Following a poor season last year, many questions were raised about whether McLaren would lose their long-time partnership with Johnnie Walker, having already lost TAG Heuer. However, this is not the case, as McLaren sign a multi-year partnership with the company.
Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky owned by the British multinational alcoholic beverages company, Diageo. The brand has been associated with the McLaren team since 2005, with their logo located on the sidepod of the car.
“The Johnnie Walker brand is synonymous with quality, and, like ourselves, they’re not only incredibly proud of their heritage, but keen to push the limit in a hugely dynamic and constantly shifting marketplace. At McLaren-Honda, we absolutely share that ambition,” explained McLaren’s Executive Chairman and CEO, Ron Dennis. “The partnership has developed a long and dynamic list of creative initiatives, not least the admirable ‘Join The Pact’ responsible drinking campaign. Our renewed partnership will not only extend that socially responsible message, but also see the launch of a series of new and exciting concepts and ideas.”
The ‘Join The Pact’ campaign is an international social responsibility initiative that encourages people around the world never to drive under the influence of alcohol. Throughout Johnnie Walker’s 10-year partnership with McLaren, the brand has been given a successful platform to spread the word about this and other global issues. The campaign has received a large international interest, with over 2.6 million signatures to date.
Johnnie Walker also released their ‘Joy Will Take You Further’ campaign last year, a campaign to show people that happiness is the key to success. The brand appointed Jenson Button as an ambassador for the new campaign, joining former McLaren legend Mika Häkkinen and Hollywood actor Jude law.
“I am very excited that we have renewed the partnership between Johnnie Walker and the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team,” said Johnnie Walker’s Global Brand Director, Guy Escolme. “Both Johnnie Walker and McLaren-Honda are innovative brands that embody pioneering spirit, with a mutually rich heritage and passion for quality while constantly inspiring forward progress.”
McLaren has also renewed two other long-term partnerships this week. The first was the JVC Kenwood Corporation, a Japanese based multinational electronics company. This will be the company’s 25th year with the McLaren team, having supplied radio communication equipment for the team since 1991 and pioneered the NEXEDGE digital wireless radio system. The company renewed their partnership on Tuesday.
The next was on Wednesday, when McLaren signed a new mutli-year partnership with Calsonic Kansei, a Japanese automotive company. The company was a previous partner in the ‘80s and ‘90s and helped to provide Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost with the world championship titles during a period of great success. The company will be working closely with McLaren-Honda to ensure that they continue to improve in 2016.
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