As part of an innovative partnership, one agency’s writers exclusively created the copy for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s soon-to-be-released magazine, Whisky Rocks. The Canadian Writers Group is the LCBO’s copy partner for the 40-page magazine, which will be distributed across Ontario on October 22 in the Globe and Mail, National Post, and Toronto Star. Whisky Rocks is part of a larger campaign that runs to November 5 and includes a benefit concert, an online music competition, and a special whisky selection at LCBO stores.
The magazine, designed by Parcel Design and edited by CWG’s Derek Finkle, features interviews with Canadian rock star Ian Thornley and Dragon’s Den judge Kevin O’Leary and includes product profiles, cocktail recipes, and food pairings. The CWG writers who contributed to the publication are Jason Anderson, Leslie Anthony, Shaugnessy Bishop-Stall, Andrew Braithwaite, Andrew Clark, David Eddie, Don Genova, Robert Hercz, Denis Seguin, Jay Somerset, and Olivia Stren. For similar publications in the past, the LCBO had worked with a small pool of writers, so working on Whisky Rocks with a dozen CWG writers, most of whom they hadn’t worked with before, was a significant departure. CWG is working with the LCBO on another magazine for spring 2012.
This spring, CWG became the Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario’s official content sponsor, reaching out to 2,000 design firms across the province. For the agency, Whisky Rocks presents an opportunity to showcase its writers, and demonstrate what they can do, to partner organizations. Says Finkle: “What the Whisky Rocks magazine has shown to a large client such as LCBO is that the Canadian Writers Group isn’t just a great way to find one talented writer; clients are a phone call away from landing a dozen talented writers, all of whom have the appropriate expertise and can turn a large project around quickly.”