Auchentoshan launched social media competition to engage businesses

Scottish whisky brand Auchentoshan launched a social-media led competition to engage a tough business audience.

Morrison Bowmore Distillers – part of the Suntory Group – is a Scottish whisky distillers comprising of just 200 people. Auchentoshan is one of its Scottish malt whisky brands but following a recent repositioning, the distillers wanted to increase knowledge, engagement, advocacy and stock among bartenders and mixologists of two key ‘expressions’ of Auchentoshan: Classic and Three Wood. This hard-to-engage audience decide what is listed in bars, support new products, invent new drinks and advocate products to end customers.

The challenge for Auchentoshan was to create brand advocates out of this target audience without the use of a massive budget such as those boasted by the likes of Smirnoff and Bacardi. The distillers couldn’t throw bigger parties, offer larger prizes, roll out more advertising or give the vast discounts of these bigger brands. The solution was therefore to offer these business customers something money couldn’t buy, and use social channels to beat the big boys at their own game.