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110
new market launches
170+
different original ideas
20+
years, and still going strong
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GOIN' LOCAL...
LEAVING IT ALL BEHIND
Maker's Mark had spent the better part of two decades producing clever and witty outdoor and display advertising that leveraged it's trademarked wax-topped bottles. As the brand began to expand beyond its core markets into emerging geographies, however, this created some problems:
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The superficial use of the red wax in the advertising was at odds with Maker's new 'Premium, yet unpretentious' positioning.
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As a result, if Maker's Mark continued with this approach the brand risked looking trite and superficial (to consumers who were seeking 'seriousness' and 'authenticity').​
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Moreover, emerging markets weren't steeped in bourbon lore. Bourbon history? Pithy bourbon comments? Inside jokes for bourbon drinkers? All of this meant Maker's would be entering these new markets talking about things that potential customers didn't understand...or care about. ​​
The catch: For this assignment, there was no budget for research. So, I was left to seek inspiration wherever I could find it.
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Little did I know, that inspiration would come from Rick.
"WE UNDERSTAND OURSELVES."
Rick was a hippie waiter I met at a dive bar outside of Easton, Pennsylvania. I had arrived in town a few days ahead of some research we were doing for another client. With a little extra time on my hands, I figured I would go into this bar, sit down, and quietly brainstorm a new direction for emerging markets. Who knows? Lightning often strikes when you least expect it, right?
I order a Maker's on the rocks.
"That Maker's Mark is great stuff," Rick eagerly congratulated me on my choice. "We love it around here. And, you know, it's made right here in Pennsylvania!"
Wait...what???
I immediately snapped out of my brainstorm. Kentucky bourbon crafted in...Pennsylvania? By that time, our Maker's Mark team had completed more than a thousand interviews with brown spirits drinkers all across the country and I had never heard anything like this. So, when Rick returned with my drink, I didn’t correct him. Instead, I interviewed him.
Rick wasn't exactly sure where Maker's Pennsylvania distillery was (possibly somewhere in the rugged mountains, southeast of Pittsburgh or west of Allentown), but he talked passionately about the brand's connection to the people, places, proud history, and strong character of the region. Generations of miners at the core of Appalachian/ Allegheny mountain culture. The families of the craggy mountains, carving their lives out of the bare rock. He spoke of personal identity, authenticity, and community pride. Most of all, Rick talked about the importance locals placed on brands that embodied those traits - attitudes, beliefs, and values that shone through in the region's events, customs and traditions. Brands like Maker's Mark, he explained, were central to that identity.
"The outside world might not understand us,” Rick explained, “But we understand ourselves.”
WINNING THE AUTHENTICITY GAME...BY NOT PLAYING THE AUTHENTICITY GAME.
For years, bourbon brands had relentlessly sought to connect their drinkers to the bluegrass state - "Our bourbon brings Kentucky to you"...or "Our bourbon brings you to Kentucky." But heritage and source authenticity were messages designed for a past generation - the bourbon of our fathers and grandfathers. Up-and-coming bourbon consumers cared far less about the heritage of bourbon and far more about their own heritage, their own lives, their own culture, and their own social experiences.
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"It's no longer about how the consumer fits into the brand story," I said, as I outlined the fundamental change that was needed in the way Maker's Mark connected with its consumers. "This is about how the brand fits into the consumer's story."
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"Maker's Mark," I continued, "needs to go to where this consumer already is. It's not about them embracing Kentucky, our heritage, or our values." Just like my experience with Rick in Pennsylvania, I continued, "It's about showing them that we embrace what's valuable to them. And it's not enough to be in these places...we have to show that Maker's Mark is OF these places. A shared kinship. Common DNA. Here. Now. In the moment. Local. Contextual. Current."​
Could the answer really be that simple?
"COMMONALITY CREATES COMMUNITY"
This new direction really captured the enthusiasm of the Maker's Mark team at Doe-Anderson. Accordingly, emerging from the agency's jump ball development process, dozens of creative concepts filled up the conference room walls.
While most of the ideas were interesting, fresh, and new, there was one lone concept in the corner that really caught my attention. Presented by writer Bob Barnwell and designer Paul Gosselin, it was a Maker's Mark bottle with the trademark wax - however, this time, the wax appeared in the proud colors of the Texas state flag. The headline simply read, "Fiercely independent."
Sure, it was another clever way to use the wax...but this was understated. Powerful. Confident. Local. Not celebrating ourselves, but celebrating our (Texas) drinkers for the culture and values that we both shared.
This was it!
From there, it was game on! The creative teams grabbed at everything that made sense. Local landmarks and the things our target communities celebrated - from the proud Italian heritage of Boston's North End to the famed districts of San Francisco. Further, it wasn't just about places, it was also about culture. Manhattan is traditions and nightlife while Southern California is Hollywood, fashion, and cosmetic surgery. It was about current events, too - placing the brand smack in the middle of (sometimes tough) conversations. Pop culture. Politics. Sports. Everything from scandals on Wall Street to Global Warming to Janet Jackson's notorious wardrobe malfunction.
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LEVERAGING MOMENTUM
A couple of fun side notes...
Creating collectors edition advertising: When the Texas flag ad ran, hundreds of Texas bourbon drinkers descended on package stores seeking out the Texas Flag Bottle. Since actually creating the Texas wax-topped bottle just wasn't feasible, we countered with the next best thing - downloadable PDFs of the different ads in the campaign, available online (this also tied into loyalty program recruiting). As an indicator of how well these messages spoke to consumers, tens of thousands of downloads were completed, which also created a huge and durable spike in Ambassador program membership. Well before social media campaigns were a thing, we also asked for and received hundreds of photos of consumers alongside their new "Maker's Mark art" - in their offices, garages, workshops, and even one guy on his houseboat.
Creating collectors edition packaging: The ideas kept coming. At one point, during a workshop, this demand for market-specific designs gave birth to several 'collector's edition' wax topped bottles. For example, one series featured the colors of NFL teams (with targeted regional distribution), while another extremely rare red-white, and blue version celebrated U.S. resolve and solidarity after the 9/11 attacks.
...this strategy, this idea, and this campaign are all still going strong!
POST SCRIPT
It was the middle of 2001 when I first met Rick at that Pennsylvania bar.
Two weeks later, I was leading the 'jump ball' session that would evolve into this work. At the time, I knew the campaign was almost limitless in the way it could connect with people. Indeed, the only thing that can end 'current events' is the end of time.
Four years later, Maker's Mark was sold. By 2011, that holding company spun off their spirits group under the management of Jim Beam, Inc. In 2014, Japanese giant Suntory purchased Beam Inc. and all its assets, including the Maker's Mark brand.
Yet...
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Across all those different owners...
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...And featured in about a dozen countries outside of the United States...
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...And over 20 years later...
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