Having traditionally been perceived as a mass brand in China, Johnnie Walker aimed to make their whisky brand synonymous with luxury by creating a luxurious brand experience space. Designed to enthral, captivate and convert the ultra-VIP audience from being simply whisky curious to becoming whisky evangelists, the Johnnie Walker House in Shanghai has been an outstanding success.
Against a target to break even in year one, actual net sales were US $1million over target and year two saw 60% sales growth with reduced A&P budget. The key metric for brand awareness rose from 74% to 97% and Diageo has been inspired to open 10 further Houses worldwide. An extension of the physical stores has also successfully launched online. Annual footfall has risen 20% year on year and over 20,000 luxury consumers are now welcomed annually across the China Houses. The growing network of Johnnie Walker Houses is fast becoming the world’s largest embassies for luxury Scotch whisky.
