"Poets"

10 August 2015

90s

Word play

How the hell do you sell a whisky with a name like Laphroaig? You can hardly claim that it's something just anyone might opt to drink... apart from anything else the majority of punters would, ahem, lose their bottle before they dared to give the pronunciation a go.

Better then to recognise that the target market for Laphroaig is quite specialised and customise an approach likely to appeal to their sensibilities even if it might leave everyone else thinking they're a bit up themselves.

With that in mind, White Label's idea and Mike Matthews's execution of it are just about perfect. Rather than resist the obvious pretentiousness of a whisky whose challenging taste practically invites punters to dislike it, this commercial fully commits to its airs and graces by inviting poets to write an ode to the stuff after sampling it.

The result is a cavalcade of words tumbling out of the poets' mouths - not always positive - and a sense of exclusivity that seems a perfect fit for the brand.

UK

Whisky