When Whisky Got Risky: Whyte & Mackay Break Category Codes with Beavers and Bold Storytelling
In a category steeped in tradition, breaking through in the blended whisky industry is no easy feat—and certainly not the most popular choice. In the UK, the category often sticks to familiar codes: close-up shots of bottles, celebrity endorsements, messaging that highlights heritage and origin, and imagery of barrels. With the average rating for the category hovering around a modest 2 Stars on System1’s Star Rating scale (out of a maximum 5.9), it’s clear that while the category is in relatively good health, stepping away from the status quo to drive long-term growth is a daunting but necessary challenge.
That’s exactly what The Woodsman looked to do—break into a new audience and build a strong foundation for long-term cut-through. To appeal to today’s modern spirits consumer, the brand needed to shatter traditional barriers and show that whisky is a drink for everyone. From a campaign perspective, The Woodsman looked to position itself more like a beer brand, ensuring that entry barriers were lowered so younger audiences, in particular, felt more confident and comfortable exploring whisky.
Working closely with Mr. President, Whyte and Mackay developed a narrative that resonated with a younger audience, reinforcing messages of coevality and socialising. The teams set out to create a brand character that not only stood out from the category but also conveyed the desired messaging through character, humour, and storytelling. This shift from traditional category codes to more human characteristics is what Orlando Wood, in his books Lemon and Look out, terms ‘right-brained’ features—advertising elements that appeal to our emotional side and are known drivers of long-term commercial success and attention.
Enter Barry the Beaver: a rugged puppet character who, after a long day of gnawing trees and building dams, kicks back, relaxes, and enjoys a glass of The Woodsman whisky. Defying all category conventions, The Woodsman faced a polarising challenge: they had something new, creative, and completely distinctive within the whisky category, but would consumers respond with the positivity needed to drive long-term commercial growth?
In 2023, System1’s Test Your Ad platform was used to evaluate the final creative and gauge how it would resonate with a nationally representative pool of consumers. Test Your Ad allowed the brand to assess both its long-term commercial effectiveness (Star Rating) and short-term activation potential (Spike Rating) by measuring the types of emotion evoked in consumers and the intensity of these feelings.
On System1’s Test Your Ad platform, The Woodsman achieved an impressive 4.8-Star Rating and exceptional short-term sales potential, ranking it among the top five spirits ads of all time and the number one whisky ad in System1’s Premium database of more than 125,000 ads. This campaign’s success in testing translated directly to commercial impact, propelling The Woodsman into the Top 10 blended whisky brands and exceeding its 20% growth goal by an additional 15%. Driven by data, insight, a clear strategy, and emotional resonance, this campaign stands as a testament to a brand that is both market-oriented and unafraid to challenge the status quo.
Despite Barry’s “gnarly” appearance, he is a beloved character who resonates deeply with consumers. System1’s emotional FaceTrace© reveals that his presence evokes surprise and joy, leading to a notable increase in positivity. This positions the Woodsman perfectly to continue leveraging Barry in their communications. A distinctive and well-received brand character is truly one of the most valuable assets a brand can have!
"We took an educated risk, using data to shape the strategy behind our new brand platform. We understood the barriers and set out to break them down in a way that was both engaging and familiar to younger audiences. Understanding the consumer is critical to our growth, so seeing such strong resonance in System1’s Test Your Ad results, alongside the commercial success we achieved post-launch, confirms that data truly drives results"
Janice McIntosh Marketing Director at Whyte & Mackay
As World leaders in predicting and improving advertising effectiveness, Test Your Ad provides the most accurate/predictive metrics.