creation of brand awareness relies on the integrated use of all of these as well as the considered use of more traditional routes. However the following provides an insight into the degree to which each is being used and to what effect across the awareness, engagement and loyalty lifecycle of a customer.


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Featured distilleries 11 15

14

10 3 16

1 20

19

6

1. Aberlour 亚伯乐 Chivas Brothers

5 7 17 8

2. Auchentoshan 欧肯特轩 Morrison Bowmore

3. BenRiach 班瑞克

9

Ben Riach Distillery Co. Ltd.

2

4. Bowmore 波摩 Morrison Bowmore

5. Glendronach 格兰多纳 BenRiach Distillery Co. Ltd.

6. Glenfarclas 格兰花格

4

J. & G. Grant Morrison

13

7. Glenfiddich 格兰菲迪

12

William Grant & Sons

8. Glen Garioch 威鹿

18

Morrison Bowmore

9. Glengoyne 格兰格尼 Ian Macleod Distillers

10. Glenmorangie 格兰杰 Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy

11. Highland Park 高原骑士 The Edrington Group

12. Lagavulin 乐加维林 Diageo

13. Laphroaig 拉弗格 Fortune Brands

14. Old Pulteney 富特尼 Inver House Distillers Ltd

16. Speyburn 柔美 Inver House Distillers Ltd

17. Singleton of Dufftown 达镇苏登 Diageo

18. Springbank 云顶 J. & A. Mitchell Springbank Dist

19. Talisker 泰斯卡 Diageo

15. Scapa 斯卡帕

20. The Balvenie 百富

Chivas Brothers

William Grant & Sons


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Websites It might well be that for the majority of distilleries, if a potential customer can instantly find a place to buy a bottle of their finest online, its website becomes surplus to requirements. Certainly for the novice gift buyer this may well be the case, as convenience, price and packaging are likely to be their primary considerations. However, for the recipient of the gift (the potential brand enthusiast) and the confirmed brand devotee, the website can play a pivotal role in cementing a long-term relationship with the brand and at all stages this is a matter of providing a website that is useful, usable and used. Awareness It might be expected that a distillery’s website would be the main digital focal point through which customers are likely to first experience the brand and certainly the majority of the brands came out top of a natural search for ‘the brand + whisky’ using Google. However, for one of Diageo’s brands – Langavulin – this is not the case, as the brand does not have a website. Two other Diageo brands – Talisker and The Singleton – do not have conventional sites with Talisker’s being about a rowing challenge sponsorship and The Singleton’s being a single page with a link to its Facebook. For all three of these Diageo brands Facebook is the focus of their online activity. However, when searching for any of these Diageo brands a link to their retail website www.malts.com inevitably appears.

1 number of distilleries without a website.

0 17 number of distilleries using PPC (although a search for any of these brands reveals a retail website from which their whisky can be bought).

number of sites coming top for natural search on Google (one distillery didn’t have a website and two others came third and sixth).


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Engagement There are two different types of engagement that a website can deliver. The first being the emotional/educational variety, which is the result of well- crafted design and copy, coupled with useful and intuitive functionality that facilitates the beginning of a brand relationship. The second is more tangible and measureable and is the kind of engagement that delivers to the customer’s expectations as well as the business via an appropriate action. Our assessment considered both of these, but concentrated on the second of the two as this is the most easily quantifiable and the one most likely to create a devotee of the brand. Assuming that the enthusiastic visitor to a distillery website wishes to engage with the distillery physically at some point either by sampling the product, visiting the distillery or attending an event, we assessed how well these sites were meeting their likely expectations. In the first instance we were unable to find a website that was promoting samples of its whisky either for free, or for a competitive price. More surprising however, was the fact that nine distilleries did not allow their visitors to purchase their products either directly from their sites, or via an integrated link to an online retailer. Those that did integrate a link to a retailer often merely linked to the home page of the retailer, allowing the previously engaged potential customer to explore other products. Information gleaned from the age verification screens asking visitors to the distillery to book their time slot for a tour in return for a little personal information is clearly an opportunity to begin a relationship with potential customers. It was surprising therefore that only five of the sites made it easy for visitors to book a tour, despite many promoting tours on their sites. Loyalty Clearly successful engagement is key to sustaining loyalty. Devotees of a whisky brand will return to the brand’s website if they have been fulfilled previously and if they feel that they might learn something new. The majority of the sites that we reviewed were poor at providing regular news and events with broad appeal on the public sections of their sites. Often press releases formed the body of news, a reflection perhaps of the traditional approach to creating drinks brand awareness. Even if these releases were more carefully crafted to appeal to the customer, rather than the ‘trade’, they were often only sporadically produced, and only related to major promotional activity and high profile bottlings, or corporate news. Essentially the majority of news and/or events sections, if they existed, appeared dormant. Often those that did not provide news on their sites promised it to registered members of their online ‘clubs’. Clearly a club is an excellent way to engage and maintain awareness with devotees. Only seven of the brands we assessed offered this type of extended facility although for some the benefits were not made clear, or compelling. Others merely offered an e-newsletter for registered users.


9 number of distilleries that did not allow visitors to their website to buy their whisky directly. Abelour made it easy to book a distillery tour (other than telling people to just turn up, only Abelour had a simply found and used online tour booking system to capture customer data).

7 number of distilleries that had ‘members only’ areas of their sites which offered some benefits to devotees and enthusiasts.

4 number of distilleries that offered email newsletters.

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Further observations We found little evidence that contemporary methods of audience journey mapping had been used on these sites to take visitors through an educational journey relating to whisky and/or the brand. All audiences appear to be considered equally, since very little has been done to understand and cater to their needs in relation to their likely knowledge of, or level of engagement with, the brand. For many brands, their social presence is clearly more active and resourced than their websites, so while websites stagnate – content, comment and engagement flourishes on Facebook and Twitter. There seems to be a malaise which suggests that the brands’ creative agencies have decided that awareness is best achieved in the social space. Is this correct? In our view this is to miss the point of having a digital marketing strategy, at the centre of which should be the website, since none of these channels can be seen in isolation, and each has its place to play in the marketing mix. As the conclusions to this report suggest, the brands that have the widest most integrated digital landscape are those that create the greatest awareness. On the Talisker Facebook page recently the following post appeared: TALISKER needs you! Let us know what you’d like to see more, or less of here on our page! If you LOVE Talisker, what would make our page even better for you? Slainte from Skye! The answer below typifies the responses that the question provoked, raising the question as to whether a Facebook page is really the place to engage consumers in the people, place, history and day to day of the distillery. What Claus has described is a personable, engaging media-rich website, not a few pictures posted in an album on Facebook. It may be that Facebook is the place from which to direct Claus to this content, but surely the place to present it is on a website. And it might be that the videos that will enrich Claus’s experience of the brand would be hosted on YouTube, but they should be integrated into a website too, as might daily Tweets from the people who work at the distillery.

One of many similar replies on the Talisker Facebook page in answer to a question about what people would like to see more of on the brand’s Facebook www.facebook.com/Talisker. It is unlikely that Facebook is the best place to meet these demands satisfactorily.


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Considerations: 1. W ebsites should not be seen in isolation. The content that is generated in social spaces and on other content platforms should have a place in the website environment in order to keep the website fresh and up to date as well as to enhance the strategic priorities of the brand. 2. T he website is the place to engage customers in the deeper history, personality and heritage of the brand and its environment. 3. C onsideration should be given on brands’ websites to the differing educational and emotional needs of their visitors. Carefully planned journeys should lead visitors to the level of engagement and fulfilment they require. One size does not fit all.


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Is the website that important? It is an interesting fact that with a few notable exceptions the majority of the distilleries featured here seem to pay little attention to their websites, or at least see them as a static beacon of the brand, only in need of attention when a new news item is released. This manifests itself in any number of apparently ageing sites that are very similar in terms of their design, content, and functionality. Little attention seems to have been paid to modern methods of creating a user experience, user testing, or user journey mapping. Similarly, there appears to have been little consideration of most sites’ objectives, messages and role in the broader digital landscape. Dark and gloomy does it Website pages from left to right: Springbank, Arberlour, BenRiach and Glenfiddich.

Perhaps the similarity of many of these sites can be seen most easily using this old brand agency ‘trick’. (Above) are a selection of high level page screen grabs from four of the distilleries featured. On each all references to the brand, or distillery name, have been covered in the colour most sympathetic to the designs. The challenge is to try and identify which page belongs to which distillery. In no particular order they are pages from BenRiach, Glenfiddich, Springbank and Aberlour.


