There is a widely held preconception that blended whisky is harsh in taste. However, when consumers try Whyte & Mackay for the first time, they’re immediately surprised by its smooth taste. That’s the simple story of the Whyte & Mackay communications strategy.

Our sole aim is to get our audience to re-assess. In bringing this simple strategy to life we had to cut through the usual communication in this category. To stand out, we needed to do away with the old-fashioned stereotypical Scottish whisky imagery, showing heather and weather.

Instead we drafted in the animal photographer and digital artist Tim Flach to bring the lion on the bottle to life and gave him a smooth contemporary look and feel – breaking convention and creating a striking metaphor for our Surprisingly Smooth message and a modern whisky brand.

The visually-led campaign appeared in still and animated formats nationwide, including high-impact digital outdoor and a specially-composed cinemagraph. And it worked. Campaign voted it one of the Top 10 Outdoor Ads of 2015.