Most Creative Marketers: Jennifer English

Johnnie Walker has been celebrating the quarter of a century since its iconic 'Keep Walking' brand platform was first unveiled, now under the guardianship of global brand director Jennifer English.

But Johnnie Walker goes way back beyond 'Keep Walking'. It was established in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock in 1820, and has grown to become arguably the most recognisable whisky in the world under now-owner Diageo.

Looking back on classic campaigns from the last 25 years, beginning with 'The Walk', English agrees that what was once a TV-centric campaign, 'Keep Walking', has evolved with the times as the world has gone digital. However TV is still an important medium within the mix, especially in a global context.

“The change is happening more slowly and more rapidly, depending on the markets you look at,” English explains. “There's still a role for TV, and our current commercials perform really well within that space. But obviously, a huge proportion of media spend has also shifted to social media culture and PR and all those spaces where the beginning middle and end is a bit more difficult to land. Therefore, the whole brand needs to ooze progress with an optimistic take on tomorrow being better than today. And that changes the brief, the creative challenge, and how we respond to it.”

A maiden year gone

English began her career in Diageo around two decades ago, joining as a planner on Guinness in Ireland before becoming its global marketing manager for five years. Other roles across Diageo included working across its beer and ale portfolio as well as the marketing director role for Baileys and then latterly the global marketing director for Baileys, Roe & Co and Latin Rums.

And now, just over a year since taking over the marketing reins of Johnnie Walker, she feels enormous pride in being entrusted with the “extraordinary brand” - but acknowledges this has come with challenges along the way, including its sheer scale.

“There are just very few brands in any category as genuinely global as Johnnie Walker is, and dozens of important markets where you have a big impact on culture. And I think the biggest transformation that I'm spending time on is accelerating our digital transformation,” English relays, again outlining again the change in audience engagement away from TV.

“We're putting a lot of emphasis there, and as part of that, becoming more editorially present throughout the year - more continuous, lots of stories all year long that are interesting and draw consumers in,” she adds.

Within that strategy is a future-facing focus as she considers what people will be drinking in over a decade when some of the whisky laid down today is bottled and sold, not least with an increased interest in cocktail making and consuming. That culture has become a big focus globally, she says, and one Johnnie Walker wants to tap further into.

Maintaining a legacy of creative excellence

From her years working across various Diageo brands - and the advertising legacies many of them have developed - English knows the importance of maintaining a level of creative excellence, citing the need for insight and the power of “a really good brief” as the recipe for a campaign’s success.

She says she is always reviewing briefs to ensure they can be as power as possible, working with Lions Advisory to improve the work and take the brand “up the creative ladder” to become more interesting. This leads to more frank conversations with agency partners such as Anomaly. It’s perhaps no coincidence that 2024 was the first year that Johnnie Walker won a Grand Prix at Cannes Lion.

That victory came in the Entertainment category with the 'Errata at 88' campaign honouring one of Brazil's greatest singers, Alaíde Costa and introducing her to newer generations, restoring her legacy as a Bossa Nova pioneer.

“I think a culture of creativity is the most important thing, and when you are the inheritor of 25 years of 'Keep Walking', there's a little bit of pressure to keep producing more and more creatively interesting work. But my colleagues, who I work with on this, both in markets and in my team, are very creatively ambitious, so I'm optimistic about what will be coming down the tracks,” English continues.

She goes on to reflect on a lesson learned from her time running Baileys where she found it important for a brand “to look outside of itself” and explore relevant consumer categories. In this instance the 'treats' category, where she learned what adults were treating themselves to which then inspired the brand’s work in response.

“It makes the work very distinctive on Johnnie Walker. We look at what luxury consumers are buying in all the different luxury spheres, and that helps us make distinctive decisions about where to take the brand. And ultimately, that's the challenge. In a world where the creative floor is rising thanks to technology, you need to be able to make distinctive decisions and briefs to get to a more interesting future. And they need to be things that you can't just put in a prompt and get a response for. They need to be things that have a deep, meaningful resonance and are really creatively brought to life in a new, fresh way, rather than derivative of the past,” English believes.

And in an increasingly machine-supported sector such as marketing, she claims that artificial intelligence has produced “some really good suff” even in its early days of disrupting the industry.

