Challenge: Each year on the first Saturday of June, whisky lovers celebrate Ardbeg Day, when Ardbeg committee members and their friends come together to celebrate all things Ardbeg. Ardbeg whisky has been made on the small, remote Scottish island of Islay for over 200 years and its committee members are the brand’s most devout fans.

With a population of just 3,000, Islay has more than 140 committees. The biggest one of all is the Ardbeg Committee – it has a worldwide membership of 130,000 people.

Dave Mullen, executive creative director at Story, a creative communications agency, says, “Everything we do with Ardbeg must have a grain of truth to it and Islay’s committees are an authentic quirk of the island.”

Every year, Ardbeg aims to engage with its committee in new and exciting ways, and Ardbeg Day, which has run since 2012, is a unique opportunity to do so.

Mullen says, “It is our ongoing communications commitment to spread the word of all things Ardbeg, and encourage people to make the pilgrimage to the island. But in recent years, we have spread the word far and wide throughout the world, and instead of just bringing people to Islay, we take Islay to the world.”

On 28 May, Ardbeg Day will become Ardbeg Night, since this year’s whisky is one of the darkest ever. Ardbeg also releases a themed whiskey bottle each year, Ardbeg Dark Cove will be a celebratory bottling of Ardbeg Night 2016.

But while Ardbeg Night is deeply rooted in the history and locale of the Ardbeg whisky brand, Story uses innovative digital techniques to ensure that the atmosphere and spirit of the event is shared with audiences worldwide. A storytelling, parallax, 2D animation film set in 1814 (the year before Ardbeg was legally distilled) accompanies Ardbeg Night 2016 and the Ardbeg Dark Cove bottle.

Strategy: Mullen says, “This year we took inspiration from the murky and illicit past of smuggling on the island of Islay. Ardbeg was once a hideout for smugglers, who plied their trade within its rocky coves and on secret beaches, careful to outwit the resident and visiting excise men.”

In a reflection of the colour of the Ardbeg Dark Cove whisky, Story and Ardbeg chose a dark theme for this year’s nocturnal celebrations.

The integrated campaign that will accompany Ardbeg Night includes limited edition bottles as well as marketing and event toolkits, a film, eCRM and website collateral. The film, Ardbeg Dark Cove, was released to the brand’s 120,000 committee members.

The video tells the story of Ardbeg’s dark history. Mullen’s says, “Many a dram was created and consumed in the years before distilling was licensed and legal. Indeed, while the present distillery was established in 1815, its origins date back as far as 1794. This Ardbeg Day we decided to peer back in time to ‘Ardbeg, the illicit’ and the people who made it. The spirited pioneers, who distilled their daring and passion into creating the forerunner of the momentous single malt whisky we love today.”

The film captures Ardbeg’s untamed and unorthodox personality with wit and charm, and rewards Ardbeg committee members with the history that surrounds the whisky, and the area from which it originates. The story is entertaining, yet simple enough that it remains accessible to the entirety of the whisky’s multilingual and multicultural global audience.

All committee members receive a committee communication email. Mullen says, “The email strategy was to drive traffic to the website where, among other things, members could share their views, view a movie, host their own event and learn all about the brand – as well as purchase online.” In addition to email communication, Story and Ardbeg employ an ongoing social media strategy and, in the past, have even used online games such as Islay Invaders, a take on Space Invaders that celebrated Ardbeg’s status as the first whisky in space.

The limited edition Dark Cove bottle, specifically designed for the global committee, will come in a distinctive dark bottle, with packaging designed by Story. Complete with a storybook neck tag, the bottle will take Ardbeggians on a journey into the region’s illicit past of illegal smuggling.

The whisky will also come in a crafted presentation box that highlights intriguing stories from the brand’s historical archives, further drawing committee members into the stories and local history that surround the Ardbeg brand.

Results: Although the 2016 campaign has only recently launched, Mullen says, “On average we get 40-50% open rates on all emails we send out, which is unheard of. People love receiving news from Ardbeg because we try and ensure that every communication is highly targeted, relevant and often localised for the market.”

He adds, “In the past, bottles have sold out on the day of sale or overnight. I expect this one to be no different.”

Last year, Ardbeg celebrated its third Ardbeg day with the Ardbeggian take on the World Cup. Rolling out across Facebook and Twitter, the activity saw teams of whisky fans invited to fight for the Ardbeg Peat Football trophy.

Through Ardbeg Day and the limited edition whisky, Ardbeg and Story have created an immersive world for whisky fans worldwide. Through use of film and other digital methods, as well as traditional marketing techniques, storytelling is used to create strong brand engagement and loyalty among committee members. The 2016 campaign is consistent with Ardbeg’s ongoing communications strategies and its deep roots in its origins and past. It will help it to continue cultivating its captivating brand story.