Did Johnnie Walker’s Agency Say Enough?
December 17, 2010 by Matthew Finio
For the holidays Johnnie Walker launched its "Say It Without Saying It" campaign, a wink at how men communicate. In spots created by BBH New York, expressions of love and admiration are replaced by a gift of the popular Scotch.
But Grant Powell, CEO of digital agency Pomegranate, thinks BBH could have added one more component to their strategy. "I thought the spots were really funny, and wanted to see how the campaign was handled in different media, and how they were designed to be viral," he said, "BBH did setup a Facebook page along with some presence on the Johnnie Walker site, but I don't feel that there is anything that really drives viral social media sharing."
Powell, whose agency does branding and creative work for Google/YouTube and other clients, was surprised at the lack of integration. He even checked to see if they secured a "Say It Without Saying It" domain name, and was amazed to find sayitwithoutsayingit.com was available. "I have a hard time understanding why they wouldn't have purchased this domain," Powell said. He registered the domain name himself, and his agency created a site where users can upload their own methods of saying it without saying it. Recent user posts on the site include: A case of cheap beer shown as redneck holiday greeting, and a huge diamond ring saying, "Marry me for my money."
Will Pomegranate approach BBH about the campaign's shortcoming? Probably not, but if sayitwithoutsayingit.com takes off, BBH might be interested in knowing more. "It's just an example of how a great idea can be given the opportunity to become an even greater campaign through social media." said Powell.
Luckily we can easily borrow an excuse suggested by one Mr. Jamie Foxx. Just blame it on the alcohol!
