Johnnie Walker Walks On to Anomaly

By Erik Oster 


Diageo has selected Anomaly as its new creative agency of record for Johnnie Walker, Adweek reports, the culmination of a review which launched in October. The decision marks the end of the brand’s fifteen year relationship with BBH, which defended in the review. Other finalists in the review included W+K, Ogilvy & Mather and BBDO. Johnnie Walker spent an estimated $40 million on media in 2013.

Given the success of BBH’s “Keep Walking” campaign, the review came as a surprise to many in the industry, including the agency’s competitors. Upon launching the review, Guy Escolme, the global brand director at Johnnie Walker, stated that ““The brand’s relationship with BBH has been hugely successful, with the agency producing award-winning work of outstanding creativity,” but that “the time is right to invite selected agencies… to look at how we take the brand forward into the future.”

The final selection shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, as Anomaly previously worked with Johnnie Walker on “The Gentleman’s Wager,” the online spot starring Jude Law which came out this summer and ultimately topped 11 million views on YouTube.

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The brand’s decision comes right on the heels of the release of BBH’s ambitious “The Next Step” spot celebrating the impending new year. That ad will now serve as the agency’s swan song to their long relationship with the brand.

For Anomaly, meanwhile, the decision follows the agency picking up Budweiser’s “Made In America” festival earlier this month and Panera Bread back in September.

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