Edrington UK

Edrington had already tried turning their white paper into a podcast but didn’t pull it off. The process was riddled with complications, and they only got as far as recording one episode.

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So Head of Portfolio and Planning, Fiona Alder, approached OneFinePlay in 2022 with the challenge. OneFinePlay accepted.

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OneFinePlay digested the 85 page white paper and strategised on how it could be turned into a compelling podcast. We met with the Edrington team, and soon after, the process was underway.

• Making entertaining content: Although the company paper was rich with detail and jam packed with years of extensive research, we at OneFinePlay knew that facts and stats wouldn’t make a compelling podcast. So the first big obstacle to overcome was taking this data and bringing it to life. We did this by turning it into interesting and relatable stories that made compelling podcast episodes without losing the integrity of the original document.

• Making content that matters: We wanted to make content that packed more punch, so we explored what significant themes were latent in the white paper. We found a pattern: time and time again, women had been excluded from the dark spirits category. That it was an “old boy’s club”. So we spotlighted this issue, ensuring we had a female host, many female guests, and segments in the show that explored this disparity. In doing this, we created a show that had a deeper resonance. This was reflected in numerous audience interactions that expressed gratitude for finally shining a light on this topic.

• Making it relevant: We didn’t want to make a show that felt like a realisation of a document that may have been sitting in a drawer for a year gathering dust. We wanted it to be alive, so we spoke about things that were relevant at the time, such as the Easter Holidays, the release of the latest James Bond film, and other culturally relevant events. This took evergreen and made it feel just right for that moment in time.

• OneFinePlay successfully turned Edrington’s white paper into a compelling podcast season.
• We secured celebrated journalist and businesswoman Becky Paskin as a host. A drinks expert and a regular on shows such as ITV’s This Morning, and the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
• After doing the podcast, Becky has regularly appeared on This Morning, hosting a drinks segment with Dermot O’Leary and Alice Hammond.
• We landed acclaimed guests from senior positions in global companies such as Waitrose & Partners, Honest Burgers, and The Dorchester.
• We built a world class podcast set for the social videos using bespoke neon light signs and gorgeous set dressing.
• The show was positively reviewed in all of the major industry publications.