Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands has announced a new media partnership with men’s magazine Esquire for premium whiskey Woodford Reserve.
Themed as the search for the Great American Cocktail, it aims to drive brand awareness among the brand’s core target audience of men aged 25 to 35. It runs from January until March and also includes an incentive for bartenders to win a trip to Manhattan.
Supported by Brown-Forman’s new American whiskey ambassador Tom Vernon, it is designed as a search for the Great American Cocktail in three iconic US cities, New York, Chicago and Seattle.
Coverage will feature the cities’ most renowned bars and look at what makes a classic whiskey cocktail that will stand the test of time. It will run in the magazine and on its website, including videos.
The magazine’s website will host the “Woodford Reserve Barfinder” encouraging consumers to “check in” at participating bars using social networking app Foursquare. If they check in at three different bars, they are entered into a competition to win a trip to Manhattan.
Woodford Reserve will also be working with 100 selected on-trade outlets to raise awareness of the brand among bartenders and drive rate of sale.
Selected outlets will be provided with tools to activate “American Cocktail” promotions, including menus and point-of-sale materials.
The outlet that secures the highest rate-of-sale from a range of Woodford Reserve cocktails, such as the Manhattan, Julep, Old Fashioned and Kentucky Mule, will win a weekend in New York.
Ffion Jones, brand manager for super-premium American whiskeys at Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands, said: “The recent resurgence of classic American whiskey cocktails, inspired by series such as Man Men and Boardwalk Empire, have resurrected the vintage glamour and sophistication of urban American culture, which is at the heart of the Woodford Reserve brand.
“We’re confident our new partnerships with Esquire and Foursquare will raise brand awareness amongst our target audience of 25- to 35-year-old men and drive purchase.
“We recommend that bartenders who haven’t already tapped into the American whiskey trend, stock up on Woodford Reserve to drive sales and make the most of the increased awareness the partnership is set to bring.”
