In the latest phase of its collaboration with trendy lifestyle golf brand, Malbon, Ballantine’s is activating its Korea travel exclusive limited edition 21 Year Old blend with a disruptive hero pop-up on Jeju Island, alongside four immersive high profile promotions at Incheon Airport T1 and T2, and a high-impact out-of-home and digital media campaign across both locations.
The Ballantine’s x Malbon 21 Year Old Travel Retail Exclusive Limited Edition launched from mid-June in Korea Duty Free, celebrating the Scotch whisky’s longstanding association with golf, this time with Malbon – a global brand that bridges traditional golf with contemporary streetwear, art, and culture with whom they have designed a limited edition capsule collection of apparel and accessories and a 17 Year Old blend especially for the Korean domestic market.
Commencing 1st August and running for two months across Korea, the Time Well Spent at the 19th Hole campaign is being amplified on Naver and Instagram through a collective of Korean travel, lifestyle, and golf influencers as part of Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail’s strategy to rejuvenate the Ballantine’s brand image in the region, extend its reach and introduce its perfectly balanced prestige blends to a new audience of younger, South Korean travellers.
The hero pop-up at Jeju International Airport will stop traffic with its bright and fresh outdoors theming, including sporting details like green astro-turf, flag sticks and a rotating golf ball glorifier display unit. Passengers can browse the Malbon fashion capsule collection and enjoy a game of mini golf before receiving a tutored tasting of the rich and fruity 21 Year Old – produced with a higher proportion of the Glentauchers Single Malt – and try it as a highball serve.
In addition to the 21 Year Old Korea Duty Free Exclusive, visitors to the installation can discover the Ballantine’s 23 Year Old. Shoppers who purchase two Ballantine’s bottles at the pop-up will receive a clip-on plush ‘Buckets’ toy, fashioned on Malbon’s playful monogram; three bottles or more (at Incheon Airport only) will qualify for a useful Ballantine’s x Malbon branded golf ball case.
In a further coup for the collaboration, the Ballantine’s 21 Year Old will go on display (not on sale) in Malbon flagship stores in Dosan, Seongsu, Bukchon and Jeju, and in the Hannam retail store, generating crossover synergy between the domestic and travel retail markets and signposting consumers to their nearest duty free store.
Andrew Bardsley, Director, Prestige Brands and Champagne at Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, said: “From the launch of these special liquids and the capsule collection in June to the staging of these coordinated activations from August onwards, we are bringing Ballantine’s into the heart of Korean culture and lifestyle while solidifying our positioning in golf as our strategic passion point. Along with our friends at Malbon, we believe the game’s real value is in the moments shared not the score, so we look forward to welcoming travellers to our outposts across Korea Travel Retail for some true Time Well Spent.”
Antonio Duva, General Manager, Asia Pacific, at Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail added: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the teams at Malbon and our partner retailers for supporting us with this ambitious activation programme. The golf-themed installations look fantastic and the 360 campaign engages travellers at every touchpoint of their journey: pre-trip and in-trip through social media, and dominating visibility in-airport with 261+ OOH and digital panels. Ballantine’s is already the number one blended Scotch whisky in Korea Travel Retail, but this fun and convivial blend of fashion and sport means a whole new audience will look at the brand for the first time through a contemporary lens.”
Bruce Son, Director General of JDC Duty Free, remarked: “The Ballantine’s x Malbon pop-up store at Jeju International is a collaborative project between Pernod Ricard and JDC, designed to combine the strengths of both companies and deliver a prestige brand experience to customers. Through this store both parties expect to enhance brand awareness and customer satisfaction, and we plan to expand various marketing initiatives through continued collaboration moving forward.”
