The campaign centres on the Ballantine’s x Malbon 21 Year Old TR exclusive.

Ballantine’s has launched a series of travel retail activations across South Korea to support its limited-edition collaboration with lifestyle golf brand Malbon.

The campaign centres on the Ballantine’s x Malbon 21 Year Old Travel Retail Exclusive Limited Edition, which launched in Korean duty free in June, and includes a hero pop-up at Jeju International Airport alongside four promotions across Incheon Airport Terminals 1 and 2. Running across Korea from 1 August for two months, the ‘Time Well Spent at the 19th Hole’ campaign forms part of Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail’s strategy to rejuvenate Ballantine’s positioning in the market and recruit a younger generation of South Korean travellers.

The Jeju pop-up, which opened on 13 August in partnership with JDC Duty Free, features golf-inspired elements including astro-turf, flag sticks and a rotating golf ball display. Travellers can browse the accompanying Malbon fashion capsule collection, play mini golf and take part in a tutored tasting of Ballantine’s 21 Year Old, including a highball serve. Ballantine’s 23 Year Old is also available for discovery.

Gift-with-purchase incentives include a clip-on ‘Buckets’ plush toy for customers purchasing two Ballantine’s bottles, while shoppers buying three or more bottles at Incheon Airport can receive a Ballantine’s x Malbon golf ball case. The airport programme is being supported by more than 261 out-of-home and digital panels, alongside activity on Naver and Instagram involving Korean travel, lifestyle and golf influencers.

The collaboration is also crossing into the domestic market, with the Ballantine’s 21 Year Old going on display at Malbon stores in Dosan, Seongsu, Bukchon, Jeju and Hannam to direct consumers towards duty free locations.

(L-R) Eloy Gonzalez, Marketing Activation Director, Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Asia; Bruce Son, Director General of JDC Duty Free; and Paul Kang from Pernod Ricard GTR agents Darin Brand Consultants, at the Jeju pop-up.

“From the launch of these special liquids and the capsule collection in June to the staging of these coordinated activations from August onwards, we are bringing Ballantine’s into the heart of Korean culture and lifestyle while solidifying our positioning in golf as our strategic passion point,” said Andrew Bardsley, Director, Prestige Brands and Champagne at Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail.

Antonio Duva, General Manager, Asia Pacific at Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, added: “Ballantine’s is already the number one blended Scotch whisky in Korea Travel Retail, but this fun and convivial blend of fashion and sport means a whole new audience will look at the brand for the first time through a contemporary lens.”

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