This brings her back to reflect on her early days working at an ad agency in Dublin as a junior where she was charged with laying out the meeting room, photocopying documents for the meeting and other administrative roles at the start of the creative campaign inception. Roles and processes have changed greatly in ad agencies since those days, she admits.

“If we eliminate the equivalent of that work and allow people to do more interesting work that they're capable of, I think that's a really good future. And I do think that there's some technologically interesting things we do.”

English cites the launch of the Halo project based within the Princess Street Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh that opened in 2021. This offers bespoke personalised experiences for visitors using technology to guide their whisky tastes as they tour the building.

The Halo Project was a collaboration alongside artist Scott Naismith, offering guests the chance to co-create a personalised, one-of-a-kind Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottle with the Scottish Artist using Gen AI.

“That's a gorgeous way in which AI is facilitating personalisation. Similarly, on our website, you can put in the kind of food flavours you like, and it will pop out a cocktail that you might enjoy. So it keeps things creatively interesting for the consumer, but at the same time, if everybody's creativity level rises, it'll be more difficult to stand out with exceptional creativity. So it's going to create more pressure for us to break through with more interesting work. That pressure, I don't see it in a cynical way, so much as an interesting challenge for the future,” she adds.

English answered further questions on her time at Johnnie Walker, and her expectations for what is to come in the Q&A below too.

What do you think has been your boldest creative play?

My boldest creative play in the last year [as Johnnie Walker global brand director] has been the launch of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ice Chalet. This project is an exciting departure for us, as it brings Scotch together with après-ski culture and luxury lifestyle, making it both accessible and aspirational. By engaging Priyanka Chopra Jonas as a partner, we’ve introduced a fresh perspective that resonates with a broader, more diverse audience. Through this activation, we're infusing the luxury spirit with playfulness, expanding the Scotch category to appeal to new demographics and embracing imaginative experiences within a traditionally classic product.

How did it pay off, and what lessons did that teach you?

Although the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ice Chalet launch is still in its early stages, the initial reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. This success has taught us that we can push boundaries even further. We’ve realized that bolder, more adventurous approaches resonate strongly with our audience, and we’re inspired to pursue even more innovative and enjoyable concepts in the future. This is just the beginning for us.

What do you enjoy most about being a marketer?

What I enjoy most about being a marketer is the opportunity to connect with people during meaningful moments in their lives. I’ve had the privilege of traveling the world, visiting bars and events, and immersing myself in the real-life experiences of our audience. Whether it’s celebrating with Blue Label cocktails on the rooftop of the Intercontinental in Shanghai, savouring Baileys treats at Eurovision or enjoying a penicillin cocktail at Milk & Honey in New York around the time when it first gained popularity, each moment is unique.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as sharing a Guinness over a football match in Lagos or a Johnnie Walker highball at a Korean barbecue in Seoul. Even during sad occasions, such as toasting a lost colleague, these experiences are grounded in real life. Being a marketer in this category allows me to deeply understand and participate in these moments.

What makes a good creative marketer?

A strong creative marketer looks to the consumer and culture for inspiration to build distinctive brands. They can see opportunity in challenges. And turn creativity into performance. Agility and resilience are essential to adapting to the ever-evolving landscape, and a good marketer must continuously learn and adjust.

What makes a good creative agency partner?

A good creative agency partner strives to understand our business and offers a robust creative strategy to deliver our objectives. They challenge us with surprising and distinctive creative work where each idea outshines the last. They remain committed to creativity through highs and lows. In a great relationship, we innovate and succeed together.

And what frustrates you?

I find it frustrating when new creative work requires lengthy explanations to communicate its value. Good creative ideas should evoke an immediate, instinctive reaction - whether it’s laughter, tears, surprise, or even the urge to savour the idea. Creative work should be impactful and engaging from the outset.

What excites you about the future?

The future is exciting because there is a new world opening up. Advances in technology are paving the way for a more creative and personalised experience, which promise to bring a new dimension to our brand’s storytelling.

Increasingly we will see more progress expressed through product. Just as the square bottle and angular label represented progress in their day, we continue this legacy today. We have recently launched Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra, the world’s lightest 70cl glass bottle to explore the future of whisky. Alongside developments in paper packaging and alternative ink sources, I see an exciting future where sustainability and desirability meet.