Marketing in the News

In this week's ‘Marketing in the News’ blog post, I chose to write about the article Why Jefferson's Bourbon became partners in crime with HBO's 'The Penguin'. When considering the countless marketing techniques and strategies available today, Jefferson’s Bourbon took to partnering with Warner Bros. and signed on as a title sponsor for HBO Max’s ‘The Penguin’. For a brand that is looking at refreshing it’s image or theme, this was a brilliant PR strategy! 

There are several ways a business can adapt and grow with its customers, and forming partnerships with other brands is a key one. While the bourbon market can be quite saturated, they can connect with new customers through an already established fan base such as DC Comics. Doing so could give them some credibility in their product making DC customers more likely to consider their bourbon.

The 45-second ad that played at the premier alludes to the same dark and moody atmosphere of the show, and Jefferson’s Bourbon is looking to revamp their image by mirroring the show's theme as refined, bold and sophisticated.

Jefferson’s Bourbon began in 1997, when at the time, the rigid requirements for classifying a spirit as bourbon lead to a lack of brand differentiation between themselves and the countless other bourbon distilleries. They wanted to discover how to move away from the “sea of sameness” which led them to find innovative ways to age their bourbon. Finding inspiration from being out at sea, Jefferson’s Master Blender Trey Zoeller came up with the ingenious idea of aging bourbon out at sea. By changing this integral part of the bourbon making process, this opened the door to a whole new blend of bourbon to add to their collection.

The Value Proposition of Jefferson's Bourbon provides a bourbon with a lot of complexity and balance with flavor big enough for every connoisseur, and yet is affordable. What makes their marketing approach unique is that they are reaching for the audience member who has ever wanted to drink a glass of bourbon at a lounge inside Gotham. I think that this was a great idea because they were shifting their thinking away from mainstream marketing online towards the audience, albeit a niche group of fans. Instead of one-way interruption, they focus on delivering their message at the precise moment the audience needs it, and they keep doing this in several different methods.  

“The best partnerships are the ones that elevate both brands, and where you find the ethos and connection between the two that makes both properties sing.” says Laura Galietta, the executive vice president and head of brand strategy and solutions at Warner Bros. Discovery, and I couldn’t agree more. This will allow both brands to increase their brand awareness, creating a buzz of what’s up-and-coming. 

What Jefferson’s Bourbon did next is a perfect example of just that. Jefferson’s Bourbon joined up with the New York Times Advertising and The New York Times and sent out several ‘Gotham Goods’ trucks in Manhattan. The trucks offered free limited-edition merchandise such as t-shirts, sweaters, umbrellas, and a special print edition of “Gotham Gazette” created by T Brand Studio.  

I think that Jefferson’s Bourbon took a huge chance at partnering with Warner Bros. and it paid off in a big way.

Jefferson's Bourbon

https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/jeffersons-bourbon-penguin-premiere/

https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/max-the-penguin-jeffersons-bourbon/