Diageo Global Travel Retail is marking the 100th anniversary of its flagship Johnnie Walker Black brand with an array of activities, including the launch of a new Johnnie Walker Black Label Centenary Limited Edition.

The commemorative pack consists of a sleek, black glass bottle displaying ten key milestones from the Johnnie Walker history, such as the introduction of the famous square bottle (1860) and the company?s first Royal Warrant (1934). The Black Label name on the label is embellished with real gold and textured ink, as is the golden figure of the striding man.

With the strapline ?100 years of progress?, the primary supporting visual images show an overlapping line-up of ten of the bottles, representing the strength of ten decades of Johnnie Walker – and also the promise of ?100 more? to come. The latter theme will be taken up towards the end of 2009, as the centenary ends. The company plans to launch a new Johnnie Walker variant as part of that occasion.

While the ?100 years? theme is the generic heart of the year-long campaign, Diageo is further strengthening the connection between Johnnie Walker and the sponsorship (now in its fifth F1 season) of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team. With a total of 19 races in ten months at locations across four continents, the F1 Grand Prix diary is the backbone of the Black Label centenary programme.

The company says that the F1-themed activations are tailored to the specific needs of each region and allow local flexibility and creativity to enable sales teams to optimise relevance, timing and impact in their area, particularly in relation to the F1 race weekends. The most eye-catching elements of the F1 activation are the prizes available in key target locations; full size replica race helmets – each signed personally by the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen. There are also over 100 half-scale helmets being offered as prizes.

Paul Davies, Diageo GTME Marketing Manager – Reserve Brands, explains the added dimension the prize promotion brings to the campaign: ?This is the biggest shopper facing element of the whole activity and will give a powerful tool for driving conversion.?Strong price promotions, including multiple purchase savings, will be activated with selected target retailers.