Keep Walking Fund

01. The Problem

Modernize and bring awareness to Johnnie Walker in Korea.

Johnnie Walker, a global market leading international Scotch whisky. Yet in the Korean market, the brand awareness and consumer loyalty of Johnnie Walker is comparatively quite low. Diageo Korea wanted to increase its brand image along with increase awareness of its brand ethos ‘Keep Walking’ to the Korean consumer.

02. The Idea – The Keep Walking Fund

We merged Johnnie Walker’s ethos and Korean consumer insights to create the ‘Keep Walking Fund’ Campaign. The big idea was to run a competition to recruit, inspire and support the most inspiring ‘Korean Dreamers’ and use the Keep Walking Fund to help them fulfill their dream. We created a participation platform for consumers to talk about their dreams and to share their progress to realize their dreams.

The 1st Keep Walking Fund Korea was designed to connect Johnnie Walker target audience with engaging and inspiring ‘progress’ contents created through a nationwide competition among ordinary people. This increases consumer’s familiarity with Johnnie Walker and its KBB and the role it can play in their life – engaging, content driven participation marketing rather than one way ‘advertising’.

Following on from the success of ‘Keep Walking Fund’ Campaign in the previous year, Diageo Korea wanted to continue this campaign to a second season, this year making the campaign bigger and better. With maintaining the same concept and workflow of the previous campaign, we emphasized the brand ethos ‘Keep Walking’ more than before, and to dramatize the moments of realizing dreams by using storytelling. 10 finalists were given the opportunity to hold their own ‘Dream Gallery’ showing the iconic items and stories of their dreams and explaining their stories in their effort to achieve it.

We used one of the previous year winners to create an inspiring web film that talked about his true life story and how his new dream kept him alive, literally, so that now he teaches others.

Keep Walking Intro

Phoenix Dream Film

Making Of

How To Apply: Version 1

How To Apply: Version 2

03. Web

We reached out and made strategic partnerships with Yahoo, and DaumTVPot. They allowed us to create a custom page within their sites and designed it out including playing our film.

04. Microsite

We created a multi-stage microsite that launched with a countdown teaser. Then we launched profiles on the website where people could blog/post about their dreams and get viewers to vote for them. Then after the stages of voting, we did custom pages and videos on each final 20-10 finalists. After the final 5 won, we then did a final site refresh talking about the next stage in their dream and unveiling the on-ground exhibition.

05. Awareness in BTL

We did a series of print ads in magazines like GQ and Esquire, bus sidings, newspaper, and took over the inside of subway cars to bring awareness of the campaign and get people to participate. QR codes and search boxes helped to link offline to our online hubs.

05. Results

We funded $500K to 5 hard working and inspiring people to fund their dreams. We established a precedent which other markets copied. We increased positive WOM and brand recognition, and had a lot of fun too.