Ryan Wofford

iconic Maker's Mark bottle

For any of you who follow me on Twitter (@djinc), for better or worse you probably know by now that I drink a good bit of booze. Along with wine and scotch, another thing I drink a good bit of these days is Maker’s Mark whisky. (Yes, I noticed my spellchecker just prompt me for the missing “e” in whisky, but that’s how the American government actually declared it spelled in 1968).

Now, I don’t profess to be all-knowing about the stuff, I’ve just loved the taste of it since my grandfather used to ask him to run into the kitchen as a 7 year old child and pour “this much” Canadian Club in a glass with “this much” Sprite.

For those who don’t know a lot about whisky (or whiskey) or “bourbon”, it’s kind of like the Champagne of the South. I don’t just mean that in a point-at-the-rednecks-and-laugh kinda way.

I mean that supposedly, if it doesn’t come from Bourbon County, Kentucky, it ain’t really “bourbon“. Though, unlike the AOC laws in France, it doesn’t technically have to come from that county to be labeled “bourbon”, just fit the government-mandated criteria, and be from anywhere in the US.

And, that really brings me to Maker’s Mark. Although it’s seeped in Kentucky tradition, it’s just kind of a brand that goes against the grain (or rye *cringes coyly at bad pun*). It’s not made in Bourbon County. Unlike a lot of other popular American whiskies of the era, there’s no rye in it. They are one of the few American bourbons to take the US government declared, albeit Scottish-influenced spelling of “whisky”. And, they don’t just seek consumers, they turn them into brand Ambassadors.

So, through the work I do I had the fortune to meet Barry Younkie, Global Marketing Director at Maker’s Mark, some years back. Barry, one of the brains behind Maker’s Ambassador program, was helping us on a project that was geared around creating a brand community of our own for a client. Barry helped me understand the often immeasurable ROI value of converting your customers into your biggest fans, and your biggest fans into your biggest brand ambassadors. These consumers will go beyond the average use case and actually carry the torch for your brand. They become evangelists. They spread the word.

What Maker’s Mark does with their Ambassador community shows a commitment by continually investing to provide the members of that community tools to help spread the brand message. Along with monthly email updates containing info like recipes (both drink and culinary), updates on the status of your personalized barrel of Maker’s Mark–you get your name on a barrel when joining and the opportunity to visit it or purchase a bottle from that batch, and more; the brand also follows up with direct mail pieces like pictured below.

Each year around the holidays, they send out some special promotion to help you spread the word and share with your friends and family.

2008 Direct Mail Package: Your own personal Maker’s Mark stamp like they make the iconic bottle top with.

personal Maker's Mark seal

2009 Direct Mail Package: Gift wrapping materials

Maker's Mark gift bags

This sounds to me like a brand with a sense of Community to me.