Silver Wolf made Thai football commentary its legal whiskey ad

In Thailand alcohol is sold legally but advertising it has been banned since 2008, so a new whiskey had no direct way to tell drinkers what it tasted like. Established brands dominated the market while Silver Wolf, a budget newcomer, could not buy the usual media.

TBWA Thailand's solution was to sponsor a team in the Thailand Amateur League—a locally broadcast live football competition with a nationwide audience—and officially rename the players after the whiskey's selling points: 'Smooth', 'Sweet', 'Oaky'. Every time the commentator named a player, the brand's taste profile was mentioned on air, legally.

The campaign turned an ordinary match into what the agency calls 'our legal advertisement'. Within two weeks it reported 308 million organic impressions, 3,360 social shares and a complete sell-out, establishing a new brand in a market where newcomers normally stay invisible.