Tom Jago the Man Who Changed the Face of Spirits
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PROFILE Tom Jago The man who changed the face of spirits Tom Jago is the most extraordinary spirit marketer. He is often described as the man who changed the face of British drinking. Tom has an essential skill all executives need: a sense of humour! t was the early 90s when From a village school in the remote Martell, The Classic Malts among I first met Tom Jago. countryside, via a scholarship to others. In fact, Tom helped in He was a part of James Oxford and service in the Royal Navy creating Imperial Blue and Royal Espey’s scotch and cognac during WWII, Tom Jago found his Stag at Seagram. They are now I team at Seagram. My niche in the wine and spirits trade. He well-known components of Pernod immediate reaction was – “Here is a led the team that developed new ideas India. man gifted in product development on old themes, like Croft Original and marketing but he is also jovial. Pale Cream Sherry and Le Piat Tom’s ‘accidental’ career I am not sure if he is really British!” D’Or brands, which revolutionised After the war, Tom ‘accidentally Over the years he taught me a British drinking habits forever. He slipped into advertising’. He applied great deal about the spirits business. cooperated with the ‘gang of three’ in for a photographer’s job but was He also taught me the most the invention of Bailey’s Irish Cream mistaken for someone else and hired important thing: how to choose and and Malibu. as a copywriter! Later he became an enjoy good Claret (Bordeaux). But wait, there’s more to this account director at an advertising Tom along with Dr Espey and innovator. Tom was instrumental agency that became Ogilvy & Peter Fleck are the pillars at Last (the driving force) in brands Mather. Among his accounts was a Drop Distillers Ltd. Here’s how like Johnnie Walker Blue Label, small company called Gilbeys. After their website describes Tom: Hennessy, Chivas Regal 18 YO, a round of mergers and acquisitions, 58 the world of liquor June 2012 Gilbeys became Diageo. With a four- to Tom, is to develop products that year stint at Moet-Hennessy, followed persuade drinkers that they are worth by United Distillers (with James) and drinking and make them appreciate later Seagram, Tom became the most quality. Interestingly, it’s the same Arthur Shapiro sought after marketer. set of motivations: palate, eyes and Throughout his career, his area nose; but they are applied to whisky, Grey Goose and Patron) have come of focus was innovation and new cognac and even tequila! from entrepreneurs. products. As Tom puts it: “At Gilbeys, But above all, Tom believes Another interesting fact: He I was not very good at being a patience is the powerful virtue that does not let drinker research get in marketing director. So they gave leads to acceptance and growth of a the way. “It is useful, but in case of me a small budget, an office, and a brand. alcoholic drinks it cannot to be relied secretary, and said ‘try and think “It is clear to me that the on. The reason: the essential illogical of some new drinks we can sell motivation to drink alcohol is responses of people to alcohol,” profitably’. And then began the string very deeply buried in the human says Tom. He adds, “No one will tell of success. subconscious, therefore, attempts you the truth about their feelings to market distilled spirits must be regarding drinks –because they don’t His philosophy on product subtle too. A spirits brand is bound know what they are!” development to grow slowly. The promotions must Consumer research is like a lamp Tom’s focus over the years has been be long, steady and consistent.” post, some people lean on it while simple and straightforward. “First Tom believes new products others are illuminated by it. step is to make the drink agreeable and brands often fail because the to the palate, the eyes, and the nose. companies behind them, particularly The love for whisky Baileys and Malibu are good examples the global ones, lack the fortitude to Despite inventing light, sweet and of this,” he says. see them through to fruition. That’s palatable drinks, Tom is an unabashed The other principle, according why the successes in the U.S. (e.g., devotee of malts. His focus on whisky over the years TOM ON VODKA has been extraordinary. Johnnie Walker: Blue Label was created in 1987 to reassert the perceived value Change began in 1949 when a Mr. Kunett, a Russian émigré in the USA, sold of the Johnnie Walker brand in Asia, his