The Famous Grouse Puts a Modern Spin on Its Quality, Personality and Mixability Credentials with New Campaign

The Famous Grouse has today unveiled its brand-new global campaign, ‘Full of Character’, with a new TV advert premiering during ITV's coverage of the Rugby World Cup semi-final between England and South Africa on Saturday October 21st and again during the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday October 28th.

The UK’s no.1 whisky is back with a new global brand campaign for the first time in four years, which will roll out across 30 countries in November and December, including the brand's key markets of the UK, Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.

The ‘Full of Character’ campaign seeks to introduce The Famous Grouse to the next generation of whisky consumers as the alcoholic beverage for any social occasion, whilst also educating them on the accessibility and mixability of the liquid.

As a result, the ‘Full of Character’ campaign will feature Gilbert, the iconic Famous Grouse himself, preparing to host a dinner party for family and friends. A distinctive part of the brand for over 100 years, this is the first TV creative to ever show the Famous Grouse in an at-home setting, following his adventures on curling stones and on top of a cliff.

Following the Rugby World Cup final, the ‘Full of Character’ campaign will roll-out globally, with TV and BVOD (Broadcaster Video on Demand) in selected markets, as well as a global digital and social media campaign. Various cuts of the advert will feature on YouTube within content relevant to the brand’s target audience.

The ‘Full of Character’ creative will also feature in-store and be available for on-trade outlets as part of a global refresh of brand assets. Point of Sale (POS) displays will hero the new campaign to maximise impact during a critical trading period.

The Famous Grouse partnered with leading storytellers in the field of character animation for the Full of Character campaign. Creative agency Leith collaborated with Nexus, a BAFTA-winning Grammy and Academy Award-nominated studio, to produce the advert, while Paloma Baeza, who has previously won an Emmy for Best Character Animation, directed.

Joakim Leijon, global brand director for The Famous Grouse, said, "Since its inception in 1896, The Famous Grouse, with its depth of flavour; light-hearted personality and ability to ignite storytelling have always been unmistakably 'Full of Character'. We are therefore delighted to launch our new global campaign and hope it captures the hearts of our existing customers, whilst spotlighting the mixability of the liquid for the first time to encourage a new audience to try it”.

Debbie Morgan and Mairi Wilson, creative team at Leith, said, “We’ve grown up with The Famous Grouse on our screens and the adverts are legendary. The Famous Grouse is an icon; effortlessly cool, witty and – dare we say it – 'Full of Character'. It’s been a dream come true to take him on the next wing of his journey."

For further information or to join the conversation, please visit @TheFamousGrouseUK on Facebook, @TheFamousGrouse on Twitter and Instagram @TheFamousGrouseUK.