Glenfiddich Experimental Series

The Robin Collective provided full production - as well as engaging other producers - and creative services for three years on the Glenfiddich "Unlearn" campaign and series of events. The brief was to promote the Experimental Series of whiskies in a fun and engaging way while upholding the brand's 130-year heritage and premium stature. It combined our expertise in experiential events, flavour and sensory science, and our shared ethos of experimentation and inclusion.

Amongst other things, we developed the core concept behind the campaign for press, public and Glenfiddich staff worldwide. We scripted and ran the events, while also developing an "experimental events bible" which allowed our events to be replicated in other markets without our further intervention.

For this we devised, tested and implemented various experiments, designed and built complex machinery that couldn't be made by local suppliers, as well as bespoke props and furniture designed to flat-pack and travel. We created new cocktails and serves; composed original music, including event soundscapes and tracks that would change the way cocktails tasted through cross-modal synaesthesia; provided full staff and acted as brand ambassadors, talking on stage and leading experiments for press and other brand ambassadors; organised global logistics for freight, visas, flights and accommodation; liaised with local teams, venues and distributors; and instructed local producers on design for events.

Event highlights

London & New York. Hero events for press and public. Multi-day, large scale, multiple room venues with venue specific experiments, games and bars.

Hamburg & Shanghai. Mainly for brand ambassadors and teams from Europe and Asia. We brought our travelling kits and core staff team. Chinese customs held our larger equipment, so we had to source and build ourselves last minute in the venue.

Bar Convent Berlin. Multi year, multi day. We couldn't fit our large scale experiments in the tiny space so we distilled the experience into an intentional bar-and-tunnel system with an audio guide created in-house (recorded at Abbey Road). This meant we processed hundreds of people quickly and easily.

Cannes & Hampshire. The original experimental series remodelled again by us for trade events and different audiences.

Dufftown. A press event with a five-course interactive meal and cocktails from our chefs, and our tablescaping and event design. It ran on the same day as Hampshire and was managed centrally by us.

Paris & South Africa. We trained and tooled up the existing Glenfiddich UK team to do these themselves.

Agency: Porter Novelli