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In contrast to the doom and gloom seen above the Laphroaig website is bright, lively and, ready to engage the visitor in the distillery’s community. Laphroaig - an integrated and engaging approach across the board кк www.laphroaig.com

The whole website smacks of a considered strategic approach, not just to the site itself, but also how it relates to the brand’s broader digital strategy. Considering the home page featured (above), in relation to the novice, enthusiast and devotee of the whisky, on arrival each of these audiences has the opportunity to engage with the brand at a level, or via a channel of their choice. The novice has a series of standard choices to follow if they wish to learn about the distillery and its heritage, as well as the island on which it is situated. However no drab tranches of text greet the novice following a link, instead they are greeted with a series of personally presented videos that bring a real sense of personality and place to the brand, its workers, and Islay. For enthusiasts, who have maybe just bought their first bottle of Laphroaig there is the opportunity to use the code contained in its packaging to join the ‘Friends of Laphroaig’ members area, and claim their small piece of Islay real estate. For the devotee, the page is littered with news items from various sources, and if they are not at the site to access the member’s area they may wish to replenish their stock of their favourite expression using the shop. Above all though, the home page, allows visitors to engage with Laphroaig via the channel of their choice, as well as glean a snapshot of what is happening on that channel, be it Twitter, Facebook, or Google +. In reality the Laphroaig website’s content is no different in its themes than that of all the other sites, but its delivery of that content, and the integration of the brand’s social channels within the fabric of the site means that it plays a strategically important role in creating brand awareness and loyalty.


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Laphroaig product page Laphroaig integrates its social feeds allowing its community to comment on individual pages of its website. In this example the product page has drawn interesting comments from fans of the brand using Facebook on the site. кк www.laphroaig.com/whiskies/ triple-wood.aspx

Laphroaig video Rather than explain the workings of the distillery in long screeds of text, or some inaccessible Flash animations, Laphroaig has its people explain how it, and they, work in engagingly informal, yet informative videos. кк www.laphroaig.com/whiskies/quartercask.aspx


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Social As mentioned elsewhere, for many of these distilleries’ brands, Facebook and Twitter are seen as the major route to building awareness and engaging with their audiences, often to the detriment of their websites. YouTube channels are variously used and integrated into other platforms as is Flickr, and some brands have begun to use Google+. If ‘likes’ on Facebook are a measure of successful brand recognition strategies, then the fact that these 20 distilleries have approaching one million of them collectively must mean that single malt has a vibrant future. However, there are major disparities between the numbers of ‘likes’, and followers on Twitter accumulated by different brands, which appears to be directly related to the strategies employed in their use and promotion. Similarly there are considerable differences between the quality of the interactions on these channels, a fact that we considered when assessing their effectiveness. Awareness All of the distilleries featured recognise that they have to be on Facebook, however their success in creating awareness on the channel is relative to their approach to its use and integration with other channels. It is, for instance, somewhat surprising that many brands do not have an obvious link to their Facebook on their website and one brand (Springbank) has made the tactical mistake of setting up a group on Facebook rather than a page. Conversely, others make Facebook their primary channel and in one case (The Singleton) a two page website has been produced, which has the sole purpose of directing the visitor to ‘like’ them on Facebook. Clearly, given these kind of tactics, ‘likes’ cannot be the sole measure of success, and if the pun is excused it is difficult to compare like for like. Of the three Diageo brands that use Facebook as their primary online channel two (Lagavulin and Talisker) had the most likes, however it is worthy of note that the next most likes have been accumulated by Glenfiddich and Laphroaig, both of which have an integrated cross-channel approach to their Facebook pages.

2 number of distilleries who have branded their Facebook pages clearly. Collectively the 20 distilleries have almost 1 million ‘likes’ on Facebook.

Not all of the brands were obviously represented on Twitter although it seems inevitable that brand advocates are actively ‘encouraged’ to create awareness on the channel ‘by stealth’. It is noticeable that the feeds that were followed most were those where the person responsible is an actual person, a distillery manager for instance, and where the channel is being used to interact with followers and integrate with other channels. In general YouTube is used as a video repository rather than an integrated channel in its own right.


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Engagement and loyalty The quality of engagement across the board was variable as was its frequency. In general however the interactions on display were unimaginative. Nearly every Facebook seems to ask brand experience questions on a regular basis. Where were you the last time you tried ‘x’? What is your favourite expression of ‘x’? etc. Other favourites include, ‘we will be at the xyz whisky fair in x next week why not come along and join us?’ along with announcements of new bottlings. In general these questions produce a fair amount of noise, but little sense of real engagement. The question is, who are these questions aimed at? While there is clearly nothing wrong with these kind of attempted interactions there is little value in them for the novice who is trying to engage with the brand for the first time, and similarly Facebook is not really conducive to the novice receiving a sense of the quality, history etc. of the brand – and since few of these pages are simply integrated with other digital properties they are unlikely to elicit a purchase. For the devotee of the brand it is likely that the noise around these Facebook postings, will prove somewhat irritating and that they receive their news of the brand and/or the distillery elsewhere, either on favoured aficionado websites, or via ‘official’ interactions with the distillery itself from members areas, newsletters, or Twitter. It is worth noting and perhaps reminding the reader that YouTube is an interactive channel too and therefore a place to engage with potential customers; we were unable to find any good examples of distilleries actively engaging with visitors to their YouTube channels.

235,504 number of likes for Talisker’s Facebook.

4,409 number of followers of Bowmore’s Twitter feed.


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Further observations It is noticeable that the demographic of those with the most likes on Facebook is younger than those with considerably less. This potentially raises questions around the strategies of the different brands, which can only be answered by the brand owners themselves. However, it is a fact that younger people do tend to collect likes on Facebook and are not necessarily engaging with the brands. For us it is channel integration that is key to success in the social space. While it cannot be denied that liking a brand on Facebook at least proves that the brand name has registered in the visitor’s consciousness, the quality of that fleeting interaction cannot be compared with that of a visitor who has proactively arrived at a brand’s Facebook as a result of having previously engaged with the brand via its website, YouTube channel, or Twitter feed. And while we understand that an online advertorial, competition, or press release may provoke a similar reaction, few of these begin to engender a sense of brand loyalty. Quality interactions on Facebook and Twitter were evident where actual people were recognised as the source of the information provided and where links to, or other forms of embedded information from elsewhere were provided. Facebook is an international channel yet few brands were answering enquiries posted on their pages in languages other than English Considerations: 1. A dding personality to feeds and posts in the form of real people allows customers to feel connected to the brand/distillery and engenders a true sense of engagement. 2. B rands should analyse not just the number, but the quality of the interactions that they are generating across these channels. Are they reaching their target audience, is the individual with whom they are interacting receiving an ‘on-brand’ experience, and what can be done to augment that experience through further contact, or information provision? 3. U nderstanding how the main social channels integrate, and for what purpose, is key to channel selection and the delivery of the information/interaction provided. For instance, embedding a fantastic video from YouTube in a website, or Facebook page is fine, but if the viewer chooses to watch the video via YouTube, what type of experience are they likely to have of the brand? Are there other videos of a similar quality on the brand’s channel? Has the brand reacted to any of the comments left on YouTube?


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Being social: the importance of knowing what’s going on Regularly posting and keeping audiences engaged, along with integration of social channels is only part of the brand awareness process in the social space. Understanding what you and others are saying and how well it is being received, finding out where you are being talked about, and reacting if appropriate, is just as important and can provide new opportunities to either build awareness, or stifle negativity. Here we feature two interesting examples of how monitoring buzz can provide insight into how a brand is talked about in the social space. Bowmore– great integration, great response Beside is a buzz volume sentiment metrics graph showing the buzz surrounding the reveal of a particular rare bottling from a 1957 Bowmore cask.

During September Bowmore enthusiasts were invited to embark on an online journey by engaging with the distillery on an educational odyssey with the promise of ‘something magical’ at its end. What was revealed to fans after a truly integrated Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and website campaign in which they could watch and learn about the whole process including bottle manufacture, was a particularly rare bottling of a 1957 vintage. The tallest peak in the buzz volume graph represents the point at which the secret was revealed, and smaller peaks prior to this and one immediately after show the interest the campaign generated. Bowmore Twitter announcement Typical of Bowmore’s excellent channel integration is the way that their announcement of a rare bottling on Twitter is accompanied by a YouTube video. кк www.twitter.com/bowmore1779


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Unfortunately for Bowmore in the auction of their rare bottle of ’57 the proceeds of which were to go to five local charities, the bottle failed to reach its reserve price. This fact in turn created a buzz, the peak of which can be seen in October to the right of the graph. It is to Bowmore’s credit that their response, again cross-channel, was sincere and personal, as can be seen on their Facebook page. This swift action has generated considerable warmth and encouragement from its Facebook community, turning a potentially negative situation into a positive. Bowmore Facebook Bowmore’s immediate response to the news that their rare bottle did not reach its reserve price at auction. кк www.facebook.com/bowmore


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Laphroaig – keeping an eye out could have generated enormous exposure The buzz generated by Laphroaig during September and October, featuring a pair of interesting peaks.

