Developed a comprehensive marketing audit for client Jim Beam Bourbon during time as Content Strategy Intern with PXP's Studios under the Publicis Groupe.
Purpose: Exploring similar alcohol brands adjacent to Jim Beam through a thorough analysis, aiming to identify strengths and weaknesses of and overall efforts in participation in cultural trends, partnerships, lifestyle/studio content, and engagement metrics via social media. In doing so we can identify key strategies we can implement in Jim Beam’s social strategy to bolster performance efforts while capturing true integrity of brand loyalty.
Investigated brands: Budweiser, Crown Royal, Jack Daniels, Oak and Eden, Jameson, Jager
Direction:
Look at what [brands] do well & what they don’t - is there anything Jim Beam can learn from them? Anything we should be doing that they’re doing?
Do they take part in culture/trends?
What partnerships do they have?
Is their content lifestyle or studio shot?
Any content that stands out to you?
Do they have good engagement (likes, comments, shares) on their posts?
Analysis:
SWOT Analysis: A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to identify internal strengths and weaknesses of the company compared to competitors
Brand Perception and Positioning: Assessing how competitors are perceived in the market and how they position themselves relative to the company's brand helps in understanding competitive advantages and areas for differentiation.
Marketing Strategies Comparison: Leaning into competitors' marketing strategies helps in understanding their approach to promotion. Identifying into successful marketing practices and innovations can inspire new ideas and strategies for the Jim Beam to adopt
Jim Beam should take inspiration from Oak and Eden’s fresh Western creative direction apparent through their social media. In Jim Beam's efforts to captivate Gen Z and younger Millennial audiences, adopting a similar approach to branding aesthetics could significantly enhance their visibility among these new demographics, as Jim Beam as a brand wants to adopt a more new-wave western aesthetic in photo/video assets.
Also would be a fun idea to eventually come up with a custom Jim Beam bottle for special events, particularly marketed around the holiday season. Like Oak and Eden's partnership with Cheeky Cocktails, which featured collaborative cocktail kits for Valentine's Day, Jim Beam could offer customers the opportunity to design their own distinctive packaging. This could include personalized labels with names or special messages, making it a perfect gift for a loved one. This initiative aligns seamlessly with Jim Beam's "People are Good for You" tagline, emphasizing the idea that their bourbon is best enjoyed together. This theme of togetherness should be woven throughout the campaign to reinforce the brand's message, although should be considered down the line once Jim Beam has continued to demonstrate high social performance in the future.
To further the appeal to Gen Z, Jim Beam could incorporate memes and native TikTok language, blending humor into their social strategy. By integrating humor subtly and ensuring it is digestible for users who are not as familiar with Gen Z vernacular, Jim Beam can still maintain its core identity without losing its essence. For inspiration, they can turn to older, traditional liquor brands like Jameson in their approach to social. Despite its 240-year history in leading Irish Whisky, Jameson has successfully used some light-hearted humor and interactive content in their social media marketing, striking a balance between modern appeal and their long-standing, trustworthy brand image. At the same time, too much of an adventurous approach adjacent to Jager’s social strategy wouldn’t be well received by Beam’s audience.
Furthermore, Jim Beam could benefit from creating an inspiring user-generated content (UGC) ad campaign, along with more lifestyle-than-talent-featured photoshoots. For example, Jameson collaborated with @FleetwoodJack to produce a heartfelt video that featured overlaying text about the meaning of family, capturing incredible experiences, and showcasing beautiful sunset shots and people laughing and adventuring together. They also created an iPhone compilation video, which received significant comment traction due to its authentic message and cinematography. While video content has underperformed for Jim Beam on platforms like Facebook, a shift towards a more universal and heartfelt message—emphasizing the good times that come with enjoying Jim Beam—could potentially resonate more effectively than purely promotional content focused on flavors/new products.
Regarding social content, Jim Beam can turn to Budweiser for post inspiration. Be My Valentine" playlist for Valentine's Day, which featured curated songs, and their playful iPhone-themed posts like “iPhone storage full” due to an abundance of Budweiser pictures in the camera roll. Additionally, Budweiser's event-packed calendar posts for the Tomorrowland festival demonstrate creative and personalized advertising methods. These techy approaches focus on engaging and relatable content, rather than overt promotional product efforts.
For Jim Beam’s successful social ventures, it should continue to tap into live music/music industry events like sponsoring large festivals and working with country/folk artists. This seems to be among the most successful activations in driving engagement and spurring conversation in comments. Like Jim Beam’s partnership with USA soccer, it would be beneficial to see even further association in the sports world, particularly with the Savannah Bananas or other entertainment-driven sports leagues.
Overall, Jim Beam has established pillars (brand love, cultural relevance, liquid desirability) that are exhibited well via its social strategy, content, and CM. It would be great to harness more authentic and light-hearted creative and strategy assets to bolster performance while still maintaining the balance of the brand’s true integrity and loyalty to its craft.
Selects from Audit including mentioned brand competitors:
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