Ballantine’s, the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky, today announced a global brand partnership with online music phenomena, Boiler Room.
‘Boiler Room & Ballantine’s Stay True Journeys’ aims to discover and celebrate the stories of the world’s most vibrant music scenes – from the characters who defined them, to the pioneers that are driving them forwards. The centrepiece of the project will be the production of a series of online documentaries, shot on location across the globe and featuring local musicians exploring the stories of the people, places and factors that have created each unique music culture.
A series of one-off, local events in stunning venues will also be staged throughout the year, featuring a mix of local legends and emerging talent, as well as some of the hottest international names. Tickets to the events will be exclusively available via Ballantine’s and Boiler Room channels, with a global audience able to tune-in live online via the microsite, Boilerroom.TV/StayTrue.
The first ‘Stay True Journey’ will take place in a yet undisclosed location in Mexico in March, with further destinations already lined up across three continents. More details will be announced in the coming weeks at Boilerroom.TV/StayTrue.
From its inauspicious beginnings as a lo-fi series of streamed DJ sets and live performances from a warehouse in Hackney, London, Boilerroom.tv has gone on to become one of the world’s most popular, authentic music channels, with well over six million monthly viewers and a social community of over a million.
Its unique formula of intimate, invite-only events, featuring artists performing the music of their choice, via global live-stream, has already attracted artists including Thom Yorke, Laurent Garnier, Bonobo, Skream and Mark Ronson. In the last few weeks they have broadcast shows from Berlin, London, Glasgow, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Lisbon.
Peter Moore, Global Brand Director for Ballantine’s commented: “Boiler Room is a natural partner for Ballantine’s. They’ve consistently delivered the most credible live and streamed music experiences to music lovers across the globe and, as such, epitomise the Stay True values of our brand. At a time when music is all too often viewed as disposable, ‘Stay True Journeys’ allows us to immerse fans in the stories which lie behind the world’s most exciting and authentic musical talent.”
Blaise Bellville, founder and CEO of Boiler Room added: “We don’t enter into brand partnerships lightly. What excited us about this opportunity was that Ballantine’s stands by its mantra of being genuine and authentic, with a true passion for music – where it’s come from, where it is at currently and where it’s heading. This project is going to allow us to capture and share the best of these stories, from all over the world.”
In addition to ‘Stay True Journeys’, Ballantine’s has also been supporting Boiler Room events around the world, with Ballantine’s in Mexico having previously hosted a number of events and Ballantine’s in Israel signed up to sponsor the first ever Boiler Room event in the country. Ballantine’s unveiled its new brand positioning, Stay True, Leave An Impression, in October 2013, which serves as an invitation to consumers to express themselves in a genuine and authentic way, applauding conviction and self-belief.
For more information, see Boilerroom.TV/StayTrue.
DRINKS ENTHUSIAST 