There are two obvious peaks in the buzz volume generated by Laphroaig over the period contained within the graph above, the one to the left being smaller than that to the right. Each year Laphroaig broadcasts an event known as ‘Laphroaig Live’ across the internet. It is a reasonably large set piece event, which is keenly followed. This year the event came from the Oktoberfest in Germany, and the buzz generated relating to the simple key words ‘Laphroaig’ and ‘whisky’ is represented by the left-hand peak in the graph. The second and of course considerably larger peak in buzz volume on the graph, does not appear to have been picked up by Laphroaig. It is directly attributable to a posting on a long established blog about a collection of videos on the Esquire website in which actor Brian Cox teaches anyone interested how to pronounce over 40 whisky brand names (www.esquire.com/features/drinking/scotchpronunciation-guide-5836909) an interesting asset in itself. However a feature of the blog post (www.kottke.org/12/10/a-video-pronunciation-guide-toscotch) is an embedded tongue in cheek YouTube video teaching people how to pronounce the Laphroaig name. This video on YouTube has been viewed 81,411 times, 7,018 of which are directly attributable to the Kottke blog! A short investigation of the blog reveals that its abiding principle is that ‘People are Awesome’. Match this to the assertion on Laphroaig’s website home page that its origins ‘can be found in Islay itself - its harsh climate and tough landscape have created a hardy people whose single-mindedness and honesty is as distinctive as Laphroaig’ and it is not much of a leap to understand how with a little creative thinking Laphroaig could have leveraged this exposure to its advantage.

Laphroaig Live

Laphroaig video pronounce

The ‘Laphroaig Live’ broadcast from Germany an annual set piece event for the distillery кк www.laphroaig.com/live

A well followed blog that generated over 7000 YouTube views of a tongue in cheek video on how to pronounce Laphroaig. кк www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdE20EFNDUs


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Mobile If the sample of distilleries used in this report is indeed representative then the plain fact is that Scottish distilleries have as yet to become mobile. Considering the efforts that have been made across the most popular contemporary channels, it is somewhat surprising that the technology that people are increasingly using to access them has not been considered. This is not the place perhaps to bombard the reader with statistics around the uptake of the mobile internet, but perhaps it is enough to note that during the Olympics, Google reported that 50% of gamesrelated searches worldwide were from mobile devices. Why would looking for information about a malt whisky be any different? And what kind of experience will the smartphone, or tablet user, receive from their brand of choice? Awareness Accessing any of these distilleries’ websites via a mobile device is possible, and in this respect at least the potential customer, or devotee, is not disappointed and will be made aware that a website exists. What is likely to disappoint them however, is the experience they receive on accessing these sites. All of the problems regarding contrast and text size mentioned previously are compounded on a mobile device, and the prospect of pinching and stretching a small display to navigate a website designed for desktop use is daunting in the extreme. Imagine the time‑poor wife buying her husband a bottle of one of his favourite tipples, or an executive distillery visit, for his birthday, how much more likely is she to favour the brand that caters to her mobile needs? Engagement It is fair to say that a smartphone is not yet the place to provide a rich and rewarding brand experience, however it is the place to anticipate the most pressing needs of a website visitor as with the time‑poor wife mentioned above, and offer them the functionality they require. We could find only one distillery with a dedicated mobile (m.) website, take a bow Glenmorangie. Unfortunately the brand has not incorporated an e-commerce function that would facilitate the hard-pressed gift seeker, but understanding the products on offer and booking a distillery tour are simply and quickly available. We were also unable to identify a brand that had produced a responsive website. Responsive design adapts the content and functionality on offer based on the access device of choice. In this respect it transcends the need to develop a mobile site and delivers smartphone and tablet users an optimal online experience. Loyalty If m. and responsive sites are the way to ensure engagement and awareness via mobile devices, then perhaps an app is the place to engender a sense of loyalty. It is fair to say that there are numerous apps available to the whisky connoisseur, most of which are cross-brand and have been developed by distributors of all descriptions. This is in keeping with the perceived inquisitive nature of the single malt devotee, since it is difficult to conceive of an app that would solely serve the purposes of one brand in relation to one customer. In our view this shows a lack of imagination on behalf of the brand owners, since the opportunity to use the added functionality of mobile devices to connect communities in innovative ways through a dedicated app are numerous. In essence if the members only areas of these brands’ websites are an important part of their brand loyalty strategies then surely the development of a well-conceived app that facilitates their members in their love and appreciation of the product would be a worthwhile investment.


Precedent has produced two whitepapers relating to mobile development that are free to download from our website. Visit www.precedent.co.uk/ourreports to order your copies.

1 number of brands that had a (.m) site developed specifically for mobile phone access.

0 number of sites that had been developed responsively in order to offer optimised, deviceindependent access.

2 number of brand specific apps discovered.

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Further observations Searches of the Android market place and the Apple store reveal few malt whisky brand-specific apps for download. However, trawling through whisky-related news and press releases reveals that some of these brands and others not included here, have indeed at some stage produced apps in an attempt to raise brand profile. Often these apps are aligned to a short-term marketing push, related to a specific promotion, which once it has run its course becomes obsolete. Alternatively it would appear that often the data required to maintain the core functionality of an app is not maintained, rendering its key functionality all but useless. In our view this is a short-term strategic approach which is akin to having a brand- party and getting two days of press coverage, since while in the immediate aftermath brand awareness will heighten, ultimately people will move on to the next party and as with these apps the coverage will be consigned to the archives. Considerations: 1. M obile development is not for the future it is for now. How you engage with your audiences via their device of choice is fast becoming a key consideration in their estimation of your brand. 2. P roviding a smartphone user with a few satisfactory experience options is superior to expecting them to engage with your brand via a website not designed for mobile. 3. A pps can be used imaginatively to build a community and to augment the experience of your devotees on existing online communities.


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Getting mobile – getting ahead The plain fact is that few of these distilleries seem to have acknowledged that they need to be mobile. Below we feature two examples where brands featured in this report have at least made an attempt to facilitate their mobile audiences. Glenmorangie – A proper m. website The m. site featured was the only one of its kind that we were able to find. Although not particularly attractive, and consequently somewhat devoid of personality, the site’s content is at least considered, as is the nature of a good mobile site. This is to say that thought has been applied regarding the needs of the mobile user, and the context in which they may be accessing the site. There are not too many links, only ones to key functions and information that suit the mobile environment. Although the site does not have an e-commerce function, it is possible to browse the products available, book a distillery tour, find the distillery on Google maps and connect with the brand via Facebook. However, the site has a couple of fundamental errors that can only diminish the user’s experience of the brand. The first is a classic mistake - directing users requiring information about a room at the distillery’s hotel to another website, which is not mobile friendly, so negating the previously efficient mobile experience. The site also encourages visitors to enter a competition as part of its partnership with the Open Golf Championship. In order to do this they must download an app. There is total confusion on the page promoting the competition since although the message is about the 2013 championship, the app is ‘available for a limited time only (15th August 2012)’. Clicking on the link to download the app results in the user being told that the app is not available, and searching iTunes for the app does not reveal it either. Glenmorangie m. website Although it is not particularly intuitive to use, the Glenmorangie m. site initially presents three simple links and the opportunity to learn about a selection of the brand’s whiskys. A simple interface allows visitors to get in touch with, or visit the distillery on the Glenmorangie m. site. Subsequently the site integrates Google maps to allow people to find out how to get to the distillery.


