Proof Based Marketing

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Proof Based Marketing

Unread postby angelshare » Wed Apr 04, 2007 3:38 pm

Last night, I (Dave) had a dream that HH decided to bottle Tina's favorite bargain bourbon EW 1783 at 100 proof. In my dream, it was part of a marketing campaign that included the line "More whiskey, less water." (Maybe Bunghole had gotten a job in the marketing department - sounded like one of his lines! :lol:)

After awakening and grieving that this was just a dream, I wondered if such a campaign would have a chance of working. I know that the economics of raising a product 14 proof points would likely be cost prohibitive, but even a current 86 proof product could market itself this way against the big guys (IE, Jim Beam and Jack Daniel).

But would it matter? Is our comparatively small group of enthusiasts the only contingency that pays attention to such differences in proof?

Or maybe this HAS been done in the past? Has WT gone after JB and JD directly on proof? I know "101 proof" has long been a WT marketing thing to some extent, but do you think it has effectively conveyed how different it is than Jim and Jack in this respect? Or has it conveyed the message, but the average consumer isn't moved by it?
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Unread postby cowdery » Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:32 pm

You've probably noticed that there isn't much whiskey advertising of any kind out there and what there is generally stays away from product attributes in favor of a beauty shot of the bottle and something about quality. However, Evan Williams did for many years run a "There's More To It" campaign. At the time they were 7 years old and 90 proof, but priced less than a lot of 4-year-old, 80-proof whiskeys. The age part of it seemed to resonate more with consumers so that's what they emphasized in subsequent campaigns. They're still doing it, but it rings a little hollow since they dropped the age statement.
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Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:36 pm

cowdery wrote: They're still doing it, but it rings a little hollow since they dropped the age statement.

And the proof!!!!
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Unread postby TNbourbon » Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:20 pm

I remember shortly after Jack Daniel's dropped its proof from 86 to 80, Jim Beam ran some ads for the black label with the tagline, "We'll never 86 the 86". Of course, JB didn't mention that JB Black used to be 90, too.
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Unread postby angelshare » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:10 pm

Interesting comments, guys. Thanks for posting that ad, Chuck - we'd never seen it.

You've probably noticed that there isn't much whiskey advertising of any kind out there and what there is generally stays away from product attributes in favor of a beauty shot of the bottle and something about quality.


We would add that of the marketing we see, the vast majority is for Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's. Obviously, the marketing budget for these brands probably many times that of Evan Williams.

However, looking at even the EW ad Chuck posted, it strikes me as a marketing device as not aggressive enough. Specifically, for it to work, you need to:

1) Make the consumer aware of who is lower proof (WE know it, but does the average JD drinker?);

2) Once the awareness is there, then create the perception that paying for more water is a bad thing. From a marketing standpoint, the EW ad is all about quality. In our Wal-Mart Supercenter consumer culture, it's probably much more effective to focus on quantity - suggest that if you're paying for water, you're getting scammed, plain and simple.

I remember shortly after Jack Daniel's dropped its proof from 86 to 80, Jim Beam ran some ads for the black label with the tagline, "We'll never 86 the 86". Of course, JB didn't mention that JB Black used to be 90, too.


Tim, in these ads, how obvious was it to the average person that they were taking a jab at JD?
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Unread postby cowdery » Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:45 pm

It's hard to be too aggressive when the difference you're talking about is between 90 and 86 proof, or 86 and 80.

On the other hand, the very high proof whiskeys, whether they want it or not, get pegged as being for people who really want to get hammered. I'm reminded of the article FHM did, where they featured only high proof bourbons, i.e., Stagg, Booker's, OGD 114, Noah's Mill.

"Why buy water at alcohol prices" really only works perfectly for Everclear, at 190 proof. Even 140 proof Stagg is 30 percent water.

People who are interested in the most alcohol for their dollar simply buy what's cheapest. A $7.99 1.75 L of vodka may be only 80 proof, but where else can you get more alcohol for less money? Not in a $50 750 ml of 140 proof whiskey.
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Unread postby bourbonv » Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:08 am

Pappy Van Winkle would write in his advertising articles that people should buy Bonded Old Fitzgerald because it was silly to pay for water. If you wanted a lower proof bourbon, buy Old Fitzgerald and add your own water. At one time they even had a campaign where they paired a !/2 gallon of Old Fitzgerald and a 1/2 gallon of the water the distillery. Add your own water to your bourbon.
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Unread postby angelshare » Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:53 pm

Mike, was the Old Fitzgerald marketing campaign considered to be successful in it's day?
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Unread postby bourbonv » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:42 am

I would say it was successful. Pappy had many colorfull and yet truefull advertising ideas that were voiced by him at the same time. This campaign was simply one of many that he promoted in his column. You can read others in the library here as I put in his columns under the heading of "A Jigger of Commen Sense".
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