Writing Case

MARKETING STRATEGY

When the name Jack Daniel's is mentioned, almost instantly a picture of a black label with white lettering comes mind. If asked to describe it further, the thought of a high scale, smooth tasting, and well established liquor is the most common response. Although not a Jack Daniel's drinker myself, I came to the same conclusions when I first began to think of their brand. The question bears what made this product so popular that even non-liquor drinkers can still describe some aspect of the product? The answer is a strong brand and consistent approach to advertising. A major contributor to the success of this 150 year old company is their marketing strategy. This is the basis that the company continues to improve upon and will be a challenge for the company to face three major issues including globalization, economic recession, and new audiences come into the picture.

Both the Jack Daniel's name and label are recognizable, and that is the key to a successful brand imaging campaign. The company's success has a lot to do with the status that this brand carries. They have been fortunate enough to recognize a solid marketing strategy and have been delivering a consistent message of high quality liquor. They base their strategy on the roots of the company which is "small town America". This once private organization went public when it was bought by Brown-Forman in 1956, but they did not loose their "down home image" (Hoovers, n.d.). The original promotions for the whiskey were of local folks in common garments and various scenes from the breeding ground of Lynchburg, Tennessee. This campaign was very appealing because it was building a foundation of trust with its consumers. If the company came out with a flashy campaign showing sophisticated drinkers and overemphasized the premium quality, then they could have lost out on their target audience - which was rural America. Consumers flocked to the product and it began to expand through all classes and ages as both a high quality, and good old fashion, alcoholic beverage. Over the years, the advertising budget grew for Jack Daniel's. Brown-Forman believed that the premium spirits should have more funds for advertising since they were more expensive and in turn brought in more money. This allowed the company to have a more extensive ad campaign to cover their very diverse audience.

The company's target audience has covered a wide array of ages and social statuses. The home grown approach is used to attract middle and lower-middle income consumers. Then they have specially made liquors or promotions for their higher end (upper class) consumers. For example, often times the company comes across a barrel that has aged past the normal selling timeframe. Since this is a more potent product, it is marketed as"mature" liquor and sold to those consumers that