#MarketingExcellenceAwards highlights: Edrington concocts thrilling charity live auction as part of its giving more ethos

Edrington produces some of the renowned Scotch whiskies worldwide, from The Macallan to Highland Park, and The Glenrothes. Owned by The Robertson Trust, Scotland's largest independent funder of charitable causes, the company has raised about US$7.4 million in donations since 2012 for charities chosen by employees. Its giving more ethos is not just an add-on to its strategy. Instead, Edrington was created to be a company that makes a positive contribution to the communities in which consumers live and work in. To continue giving back to charity, Edrington Singapore launched The Macallan Charity Gala, which saw it clinch a finalist spot in Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Marketing Excellence Awards 2020.

Challenge

In 2015, APAC MD Martin Reimann decided to cycle from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and shared his vision with colleagues worldwide. Many of them not only showed interested but also suggested to give the project a charitable focus. At the same time, it was also Singapore's 50th year of independence and the government was matching donations to eligible charities dollar for dollar. That year, the team raised close to SG$120,000 for Child at Street 11, an NGO that aims to help young children from low income and dysfunctional families break out of the poverty cycle. Since then, the team has done four charity cycles. However, it wanted to go beyond the cycling initiatives by contributing more to the community and living up to its ethos of giving more.

Strategy

The team decided to create a large-scale charity dinner to raise funds through a live auction. According to Edrington, this makes The Macallan the first premium spirit brand in Singapore to organise a philanthropy gala dinner. During the planning process, it worked with brand partners to sponsor items for the live auctioning and they included a bottle of Château Beychevelle; a one-night stay at Château Pichon Longueville Baron in Pauillac, Bordeux; a cashmere suit by Kevin Seah Bespoke; as well as an underwater escapade at Resorts World Sentosa.

It partnered with Mercury Creative which brought to life its gala event featuring more than 200 guests. The space was decorated with sensorial elements such as digital projections, lights, and sound that created an interactive environment for a full experience of The Macallan universe. As guests stepped into the cocktail area, they were greeted by a light tunnel photo wall to capture the moment of the night.

Past the photo wall, guests were led to a cocktail area decked in bold matte black and copper detailing. According to Edrington, the space gave an insight into some of the auction items through digital projections accompanied by an exhibit of the rare The Macallan whiskies. Guests were also treated to curated cocktails served up from the bar attended by in-house bartenders.

Execution

The gala dinner experience kicked off with The Macallan's brand ambassador Randall Tan welcome guests with an introduction of the whisky brand's expressions that will be showcased throughout the night's menu. The four-course dinner showcased the strong sense of place at the heart of The Macallan Distillery and Estate, together with the brand's long experience of distilling and maturing a single malt whisky.

It also brought on board Capella's culinary director chef David Senia, MasterChef Asia 2015 winner chef Woo Wai Leong, and award-winning pastry chef Janice Wong to conceptualise and curate each dish based on their interpretation of The Macallan. The dishes were designed to complement the flavours of each expression, with every dish paired with a Macallan whisky featuring The Macallan Edition No.5, Classic Cut 2019 edition, Rare Cask, and Rare Cask Black.

Meanwhile, the live auction was hosted by Shaun McEwan, which ended in high spirits with all items hammered off to the guests. At the same time, the dining experience was enhanced by a combination of sound and 360-degree projector panels. A live band was also present to accompany guests throughout the evening. As the dinner progressed, guests were treated to a performance by LED ballerinas, which blended modern and classical culture through the play of LED lights.

According to Edrington, The Macallan Charity Gala raised a total of SG$160,000 through a live auction and donations. All proceeds went to the Baan Dek Foundation, a Thai-registered foundation that aims to foster children's education, health, and safety in Thailand. The success of the gala provided motivation for those involved in the fifth edition of Edrington's cycling initiative, which occurred from 18 to 21 November in Chiang Mai.

Result

The total amount raised for the fifth charity cycle after Edrington's double matching was US$600,000, and all of it went to Baan Dek Foundation. The NGO was able to use the funds for emergency child protection, child development, and community empowerment.