My First Brand

In the early 80's I began my career at the fabulous Carder Grey Advertising Inc ad agency, which had spun off as a division of Vickers & Benson. Headed by the dynamic Paul Carder and creative superstar Gary Gray, I landed a plum job as account executive on Hiram Walker brands working on Canadian Club - the historical gold standard in rye whiskey.

I am in the process of developing a historical documentation of all the campaigns and brands I worked on, but I will never forget this one.

The brand was positioned as Canada's "international ambassador" that was enjoyed "in over 58 lands around the world". I inherited a long running campaign that positioned CC as a truly global Canadian brand (well before RIM!) and saw it fit into the worlds of those doing everything from swimming with sharks, cliff diving, and similar pursuits.

Interestingly at the time, sales were beginning to tank, and as the cash cow of Hiram Walker organization, significant attention and resources were devoted to the brand. In short order, the declines increased close to -18% in annual volume as a new generation of hard liquor drinkers began seeking more mixable and versatile options - like Bacardi Rum and Smirnoff Vodka. The double whammy really came when lower price rye whiskeys began to grow - the diminutive Special Old, and of course Bonded Stock (Nova Scotia's favorite!) 

So - what happened? I will detail that in a future blog post but if  any of my contemporaries want to weigh in on this post and the evolution of the "Be A Part Of It" campaign, I would be delighted to hear from all of you.

Howie
February 21, 2012