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Highland Park – underutilised ‘on-brand’ app There are many whisky-related apps on the various download sites for the whisky connoisseur. However, it is difficult to find an ‘on-brand’ app with any longevity, since often brands seem to produce them as throw-away toys related to a particular PR push, or promotion. However, Highland Park has developed a simple app, with some potential, albeit untapped. The app spans the needs of our three audience groups. For the novice it begins to engage them with the brand, and its heritage, as well as offering a ‘Whisky School’ containing questions which span the likely depth of knowledge of the enthusiast and the devotee too. The app also encourages users to join the distillery’s ‘inner circle’; its members arm. The most sophisticated part of the app is an excellent area featuring a tool that can be used to generate and store tasting notes. The area is pre-populated with ‘official notes’ for various Highland Park expressions, but also enables users to create their own, irrespective of brand. A graphical interface allows whisky lovers to create a visual representation of their notes on an expression relating to the intensity of the flavour of the whisky across nine different taste ‘sensations’ – smokey, fruity, spice etc. Text can be added and the results stored, or shared via Facebook. The final ‘notes’ are visually pleasing and of potential interest to all whisky enthusiasts. Unfortunately the app does not feature on the distillery’s website or its Facebook page. So despite the fact that Highland Park has created a genuinely interesting feature in its app, it has failed to leverage the opportunity to promote its use and to get brand enthusiasts from across the world comparing and sharing their experience of its various expressions.

Highland Park app

Highland Park app facebook

Highland Park’s mobile app provides a tool that allows users to create and store their tasting notes as well as a graphical representation of the intensity of an expression’s flavours.

Users of the Highland Park app can share their tasting notes via Facebook. Unfortunately this potentially excellent and sustainable way of engaging with their brand community has not been pursued.


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International Given the opportunities and expected growth in emerging markets it might be expected that the distilleries that these brands represent might be making an effort to build awareness in some of these markets. Indeed this may well be the case, and certainly our intention was not to test, or explore the digital presence of these brands as they appear across the world. However, if having a globally recognised brand is the aim of these distilleries then surely some deference needs to be paid to their international audiences. It was therefore a surprise to discover that despite asking every visitor to their main websites where they come from as part of the age verification process, only five of these sites was available in more than one language.

All of the brands can be found via Baidu represented on various local distributors’ sites and on UK based e-commerce sites such as Masters of Malt. кк www.masterofmalt.com

As an agency we do have particular expertise in China and since this is seen as one of the more difficult online markets to penetrate we took a look to see how, if at all, these brands were represented online in China. Awareness In the first instance it is worth noting that according to the website Great Firewall of China www.greatfirewallofchina.org all of the websites we assessed were accessible from the Chinese mainland. Ironically of course Facebook pages are not. This fact does not mean that they are easily found however. Using the most popular search engine in China, Baidu we were only able to find one official website for any of these brands and this is the Chinese version of the Glenfiddich site www.glenfiddich.cn, essentially the same site that is delivered if visitors select the Chinese option from their main site. This shows an attention to detail by Glenfiddich, which was not seen elsewhere, but of course Glenfiddich was one of only a couple of sites presented in Chinese of any kind, simplified, or traditional. Engagement and loyalty In terms of the criteria we established ahead of conducting this research there is little to report around engendering a sense of brand loyalty or engaging with whisky enthusiasts in China. Only one brand (Glenmorangie) was found to have a presence of any significance on Weibo, China’s most prolific social channel. Currently the ‘site’ has approaching 10,000 fans. This is not to say that the other brands are not being talked about across the channel, however the ones that are being talked about most are the ones that have a broader, integrated approach to their general digital presence, and those with simple websites or those restricted to a Facebook presence, are hardly mentioned.

4 number of distilleries that offer their websites in more than one language (Glennfiddich has 8 language options on its site).

1 number of official Chinese websites that can be found on Baidu.

9,877 number of fans for Glenmorangie on Weibo.


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Further observations Having helped a considerable number of UK universities eager to establish themselves in China, we have noticed many similarities between the challenges that they face and those of the brands featured here. Most notable is the way in which their brands are represented on educational agents’ and aggregators’ websites , in this case distributors’ websites, and worldwide e-commerce sites. For both, the problem is that their brand is either misrepresented, or is diluted by the competition. It is clear that there is a burgeoning market in China for premium brand products. Many of the mentions of these brands and distilleries in the Chinese social space are on lifestyle websites, where other prestige brands are similarly discussed. However, despite this kind of buzz being generated, there is often nowhere for the Chinese enthusiast to engage with the brands officially, and in their own language. As mentioned we did not investigate the presence of these brands in other emerging markets, however the brands know their targets, and where they are likely to have most impact, therefore the considerations below may well be relevant in other countries too. Irrespective there is no doubt that the opportunities do exist for a digitally forward-thinking company to begin to build its brand/s in China. Considerations: 1. A t the simplest level increasing visibility of established English language websites can be achieved through optimisation of the site for the target market. In this case including the Chinese version of the brand name in pages would be an initial step, as well as creating a page in simplified Chinese acknowledging the existence of the market. 2. E ngaging with distributors and providing them with digital assets that are on-brand and culturally nuanced to suit the target market would begin to improve the overall awareness and distinctiveness of the brand. 3. C reating either a microsite, or a version of the main site in simplified Chinese or other relevant languages would provide a focus that could be used by distributors. 4. Training, and employing local language ‘advocates’, who maybe trusted distributors, to engage with enthusiasts in the local social space will begin to build brand awareness and ultimately loyalty.


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Being international – same, same, but different The plain fact revealed by our research is that the distilleries featured, are not making a lot of effort to control the representation of their brands internationally, or at least in terms of the criteria used herein, in China. Below we have featured two examples of how those interested in building awareness in China might go about building their online presence. Baidu Glenfiddich search The top three results on the Baidu search engine for the Chinese version of Glenfiddich (格兰菲迪).

Glenfiddich has clearly invested in raising its online awareness in China, including SEO work. A search for the Chinese version of the brand name using Baidu reveals the results featured (above). In essence these results are similar to those that we might find doing the same search in English on Google. The first result takes users to the Chinese equivalent of Wikipedia. As in the UK it is important that brands access their entries and check them for accuracy. Glenfiddich has an advantage here as its entry includes a link to its Chinese website. The second link takes users to Glenfiddich’s Chinese website. This means that Glenfiddich has registered a Chinese domain, and has a Chinese ‘branch’ and at least one Chinese employee. The third link takes users to a popular e-commerce site where they are able to purchase a wide range of Glenfiddich products.


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Glenmorangie, or at least its representatives, are engaging with its Chinese fans on the popular social networking platform Weibo. With the right expertise, setting up and maintaining a presence on Weibo is a relatively simple process. Below we have highlighted some of the key elements of the page. Glenmorangie – engaging with the Chinese on Weibo 1. The chevron icon verifies that this is an official site registered and owned by the ‘brand’, or one of its representatives. In this case it is the Moet Hennessy Diageo Shanghai Group (MHD), a collection of premium brands that have clearly come together to market their products in China.

1 1

2. Similar to Twitter these figures show (from left to right) the number of people that Glenmorangie is following, the number of fans the brand has and finally the number of ‘tweets’ that it has posted.

2

3

5 4

3. These are links to the other brands represented by the MHD Group, clearly there is mutual benefit in engaging with the new affluent and aspirational elements of the Chinese market. 4. Key words, such as ‘whisky’ that link to others talking around the topics, a good source of potential fans. 5. A brand video currently hosted on Sina. MHD has missed a trick here since it might have been better to have embedded a video hosted on the popular YouKu video channel, the Chinese equivalent of YouTube. 6. Official ‘tweets’ by the page owners.

6


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Strategic digital integration creates awareness, but what’s your strategy? As part of our research we monitored the brand names and the word ‘whisky’ for each of our featured distilleries over a two month period using the Sentiment Metrics social media monitoring tool. Our thinking was that this would provide us with a high level measure of the awareness being created by the brand names across the digital piece. Below we have featured the comparison results for eight of the brands. The brands featured include the four that came out best in our assessment and four others with characteristically different approaches to their digital strategies. The results illustrate that those that performed best in our assessment, in effect those with a broader and integrated approach to their digital presence seem to be reaching out further across the digital landscape and creating more of a buzz around their brand names. Characteristics of the distilleries featured Bowmore Regular and integrated use of Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. Strongly promoted members area on website. Glenfiddich Ubiquitous in its use of the digital landscape, although seemingly uncontrolled. Almost uniquely international in its approach. Glenmorangie Excellent contemporary website, with unique mobile capacity and international awareness. Laguvilin Solely represented on Facebook and attracting via this channel a larger than average younger demographic that might be considered as the target market – 36-50 year olds. Laphroaig With the exception of YouTube, fantastically and personally represented across channels. The only brand to feed its social activity into its website. Old Pulteney Mostly inert across all channels with the mild exception of a Facebook presence, all of which reflects the remoteness of the distillery itself. Speyburn Unremarkable digitally, in fact virtually inert. Reasonable e-commerce solution for advocates in the UK. Talisker A very niche website related to a rowing challenge is totally usurped by its success in attracting ‘likes’ on Facebook. Good response to international audiences on Facebook , particularly the Taiwanese.


