Maker's Mark: Derby takeover - Doe-Anderson Inc.s Mark: Derby takeover Lee Dorsey Warc Prize for...

Maker's Mark: Derby takeover

Lee Dorsey

Warc Prize for Social Strategy

Bronze, 2015

Maker's Mark: Derby takeover

Lee Dorsey

Campaign details

Brand owner: Beam Suntory

Lead agency: Doe-Anderson

Contributing agency: iCrossing, Starcom, Evins Communications

Brand: Maker's Mark

Country: United States

Industry: Spirits, liqueurs

Channels used: Content marketing, Earned media, buzz, Events and experiential, Internet - display, Internet - search, Mobile

and apps, Online video, Public relations, Social media, Word of mouth, advocacy

Media budget: Up to 500k

Executive summary

This case study describes how Maker's Mark bourbon increased its profile and sales by exploiting the annual spike in interest

in the iconic cocktail associated with the Kentucky Derby.

Horses and bourbon have been an integral part of Kentucky culture for well over a century and thus the Kentucky Derby, an

annual horse race viewed by millions around the world, celebrates both: while horses run for the roses on the track, bourbon

brands compete for pours off it; not being the official sponsor, Maker's Mark was had a significant disadvantage to overcome.

The premium bourbon brand known for its dipped red-wax bottle aimed to increase sales during this critical programming

period by forging a stronger connection with the race, executing a social campaign that focused predominantly on mixing

Maker's Mark into the race's signature mint julep cocktail.

The brand supplanted the 'Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby' as the digital conversation leader: Maker's led the entire

competitive set during the campaign by every social measure, doubling any brand's share of voice, lifting net sentiment to 97

and increasing US sales by 2.5%.

Market background and cultural context

A decade or more ago, the bourbon industry was scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel, having suffered decades of

weak sales and underinvestment. Today, though, bourbon – the maize-based and oak-aged spirit produced almost exclusively

Title: Maker's Mark: Derby takeover

Author(s): Lee Dorsey

Source: Warc Prize for Social Strategy

Issue: Bronze, 2015

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in Kentucky – is booming.

In absolute terms, the bourbon industry's $2.4 billion in 2013 global sales1 is relatively modest. However, the industry's growth

is anything but. In the past five years, US bourbon sales have soared by 36%2, extraordinary numbers in a sector where 2% to

3% annual growth is often applauded. Growth is especially strong in the premium category, where sales in the US were up

14.4% in 2012 alone.3

Enter Maker's Mark, a 60-year-old brand whose accessibly smooth taste, quirky personality and iconic red wax-dipped bottle

have enabled it to capitalize on the unfurling bourbon renaissance and capture a sizable portion of the increasingly competitive

premium-bourbon market.

Despite their overall success, however, Maker's Mark had failed to command one of the most crowded and coveted

programming periods of the year: the Kentucky Derby. Instead, the annual horse race, widely known for its bourbon-based

mint julep cocktail, had been owned by one of the brand's closest competitors, whose multi-million dollar investment in the

event earned the title 'Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby'.

Maker's Mark's challenge was to usurp majority mindshare during the critical week of the Kentucky Derby and translate these

gains into sales. Several obstacles stood in the way: a rival with exclusive rights at the event venue, numerous other

competitors jockeying for the same position and a limited budget.

Insight and strategic thinking

While Maker's Mark is not the 'Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby' and is not served at the race, the brand realized it did

not have to be physically present to have a presence. The Kentucky bourbon set out to see how they could increase their

share of voice surrounding the major Kentucky event. To stand out within this crowded market, Maker's Mark sought a way to

make the longest strides for the smallest purse. The answer? A cost-efficient, digital focus.

The brand pulled historic data on their social activities and broader search trends. They came to the following conclusions:

Who

Potential whisky drinkers aged 25–39.

What

Maker's Mark's Facebook page averaged 1,500 engagements (likes, shares and comments) per post in the previous year.

While Derby-related content outperformed the average by two times, mint julep-specific content topped the list at three times

the average. Furthermore, Google research indicated that 82% of online recipe searches translated into related liquor

purchases. These findings led the brand to place the Maker's Mark mint julep at the forefront of their 2014 Derby content

strategy.

When

Although category activity was focused predominantly on the day of the event, consumers' total online search volume for 'mint

julep' in the two weeks leading up to the 2013 Kentucky Derby was nearly equal to peak volume on Derby Day (Figure 1).

Maker's Mark knew that the huge spike in last-minute mint julep searches would come at a high price tag.


