While 2020 has been tough on all, around Diwali a shift could be seen in commerce and spirits. Quite a few restrictions on movement had been lifted with people getting the option to venture out, keeping social distancing rules in mind. To be a part of the festivities and encapsulate the spirit of getting together, safely, Jack Daniel’s had introduced a celebratory packaging for Diwali 2020.
India is one of the fastest-growing alcobev markets in the world. It has been growing at more than 12% CAGR for the decade starting 2001. It is expected to be the third-largest consumer economy as its consumption is expected to triple to US$ 4 trillion by 2025, led by a shift in consumer behaviour and expenditure pattern. India’s spirit sector — which includes whiskey, brandy, rum, and vodka — is estimated to expand 25 percent to 2.92 trillion rupees ($41 billion) by 2022, according to Euromonitor International.
No one needs an introduction to Jack Daniel’s no 7. Many brands claim iconism, few truly have it. Jack is iconic. It is the most popular whisky brand in the world. We have been working closely with the Brown Forman India team to strengthen the brand’s relationship with India. We wanted to enter people’s homes this Diwali and create a special festive pack.
With a view to building a connect with the Indian audience, Whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s came up with a limited-edition Diwali package. The packaging was changed from its regular packaging to a special-edition tin box with the whiskey and two glasses inside. Designed by Open Strategy & Design, a multidisciplinary brand consultancy, the packaging exercise was undertaken to position Jack Daniel’s as a more appealing brand to Indians who are looking at high-quality premium gifting options for Diwali.
The objective was to interpret Jack in a way, that would make it culturally relevant. The brand wanted to become the Diwali gift of choice amongst premium whiskeys, and for that Jack not only had to look striking but feel naturally festive.
The brief given by Jack Daniel’s to Open Strategy & Design was to create a design which will help the premium whiskey brand emotionally connect with the consumers and help the brand stand out in retail stores by breaking the festive clutter. The message the brand wanted to deliver to their target audience was to celebrate every moment and make every moment count.
Instead of trying to fit in Jack Daniel’s in the world of Diwali celebrations, the team asked themselves what would celebrations look like, done Jack’s way? Jack Daniel – the man – gave them a clue. The only thing he loved more than fine whiskey, was a good get-together. And in a year that has made us realise the importance of relationships, Jack Daniel’s would bring alive the beauty of togetherness. But it had to be done Jack’s way.
When you are working on a global brand with such strongly defined codes – the challenge for the team is always about contextualising it, without losing out on its original soul. The big question for them was, how do you make a global brand with strong Americana codes celebrate the quintessential Indian festival?
Design is powerful in its ability to create new worlds. It can create meaning at many levels. The agency married the bold, masculine brand language of Jack with the visual symbolism of Diwali.
The idea was to bring Jack in the centre of the celebration of this festival. The iconic shape of the bottle made it unmistakable Jack. The intricate details, revealing the many facets of celebration, brought alive Diwali. The conscious play of celebratory gold on stark black not only allowed the team to retain the world of Jack, it also helped us symbolise the idea of good over evil.
There was also the subliminal cue of the classic Diwali visual — crackers bursting against the night sky. And all this was done while retaining the clean, bold look of Jack.
Through this pack, the brand covered more than 2000 premium outlets in 10 cities across India. The brand was able to reach an estimated 20,000 friends of Jack, both new and old.
A good first measure of the consumer response is the retailer. According to the brand, the retailers had an overwhelming response to the new pack, often doing multiples of the expected uptakes.
Vinay Joshi, Brand Manager, Jack Daniel’s FOB Indian Sub-Continent & Maldives said, “The October-December festive period is the most important period in the year for our category driven by the festivals and different celebrations, such as Diwali, Weddings etc, across India. We wanted to create a special festive edition pack that will help us make Jack Daniel’s part of these celebrations and make us even more relevant to people looking for premium gifting options.”
“With Open Strategy and Design, we were able to create a packaging design for Jack Daniel’s Old No 7 which symbolised the idea of togetherness – an idea which has become more salient with the pandemic and something Mr Jack believed back in his time and lived by bringing people together to mark key occasions. The pack helped us break the visual clutter and stand out in retail stores and make new friends of Jack as well as reconnect with the existing ones. Our initial feedback tells us the pack has been very well received by consumers and did really well with ones looking for premium gifting options for their near and dear ones,” he added.
Ashutosh Karkhanis, Creative Head and Managing Partner, Open Strategy and Design further added, “This year has made us realize the importance of relationships; Jack Daniel’s no. 7 brings alive the beauty of togetherness. The design was inspired by this thought and was created to make Jack Daniel No. 7 an intrinsic part of Diwali celebration.”
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