Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Drambuie "Return of the Prince"

Their brief was to get young affluent males and to try Drambuie in a new serving suggestion - Drambuie & Soda. The problem was, even though everyone has heard of Drambuie, they don’t know what it is or how you drink it. Bar staff included. Also, the bars they wanted to get people to drink it in don’t really allow promotions. And now for some history. The recipe for Drambuie was handed down by Scottish Prince, Charles Stuart, to a loyal subject after his defeat on the battlefield by the British in 1745 (if he’d won, he’d have been King of Great Britain!). True story. Their idea was to bring Charles Stuart back - a direct descendant of the original Scottish prince, surrounded with the trappings of a very wealthy playboy. His own blog established a globetrotting history. Charles visited bars as a Scottish bloke on holiday. He’d get chatting with barmen, ordering a Drambuie & Soda and showing them how to mix one. A few days later Charles would turn up with his entourage - including a chauffered $300K Audi and security. This time he’d get chatting with the locals and maybe shout them a drink - a Drambui & Soda. Why Drambuie? He might make a reference to some family history. Before leaving, Charles would give his new-found friends his calling card, and invite them to a party he was throwing whilst in town. Charles toured bars in Sydney and Melbourne and hosted parties in both cities for over 500 people. The parties made the social pages and Charles popped up on various blogs etc. Charles also introduced his new found friends to the “Drambuie Clan”. And then he disappeared. Charles hasn’t been seen for months, but still the Drambuie is flowing - through invitations to pop-up parties and events - most with a Scottish theme.

Agency: The One Centre, Australia.