With a global portfolio that spans across borders and markets, Distell is responsible for some of the most-loved beverage brands in the world.
Launched in 2000 by the merger of Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery (SFW) and Distillers Corporation, Distell International is a global drinks brand headquartered in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
With 5,300 employees worldwide, Distell produces and markets a diverse portfolio of nearly 100 award-winning alcoholic brands, including Savanna, Bunnahabhain, Deanston, and Tobermory.
We were thrilled to be appointed as digital brand partners for Distell, collaborating with their team to provide them with a whole host of strategic and creative work over the years, including brand films, ecommerce websites, social media marketing strategies, training for their brand ambassadors, copywriting, photography, design, and more.
Deanston Brand Film & Campaign
- Deliverables
- Marketing Strategy
- Creative Direction
- Film Production & Photography
- Design
How we delivered a non-traditional brand positioning campaign for a non-traditional brand
Deanston had already developed their new brand objectives but required some guidance on their brand positioning.
We worked collaboratively with their team to build this new position. Then, in order to capture and effectively communicate the essence of the Deanston brand, we shot a brand film and created a bank of engaging content to be used for a multi-channel brand positioning campaign.
Website for Tobermory Distillery
- Deliverables
- Research, Analysis & Insights
- Web Design
- Web Development
How we created a user-friendly and engaging website that reflects the rich heritage and enjoyment of the iconic Tobermory brand.
Distell asked us to redesign the Tobermory website and give it a crisp, clean, and aesthetically-pleasing look to tie in with their recent rebrand. They also asked that the redesign be optimised to engage their audience and increase sales of both their heritage whisky expressions and their new gin product as part of the brand’s wider growth strategy.
Bunnahabhain Brand Film & Campaign
- Deliverables
- Marketing Strategy
- Creative Direction
- Film Production
- Design
How we reintroduced the Bunnahabhain brand with a campaign inspired by the sounds of Islay.
We worked with the Bunnahabhain team to develop an evolved brand position for their iconic whisky and build a campaign to roll out across all international markets. The key objectives were to grab attention, build brand awareness across both consumers and trade, gain traction, and ultimately drive sales.
Social Media Strategy
- Deliverables
- Research, Audit & Briefing
- Strategy Workshop
- Social Media Strategy Report
How we helped build a consistent online presence for Tobermory, Bunnahabhain & Deanston—three of Distell’s biggest whisky brands.
Distell had recently appointed a Social Media Manager to build the online communities of some key brands within their malt whisky category—Tobermory, Bunnahabhain & Deanston. We were asked to develop a social media strategy for the new Social Media Manager to execute, and for other global markets to reference when managing their regional channels.
Savanna Cider Film & Photo Shoot
- Deliverables
- Photography & Video
- Social Media Management
- Copywriting
How we created six months worth of social media content for Savanna Cider in just two days.
A social-first brand, Savanna needed a bank of content for the next six months to be used for social media, PR initiatives, product pages, and other digital products (like online product listings and display).
Working with their team, we arranged to maximise their budget by organising a ‘content grab’, essentially get as much content from one shoot as possible.
Bunnahabhain Ecommerce Website
- Deliverables
- Ecommerce Store
- Story Timeline
- Copywriting
- Photography
- Web Design
- Web Development
How we created a flexible and dynamic website for an iconic whisky brand with an evolving brand and visual style.
Ahead of their brand repositioning campaign taking place the following year (more on that here), Distell briefed us to redesign the Bunnahabhain website. The aim? Build brand awareness, increase online sales and allow more flexibility for content management.
Brand Ambassadors Workshop
- Deliverables
- Live Content Creation
- Social Media Training Workshops
- Content Creation Strategy
How we trained in-house brand ambassadors to create content like whisky influencers.
Each year, Distell International invite their new brand ambassadors to Scotland from across the world to enjoy a program of brand immersion, distillery visits, talks, and training. As part of this, we hosted two annual social media training workshops for the ambassadors, with a focus on key brands within their malts category—Tobermory, Bunnahabhain, and Deanston.