Ballantine's takes liberties with truth in film charting fake history of the brand

Ballantine's brand extension into pickled eggs is just one of several fibs told in a fake history of the whisky label, in a 120-second YouTube spot for the Pernod Ricard brand.

Among the other liberties with the truth in 'Could Be True' are how Ballantine’s "tore up George [Ballantine’s] recipe" for the whisky and introduced a new formula and clumsily modern label design. "But no one liked it", says the voiceover, so Ballantine’s brought back the original recipe, a la Coca-Cola and the New Coke fiasco.

Consumers are invited to tweet their own #CouldBeTrue ideas to Ballantine’s Twitter handle. Examples so far include "Scotch made with stag antler dew".

Brand: Ballantine’s

Agency: M&C Saatchi

Creatives: Matt Roach, David Lawrie