Johnnie Walker refocuses Keep Walking campaign
Diageo-owned Johnnie Walker has unveiled the next chapter of its global ‘Keep Walking’ campaign, which returns with a fresh perspective and a new film celebrating ‘the determination that fuels personal progress’.
Making its debut in North America today (18 November), the evolution of the campaign will roll out globally in 2026 across streaming, digital, paid social, and out-of-home.
The campaign film invites a new generation of whisky drinkers to find meaning in the everyday moments that move them forward.
The refreshed ‘Keep Walking’ campaign centres on the power of the word ‘keep’ – a call for ‘steady momentum and personal perseverance rooted in aspiration’.
Through extensive global social listening of more than 97 million ‘keep’ conversations over the past year, six core themes emerged: motivation, action, communication, emotion, success, and identity.
Driven by these themes, the campaign’s creative celebrates the ‘everyday keeps’ that define personal progress, from ‘keep playing’ and ‘keep dreaming’ to ‘keep trusting’ and ‘keep searching’.
Johnnie Walker’s ‘Keep Walking’ message has now championed resilience, optimism, and progress for 25 years.
While in recent years it has focused on collective progress – inspiring reconnection and optimism post-lockdowns and celebrating communities that are breaking barriers – today, cultural behaviours have shifted and so the refreshed campaign seeks to mark a fresh perspective on its message.
“‘Keep Walking’ has powered Johnnie Walker for more than two decades, guiding our leadership in whisky and inspiring millions around the world,” said John Williams, global head of whisk(e)y at Diageo. “Today, people define progress on their own terms. This campaign reflects that shift and gives ‘Keep Walking’ new meaning for a new generation.
“By tapping into the emotional language of contemporary culture and celebrating the many ways people progress in their daily lives, we are strengthening the brand’s connection with drinkers globally and setting the foundation for the next era of progress.”
The campaign debuts with a 30-second hero film created by Grammy-nominated director ‘Child’, who works anonymously and is known for their bold, stylised aesthetic in music videos for artists such as Doja Cat and Post Malone.
Child worked alongside Grammy Award winner and MTV Video Music Awards winner Melina Matsoukas, founder and creative executive producer of De La Revolución, in association with Prettybird.
Through a cinematic lens, the film captures the ‘emotional truth’ that progress is rarely linear but always personal.
Built from a series of short vignettes, each scene seeks to emphasise a different ‘keep’ and the emotion behind it
“Our intention was to reimagine ‘Keep Walking’ for today,” said Child. “The word ‘keep’ felt like an invitation and a reminder that personal journeys take many forms. Each story in the film celebrates that sense of forward motion, even when the path is not always clear.”
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