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Therefore, the brand decided to serve mint julep content two whole weeks before the Kentucky Derby to capitalize on this

early interest at a reduced spend. This earlier-than-industry average start not only limited the competition, it also afforded

more time to optimize content strategy and increase consumer awareness. Not to mention, searches for 'mint julep' are more

valuable if the user has time to purchase product. Day-of searches are less likely to drive sales.

Figure 1: 2013 search volume for 'mint julep' in the three-week period bracketing Derby Day (2nd May)

Where

In 2013, Derby-related content had the highest engagement among those in Kentucky. However, the geographic distribution of

the owned and earned reach was surprisingly widespread. The mint julep recipe was shared by Facebook fans in 40 states

and 10 countries. Less than 10% of total shares were from Kentucky. So, Maker's Mark decided to push its Derby content

beyond their existing Kentucky fan base to potential bourbon consumers across the nation.

Implementation, including creative and media development

The Maker's Mark Kentucky Derby campaign took the most exciting two minutes in sport and turned it into a two-week Derby

win.

Channels were selected based on pre-existing reach (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram) and high-

potential reach (Reddit). Content focused predominantly around the mint julep, with supporting Derby fashion and horse-racing

content. Every execution was moulded to specifically meet each channel's unique characteristics.

Twitter (45% spend)

Channel insight

As a short-form channel (140-character limit), it is key to deliver content that is visually arresting and easily digestible.

Channel execution

Because the Maker's Mark fan base on Twitter has strong, positive responses to cocktail recipes, the brand developed mint

julep recipe cards that were both relevant to the occasion and fitting of the channel trends. These digital cards visually

depicted cocktail recipes in a single image. This allowed Maker's Mark to show the simplicity of the mint julep recipe at a


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glance on channels used to skim lots of content.

As photography has higher engagement rates on the Maker's Mark social-media pages, the recipe cards were created from

real photos to add to the authenticity. They were also set up to hold the directions within the image to ensure that all pertinent

information would remain self-contained when the image was shared.

When learning that the Twitter promoted trend had become available on the day of the Kentucky Derby at a significantly

reduced rate, Maker's Mark secured the sponsorship. With the success the mint julep recipe card had already received on

Twitter, the brand decided to go with a hashtag that would further drive the connection with Maker's Mark and the Derby Day

cocktail. #MakersMintJulep was incorporated into content focused mainly on the recipe itself, while also interweaving fashion

and race conversation to further establish the brand as the Kentucky Derby expert.

Reddit (35% spend)

Channel insight

This dialogue-based, insider community is cynical toward traditional advertising and motivated by opportunities for collegial

banter and self-expression.

Channel execution

Maker's Mark decided to take a chance on an unconventional channel with an unconventional community. The move ran the

risk of being scrutinized by a community known for rejecting brand intrusion. However, Maker's Mark felt confident that the

witty, playful personality of their brand matched that of the site and its users.

Maker's Mark realized it could not push brand content onto this community, but rather must cultivate user-generated content.

So, Maker's started cost-free threads and encouraged Redditors (most of whom were unable to attend the race) to create

bourbon-inspired horse names. The brand then pitted the most creative names against one another in a virtual race with real-

time support from other Redditors pushing the horses forward.


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Instead of conventional banner ads, Maker's hosted Reddit's first real-time homepage takeover, updating the ads and threads

throughout the day to show the progression of the virtual race, until user georgehimself's 'Distill My Heart' was crowned the

winner. Then Maker's Mark incorporated the mint julep recipe as a celebration of the races, renaming it the Mint Snoo-lep in

honor of Reddit's mascot, the Snoo.

YouTube (10% spend)

Channel insight

Users look to YouTube for educational content, seeking concise how-to videos that answer their specific questions.

Channel execution

There were few well-executed, simple recipe videos for the mint julep, with the top existing ones all from bartenders mixing the

cocktail. To capitalize on search and fill a void, Maker's Mark created a short, animated how-to video for making a mint julep

cocktail. The video incorporated Kentucky Derby themes to further cement the connection between Maker's Mark and the big

event. Based on the completion rates of previous cocktail videos on the brand's channel, the mint julep video was limited to

just over a minute.

Facebook (10% spend)


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Channel insight

Facebook's crowded and ever-changing digital real estate makes it nearly impossible to predict to whom and in what context

your content is to be served.

Channel execution

In many ways, Maker's Mark used Facebook as a test lab, serving a wide range of creative executions across a wide

geography and fine-tuning the content plan based on real-time responses from Facebook users. In addition to the mint julep

recipe card and how-to video, natural photography depicting mint julep mixology in an in-bar environment was shared.

