Jack Daniel’s Marketing Magic

Utilizing an excerpt from the book “Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies” by Jim Stengel, the Fortune magazine article “Jack Daniel’s Marketing Magic” explains how the whisky company was able to successfully penetrate the global spirts market without losing the brands original ideals. Jim Stengel presents the idea that leveraging ideals can lead to growth in market share, an increase in profit, and longevity within an industry. He elucidates his point through elaborating on how the company had continued success after the death of the company’s founder Jack Daniel’s. When Jack Daniel’s nephew acquired the company, he continued to keep the core ideals of the company’s founder intact. Leveraging these ideals positioned the company to become the leading whisky distributor worldwide.

Jack Daniel’s Whisky company utilized a business level strategy of differentiation to find success in the industry of spirts. The company’s product differentiation is reflected in their unique distilling process and marketing strategy. Innovating a distilling process that utilized high quality materials in conjunction with a production processes that under-utilized the potential of its raw materials, Jack Daniel’s produced a premium whisky that set itself apart from their competitors. The under-utilization of raw materials enhanced the quality of JD whisky flavor. Additionally, JD’s unconventional marketing strategy was a major contributor to the differentiation of their whisky. The company’s advertisements strayed away from a focus on luxury in lieu of the company’s core ideals. While other brands used a luxury image of high society, JD placed emphasis on their brands consistent quality and used an image that represented the working class, which set them apart from their competitors.