Diageo and Qatar Duty Free have partnered to invite passengers to try their best golf swing against a computer-animated screen, with the top scoring individual set for a trip to the famous Gleneagles golf course in Scotland.

This new promotion is described as ‘a ground-breaking first for the drinks category at Qatar International Airport’ with the launch of a new retail unit which operates outside of the main duty free store and which has been timed to coincide with Qatar Duty Free’s involvement with the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. 

Diageo said: “With a strong focus on the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky association with Greg Norman, the initiative combines brand building and direct retailing for Johnnie Walker Blue Label through to early March and launched to coincide with the Masters in early February, to leverage the opportunity around the additional traffic flying from and transiting through the airport.

HIGH VISIBILITY PROMOTION
“Located on the mezzanine level, the open-fronted golf themed experiential unit benefits from the passenger traffic using the 7/8 international gates on this level and from the adjacencies with the food court. With over 70% of the passenger mix in transit, with an average dwell time of 2.5 hours, Diageo is confident that the initiative will drive shopper footfall and penetration.”

Inside the unit, Diageo says there are brand ambassadors on hand with educational iPad applications to engage shoppers with the story around the Johnnie Walker family and to answer questions about the brand, whilst offering direct retail sales. 

Claire Brockwitz, Lower Gulf Manager, Diageo GTME said: “Qatar Duty Free are a great partner for us on this initiative – we share similar ambitions about the potential of this growing airport and it’s fantastic to be working together ahead of the curve. They’ve enabled us to position large-scale branding at key vantage points around the departures lounge – outside the main store, next to the escalator and on the walkways. 

“The visibility is therefore extremely high and we are confident that shoppers will respond well to the call to ‘Swing Your Way to Gleneagles’. True to our intention to reach people at multiple touch points throughout their journey, we have also handed out invitations at the Qatar Masters itself to maximize the footfall opportunity.”

OVERWHELMING CUSTOMER RESPONSE
Keith Hunter, Senior Vice President, Qatar Duty Free comments: “We are extremely happy with our partnership with Diageo on this exclusive promotion. We have been wanting to do something different with Diageo for quite some time and when this promotion was conceptualized, we were more than happy, as it coincided very well with Qatar Masters, the most premium sporting event in the country of which Qatar Duty Free was the ‘Official Retail Partner’.

“The response to this promotion – along with the display installed at our newly-acquired retail area at Doha International Airport – has been overwhelming. We are not only getting our regular customers trying their hand at the Longest Drive but seeing the Johnnie Walker loyalists, trying their hands at winning the coveted prize. 

“The sales of not only Johnnie Walker Blue Label, but also the entire range of Johnnie Walker Blended Whisky products have increased considerably and we are hoping the trend continues. 

“I congratulate everyone at Diageo Middle East for putting together such an exciting promotion, one of the first for us in this category. I am confident that this is only the beginning of what we can achieve together.”