CAFÉ DRAMBUIE

CAFÉ DRAMBUIE
Case study
CAFÉ DRAMBUIE

By transforming consumer perception through an immersive brand experience, Altavia helped Drambuie break through the clutter of travel retail. A bold activation: Café Drambuie. An immersive, hands-on experience of how the liqueur is served that led to an impressive 146% sales spike and widespread industry acclaim.

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Industry
Travel Retail
Business line
New Store
Practice
Store Design
Context

Drambuie, a storied liqueur, was struggling to connect with modern consumers. With a lack of clarity on how to serve and enjoy it, consumers were consistently choosing competitor brands, leaving Drambuie to gather dust on the shelves. William Grant & Sons needed a compelling solution, one that would not just educate shoppers but inspire them to engage, taste, and purchase—so they called on Altavia to design an immersive travel retail activation.

Our Ambiton

To reposition Drambuie within travel retail, moving beyond a simple sampling approach to craft an immersive brand experience. Our mission was to transform passive travelers into engaged consumers by demonstrating the drink’s versatility, making it relevant and desirable once again. Leveraging our deep expertise in shopper psychology and the unique travel retail landscape, we sought to drive both immediate conversions and lasting brand affinity.

Our Approach

Breathing new life into the legacy-rich liqueur brand.

Instead of a standard sampling campaign, Altavia designed and executed a dynamic brand activation: Café Drambuie—a sophisticated, inviting experience that seamlessly integrated into high-traffic travel retail environments.

Beyond Sampling: A full sensory experience that not only invited consumers to taste Drambuie but educated them on simple, trendy ways to enjoy it, making it an accessible and enticing choice.

Shopper-Centric Strategy: By analyzing travel retail behavior, we created an activation that fit naturally into the fast-paced airport environment, engaging passengers in a way that was both intuitive and memorable.

Flawless Execution: To ensure global consistency, Altavia developed a comprehensive toolkit, empowering regional teams to bring Café Drambuie to life across multiple locations. Our own deployment at Edinburgh Airport served as proof of concept, validating the activation’s effectiveness with exceptional results.

Our Results

5,990 samples distributed

doubling initial targets and maximizing exposure.

146% sales spike

outperforming major competitors in the category.

Industry recognition

Café Drambuie earned an IPM Award for excellence in brand activation.

L’ORÉAL

Engineering a smarter, greener luxury gift box

L’ORÉAL