Why are we all so Thirsty for Johnnie Walker?

I’ve always found product placement amusing. From the moment I saw Optimus Prime blasted slow-motion into a bus bearing a Victoria Secret advert, I dedicated myself to spotting obvious and ridiculous paid advertising in the cinema. Recently, there’s one I’ve been seeing more and more. In Triple – A blockbusters and art cinema alike, I can’t seem to escape the reach of Johnnie Walker.

Maybe their sales are slumping. Perhaps they are trying to recover from their prominent partnership with Johnathan Majors after his convictions for assault. Whatever their reason, there is no excuse for these shameless adverts. It is my civic duty to call this out, and to this end I will start a new series – Johnnie Walker Watch! I will expose these shameless shilling (and yes, I do realise the irony of giving them this spotlight). To kick it off, here’s two of the most recent examples. Obviously, very minor spoilers ahead.

Deadpool and Wolverine (2024)

The reason I started the series. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is sipping on whisky, with the label clearly visible, throughout the entire film. Although there’s a chance this was out-of-character, and Jackman was just this depressed about destroying his legacy, It’s still pretty opaque.

Admittedly, he largely chugs Jim Beam. There is a scene, reminiscent of The Truman Show where he stands alone in the centre of the shot, holding the bottle label forward and sneaking sips between grumbling observations. I have to say, I was almost disappointed in the lack of Johnnie Walker, what with my recent spots. But how dare I doubt their perseverance! During a later scene, where he extols the pains of his oh so sad life, he lifts a bottle of Red Label to his lips. It is almost ‘blink and you’ll miss it’, and I was left wondering how much this cost the Johnnie Walker company. The answer - too much!

American Fiction (2023)

Admittedly, I’m inclined to be a bit more forgiving towards independent films, who may be relying on these adverts to pay for the film’s creation. Marvel really has no excuse other than to line the pockets of Bob Iger and Kevin Feige. But my jaw dropped when this film, around the midpoint, spends 2-5 minutes explaining IN DETAIL the virtues of different Johnnie Walker brands!

For those unaware, the film revolves around a pretentious author, who chooses to write something he sees as valueless slop to appeal to white publishers that are thirsty for ‘African American’ narratives. At this point in the film, he is hesitating to allow his new book to be published, and his agent explains that being able to write bad stuff doesn’t mean he can’t also write excellently. He explains this with the help of his minibar, with Red, Black and Blue labels lined up cleanly. He says that just because Johnnie Walker can make the absolutely delicious, faultless, downright stupendous Blue Label, doesn’t mean they can’t also make the ‘cheaper’ Red Label. It's honestly jaw-dropping, and if it had happened in a blockbuster, I may have had to walk out.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my middle finger to the world of product placement, and that you want to read more of it going forward. I don’t want to waste a whole article on every single spot, so they will likely be addendums on other ones. But I am not resting until this marketing campaign ends! That is my promise to you!