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Buzz volume This bar chart represents the ‘buzz’ that was generated across the internet for September and October. Clearly the results can be related to specific activities responsible for generating individual peaks, for instance Bowmore conducted its cross-channel launch of its ‘Something Magical’ exclusive bottling campaign in September, but was relatively inactive in October. Irrespective, the brands with the broader, more integrated presence are consistently out-performing those with a more limited offering.

5000 4000 3000 2000 1000

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Region This chart shows the reach across the top 12 regions overall for four of the distilleries as a proportion of the buzz volume that they generated over a two month period. Clearly each brand will have different strategies and levels of activity for each region. Of interest here however is the geographical reach in terms of volume of Glenfiddich compared with that of Old Pulteney, and similarly the relative volume created by Glenfiddich across the board compared to the Facebook users Talisker and Lagavulin.

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Old Pulteney

Glenmorangie

Lagavulin


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Gender 1000

This bar chart shows the proportional gender split between those interacting with the brands across the digital landscape. The results are inconclusive, however, it is perhaps worthy of note that Glenfiddich has the more balanced audience, and Talisker the least. Certainly we were at pains to identify examples of brands actively courting the female audience, and perhaps for those wishing to redress the imbalance there may be an opportunity to reconsider the language and tone of voice they are using on digital channels as well as featuring more of the growing number of female brand ambassadors.

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Glenmorangie

Glenfiddich

Talisker

Laphroaig

Bowmore

Lagavulin

Key 18-35

36-50

The pie charts illustrate the proportion of three age groups talking about six of the brands online. For each of these brands these results may well confirm their aspirations for their marketing activity and indeed each set can be interpreted in a number of ways. However, it is interesting that Glenmorangie appears to be the online brand of the ‘youngster’, possibly as a result of its contemporary approach to digital. If we assume that the current target market is the middle age group, the 36-50 year olds, then Lagavulin appears to be doing well attracting this group, a fact reflected by the stats from its Facebook. Talisker seems to be building for the future while still engaging with its stalwarts. Laphroaig, Glenfiddich and Bowmore seem to have the most sustainable models which is perhaps a reflection of the integrated crosschannel approach they have to their digital communications.

50-75+


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The individual distilleries Aberlour Chivas Brothers Aberlour Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

The Aberlour website and presence in the social space is rudimentary. The main site provides little more than basic information on the history, product range and production processes of the distillery. An encouraging link to a ‘shop’ rather disappointingly takes visitors to the Chivas Brothers www.maltwhiskydistilleries. com website where visitors need to navigate through the Chivas range of malts to make a particular Aberlour purchase. On their Facebook, Aberlour do little more than make announcements and post images, both rarely, while they are not represented on Twitter, or YouTube.

Aberlour online booking One admirable feature of the website is the simple form provided to book a tour of the distillery кк www.aberlour.com


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Auchentoshan Morrison Bowmore Distillers Auchentoshan Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

The Auchentoshan website offers a refreshingly contemporary look and feel as well as some interesting bespoke graphic elements. Particularly well crafted is the description of the distillery’s triple distillation process, which uses a sympathetic mix of photography, text and graphics to take visitors through the process. Less understandable and somewhat confusing is the website’s blog, which due to the eclectic mix of media that it presents struggles to engage any audience in particular. The distillery’s social presence is well maintained and reasonably well integrated as well as having a commendably young approach which is in keeping with the channels.

Auchentoshan website Auchentoshan’s contemporary website offers the visitor a range of media through which to ‘experience’ its products, including integrated YouTube video, and a presenter who is not afraid to recommend a cocktail. кк www.auchentoshan.com


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Balvenie William Grant & Sons Balvenie

Awareness Engagement

Loyalty

The Balvenie’s online presence is one of the more sophisticated and integrated seen in this report. Features abound on its website which range from the practical online shop to the innovative online distillery tour. Another great feature is ‘Warehouse 24’ a members-only area with an online tool allowing devotees of single malts to create their own whisky shelf and share notes on tastings with fellow enthusiasts. The benefits of ‘being loyal’ to Balvenie are well explained and the utility of the online whisky shelf is explained in a well crafted video. Overall the Balvenie website manages to convey the aspirational quality of the distillery’s products without being too exclusive through an often personable presentation of its history and heritage using a robust digital media selection.

Balvenie website The Balvenie offers its website in three languages including traditional Chinese. This site is aimed at the Taiwanese market. However, it is a strange fact that even if a visitor selects Chinese as their preferred option on the age verification screen and selects China as their country of residence the site that they are referred to is the English version – surely a missed opportunity. кк www.thebalvenie.com/en-gb/tour.php


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BenRiach BenRiach Distillery Company BenRiach Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

Since BenRiach purchased the Glendronach distillery the approach by both brands to their online activity seems somewhat similar, which is to maintain a basic website and to be lively in the social spaces. Fortunately for both, Donald MacLellan, an international business development executive for both distilleries, is active online on both their behalves. However, it would appear that Donald is more prolific for Glendronach than Benriach since the regularity of postings on behalf of the later is significantly less than that of the former. That aside Donald is a great ambassador for both brands and manages to interact in a knowledgeable, friendly manner with everyone. This is in contrast to both distilleries’ YouTube channels which have not been active since 2011.

BenRiach Twitter кк www.twitter.com/TheBenRiach кк www.benriachdistillery.co.uk


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Bowmore Morrison Bowmore Distillers Bowmore Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

The Bowmore website is littered with invitations to join the distillery’s ‘Inner Core’. The message for those wishing to do so is that they will be the ‘first to try’ (exclusive competitions), ‘first to hear’ (about news and offers) and ‘first to buy’ (limited edition bottlings). Essentially an attractive package designed to encourage brand loyalty. As part of the Morrison Bowmore family of malt whiskies, Bowmore uses the same online shop as Auchentoshan, the integration of this site is effective and relatively seamless in both cases. It is therefore perhaps no surprise that many of the features and to an extent the contemporary nature of the design of the Bowmore site is very similar to that of Auchentoshan. Overall however the Bowmore digital presence outguns that of Auchentoshan since its social activity on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook is considerably more regular and effective; a fact that is reflected in its greater number of followers, video views and likes. A simple measure of the reason for this relative success can also be seen in the latest activity on YouTube with Bowmore having been active in September 2012 and Auchentoshan in April.

Bowmore website One of the reasons for Bowmore’s success in the social sphere is the integrated approach it has to its public relations activity. Recently Bowmore enthusiasts were invited to embark on a ‘magical’ journey by engaging with the distillery on an educational journey with the promise of ‘something magical’ at its end. What was revealed in a truly integrated Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and website campaign was a particularly rare bottling of a 1957 vintage. кк www.singlemaltwhiskyshop.com

Bowmore Facebook page

Bowmore YouTube channel

кк www.facebook.com/bowmore

кк www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeZKr8BTahw


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Glen Garioch Morrison Bowmore Distillers Glen Garioch Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

This is another Morrison Bowmore website, however it doesn’t appear to have had quite the contemporary treatment of others in the stable, or the effort put behind it in the social space. This is perhaps understandable given the premium and limited nature of the Glen Garioch offer, which is designed to appeal to the dedicated enthusiast. However, the inactivity of the distillery’s Twitter feed (only 16 tweets), and our inability to find an official YouTube channel suggests that either the distillery is yet to find its online feet, or is employing a mysterious strategy designed to increase the premium nature of the product by making it inaccessible.

Glen Garioch website Glen Garioch’s apparent aversion to interaction is perhaps characterised by its contact page, which reluctantly explains to customers and potential customers that they realise that they may have questions not answered on their website, and they do get quite a lot of them, but if you could be patient they will get back to you when they are not busy making whisky. кк www.glengarioch.com


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Glendronach BenRiach Distillery Company Glendronach Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

The main Glendronach website is little more than a basic information site with little in the way of interaction, features or innovation. The site seems to be somewhat neglected which cannot be said for its Facebook and Twitter feed. Unique among the distilleries we looked at is the very personal nature of the distillery’s social pages. The Twitter account is maintained by Donald MacLellan, who seems to have a personal relationship with most of his followers, and importantly in this context follows almost as many people as follow him. The Facebook page also seems remarkably friendly which seems to be the result of Donald’s influence once more, and the input of real distillery tour guides and a lively community of whisky enthusiasts.