tiny Smirnoff distillery to Heublein. At the time he was making about where grey market discounting had 5,000 cases a year. He and Heublein began promoting vodka as the spirit damaged it. He also developed Classic with negligible taste. So vodka drinking spread to the civilized world (in Malts, a collection of outstanding Russia it was sold in non-closable bottles!) products from individual malt I was closely involved in this period of change. From 1957, I was helping distilleries, which became brands. an old drinks’ merchant called Gilbeys with their advertising. Gilbeys had At his current venture, Last Drop been smart enough to get the rights to Smirnoff vodka for a large part of Distillers Ltd, he and his partners are the world. So we were engaged in promoting vodka – which was entirely using 70 single malts in their blend. unknown in Britain. We began to understand the revolution that was taking Some are from distilleries long since place. Research produced some unexpected results: we used an ad showing closed. It’s truly an amazing venture. young men in their digs preparing for a party. One of them was cleaning You can check it out online on: his teeth; the advertisement was badly understood. After a few enquiries it www.lastdropdistillers.com. emerged that only 12 per cent of young English men owned a toothbrush! Throughout his career, Tom has And when we claimed that Smirnoff did not give a hangover, we got the re-defined product quality. For response: “What’s the point of having a drink if you don’t get a hangover?” example, at Hennessy, he learned Binge drinking is nothing new, it seems. about the sophisticated use of oak in spirit maturation. No one in the scotch business knew about this at the world of liquor 59 June 2012 PROFILE that time. Imagine the battles that PRODUCT PLACEMENT IN FILMS ensued between this young upstart and the tough and crusty old timers James Bond was supposed to be my baby! I was with Gilbeys in the who ran the whisky production. ’60s and they had the franchise for Smirnoff in the British Empire. When Perhaps based on these battles or Cubby Broccoli (Albert Broccoli, producer of Bond films) was rounding just plain good common sense, Tom up funds for Dr. No, he approached Gilbeys with a small secret; they were taught me to be wary of production broke! One of the producers accidentally told me and I persuaded them to managers. let me give them two cases (one Blue Label and one Red Label). I told them “A word of caution concerning I hoped they could include both in the film and they agreed. those splendid fellows. Don’t let This is the scene where Bond rejects Red Label and makes his martini them ruin a great luxury brand by with the stronger vodka. When they asked for a few more cases, for their economy measures unrelated to the wind-up party, I refused! We lost the chance to be in all the Bond films. No essential perceived value of the pack. money changed hands. How times change, huh! I have seen a production man try to save less than a penny by spoiling the closure of Johnnie Walker: Blue Label –a brand that sells for £100.” TOM ON GILBEYS Gilbeys was a fun place to work. They owned a beautiful chateau in the Medoc (Chateau Loudenne), which I used as a place to plot things with co-workers. And board meetings were a delightful occasion! Walter Gilbey said one day, “Tom, I just got a lift back on Hennessy’s little jet. Do you think we might get one?” I told him that it was unlikely but I would still search and report back. Next week I said “We can’t afford it; costs £2m and that’s about our overdraft. And anyway, you would have two pilots to feed and clothe.” Tom with another veteran, James Espey “Oh,” said young Walter, “Couldn’t Hawkins learn to drive The Indian voyage of time. As Tom puts it: “a number it?” In the late’90s, while at Seagram, of factors accounted for our success The joy of this was that Tom was called to Seagram India to – branding, packaging, price (above Hawkins, a 56-year-old serious help with new product development. the competition) and the unique use drunk family retainer, only One of the chemists had the idea of of TV advertising outside of India.” worked one day in a year when he making a good admix whisky by using He still keeps his hand in the drove the Gilbeys to Royal Ascot both imported scotch malt and local Indian spirits market with some race meeting in a coach! grain spirit. The resulting products, consultancy projects including one Royal Stag and Imperial Blue, were on behalf of Sainov Spirits Pvt Ltd.