Pernod Ricard seeks to nurture premium whiskey Blender’s Pride with fashion, new campaign on ‘success’

French alcohol major Pernod Ricard recently appointed Debasree Dasgupta as chief marketing officer of its India arm. She moved back to the country from Sweden, where she was Pernod Ricard’s global vice-president and chief marketing officer for Absolut, the firm's vodka brand.This month, Pernod Ricard launched a brand new campaign for its premium whisky brand Blender’s Pride, featuring international runway models Avanti Nagrath, Kirandeep Chahal and Mahieka Sharma, aiming to cement the brand’s 20-year association with ‘success’ and fashion.How does this help Blender’s Pride maintain pole position in the competitive premium whiskey business? Edited excerpts:I landed very recently, in February this year, but I am extremely excited to come back to such a booming market.

India is growing as a market and also rising globally from a cultural influence point of view. India is the largest whiskey market in the world.All brands aspire to be cultural icons, only a few make it.

If there is a whiskey brand that has earned the right to be a cultural icon, it is Blender’s Pride. We have dabbled with campaigns that strengthen Blender’s Pride’s association with style, culture and influence.

We have consciously used Blender’s Pride to shape the conversation around style in India. Blender’s Pride literally built the premium category in India.

We have over 50% market share, and more than a decade of building cultural relevance.The shift we see among young Indians today is that success has become more democratized because everyone has access to opportunities. So, standing apart becomes rare and today’s young Indians are no longer just chasing success.We are now sharpening that core brand belief of standing on success for your own terms in