Glendronach Facebook page The Glendronach Facebook page is a lively, international and active community of real enthusiasts who are looked after, helped and befriended it would seem, by real people from the distillery, including the tour guides. кк www.glendronachdistillery.com


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Glenfarclas J. & G. Grant Glenfarclas Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

The Glenfarclas website offers visitors many of the common features seen on most distilleries’ websites. Somewhat disappointingly though considering the independent nature of the distillery, is the fact that there is little to commend its design. More important perhaps than the subjective nature of our design assessment is that the site contains a series of usability and accessibility faux pas which suggest that it was developed some time ago. The broader Glenfarclas digital presence is one of the more comprehensive we discovered since it not only covers the usual suspects such as Twitter and Facebook, but also extends to include Flickr, YouTube and a Blogspot blog. However the noticeable aspect of these is the lack of real activity and personality on these channels from the distillery itself. Having said this, the channels have some life due to a combination of enthusiastic customers and a good approach by the distillery to curating other content.

Glenfarclas YouTube channel Glenfarclas has a reasonably well populated YouTube channel despite not having uploaded any videos of its own. Subscribing to others’ channels and liking others’ videos when the distillery is mentioned ensures a variety of brand related content кк www.glenfarclas.co.uk


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Glenfiddich William Grant & Sons Glenfiddich Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

Glenfiddich rated highly in our assessment due to its ubiquitous digital presence in particular its consideration of its international customers and in particular its presence in China. Despite this success Glenfiddich was not the best performing in many of our categories of assessment and in our opinion its digital presence is probably overdue for an overhaul and rationalisation. It is however, unsurprising given the level of external PR activity generated by the brand on a regular basis that it manages to create such a great volume of online buzz. The attempted integration of its channels is impressive, and seems to focus on encouraging people to become members of its ‘Glenfiddich Explorers’ community. However, there are key elements of the ‘Explorers’ site which are unusable and/or irrational, and links to the site either do not work or leave users stranded without an obvious route back to the property from which they came. This said the Glenfiddich digital landscape is exciting, interesting and appealing to a wide range of audiences. Despite having some interesting and innovative online ideas Glenfiddich does not appear to have anyone with a holistic overview and critical understanding of its digital properties. In the screenshot below from its Explorers website, which invites visitors to explore the distillery’s cellars, the feature. Unfortunately this feature does not work on Apple devices due to Apple’s lack of support of the Flash Player, a fact that might well exclude a significant number of the site’s visitors, particularly those using iPhones and ipads.

Glenfiddich Explorers website Glenfiddich’s explorer website has many features which do not work on Apple devices. кк www.glenfiddichexplorers.co.uk


Page 40

Glengoyne Ian Macleod Distillers Glengoyne Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

The Glengoyne’s digital presence is a masterclass in visual brand consistency. Hardly a pixel is out of place across its digital properties, which include all the usual suspects as well as a Flickr photostream. The uniformity of Glengoyne’s branding across the digital piece suggests a business-like approach, which particularly on the social channels does not convey the excitement and enthusiasm for the brand seen elsewhere on other distilleries’ sites and channels. However, if its design rigour is intended to convey the quality of the brand then this it certainly does, as does the conventionality of its channels, which ensure that visitors will not find any quirks, or confusion, just efficiency.

Glengoyne website The design of Glengoyne’s digital properties is remarkably consistent and ‘on-brand’. This efficient visual approach seems to influence the postings that the distillery puts on its social channels, which all seem to be similarly efficient and business-like. In essence Glengoyne’s digital world is somewhat soulless, but of high quality. кк www.glengoyne.com

Glengoyne Twitter

Glengoyne Facebook page

кк www.twitter.com/#!/theglengoyne

кк www.facebook.com/GlengoyneSingleMalt


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Glenmorangie Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Glenmorangie Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

Very clean, contemporary and simple to use the Glenmorangie website provides one of the best online user experiences seen in this report. In contrast to many of the others, this site manages to convey the quality, history and heritage of the distillery and its whiskies without being overly verbose. The designers of this site clearly recognise that short engaging well written copy is more effective in attracting the attention of their audiences and keeping their interest than long tranches of text. This coupled with a variety of appropriate content delivery options and features such as video and animation ensure that the visitor is constantly engaged and, to an extent, entertained. Add to this the fact that Glenmorangie is one of the few brands to offer a dedicated mobile site and complete versions of its site in 4 languages (German, English, simplified and traditional Chinese) and it is clear that the brand is well positioned to move forward digitally.

Glenmorangie website Glenmorangie has provided full versions of its site in traditional and simplified Chinese suggesting that it has identified Taiwan and China as target markets. It is a testament to the clean, considered design of the site that it looks and acts as well in Chinese as it does in German and English. кк www.glenmorangie.com


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Highland Park The Edrington Group Highland Park Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

Highland Park is well represented socially with over 27,000 likes on Facebook, and over 2,000 followers on Twitter. Unfortunately, its website delivers very little and due to a combination of a low contrast design, and somewhat confusing navigation is also awkward to use. This aside, the distillery is active and lively socially with a good international following. Unfortunately this liveliness is mostly restricted to posting, rather than interacting with its online audiences, since often questions on Facebook and Twitter remain unanswered. On YouTube Highland Park has built up a formidable collection of videos on its channel, but unfortunately these are under-utilised elsewhere.

Highland Park iPad app home Highland Park was the only distillery we could find with a brand-specific iPad app. The app itself offers the loyal devotee basic information on the distillery and a tool via which to keep track and share personal tasting notes. A live Twitter feed scrolls across the home page of the app, but is not fully integrated into the utility. кк www.highlandpark.co.uk


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Lagavulin Diageo Lagavulin Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

Somewhat surprisingly the Lagavulin distillery does not have a website, a fact that meant that it did not rate very highly in our overall assessment. Similarly its Twitter account is virtually inert as is its YouTube channel. The great saving grace for the distillery is its Facebook page which was by far the most ‘liked’ and talked about of all the pages we looked at. Part of this success must be attributed to the distillery’s early adoption of Facebook and the regularity with which its page has been updated since 2009. Add to this the additional sections included on the Lagavulin Facebook page such as tasting notes, and reasonably populated photo albums and the page becomes a quite comprehensive representation of the brand.

Lagavulin Facebook page кк www.facebook.com/Lagavulin?fref=ts

Lagavulin Facebook ‘likes’ page кк www.facebook.com/Lagavulin/likes


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Laphroaig Fortune Brands Laphroaig Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

In contrast to the remote geographical nature of the Laphroaig distillery anyone who is an English speaking fan of its whisky could not feel isolated online. Features abound on the Laphroaig website, most notably a prolific and extensive use of personalised and engaging video content.The most impressive aspect of the whole of Laphroaig’s digital presence is the personal nature of almost everything it does, from the characterful tweets of the distillery manager John Campbell to the video interviews with Islay residents. Laphroaig has managed to create a real sense of community online, its ‘Friends of Laphroaig club has over 500, 000 members, its Twitter feed has more followers than any other seen here, and despite not having a dedicated YouTube channel, its videos are everywhere. Unlike many other brands Laphroaig does not use its social presence in isolation, on every page of its site Facebook users can add comments and see others’ comments. Its Twitter feed is used on its site home page, and it is the only brand we saw that is actively integrating Google+ into its social scene.

Laphroaig website Laphroaig integrates its social feeds allowing its community to comment on individual pages of its website. In the examples above the two product pages for different expressions of Laphroaig have drawn interesting comments from fans who have declared their enthusiasm for the whiskies.

Laphroaig website кк www.laphroaig.com


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Old Pulteney Inver House Distillers Ltd Old Pulteney Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

As the most northerly distillery on the mainland it might be expected that Old Pulteney would be leveraging the opportunities that the online environment offers to build awareness and community around its brand. This is not the case. Almost all channels and online information sources, with the exception of Facebook, are sadly inactive, a fact that is reflected in the number of followers, likes etc that the distillery enjoys. One saving grace is the relative simplicity of purchasing a bottle of whisky from the online shop.

