Diageo

Creating lifelong whisky drinkers with an immersive, multi-sensory brand experience.

Visitor Experience created, developed, and produced by BRC Imagination Arts

Introduction

Diageo’s Johnnie Walker is the world’s best-selling Scotch whisky, available in over 180 countries. In September 2021, Diageo opened a landmark attraction for the brand in Edinburgh called Johnnie Walker Princes Street (JWPS), establishing a physical presence for the brand in Scotland and becoming one of the most loved and most talked about brand experiences in the world.

Opportunity

Diageo made a major investment in Scotch Whisky tourism and the power of in-person, sensory experiences to drive consumer engagement and long-term profitability. It sought, in JWPS, to create an experience that would accommodate a lot of people, while also customizing and personalizing the experience for every guest. The idea was to meet people wherever they were in their whisky journey, catering to everyone from the curious to the connoisseur.

JWPS stands at the heart of Diageo’s £185 million investment in whisky tourism in Scotland and which includes the transformation of visitor experiences at 12 distilleries across the country, including the ‘Four Corners’ single malts crucial to making Johnnie Walker. With this unprecedented investment, Diageo sought to create a new standard for immersive brand homes. Theatrical storytelling technology, whisky drinks tailored to personal taste, and cutting-edge drink dispense systems were being used for the first time, and the JWPS team was tasked with proving their value. It was critical for the team to be able to quickly demonstrate ROI, reach new audiences, measure brand impact, and act quickly to adapt and improve the experiences as needed.

Solution

To ensure a successful launch and seamless guest journey, the JWPS team implemented AnyRoad’s end-to-end platform to manage everything from registration and ticketing to deep analytics and ROI measurement. 

Initially, new brand homes often struggle with operational inefficiencies and fail to optimize their capacity due to challenges with registration, guest check-in, and booking operations.

Additionally, the JWPS team needed to deliver customization and personalization at scale. Data captured in the AnyRoad booking process is combined with AI to create a customized flavour profile for each guest on the signature ‘Journey of Flavour’ tour experience. The drinks guests are given during the tour are then tailored to their unique profile. Proving that this new concept drove value was important to the team. Using AnyRoad analytics, they learned that post-visit NPS was 16 points higher than pre-visit NPS, validating the hypothesis that a new level of multi-sensory, immersive experiences creates new brand fans. They also learned that an important, but historically under-targeted, demographic was 40% more likely to drink whisky after visiting.

Throughout the launch of the experience and in ongoing management, the JWPS team used AnyRoad’s new analytics capabilities (Explorer, Feedback Analysis, and Industry Benchmarks) to constantly monitor performance at a macro and granular level. For example, they were able to understand the value of personalization, identify how different demographics responded differently to the experiences, and measure the impact of the experience on positive brand perception. Crucially, detailed, real-time guest feedback has identified specific areas of improvement needed to ensure an amazing experience, such as changing the timings for certain experiences.

Results

Since launching the experience, JWPS has been able to successfully host thousands of visitors per month through a seamless registration process, drive 16 points higher NPS post-visit, capture valuable 1^st party consumer data, and identify tangible actions needed to constantly iterate and improve the experience. Already considered among the city’s top visitor attractions within the first year of launch, JWPS embodies the trend of consumers increasingly seeking memorable experiences and sharing those experiences with others, providing Johnnie Walker with a powerful catalyst for long-term brand growth.

“It is incredible to see the smiles and looks of amazement on our guests’ faces, but we could not measure that. With AnyRoad, we are able to measure NPS, Brand Conversion, and more, providing us with solid data that shows the positive impact the JWPS experience is having on our guests. We can then follow up with them to create a lifelong relationship with our brand”

Rob Maxwell, Head of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Diageo