Wellie boot-inspired campaign for Laphroaig Scotch Whisky

Wellie boot-inspired campaign for Laphroaig Scotch Whisky

Laphroaig wanted to bring more story-telling to their gifting strategy and disrupt the somewhat stuffy Scotch category, to engage & recruit new drinkers who hadn’t previously considered Islay single malts as a gift.

Kicking off the project, we set out on a trip to Islay for a wander through Laphroaig’s history and provenance. Exploring the distillery, we were struck by the neat line of green wellies in the boot room of the visitor centre. These are reserved for the ‘Friends of Laphroaig’ – the brand’s community of Laphroaig lovers, who upon joining, can claim their own piece of Islay land and are loaned a pair of wellies when they head out to find their plot. These iconic green wellies are an overt symbol of Laphroaig’s connection with their land and became our playful inspiration.

How to turn a pair of green wellington boots into an ownable and giftable piece of packaging for Laphroaig? By distilling down the most iconic features of the wellie – it’s flexible rubbery form, fold over top, adjustable buckle, and that deep sturdy tread. Then owning it through the distinctive brand codes of Laphroaig’s trademark green, logo lockup and the new iconic ‘L’ pattern we created for the tread of the boot.

With its durable construction and side strap for easy carrying, the boot pack was designed for reuse, not as a boot mind, but as an outdoor container to carry your camping gear, art supplies, water bottle or perhaps another bottle of Laphroaig? Ensuring you can always carry a piece of Islay with you, wherever you go.

A successful limited edition gift offer has to go beyond the pack, so we developed the activations for off-trade, PR and digital. This included key visuals, social media posts, copy and pop-up concepts that use the tagline ‘Give Them Some Wellie’ – communicating the gifting nature of the pack, its reusable nature and the brand’s characterful personality.