Old Pulteney website The inactivity of the Old Pulteney distillery is characterised perhaps by this page on its website, which promotes a long ago ended photographic competition. кк www.oldpulteney.com


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Scapa Chivas Brothers Scapa


Loyalty

It is perhaps unsurprising given that the Scapa distillery is run by only three people that its online presence is rudimentary and that it is not possible to visit the premises. Similar to Aberlour, another Chivas Brothers whisky brand, Scapa has a simple information website and little else. The website is attractively designed, but given the remoteness of the distillery itself we might have at least expected to see a link on it to purchase a bottle of its whisky on Chivas’ www.maltwhiskydistilleries. com website. It is of course possible that Chivas has a plan for the Scapa brand, which its online presence does not reveal. Irrespective, there is a certain amount of online confusion when considering Scapa, as the 16 year old 2008 expression is the whisky featured on the distillery’s website, but the ‘out of stock’ 17 year old cask strength edition is the distillery’s sole representative on the maltwhiskydistilleries website.

Scapa website The lack of resource available to market the Scapa distillery is perhaps reflected in this page from its website, which features the three men who work there and the absentee operations manager. This situation is no doubt limiting, but also perhaps represents a great opportunity for these three to engage worldwide with those who would buy into the romanticism of their situation and their knowledge of the Scapa product. кк www.scapamalt.com


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The Singleton of Dufftown Diageo Singleton of Dufftown Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

In keeping with another Diageo brand seen here – Laguvilin and to a certain extent Talisker - The Singleton does not have a website (as such) and cannot be found on Twitter, or YouTube. However, this does not mean that it cannot be found per se, since the two web pages afforded the brand unashamedly direct its visitors to access and like its Facebook page. Traditional PR activity is at the heart of The Singleton’s online efforts as can be seen by its extensive coverage recently on The Telegraph website’s food and drink section, relating to an open invitation to try The Singleton at its ‘Taste Room’ at 33 Portland place (http://www.33portlandplace.com/index.html) a very fashionable London party venue. Due to the limited, and clearly targetted digital presence of The Singleton, its distillery did not feature highly in our assessments, a fact that could represent an opportunity for those who wish to leverage the digital space more broadly. However, it should be noted that the brand does not just rely on PR activity and Facebook to create awareness, since it was the only brand that appeared regularly on PPC adverts placed on other digital properties.

Singleton of Dufftown website The single page of The Singleton’s ‘website’ invites visitors to like them on Facebook the single most important channel for the brand. кк www.malts.com

Telegraph food and drink section A major section of The Telegraph’s food and drink section is dedicated to the ‘perfect whisky drinking environment’ – The Singleton’s taste room at 33 Portland place a very trendy and fashionable London party venue. This promotion which must have required enormous resource was incrementally promoted over an extended period on the brand’s Facebook page. кк www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/ foodanddrink/whisky-drinking-environment


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Speyburn Inver House Distillers Ltd Speyburn Awareness

Engagement

Speyburn’s digital landscape is unremarkable. A simple website with basic information about the distillery, its history and its whiskies forms the basis of its online presence. The site has little to draw visitors back to it, other than if you happen to be a UK fan of the whisky and require a new bottle. Similarly the brand’s Facebook page is not updated regularly enough to keep advocates very interested.

Loyalty

Speyburn website The Speyburn website has little to commend, other than it is a simple, quickly absorbed site with a reasonable e-commerce function for UK residents. кк www.speyburn.com


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Springbank Springbank Distillers Ltd Springbank Awareness

Engagement

Loyalty

The Springbank distillery website is the home of not just the Springbank brand, but also Hazelburn and Longrow single malt brands, a fact that causes some confusion. Further confusion is caused by the website also representing the Kilkerran brand, which is a whisky produced by a different distillery owned by the same company. This aside Springbank is the dominant brand name that is used in the social sphere and in particular on its Facebook and Twitter presence. While the distillery’s Twitter feed is organised and regularly updated by the feed owner and their sales and marketing manager, they do not seem to have grasped the best use of Facebook. Unlike other brands Springbank has set up a group on Facebook rather than a page, which represents a fundamental strategic mistake for any number of reasons, too numerous to list here.

Springbank website Springbank seems to have lost control of its Facebook group as it seems to be dominated by individuals trying to sell various expressions of its whisky. The distillery should consider disassociating itself from this group and setting up a page which could be used more effectively to build the brand. кк www.facebook.com/groups/13990908843

Springbank website Springbank has provided a forum for its devotees on its website. In theory this is a useful tool to build community and interact with customers. However, the forum is often neglected by those responsible for its upkeep as in the example above, where a simple question has remained unanswered. кк www.springbankwhisky.com/forum


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Talisker Diageo Talisker


Loyalty

Talisker’s only website is dedicated to its sponsorship of the ‘Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge – the world’s toughest rowing race’. This site is of niche appeal, a statement which could not be applied to its Facebook page. As with other Diageo brands the focus of their brand building activity is Facebook and if ‘likes’ are a measure of success on this channel then Talisker are the most successful with over 150,000 of them. As for other channels the brand does not appear interested, a fact that is reflected in the relatively low rating in our overall assessment. The Talisker Facebook page is vibrant, regularly updated and interactive. It is also the only Facebook page we saw that makes a conscious effort to engage with international audiences, in Talisker’s case predominantly the Taiwanese. Impressively, content and comment is provided on its page in traditional Chinese, and while we were unable to find an official presence for Talisker on Weibo, the whisky was certainly one of the most talked about on China’s most popular channel, albeit in simplified Chinese.

Springbank Facebook page Talisker has over 150,000 likes registered on its Facebook page, a triumph in terms of brand awareness. Much of its success might be attributed to its international aspect, here it is sharing photographs of its attendance at an international spirits fair in Taipei. кк www.springbankwhisky.com/forum


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Conclusion Having assessed these 20 distilleries’ digital landscapes in some detail, there would appear to be considerable variation in the strategies that brand owners employ to build their brands online. And while it is evident that different marketing strategies relate to various desired market positions the fact is that for the majority it is difficult to recognise from their activities what they are really trying to achieve online. At the beginning of this report we mention that Diageo’s investment in the Scottish single malt industry is a barometer of things to come then there is an opportunity for other brand owners to piggy back on the awareness that will no doubt be generated by the group’s online activities. It is therefore perhaps worth considering how Diageo is conducting itself online and where the opportunities lie? The interesting aspect of Diageo’s approach is its ‘lack of measurability’. Yes, it is possible to count the ‘likes’ individual brands have received on Facebook, and no doubt analysts can identify upturns in sales relating to particular marketing activities, but can anyone truly understand the journey that customers took to make a purchase, and whether in fact the decision to buy a particular Diageo brand was as a result of a particular initiative? It is difficult to see how, considering the lack of logical and in some cases usable, integration across the piece. This is a fundamental flaw in Diageo’s digital landscape and one that could be rectified, but rather worryingly for the rest is the fact that Diageo doesn’t really seem to care. So long as customers are hitting its Classic Malts Selection website, or any other e-commerce site, and purchasing one of its portfolio of single malts, why should it bother? It is interesting to consider whether in the future Diageo will concentrate its efforts on building the Classic Malts brand to the detriment of its individual portfolio brands? This seems unlikely, but the fact that Diageo relies so heavily on Facebook must represent an opportunity for other brands interested in creating lasting engagement and loyalty with the whisky appreciating public. Whilst we are all aware of the reach of Facebook, it is by no means ubiquitous, it is not everyone’s channel of choice for brand engagement and other channels can be more effective for some content and activities. And, as can be seen in the previous section of this report, the brands with the more integrated approach to their digital communications are the ones that are creating the greatest buzz and in our opinion, the ones most likely to offer the richest, most sustainable brand experience. Recommendations Clearly not all of the following recommendations will apply equally to all distilleries, and the availability of resource will play a key role in their viability. However often in the digital world attention to detail and appreciation of the expectations of the audience coupled with creative thinking can yield results that are disproportionate to the level of investment.


