We really try to avoid free pitching when we can, but once in a while something comes along that you can't ignore. Bacardi Global Brands' William Lawson's Scotch Whisky repackaging project was one such pitch. A big export brand, shifting well over 1M cases in mainland Europe annually, it was a big challenge and one we were well up for.

We were appointed in mid 2006 after a five way pitch against some major European and London agency competition; vindicating a belief in ourselves and proving that we can compete with the best in the business.

What won it for us? Well, after a research trip to Paris (France is their biggest market) to see the brand on the shelf, we brushed up on our understanding of the blended scotch sector and set to work.

The eureka moment came when we realised we could reduce everything the brand stood for down to a single platform from which all other brand elements could be rebuilt and refreshed – from typography to iconography. It worked. Everyone who saw it got it and although this platform has since been refined and developed, it was certainly this holistic approach that won us the pitch.

Since then, we've had the opportunity to take it further than just the pack: currently in publication is a whole new below the line look and feel for the brand in Europe.

The end product 18 months later is a new look evolution of the old pack: bolder, sleeker and more elegant but still unmistakably William Lawson's.