Bourbon on Television

[**DONOTDELETE**]

We have discussed the self imposed regulation that the industry placed on itself after prohibition and it looks likr another one has bitten the dust. Brown-Forman has started to advertise Jack Daniel's on television locally on Sunday during football games. The surprising thing is that there has been very little outcry from the public. There was an article in the Courier-Journal about the ads last week but no general protest from the public. Personally I feel it is about time distilled spirits get equal time with the beer companies. I just hope that the bourbon ads never get as "dumbed down" as the beer ads.

Mike Veach

[RyanStotz]

Mike:

> Brown-Forman has started to advertise Jack Daniel's on television locally on
> Sunday during football games.

Sweet Jesus! I'm surprised this hasn't been big news in our current atmosphere of "We must protect the children!" and assorted nonsense.

> The surprising thing is that there has been very little outcry from the
> public.

It is surprising, but then again when there is already an abundance of liquor ads in magazines, newspapers, billboards, etc., who's going to notice them showing up on TV? I doubt many people ever noticed that there weren't liqour ads on TV.

> Personally I feel it is about time distilled spirits get equal time with the
> beer companies.

Amen, brother. But I do see price hikes as being necessary to support this expensive method of advertising.

> I just hope that the bourbon ads never get as "dumbed down" as the beer ads.

Don't get those hopes up too high. Ever see the single malt ads they run on UK TV? Not so far removed from our T&A Bud commercials stateside. Long as they don't change the whiskey I'll just accept it as an inevitable sign of "progress".

Stotz

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Ryan,
I don't think that we will see too much of a dumb down factor for a while because they will keep the ads classy until it is more familiar in the public eye. Prohibition still cast its long shadow on the industry and there are people who would love to jump on the "think of the children" bandwagon.
Mike Veach

[cowdery]

My theory for why there hasn't been much public outcry is that most people aren't consciously aware that spirits have never been advertised in the broadcast media in the past. If the industry continues to be smart about it I don't think there will be any big outburst. For the most part, broadcast media will be limited to brands and products that are competing for "share of stomach" with other mass-marketed beverages like beer, cheap wine, and soft drinks. That's why Kahlua is out there selling its pre-mixed cocktails. We're unlikely to see Booker Noe on TV hawking Distiller's Masterpiece.

--Chuck Cowdery

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Chuck,
To a point I agree with you. I do think that you may see the premium and super premium brands on television eventually but only in a low keyed dignified manner. I see this happening because the media is simply too tempting not to use for these brands that are the real money makers for the companies. They may only make a dollar a case off the cheap brands so they do have to sell in them in great volume but they also have the least amount to spend on this expensive media. I think you are more likely to see a television ad for Very Old Barton than Ten High.
Mike Veach

[Theron Volkman]

Let's hope that they don't significantly lower the quality of bourbon like I think they have beer. It's my opinion that most of the
large commercial breweries produce a cheap swill that is made for people that don't really like the taste of beer. The smaller
"micro-brewers" produce a much more flavorfull variety of beer.

Don't drink yellow beer!
Theron

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The bourbon industry already tried a "light" whiskey and it flopped worse than one of Linn's jokes. I don't think we need to worry too much about the industry lowering the standards because of television. The main reason that quality will stay high is because they can get a better price for a higher quality product.
Mike Veach

[**DONOTDELETE**]

On the surface, I would agree that the nature of bourbon is unlikely to change for the worse in order to accomodate a market attracted via television. But the more thought I give to it, the less sure I am.

First of all, I'd really be surprised to find an "As Seen on TV" sticker on bourbon anytime soon, anyway. These guys are so terrified of what Prohibition taught them (both the Volstead act and the more recent tobacco experiences) that they'll probably be the LAST to risk television ads. I think we'll see Scotch ads before we see ads for Bourbon.

But the first will probably be Rum, because it appeals to a wide variety of folks who like the myriad of fruitjuicy cocktails you can make with it. It ties in with Carribbean cruises and Florida beach parties. The image that seems to work best for a television audience is "Let your hair down, destroy your cellphone/laptop/pager, crank up the tunes, and party your face off. No rules. Just right." Actually, not such a bad idea at times. But hardly what the bourbon industry is currently promoting as its image. Horses, antique club rooms filled with fat leather upholstered chairs and fireplaces, men in suits with cigars sipping from snifters. These images went over pretty well on television in the fifties.

But I doubt it'll ever be that way again. I think Theron may have a point... IF the bourbon marketers want to attract a television-based market, it will need to be a very different market than they're currently courting. And it would probably respond better to cleverly promoted drinks CONTAINING bourbon (perhaps marketed through franchised fun-type restaurant/bars such as Bennigan's, Chili's, or Red Lobster) than to straight bourbon itself. If that means most of America will think of bourbon the way they now do of Budweiser or Miller, so be it. The good stuff will still be here for us. After all, if it weren't for Bud, Wise, Er, and Miller-Time, would we even HAVE micro breweries today?

=John=
http://w3.one.net/~jeffelle/whiskey

[tdelling]

>But the first will probably be Rum, because it appeals to a wide variety of folks who like the myriad of fruitjuicy cocktails you can make with it.

My prediction is that tequilla will be the first spirit (if any) to really advertise on TV. I think that the margarita is a very popular party drink which is popular among women as well as men, and (most importantly) has a "fun" image that can be played up on TV. Personally, I don't think that rum has (or can be given) an image that can be played up on TV.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I think you are missing my point here by arguing who is going to be the first to advertise on TV. Jack Daniel's is already doing it here in Louisville and Seagrams had been doing it down in Texas with Crown Royal for several years. The first has already happened.
Mike Veach