Time for Thoroughbreds and Redheads

It's time for the 7th Annual Maker's Mark Thoroughbreds and Redheads event and I can't wait!  When 90% of your family lives in Kentucky, you learn to appreciate whisky, college basketball, horse racing, cornbread, and fried chicken.  And, when most of your family lives in Loretto, Kentucky which is home to the Maker's Mark distillery, you just love Maker's Mark.

So what's this got to do with marketing today?  Well, four years ago (I know this because I just got an anniversary e-card), a Boston friend of mine who comes to my Kentucky Derby party every year, signed me up to be a Maker's Mark ambassador.  My responsibility - get free gifts from time to time, attend cool events, and tell my friends about Maker's Mark.  No hardship there.  While I've seen this brand of whisky that I've got a personal connection to on the top shelf behind the bar in London, Boston, New York City, and all sorts of places, it was amazing to me that Boston yuppies were joining the Maker's Mark loyalty program and spreading the good word.

The Thoroughbreds and Redheads Event

As part of being an ambassador, I get invited to a wonderful two day event that Maker's Mark runs in Kentucky.  Last year, I attended the 6th annual "Thoroughbreds and Redheads" for the first time with my folks who have retired to Louisville.  Boy, did we have fun!  On Day 1, we headed out to Lexington, and took a drive around the horse farms before heading over to Keeneland where Maker's Mark was rewarding their loyal fans with a day at the races complete with Maker's Mark giveaways and our first bet already paid for!  The best part of the day - the Maker's Mark Mile - a one-mile horse race on turf for horses four years and older.  I even managed to leave the track $28 ahead!

On Day 2, my folks and I headed out to Loretto - home to Maker's Mark and the town my mother grew up in.  We picked up my 90-year-old grandmother who lives a mile down the road from the distillery and we headed over for lunch and a tour of the distillery.  Having lived in Loretto since she was married 70 years ago, my grandmother (known to others as "Miz Grace") is like an empress as she knows most of the folks who work at Maker's Mark because she watched them grow up.  We had great fun eating Kentucky ham and listening to local bluegrass band "Kentucky Blue" who sang that crowd pleasing favorite "Always Marry an Ugly Girl" (because when she leaves you, you won't care) and "The Good Old Mountain Dew," an ode to moonshine, before we took our tour.

My dad and I had a chat with the event coordinator, Emily, about the crowd.  She said that almost 4,000 people signed up for the two-day event from all over the United States - even as far as Boston (we know who that was).  As my dad and I stood in the gift shop line, we struck up conversations with a few folks who were shifting stacks of t-shirts, specialty cigars, and golf jackets in their arms.  Most of them were empty nesters who loved Maker's Mark and didn't mind driving down from Chicago or Cleveland or Indiana to have a fun time at this two day event while drinking some Maker's Mark along the way.

This year, it looks like the event will be even bigger.  I know that I'll be bringing three friends with me who can't wait to go.  Not sure if they think they're headed to Green Acres or Mayberry, but it will be interesting to collect their impressions through out the weekend as we head from event to event.  And, I know my grandmother is looking forward to it as well.

Old Brand Tries New Media

And, for me, it's interesting to watch a brand like Maker's Mark, which has been a part of my life for a long time, branch out into new media and loyalty events.  This past February, Maker's Mark started a blog which I really enjoy reading.  They've always had great ads, but some of their new guerrilla marketing tactics - like wrapping a soda machine at an airport like a Maker's Mark bottle with a "You Wish" message at the top make me chuckle, and I even use the recipes they send me via e-mail from time to time.  And, have you heard DaDip?  It's a rap video posted up on YouTube about dipping a bottle of Maker's Mark into red wax and it's pretty clever. 

As an ambassador, I've event got a whisky barrel with my name on it somewhere in Loretto.  When it's time to bottle that whisky up, I'm going to get an e-mail so that I can buy straight from my own personal batch.  But for now, it's off to the races for me!

Comments

[Jason Falls]

Hey there! Great post. Look for me at the Mile ... I'll be the blog geek running around with a video camera. Emily et. al. will know where to find me.

[Bridget]

Please come and find me as well...I am the one that runs the Ambassador program and plans this fun filled weekend each year...it would be great to meet you...Bridget

[Scott Monty]

While I didn't make it to the event, I am a fellow marketing blogger and ambassador who lives in the greater Boston area. Good to know that we're multiplying!