Shanghai - Saatchi & Saatchi has been appointed by Pernod Ricard China as lead ‘below the line’ agency for Chivas Regal in China. Chivas Regal is the #1 whisky brand in China.
Chivas has been a pioneer in the China market through their innovative channel activation and building the sociable drinking culture of China - particularly the role of whisky in clubs and KTV.
As lead brand agency Saatchi & Saatchi develops the go-to-market strategy and creative for Chivas. Like many spirits brands Chivas spends the bulk of their marketing investment in channel activation, events and sponsorship - to be a relevant part of the social consumption occasions. The role of Saatchi & Saatchi is to define new communication platforms for Chivas and the Chivas sub-brands (Chivas 12, Chivas 18 and Chivas 25) - and to work across the agency roster to bring these to life in the market.
Justin Billingsley, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China said: "This is a very exciting partnership for us. What Chivas has achieved in China in the past decade is extraordinary and we look forward to pushing this pioneering brand forward again.
This appointment really shows how Saatchi & Saatchi has evolved in the past year. This appointment was based on media-agnostic ideas - we need to give people ways to belong to Chivas and strengthen the brand relationship beyond what traditional advertising can achieve, especially in this category."
This is the first appointment of Saatchi & Saatchi in China by Pernod Ricard. The Pernod Ricard China portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Martell, Absolut, Mumm and Ballantine's amongst many others.
The appointment started from June 2010 and will be led from the Saatchi & Saatchi Shanghai office.