Furthermore, to reward existing fans, Maker's Mark had its first Facebook contest, giving away a pewter mint julep cup to

further promote the cocktail. With a focus on further engaging loyal fans rather than attracting potential new ones, the contest

was not promoted, helping to avoid attracting entrants only seeking to win.

Instagram (0% spend)

Channel insight

Graphics tend to come off as intrusive in a community that values sharing organic experiences through photography.

Channel execution

To kick off the Kentucky Derby conversation, Maker's Mark dipped a horseshoe in the bourbon's signature red wax and posted

photos of it at the distillery to stir curiosity and further align themselves with the horse race. That was followed by photos of a

branded pewter julep cup to further the awareness of the cocktail associated with the event. Finally, the day before, the brand

shared real-time photos from mint julep how-to classes at the distillery, encouraging trial.


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Pinterest (0% spend)

Channel insight

The platform's most successful pins contain how-to content with a simplified visual that empowers users to take on projects

they would otherwise find too intimidating.

Channel execution

Two Pinterest boards were created for Derby Day how-tos: one focused on planning a Derby party and the other on a variety

of julep recipes.

Additionally, to join the fashion conversation, Maker's tapped into the Pinterest popularity of do-it-yourself content with a

pictorial guide to crafting a Derby hat (traditionally worn by women at the track on Derby Day). The simple, step-by-step pin

utilized a vertical design to best fit the Pinterest interface. To keep the bourbon brand top-of-mind and add to the interest, a 50

ml bottle of Maker's Mark was integrated into the hat design.


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Note

The majority of Maker's Mark's Derby content was spread organically through owned and earned placements. The minimal

social-media budget was split mostly between Reddit and the promoted trend on Twitter, with a small spend to promote two

posts on Facebook and to seed the YouTube mint julep video. Although the campaign was digitally led, supporting activities

included public relations and event activation.

Social effects

Maker's Mark may not be the 'Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby', but the brand was able to align their bourbon with the

mint julep and the Kentucky Derby at key moments leading up to the event day.

Maker's Mark's social goal was to increase its share of voice surrounding the major event and strengthen the association

between the brand and the Kentucky Derby. Maker's Mark accomplished this goal with a 44% share of voice among top

American whiskies.

The conversation did not end at the Derby finish line. Share of brand conversations online versus the 'Official Bourbon of the

Kentucky Derby' increased from 58% in the week prior to the race to 61% on Derby Day. It continued to increase the following

two days, all the way up to 71%.

The integrated digital programming produced 138 million social impressions, 212 million PR impressions, 570,000 recipe-

content engagements and 3,000 new fans/followers on Maker's Mark's social-media platforms in just one week.

Twitter

Strong engagement on the first three posts (834 retweets) confirmed that interest in the Kentucky Derby existed much earlier

than what was being tapped into by most brands. On Derby Day, the promoted trend #MakersMintJulep received 40.5 million

impressions, with three times more engagement than the average promoted trend at almost half the cost. Furthermore,

#MakersMintJulep garnered a negative sentiment of only 3%, well below the 26% average for national promoted trends

(Figure 2).4

Figure 2: #MakersMintJulep achieved a 97% net sentiment score on Derby Day.

l Keyword targeting garnered an additional 2.2 million impressions for 42.7 millio total.

l The best tweet recieved 2,300 favourites and 1,592 retweets.

l Account mentions spiked at fivefold over the average:

¡ 780 @MakersMark mentions;

¡ 3,679 #MakersMintJulep mentions.


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Reddit

In the week leading up to the Reddit banner ads, the fake Derby horse thread not only drove 10 times the average

engagement, but also grabbed the attention of media, including a full feature on Digiday. The article, 'Whiskey business:

Maker's Mark gambles on a Derby-themed Reddit campaign', went on to say that 'Maker's Mark, the first alcohol company to

advertise on Reddit, is the rare brand that has figured out how to approach the community site in an effective way.'

l 84 million impressions (twice the 46.7 million booked impressions);

l 1,000+ comments on the discussion thread, 11 times the benchmark;

l 84,000 clicks.

Facebook

Even before Facebook enacted auto-play of native videos, the Maker's Mark mint julep video saw surprisingly strong click-

through rates. It was a big win: 1,900,000 impressions, with 308,000 people clicking through, meaning one in six of the total

possible number of people who saw the post actually clicked to watch it in Facebook.

l 2.7 million total post reach in Derby week – 20 times the 138,000 reach the previous week;

l 90,000 engagements (likes, comments, shares) in Derby week – against 7,000 engagements in the prior week.

