Viva’s Blog: Jack Daniel’s gets it

Do you?

Touring Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg, TN, is the ultimate brand experience.

From their iconic web site, www.jackdaniels.com, to arriving at their sole distillery in the world (see the welcome sign below), to adventuring across the picturesque footbridge to town and the Lynchburg General Store, you’re bathed in Jack Daniel’s. Unlike the Hershey chocolate factory tour in PA, which is sterile and impersonal, this one invites you into their world – their production process where you can literally smell their brand.

The experience is authentic, consistent and fun. It’s a must do for marketers. (And, face it; we’re all marketing something – whether it’s you, the latest gadgetry, or a video on youtube.)

Authentic: Jack Daniel’s continues to make “Tennessee whiskey” today like it did when Jack was running the show over a hundred years ago. Visitors lean over a real vat of “sour mash” to smell the vinegar-like odor critical to Jack Daniel’s taste. We watched as sugar maples were burned to create the special maple charcoal through which Tennessee whiskey is filtered. Sure, it’s a business, but they’ve masterfully shared their history so it touched our hearts, and created intensely loyal brand ambassadors.

Consistent: Just like the bottle labels haven’t changed in 50 years, neither has the logo, the brand colors, or even the history! Kudos to the Brown-Forman Corporation who bought the company and didn’t change the soul of the brand.

Fun: Jack Daniel’s makes whiskey fun. True to the brand, the tour was a blast. It started with our merry guide, Ron, who, not coincidently, is a professional entertainer. (Ron happily posed for the picture below.) Ron didn’t recite the story of Jack Daniel’s, he brought it to life. Ron wove engaging anecdotes from Jack’s life as an invitation to take part in his world. He helped do what few marketers can – he engaged his customers on an emotional level. That’s how you build a winning brand.

Touring the Jack Daniel’s Distillery is a must do. They get branding. Do you?