• by Larissa Faw , March 10, 2015

France tends to be best known for its wine, not whisky, which is why French whisky brand Bastille 1789 is playing up this arguably 'strange' notion under "A Strange Adventure," its new multi-faceted campaign.

Developed with creative content agency Plus, the concept follows Hollywood actor Holt McCallany as he plays a detective in classic black-and-white noir on the search for this new whisky from France. 

"Our goal was to spark curiosity with something unique and unexpected. We found inspiration in French New Wave Cinema - creating a wry, sexy and intriguing story for the brand," says Judy Wellfare, Executive Creative Director at Plus. 

Still, it is a challenge to introduce a new alcohol brand within the saturated spirit space. "One of the challenges we faced was finding an angle that would introduce the consumer to a whisky that didn't fit the traditional model," says Wellfare.

"It's not a household name and is pretty new to the U.S. We saw an opportunity to target a younger, more urban demographic of whisky drinkers and spark their curiosity through intrigue,” Wellfare added. “We also looked for a way to celebrate the French aspect of the brand and found inspiration in the New Wave film genre that broke traditional cinematic conventions and created a new language of film. Knowing that consumers today seek the unexpected and unique - we wanted to give them an opportunity to discover the product for themselves and this developed into the campaign 'A Strange Adventure' - an absurd quest for the whisky." 

Print creative is designed for viral postings, point-of-purchase placement, events, and retail. Video content is developed for YouTube, the brand's website and Instagram. The campaign will run only in the U.S.

While this is one of Bastille 1789's first national branding efforts, the brand also engages in product placement deals, including with Fox's The Following and recently sponsored the Cirque du Soleil show Totem.