Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute goes global

Pernod Ricard Travel Retail is elevating the launch of Royal Salute’s latest offering, Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute, in duty free by creating a high impact global campaign to establish it as one of the world’s leading luxury whiskies. During the first quarter of 2011, Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute has seen tailored promotions in key regions.

“Travel Retail is a key market for Royal Salute and we want to use this platform to raise awareness of our most recent ultra prestige whisky, Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute, produced from whiskies aged for a minimum of 40 years. Each region has taken elements of the brand, relevant to their culture, so the campaign is specific to their target market,” says Robin Johnston, regional director global travel retail for Chivas Brothers.

Gulf
In Dubai, the product was first unveiled at a VIP dinner, during the annual Desert Palm UAE Nations Cup 2011 polo tournament by The Duke of Argyll. Royal Salute has a long standing association with the sport and used this opportunity to re-affirm the connection and highlight the brand’s commitment to sponsoring the Nations Cup 2011.  During February 2011 the brand used imagery of the Nations Cup in-store at Dubai Duty Free to support the launch in travel retail.

Europe
In Europe, the Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute launch kicked off at Paris Charles de Gaulle in January 2011.  Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Europe developed bespoke podiums for the product, which incorporated hand crafted bespoke crystals to match the colour of the bottle. The stands were illuminated to showcase the craftsmanship of the hand-carved Darlington Crystal bottle and reflect the premium quality of the product. Following the Paris launch, a podium was placed in a very prominent location in Schiphol and in April a podium will be present in Frankfurt. Further installations will continue at key international hubs.

Asia
Throughout January and February 2011, Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute was rolled out in Asia at Hong Kong International Airport, Taiwan Taoyuan Airport, Singapore Changi Airport and Korea Incheon Airport. The product was positioned on a premium display units in the first class and business lounges of Korean Air.

This ultra prestige whisky will continue to be rolled out globally including in the pacific region in July 2011.

Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute was created to pay tribute to generations of royal tradition and the legacy of the whisky’s four master blenders. It is a unique and exclusive blend, the most prestigious expression within Royal Salute’s permanent collection, owing to its exceptional age, taste and limited supply. As the pinnacle of the Royal Salute range, it takes its name from the annual celebrations of the Queen’s coronation, ‘62 Gun Salute’, a time-honoured tradition that takes place at the Tower of London each year, on the Queen’s official birthday.

1 April 2011 - Felicity Murray