Abstract

The case discusses the principles of marketing and the evolution of marketing strategies of a Kentucky-based bourbon company, Maker’s Mark. The company, which started as a small operation, evolved into the official distilled spirit of U.S. over the years. The company adopted various marketing principles and followed the marketing code of its parent company, Beam. Maker’s Mark became distinctive through its signature hand dripped red wax seal. Maker’s Mark believed in creating connections with its fans and staying connected with them. Therefore, all its marketing activities were customer centric. The company relied heavily on online and offline word-of-mouth marketing. Moreover, this bourbon maker had evolved from a no-marketing company to a promotion savvy one. Maker’s Mark had been running an Ambassador Loyalty Program, where the loyal members were called ‘Ambassadors’ and were given special privileges. The case also revolves around a dilemma faced by Maker’s Mark due to increasing demand for the bourbon in the national and international markets. There were limited options available for the company to manage the demand due to the long ageing process of the bourbon.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the marketing principles adopted by Maker’s Mark.
• Understand the issues and challenges in creating a brand and evolving it over time.
• Understand the reasons for the brand developing such a loyal customer base.
• Analyze the digital marketing initiative of Maker’s Mark.
• Critically analyze the ‘It Is What It Isn’t’ Campaign.

Keywords

Principles of marketing, Evolution of a brand, Loyalty program, Ambassador Loyalty Program, Manage demand, Manage shortage, Advertisements, Print ads, TV advertisement, Publicity, Digital marketing, Social media, Brand Management, Branding, Brand differentiators, Marketing code, Marketing strategies, Bourbon industry,