Whyte & Mackay has partnered with leading Taiwanese social media whisky influencer Steven Lin to offset the limited passenger numbers during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

This partnership used digital platforms to bring its new concepts and brands to life at Taoyuan International Airport and elsewhere.

The omnichannel campaign reached a wider audience of consumers, driving penetration at the airport and other locations.

Whyte & Mackay has continued investing in the Taiwanese market during the downturn, with a new shop-in-shop for The Dalmore brand at Taoyuan Airport. This opened in October 2020 and provides a flagship store for the single malt.

High-profile pop-ups for the newly listed Jura and Fettercairn single malts have also been introduced at Taoyuan Airport. Whyte & Mackay said that the pop-ups and partnership with Lin helped position these brands at “the forefront of Taiwanese hearts and minds.”

DIGITAL CAMPAIGN EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

Lin’s video, which includes tastings, a tour of the stores and an exploration of the brand stories, is tailored to the desires of modern malt shoppers who are seeking online engagement and experiences. The digital campaign surpassed its initial target, reaching 355,000 views and 718,000 impressions.

[Click the below video to see leading Taiwanese social media whisky influencer Steven Lin helped raise awareness of Whyte & Mackay’s products and concepts]

According to the company, its overall omnichannel strategy helped offset the impact of the pandemic.

Whyte & Mackay said: “The campaign’s combination of physical and digital showcases the omnichannel approach with which Whyte & Mackay is leading the way in the travel retail single malt market.

“It allowed the brands to engage shoppers in the domestic and duty free channels, while highlighting the unique experiences which are only offered in travel retail.

“The online and offline initiatives also reflect a continued investment in the category and a passion for driving penetration. This is the number one challenge for retailers in the sector and will be especially important as the market looks to recover from recent challenges.”

Clarisse Daniels, Whyte & Mackay, Head of Marketing GTR commented: “Times like these require a new way of thinking and a new way of doing things in all retail sectors. It demonstrates Whyte & Mackay’s agility and ability to come up with creative solutions to drive our customer’s business in difficult periods.

“We believe it is vital to continue creating exciting experiences for our retail partners and duty free shoppers throughout their purchase decision journey, so we have taken a new and innovative omnichannel approach to bringing these to life for consumers who are desperate to travel again and enjoy the beautiful experiences our brands are offering in this channel.

“They can’t experience our brands at the airport, so we brought the experience to them!”