The Famous Grouse Advertising Campaign

Daniel Heppell

13/7/2004

Media Coursework -

The Famous Grouse Advertising Campaign

In this piece of work I intend to outline the advertising campaign for the “Famous Grouse” Scottish whisky. The campaign is made of about 20 adverts but I will only be looking at about 6 of them. The adverts consist of as white background with a grouse performing various actions corresponding to a humorous punchline. Such as the advert containing the punchline “With Water” would have the grouse stood on a rock with some fish swimming by. The grouse itself has been designed to be memorable, using the humans sub-conscious attraction to large eyes. Another of the humans attractions is smoothness, so the animators have used computer animation to give the impression of smoothness and overall quality instead of using plastiscine models. The target audience, I expect, would be over eighteens as thes people are the only ones to be able to buy the product.

A Large One And A Couple Of Small Ones

This punchline refers to the way that you would ask for a whisky at a bar. By saying “A large one” you would be given a double whisky and “a small one” would mean that you would want a single whisky.

The advertisement starts off wih a close up of the grouses feet crashuing across the screen,. Then two smaller grouses running along behind them. The screen then changes to show the punchline and then the picture of the bottle.

The music for the advertisement is a simple, crucially catchy and memorable theme tune.

Make That A Double

This punchline refers, again, to the way you would order a whisky. If you said, “make that a double” you would be asking for a double amount of whisky.

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This punchline refers, again, to the way you would order a whisky. If you said, “make that a double” you would be asking for a double amount of whisky.

The advert is set on the same white background with the same grouse and the same theme tune, indicating that there should be a link between this adverty and the previous one. The advert starts with two identical grouses walking onto the screen from opposite sides. There are small variations on their movements so that it looks as though its not exactly mirrored and looks too mechanical. The two grouses then perform somke identical actions in front of each other, still with the variation to make each grouse look as though they are alive. Then they both look at the screen and blink wioth their big eyes, plaing on the humans attraction to big eyes, and then walk off. The screen then cuts to the punchline and then to the picture of the bottle.

With Water

This punchline refers to how you would drink the whisky. If you wanted a more diluted drink, you would ask for a “whisky with water.”

The theme tune itself in the notes are the same but the voicing is different as they are now played to portrey a popping sound. The backgound is the same apart from the addition of a stine on the lower edge that the grouse stands on.

In the advert the goruse is stood on a stone. Then some fish float by as if swimming, and the grouse looks at them as thay go across the screen. As thay leave the screen, the grouse looks into the camera and blinks, again, going for the big eye attraction. Then it makes a motion that looks as though its breathing out and bubles come out of its mouth and float upwards off the top of the screen. The screen then cuts to show the punchline and again to show the picture of the bottle, as in the last two adverts.

A Swift One and Time For Another

This is a collection of two adverts that are to be run in the same advertisement slot. They are both set on the same background and both have the same theme tune.

In the first advert, the camera just shows the grouse flying across the screen quickly, depositing some feathers, and then cutting to the punchline, “a swift one” referring to the way you might drink the whisky, very quickly. Then cuts to a picture of the bottle as in the last few adverts.

In the following advert, the screen is merely the white backgound, then cutting to the punchline. This is done this way because eht emakers expect the audience to make the connection between the first and second adverts, seeing as though they are in the same advert sequence.

This advert is meant to be played when there might be an occasion where drinking is not uncommon for example during half time of a football match. The makers exopect the people in the pub may be watching this advertisement, and therefore might want to buy a quick drink during the half time period, hence the first punchline “A Swift One”. Near to the end of the advertisement slot, they expect the audience to have finished their first drink so entice them further by creating a second advert, pricelessly, to suggest buying another of their whiskies, hence the second punchline, “Time For Another”.

Best Loved In Scotland

This advert may suggest where the Famous Grouse Whisky is from.

The action in this advert is just a grouse on the screen. Then it being kissed several times as if by an invisible person. This is then followed by cutting to the Punchline, “Best Loved In Scotland”. Then cutting again to the Picture of the bottle.

This advert is aimed at a different audience. This is aimed towards the scottish minority of the viewers.

These previous adverts all keep to the same formula of theme tune, setting, action, and do not do anything complicated. This is to develop he idea and recognition of the grouse character. The next two adverts do not keep to this idea.

Mellow

This advert has a different theme tune in the fact that its sloewer and does not have the same voicing as the last few adverts. This is played on a saxophone giving it more of a swinging type of rhythm.

The grouse in the advert walks onto the screen slowly, looks at the camera, and then walks off slowly giving a laid back atmosphere to the advert. It then cuts to the Punchline, “Mellow,” and then cuts again to the picture of the bottle.

This change is made because of the amount of time the advertisement campaign has been running, the makers are expecting the audience to recognise the grouse and the theme tune. They expect the people to be anticipating the end of the advert and expect them to be trying to guess the punchline.

They have made this one harder because they are trying to portrey a mood to go with the advert. A more of a subtle, laid back mood.

Behind Scottish Rugby

In this advert, the punchlinme is directly linked to the action in a literal and amusing way. Behind Scottish Rugby would have been shown during the international rugby league tournament. This would have been because, to feature the scottish rugby team in an advertisement would need their endorsement.

In the advert, the theme tune has changed to the scottish national anthem for the most part of the action until the end where it changes back.

The action sequence is very simple. On the screen to start off with is just a rugby ball. Then the grouses tail pokes out from behind the ball. It does this slowly, until it comes to the grouses head, where it pulls out quickly and blinks at the camera. At this point, the music changes to the Famous Grouse theme tune. The screen cuts to show the punchline and then to a different screen where there is the scottish rugby logo.

This advert would have been aimed towards the scottish rugby fans, or all rugby dfans seeing as there is a prestigious name is on the advert.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I found that the advertising campaign was successful in elling the product. The advert has a catchy theme tune, it is very simple and memorable, and it is also amusing, adding to the memorability. The audience this advert is directed at is the kind of person who would be able to buy the product for example rugby fans, or people who class themselves as laid back. It also incorporates the circumstances in which somebody might be watching the advertisement using the Swift One and Time For Another adverts that might be played during the same advertisement interval.