YouTube

People came to the Maker's Mark YouTube page to watch the mint julep video and were hooked. The average view duration

was 1:10 – the entire recipe and then two seconds of slate.

l 9,811 julep video views by the day of the Derby, nine times more than each of the previous three Maker's Mark how-to

cocktail videos;

l Currently, over 24,000 views and an additional 563,000 video views via paid video seeding;

l 10% of the views accounted for by YouTube search.

Instagram

Unique photography on location at Derby events with mint-julep and horse-racing content outperformed the 'Official Bourbon

of the Kentucky Derby' on Instagram with an average of 293 likes versus 80.

l 1,757 likes from six Derby-themed posts;

l 600 likes for the pewter julep cup photos.

Pinterest

The average promoted pin on Pinterest is shared 11 times. Without spending any advertising dollars on Pinterest, the 55

Maker's Mark Derby-themed pins received an average 27.5 repins, garnering a total of 1,517 repins by 5th May.

l 49,000 impressions (not paid);

l 152 repins for the DIY Derby hat pin.

Business effects


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Maker's Mark's challenge was to usurp majority mindshare during the critical programming period of the Kentucky Derby and

inevitably translate this conversation into sales. Maker's Mark won by a mile. In the brand's two-week campaign, Maker's

assumed the leadership position with 44% share of voice among top American whiskies – a 91% increase from the Derby

period of the previous year. More importantly, year over year sales for the month of May jumped 2.5%.

Not only did the volume of engagement increase markedly from 2013, the quality of engagement also increased. In the two

weeks leading up to the event, the brand's overall sentiment was up from 74% in 2013 to 95% in 2014, while negative

sentiment dropped 10% (Figure 3). Furthermore, while paid search for whisky and bourbon-related keywords delivered a solid

0.77% click-through rate, paid search behind mint julep-related keywords delivered 12.0% for Maker's Mark. By all such

measures, brand health improved significantly.

Figure 3: Maker's Mark brand mentions' year-on-year sentiment for the two weeks leading up to Derby Day

By strengthening the association between Maker's Mark and the Kentucky Derby (Figure 4), the brand was able to fully

capitalize on a programming period intrinsically linked to bourbon sales. This enabled the brand to convert social reach into

brand consideration and trial, as evidenced by the significant jump in sales.

Figure 4: Associations between Maker's Mark and the Kentucky Derby were prominent during the Maker's Mark Derby

Takeover campaign.


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Lessons learned

Convention is a guide, not a jailer

Social media does not begin and end with the most popular channels. Where your target audience is congregating is more

important than duplicating what you have done in the past or what everyone else is doing. Your goal-driven strategy should

dictate your channel selections, not the other way around.

Reddit was an unconventional channel selection, but proved to be a critical choice for Maker's Mark. The campaign showed

that taking a risk can pay off in a big way if the brand is able to do so authentically. The litmus test: If the brand were a person,

would they spend time on this channel? What would they talk about? Whom would they engage with?

All great changes are preceded by chaos

They say the only constant is change. This is particularly true in the social-media realm where consumers' behaviours and the

surrounding landscape are ever evolving. The best planning accounts for change and is positioned for adaptation because,

often, fertility comes from chaos. The key is to embrace responsive structures and processes. For example, posting the top

Reddit horse names against one another in a virtual Derby race was an on-the-fly decision. The community's engagement and

enthusiasm inspired the idea while simple, adaptable creative elements enabled it.

Measure, then optimize; rinse and repeat

The speed and frequency of marketplace and consumer changes demand a continuous assessment and fine-tuning of

marketing activities. Gone are the days of creating an annual plan and sitting back and executing it, or 'launching' a campaign

and 'letting it run'. Because Maker's Mark thought of serial executions, data analysis and optimization as a constantly repeating

cycle, the brand was able to ensure optimal results.

On a practical level, this can be a difficult process to manage, especially for a big brand. To cut through the red tape and

enable more rapid change, the client and its partners need to be both proactive and nimble. Fundamentally, this requires trust

among all of those involved. For Maker's Mark, being agile with content and flexible with media budgets translated to three

times the average engagement at almost half the cost on Twitter.

Footnotes

1 'US Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey Drive Export Records in 2013', Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, February

2014

2 'As Bourbon Booms, Demand for Barrels is Overflowing', Noah Adams, NPR, Noah December 2014

3 'US Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey Drive Export Records in 2013'

4 'Topic and Sentiment Analysis on OSNs: a case study of advertising strategies on Twitter', Stanford University, May 2014


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