The Art Of Survival
To save the bird, save the craft — 173 single-malt bottles, one for every surviving Great Indian Bustard, handmade by Jaipur Blue Pottery's last artisans.
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AI Translation Summary
Godawan is both a critically endangered Indian bird and Diageo's Indian single malt named after it. Working from the insight that saving the bird meant reviving the local craft its economy depends on, the brand created a 173-bottle limited edition — one per living bird — handcrafted with the last Jaipur Blue Pottery artisans, with auction proceeds funding conservation.
Cultural Context
'Godawan' is the Rajasthani name for the Great Indian Bustard, so the brand name is literally the species it protects. Jaipur Blue Pottery is a traditional cobalt-glazed ceramic craft of Rajasthan, and AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent) estimates PR coverage in ad-spend terms.
Entry Information
Summary
In 2022, Diageo launched an Indian single malt with a purpose in its name — Godawan. Godawan is the local name of the critically endangered Great India Bustard. To save this endemic bird from extinction, Godawan has been protecting its last-remaining habitat in Rajasthan for years. This work has helped the bird's population grow from 96 to 173. But today, a new threat looms over this fragile region. The gradual decline of the local Jaipur Blue Pottery art resulted in its artisan community leaving this shared home. The end of this sustainable co-existence would make way for heavy industries to enter the bird's limited habitat, proving catastrophic for the bird. The ecological balance in the bird's ecosystem was dependent on reviving the region's unique cultural heritage.
Strategy
We understood that to protect the bird, the entire ecosystem had to thrive — the local ecology AND local economy. And since this region's economy was dependent on its art, we decided to save Jaipur Blue Pottery (JBP) art to save the bird. The '173' conservational milestone became an opportunity to do this. We celebrated this legacy art form with a new single malt named 'Godawan 173: Collector's Edition'. Only 173 bottles exist, honouring every Godawan alive today. Each bottle was one-of-a-kind and was handcrafted in collaboration with the last remaining local JBP artisans. Exclusive Rajasthani art and exceptional craft turned each bottle into a rare collectible. They were marketed amongst global luxury circles where rarity drives value, turning them into patrons of JBP art.
Execution
The campaign was mentored by Prime Minister's award-recipient and renowned JBP conservationist Dr. Leela Bordia. Ensuring its authenticity, we reimagined the art form as 173 bespoke bottles of a limited-edition single malt. These meaningful designs used traditional motifs and silhouettes of the bird, brought alive on delicate quartz-based bottles in signature palette of cobalt blue, turquoise and white. With the collection, this little-known art form from Rajasthan achieved a global cultural moment - from London Fashion Week to Vogue. It even inspired a Godawan-adorned Erdem outfit. Each bottle was priced at ~USD 5,600, with proceeds from the auction directly funding the cause. We will continue this conservation platform of reviving local cultural heritage to protect our bird.
Results
Unprecedented monetary aid ● The first bottle's sale contributed USD 50,000 towards conservation, exceeding 45% of last year's total aid ● 8x projected increase in conservation aid versus last year Record awareness and interest ● +245M media and global PR reach (with 60% organic posts and shares) - highest in brand's history ● +200 global PR features worth ~USD 210,000 AVE, including Vogue and Condé Nast Traveler ● 96% increase in Brand Talkability (in Search Volumes) - highest among all single malts in India and a first for Indian single malts Every Godawan bottle takes this cause forward ● 180% net sales value lift and 165% volume performance lift vs same period last year ● Improvement in key Equity Statements - 'Proud to choose' (+5 points), 'Leading the way' (+8 points)