Whiskey Distillery 1
Jim Beam Makes History With New Global Campaign
11 March 2014: Maxxium UK is launching Jim Beam’s new global campaign, Make History in the UK this month. The first multi-media global campaign for the world’s number one bourbon begins with a new television commercial featuring the brand’s new spokesperson, award-nominated actress Mila Kunis. With significant trade support and activation throughout the year, Make History is a ground-breaking initiative that inspires consumers to make their own mark in history in the same way Jim Beam has.
The TV advertising, which features the Hollywood actress, will break in the UK on 16 March with 30-second ads across multiple media channels such as ITV, Channel 4 and Sky. The campaign also includes online and digital advertising underpinned by PR.
From its humble beginnings as the first bourbon produced in 1795 to becoming the number one bourbon in the UK and across the globe, Jim Beam’s inspirational story is the motivation behind Make History. With taglines focused on encouraging consumers to Make History such as We’ve Made Our History Now Make Yours!, Come As A Friend, Leave As Family and Be The Story Others Tell, the campaign will deliver unprecedented visibility across the trade.
Make History will be activated across the off-trade, including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose. In store visibility is key with eye-catching displays and innovative POS. The iconic Jim Beam Stillhouse is also being used as an important visual element across the retail trade, with replicas on display in the top Jim Beam depots across the country. The campaign will be heavily supported in depot with POS and retailer incentives and reinforced with a strong Make History presence online.
Consumers can win their chance to make history with on-pack promotions offering trips to the US including the Ultimate Road Trip across America. The activity in the off-trade will also be supported with in-store sampling.
The campaign will be activated in the on-trade with Make History kits to drive awareness and promote the Ultimate Road Trip competition. This will be complemented with a range of high-quality POS items as well as tent cards, posters, seasonal Make History Jim Beam serves and glassware. Bartenders will be supported through bourbon education sessions with training conducted by mixxit, Maxxium UK’s expert cocktail team. Bartenders can also take part in a Jim Beam Make History challenge, which will reward the winner with an historic Jim Beam experience.
Jim Beam’s rich history of producing bourbon goes back over 200 years. Jim Beam has continued to make history by being a pioneer in the category, recruiting consumers through innovation. Red Stag by Jim Beam was the first flavoured bourbon, launched in 2011. This was followed in 2012 by the first honey-infused bourbon to arrive in the UK, Jim Beam Honey. This commitment has resulted in strong Jim Beam performance across the UK trade with volume +13% year on year with +20.2% growth in the on-trade and +11.7% in the off-trade1.
Maxxium UK’s Marketing Controller for Imported Whiskey, Eileen Livingston says: “The UK is one of the largest markets in Europe for Jim Beam and Make History is set to make 2014 an historic year for the brand. Make History embodies the story of Jim Beam and the seven generations of Beam distillers who have been proud of their history, yet keen to make history of their own — innovating ahead of their peers and cementing the brand’s standing as a category leader.
“We are excited to introduce the new campaign to the UK and delighted to welcome Mila Kunis to the Beam family! In 2014 we will share a little of our own history while also encouraging consumers to follow in our footsteps and be inspired to make their own history.
“Our Jim Beam family of products is diverse and appeals to many consumers. This year we are determined to fuel the category growth in the UK even further by supporting the needs of customers across the on- and off-trade with our Make History campaign. This is the right time to execute an initiative of this scale and the year ahead is set to create momentous events for both Jim Beam and our customers.”
For more information, please contact: Jennifer Cirillo or Simone Harvey
Tel: 020 8544 6917 or e-mail
: j.cirillo@lime-pr.co.uk, s.harvey@lime-pr.co.uk
