Johnnie Walker Introduces Special-Edition ‘Jane Walker’ in Attempt to Woo Women
Not everyone is happy about it.
The iconic, top-hat wearing gent who strolls across the bottom of every bottle of Johnnie Walker is being swapped out for “Jane.”
A special edition of the scotch company’s Black Label blend will be adorned by a female in celebration of Women’s History Month beginning in March.
“As a brand that has stood for progress for nearly 200 years, Johnnie Walker is proud to take this next step forward by introducing Jane Walker as another symbol of the brand’s commitment to progress,” it said in a statement.
A Johnnie Walker exec told Bloomberg that the new logo was created to make the whisky more accessible to the female demographic.
“Scotch as a category is seen as particularly intimidating by women. It’s a really exciting opportunity to invite women into the brand,” Vice President Stephanie Jacoby told Bloomberg.
Predictably, reactions have been mixed. Some see Jane Walker as a sign of progress, while others are calling the move a marketing ploy.
I don’t often feel compelled to comment on other whisky brands’ marketing activity, but, #JaneWalker?! I’m no feminist but I do not need a woman on a bottle to tell me it’s ok to drink it! Summed up in this brilliant article: https://t.co/EdpVMKlUGR pic.twitter.com/fXfHJonIK2
— Jennifer Masson (@jenmnicol) February 27, 2018
I like it. I’m gonna buy a whole case. Go female power
— TopPaver (@toppave) February 27, 2018
I'll wait for Johnnie to return..
— Erik (@RavenPoePR) February 26, 2018
Absolutely here for this!
— Danielle V. Jackson (@DanielleJackson) February 27, 2018
Why does it have the image of a buxom beauty who's never had to deal with the pain of body shaming? What would be so hard about making their mascot a body-positive non-binary role model for alcoholics?
— Smells Like Teen Statism (@BlueEightySeven) February 26, 2018
Perfect paired with Doritos Lady Chips!
— Webberly (@sccollier) February 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/mukimbili/status/968374040275628034https://twitter.com/SteveShippee1/status/968485766715400192
Dressed in man’s clothing. Hardly a difference.
— Gael Murphy (@Gaeldc) February 27, 2018
😑 obviously a man created this. Let's be SO equal we need a specific bottle. How are people this stupid. HOW? #JaneWalker #ThingsICantAccept https://t.co/geTatCYppV
— Ashley (@AshleyK1515) February 27, 2018
Diageo, Johnnie Walker’s parent company, has priced the Jane Walker Edition at $35. $1 of each bottle sold will be donated to organizations that champion women’s causes, up to $250,000.
Here’s to Jane!
h/t: CNN