The Scotch Blog

Your Dad was not a fag. But apparently you are.

Canadian Club, a product of Beam Global Spirits* is about to roll out a new ad campaign.

The concept of the campaign? Your Dad was much cooler than you are.

Yep that's right - they are saying it's cool to drink whisky BECAUSE your dad drank it, not despite it.

They are also saying that your Dad was probably more of a man than you are.

According to the press release:

The thought-provoking campaign challenges consumers to embrace their dads classic masculinity, most visibly expressed through their choice to drink Canadian Club whisky cocktails. In launching Damn Right, CC invited Beam Global employees to search through their photo albums to submit images that epitomize the campaign.

Eh. I'm not buying it.

The message I get from the attached ad? Your Mom likely wasn't your Dad's last either. <click on the picture to read the ad>

Some of the headlines created for the ads (seriously):

"Damn Right Your Dad Drank It"
"Your Dad Was Not a Metrosexual"
“Your Mom Wasn’t Your Dad’s First”
"Your Dad Never Got a Pedicure."

I always try to be helpful, so I thought I'd offer up some more "Dad was awesome" ideas for future ads:

For the "Dad was tougher than you" ad placement

• Damn right your Dad never wore a seat-belt.
• Your Dad was twice the man you'll ever be.
• When your Dad was your age a DUI was expected.

For the "Dad was a sex machine" ad placement

• Your Dad didn't use condoms when he was in Saigon.
• Before Paternity Tests.
• Damn right your Dad was getting more than you - DESPITE the leisure suit and side burns.
• Ah, the days when STDs could be cured with penicillin.

For the "Things were just plain better back then" ad placement

• When men were men and cars got 3 miles per gallon.
• You Dad never picked up maxi-pads on his way back from picking the kids up from Soccer*
  
  • *And your Dad never picked the kids up from Soccer
• Your Dad never had to cuddle.

For the "Misogynist" ad placement

• Daddy only hit Mommy because he loved her.
• Dad didn't call it "Date Rape" it was just a "Date".

Ad sites like Adrants are loving the campaign:

Are we seeing a full-on return to the glory days of the hard liquor cocktail when beer was for factory workers and wine was for sissies? Can we now go back to the three martini lunch, pinch asses in the afternoon and have three more martinis at night while watching Mad Men?  We might not get any work done but it sure sounds like fun.

Adrants also reports that the campaign was created by BBDO and ads will appear in Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, with additional placements in Playboy, Men's Journal, Esquire, Outside and Men's Fitness in December and into 2008.

Well it IS a different approach.

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* Disclosure: I am a shareholder in Fortune Brands, parent company of Beam Global

Columba Cream Responds

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Unless something REALLY big pops up, this will be the only story this week.

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A few months (September 6th) ago, I did one of my news wrap-up stories (Whisky Season = News Stories) which included a short clip on how Columba Cream was having issues with its plans to take on Diageo's

That story was a summary of a story from The Scotsman called Columba Cream Plan Hits The Rocks.

I just received a response from Jamie Morrison of the Scottish Liqueur Centre, who took some issues with my story and attempted to clarify some statements. It's great to get more information and I thank Jamie for writing me.

Below is his email, my response to some of his comments as well as the text of the original story.

Gift Pack Season

I love the Christmas season. Not for the reasons you are thinking (8 years in catholic school squeezed any faith out of me). No, I love going to the liquor store and seeing what gift packs have been cooked up by the liquor companies.

On a recent trip to my local VA-ABC (that's the horribly named Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control) to pick up bottles for an upcoming tasting (if you are curious: Famous Grouse, Scapa, Highland Park, Ardbeg and Old Pulteney).

Wandering around the shop I got to see what's in this season:

Many companies stick with the easy way out and offer glasses: Herradura Tequila, Bacardi Rum, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, JW Black Label, Chivas Regal, and Crown Royal all offer gift packs with one of two rocks style glasses. Vodkas are big with martini glasses - Citadelle, Belvedere and Chopin; while Stolichnaya takes a more Russian approach and offers 4 shot glasses. Corazon tequila decided to offer a choice of shot glasses OR rocks glasses.

New Scotch Blog Shirts...

The Famous Grouse and I have teamed up to offer you this season's must wear item.

This great shirt features The Famous Grouse logo on the front, along with one of the current ads - "On Ice" - on the back. But what makes this shirt really snazzy is the new The Scotch Blog logo on the left sleeve.

Sorry, but the shirt is only available in one size - Large.

While the shirt is not Free, it is pretty cheap. $4.95 which includes Shipping & Handling (and helps offset printing costs). As usual these are only available in limited quantities.

For an even better deal, order the Malt Whisky Yearbook and shirt together for only $30! (sorry, this MWY is offer only available to US residents).

Click here to order through Doceon Press...

HP gets an extreme makeover

Last year Highland Park was selected "Best Spirit in the World" (though, of course, THAT accolade was granted by the same man who named Johnnie Walker the Distiller of the Year - so take such awards with a grain of salt).

But despite such silliness, Highland Park really is a fantastic whisky, and is easily in my top 5. The only problem with Highland Park, to my mind, was the packaging. I've always found it to be a little off-putting - all dark and moody like a teen goth girl, with obscure photos of meaningless scenery (which happened to be from Orkney, but could have been anywhere) - it likely wasn't the first choice of a consumer not familiar with the brand.

Johnnie Walker goes to Beirut: Update

UPDATE: I spoke with Laura Peet of Diageo, and the banner is indeed real.

She explained that Diageo is sensitive to their local markets, understand what is and is not acceptable in those markets, and they use their iconic advertising to connect with and support local consumers (and yes, admittedly, to advertise).

She mentioned that when looking at an ad like this with our eyes, we may question its taste, but in the local markets this ad has been viewed as being supportive of the area and the Lebanese people.

I did search around the Internet and it appears that web-sites which focus on Beirut and Lebanon have been receptive and appreciative of this particular ad.

It's also important to keep in mind that Lebanon has a substantial Catholic population and is not a wholly Muslim country as many people believe, so an ad for an alcoholic beverage is not beyond the pale.

Johnnie Walker goes to Beirut

Martin S. (from my alma mater Johns Hopkins) asked if I had seen this ad, which is apparently draped on a building along the road to Beirut.

I'm not sure how I feel about this...

Is it meant to be an uplifting homage to the strength of the people of Beirut; or a crass commercial attempt to fit an ad campaign into an unfortunate situation.

Were I in charge of advertising for JW in the Middle East, I think I would have tried a different tactic.

What do YOU think?