Corporate Comebacks: Johnnie Walker

When it comes to advertising, the simplest campaign slogan is often the best - short, sweet, direct. Apple's (AAPL) "Think Different." Nike's (NKE) "Just Do It." And for Johnnie Walker whisky, the company found much-needed success in "Keep Walking."

Last November, at the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Effectiveness Awards in London, the people behind Johnnie Walker's successful campaign -- ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) -- were awarded the highest honor for modernizing the Johnnie Walker brand. The agency took home the coveted Grand Prix and Best International Multi-Market prizes.

Because of BBH's work, Johnnie Walker has grown by 48% worldwide and enjoyed incremental sales of $2.21 billion.

Prior to the agency's involvement, it suffered declining sales due in part to a lack of distinction.

Blended in Scotland, but available worldwide, the scotch whisky was advertised through disparate, unrelated campaigns in local markets. The scattered promotions failed to achieve a cumulative message and were ultimately forgettable.

Unlike Johnnie Walker's long, illustrious history, its future was cast in serious doubt.

In 1999, the whisky's manufacturer -- London-based Diageo (DEO) -- enlisted BBH to revitalize the brand and reverse its diminishing market share.

Analyzing the promotions of other whisky brands, BBH found they largely related to "masculine success." But the group saw those depictions as clichéd and unrealistic. Rather than retread tired themes, BBH sought something specific to the Johnnie Walker brand, yet general enough to resonate with drinkers from Scranton to Singapore.

A global study revealed men no longer equated success with wealth or garish material possessions. To them, success meant an internal drive for improvement and progress - to which BBH dedicated its focus.

The company zeroed in on the "striding man" logo featured on every bottle -- an emblem created by illustrator Tom Browne and said to be a depiction of John Walker in his traditional garb -- and purposed it in such a way that it came to exemplify the progression of the everyday guy.

And so the "Keep Walking" campaign was rolled out on a global scale. BBH's efforts were so successful that volume sales rose nearly 50% and revenue growth skyrocketed 94%, resulting in $4.56 billion worldwide.

While future success may be uncertain, Johnnie Walker will no doubt take a cue from its campaign and continue its new tradition of moving forward.