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Websites • Consider how your site works for the three audience groups (novice, enthusiast and devotee). Map their likely journeys through your site, and offer them appropriate calls to action at key stages of their journey. • Always offer an opportunity to buy your products efficiently, either on your site, or via a distributor’s site. • Use social feeds to keep your site lively and up to date, integrate content hosted on other channels. • Consider offering foreign language content to your target markets, do not ignore regions where you know you are popular. Social • Consider how channels will integrate, and which is the most appropriate for the content you intend to post. Always ensure that your channels link together. • Monitor your social landscape and the broader landscape regularly in order to understand the effectiveness of your interactions and to identify opportunities to work collaboratively with other third parties. Intervene in conversations being held elsewhere where you think you can add value. • Identify people (real, or ‘imaginary’) who can represent and react to the demands of your audiences authoritatively and in a tone of voice that is keeping with the channel and the experience level of the visitor. • Always react to questions and requests for information in a timely fashion, including international enquiries. Do not neglect channels such as YouTube that have a comment function. Mobile • Understand how many people are coming to your website using mobile devices, and the journeys they are taking. Use this understanding to create a mobile strategy for your site. • Consider apps in support of other initiatives, or where the functionality of a device can be leveraged to add real value to your audiences. International • Analyse where visitors to your site are coming from regularly in order to inform your subsequent level of commitment to the language requirements of the audience. • Provide on brand culturally nuanced collateral to your representatives in target regions. • Develop an understanding of the social set up in your target regions and if appropriate set up your representation on the channel. Use locally attuned contributors to populate your channel. • Consider either microsites, or full versions of your site in local languages, do not assume that a straight translation will work. • Integrate social and website properties. Finally Clearly a large part of any brand’s development activity is conducted offline in the form of events, promotions etc. These are inherently rooted in the physical world and despite promotion online the nature of them is that they are transient, here today, gone tomorrow. However, we do believe that it is possible to create a digitally led campaign that brings together the best of ‘the web’ into something that is crosschannel, technologically agnostic, possibly viral and most importantly sustainable.


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Contributors

John Campbell Regional Director (Scotland)

Lindsay Herbert Head of Digital Marketing

Rob van Tol Senior Consultant

I am our Scottish regional director based in the Edinburgh office. I have been working on digital projects for nearly two decades now. My particular passion is mobile and its application.

I love the digital medium and have a passion for social media and user experience. My focus is always on an organisation’s digital presence and its impact as a whole, ensuring that each element integrates seamlessly whilst delivering to business objectives. I work with our content, campaign and SEO specialists to ensure the digital vision is maintained throughout with the latest tools and most proven techniques.

I specialise in matching the requirements of any business with the needs of its customers, so that users can find what they want and organisations can achieve their objectives.

I have worked with many clients including; Scottish Power, Tesco Bank, Robert Gordon University, Heriot Watt University, Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Edinburgh Beltane. Balvenie on a hilltop “I love a dram and for me whisky taste is very personal but all about sharing a glass of my favourite malt at special times. For me this is often when camping in the Scottish hills when the sun is going down after a day walking, there is a chill in the air and I’m with good friends and then it’s time to share a glass or two of Balvenie or Auchentoshan both smooth, less smoked and just great.”

My experience crosses many sectors and spans the full range of digital services. My clients include BlackRock, Intellectual Property Office, Crimestoppers, Monash University, Cardiff University, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and Sport Wales. A tasting board in Edinburgh “I have my favourite brands now but it all started with a quiet night on my own at an Edinburgh pub where an enthusiastic and knowledgeable waiter convinced me to try the ‘tasting board’. I failed to do any work that night on the laptop I’d brought with me but a new love was born!”


My strengths lie in my experience. I have worked for numerous clients including the BBC, Directgov, Standard Life, Tesco Bank, Cairn Energy, Robert Gordon University and Tottenham Hotspur. I am also a practicing psychotherapist allowing me to bring a unique depth of insight into questions such as: how do people “fall in love” with a product or brand. A whisky liqueur “My folks are from Europe and for some reason whiskies have passed by my Scottish wife. Back from a trip to the west coast we stopped at Inveraray and had a look inside the Loch Fyne whisky shop. It was like a whisky magic cave. Despite our perplexed expressions an un-phased shopkeeper got out the glasses and generously started taste testing our likes and dislikes. We eventually purchased a very agreeable Loch Fyne liqueur with lovely tangerine and chocolate notes and left the shop with a sense that there aren’t any wrong whisky buys, just different ones.” Page 54

Jamie Lemon Interactive and UX Designer

Adrian Porter Head of Strategic Research

Jie (Robbie) Deng International Programmes Manager

I am a user interface and UX designer with a focus on conceptual design, task driven user interaction and marketable solutions. My work spans the end-to-end implementation of both web and mobile apps.

I conduct bespoke research for individual clients to help them improve their digital presence. I also research and produce Precedent’s reports into industry sectors and online trends, providing benchmarks, and best practise recommendations which can be used to shape digital strategies

I am a digital strategist and marketer, with a background in localised website development for the Chinese market. I have a masters in psychology from Cambridge University. I speak English, Mandarin, Cantonese, basic Japanese and even some German!

I have worked on projects for major phone operators such as Nokia, Samsung and LG, as well as initiating and developing my own iPhone app distribution partnership. At Precedent my clients include Standard Life, National Association of Pension Funds, Crimestoppers, Sustrans and British Heart Foundation. Sheep first, then a dram “My favourite whisky is Talisker but its only deserved after helping to herd sheep with my father in law on Skye. I like nothing better than sitting up in the hills, looking over the land and slowly sipping it.”

Salmon on the Spey “I do not profess to being a whisky aficionado, but do know that I am not a fan of the peaty malts. However, I can vividly remember the best glass of whisky I ever had. I was sitting on the bank of the Spey on the Braewater beat, elated and somewhat exhausted after having just landed my first salmon on the fly. My ghillie produced a flask and two glasses from his copious tweed and poured us both a celebratory glass, which we sipped while reliving the events of the previous half an hour - splendid.”


I design optimised local web presences for organisations aiming to reach the Asia Pacific and emerging markets such as Latin America. I am always busy developing local partnerships with specialist agencies in target markets to facilitate ongoing social media engagement in local language through the channels of choice in each geographic market as well as local hosting. Not a big whisky fan “I tried whisky once at a friend’s wedding but it was a little too strong for my liking. However, some of my female friends in Shanghai drink whisky in quite creative ways. Some mix it with green tea, some with lukewarm water to dilute the strong taste, others with a few drops of orange juice and some even take it with a traditional sour plum drink.”

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About Precedent Precedent is one of Scotland’s, and the UK’s, most respected digital agencies with a 22 year heritage. During this time we have worked with a range of Scottish companies, finding meaningful ideas to solve their marketing and communications challenges, and delivering them intelligently. Our formula is simple; we keep the customer, or rather our clients’ customers, at the heart of everything we do, from brand, strategy and usability research through to content creation, website design and build, analytics and support and hosting. With our unparalleled research, branding and strategic digital thinking, we have helped Scottish companies improve their communications and build their reputations.

What we do We support a wide range of Scottish companies across the whole spectrum of strategic communications, from creating engaging web presences to digital marketing and mobile.marketing and mobile.

Strategy & research

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Some of our clients

Strategy is at the heart of what we do. We create tailored schedules of research and user engagement which enable us to get under the skin of our client’s organisation and understand what they, and their customers, really want. We then translate what we learn into insightful strategies covering everything from UX design, content, SEO and mobile solutions to digital marketing, social media and campaign creation.

Design and build is our bread and butter. Using findings from strategic research, we work with our clients to build websites that best represent them online while making sure they fulfil the needs of customers. From industry leading websites to intranets that engage staff and streamline business, we help clients find new ways to make the best of emerging technologies and social media.

• Aberdeen Asset Management

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A user focused, effective mobile offering is vital in order to take your proposition to your audiences, no matter what type of device they choose to engage through. We deliver tailored responsive websites, mobile optimised sites and apps that are as elegant as they are useful. We find out which route is best for our clients and their audiences’ needs, before creating a bespoke solution to suit their mobile strategy.

Understanding your personality and injecting it into all of your communications is no mean feat. We draw out what makes our clients offering special, explore what matters most to their customers and produce a creative proposition and visual style that brings their offer to life both on and offline.

Our reports

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Find out more

We have been researching and writing reports and whitepapers such as this for many years. These cover a range of sectors and topic areas such as communications for membership organisations and the financial services industry, as well as topics such as mobile and accessibility.

We hold regular free seminars at locations across the UK and Australia. We will be holding in-depth seminars looking in to the findings of this report over the course of 2012 and 2013.

To find out more information on our reports and to request your free copies, visit www.precedent.co.uk/our-reports e: [email protected]


• Aegon • Cairn Energy • Dana Petroleum • NAPF • Royal Yacht Britannia • Scottish Widows • St Andrews Links Trust • St Andrews University • Tesco Bank • University of Aberdeen

To find out more about our seminars and to register, please visit www.precedent.co.uk/our-seminars e: [email protected] Page 56

Contact us Our offices Edinburgh

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Get in touch Lara Doherty Relationship Manager, London

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John Campbell Regional Director, Edinburgh

t: +44 (0) 207 426 8941 e: [email protected]



Connect with us www.precedent.co.uk @precedentcomms @precedentjobs Like us on Facebook Precedent (Group) Precedent Digital


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