Jim Beam Turns to Engagement: Q&A

Jim Bean Bourbon, the world’s No. 1 selling bourbon, is changing the game, shifting its marketing strategy from traditional advertising to consumer engagement. Its first major initiative is in partnership with ESPN to produce and run a bi-monthly Web series hosted by ESPN personality and award-winning journalist Scoop Jackson.

The series, called “The Next Round – Served Up By Jim Beam” launches April 3, during the first commercial break of the 11 p.m. SportsCenter as well as on www.ESPN.com. The series will feature a range of guests—actors, athletes, media personalities and comedians—discussing topics of the moment. The series will reach across ESPN’s many properties and extend into retail stores and bars. Segments will be recorded in a Los Angeles studio, as well as in cities hosting major sporting events. The premiere episode is being shot at a bar in Boston to coincide with baseball’s opening day.

Kelly Doss, the senior director U.S. bourbons, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, is responsible for the marketing of the company’s bourbon portfolio, with the exception of Maker’s Mark. She explains why consumer engagement is now the top marketing priority.

PROMO: Why a Web series?
DOSS: This is something very innovative from our end to look at how we take a sports platform and turn it on its head. This is about building brands. Sales, of course, are a key component of our success, but this is about trying to build consumer engagement.

PROMO: How does this fit into your overall sports marketing strategy?
DOSS: We had a great five-year run with NASCAR but now we’re looking at how to take sports to next level. We want to get away from traditional marketing and move into consumer engagement that’s why we’re shifting a lot of the mix from traditional to digital and social media and trying to get a conversation going around sports.

PROMO: What are you doing at retail?
DOSS: We are working with distributors and retail partners to put together a concept that will roll out this summer throughout all POS materials, primarily in off premise, but also in select accounts on premise. There will be an element of cutting edge that we’re trying to bring to POS, but we’re still working on that.

PROMO: What is your budget?
DOSS: We’re investing more this year than we have in the past. We think this is a big idea and we’re definitely investing to build this brand.

PROMO: Where is the money coming from?
DOSS: We are shifting money toward digital and social media and away from traditional, particularly out of home.

PROMO: How does the Web series fit into the overall marketing program?
DOSS: Our two big platforms this year are sports and music. The ESPN partnership is our main platform and we’re also developing a music platform that we’re not ready to release yet.