“He and the leadership team at Doe-Anderson struck a bond that they were going to story tell…It was going to be in a very focused way—treat customers like their friend,” said Rob Samuels.
Bill Sr. was conscious of not doing traditional marketing, so early on, Doe-Anderson brought together his closest friends and asked them to describe Bill Sr. Those letters were different and fun, telling quirky, personal stories. Rob Samuels, at nine years old, even wrote an effective ad.
Even as the brand has grown exponentially and other agencies and influencer partners were added to the roster, Doe-Anderson has remained a constant keeper of the brand’s story.
“As we bring other agencies in to bring us new, fresh thinking and learning in the digital landscape and ecosystem, it’s Doe-Anderson, that always keeps us grounded,” said Hall, who added that the agency is its immersion partner, meaning that anyone who works on the brand must spend a significant amount of time at Star Hill Farm, where the product is made, and with Doe-Anderson understanding the history, the value system and the connection to the consumer.
Another effort is “Glass to Garden,” which places glass pulverizers at Kroger stores that turn old bottles into sand to build community gardens.
Doe-Anderson is quick to point out that if it weren’t for the vision of Bill Sr. and Bill Jr., who saw their bourbon as being able to reach beyond the Bluegrass State in innovative ways, the brand wouldn’t have had the success of today.
“Bill (Jr.) was a great marketer himself and had a very clear vision for what he wanted to build the brand into,” said Todd Spencer, executive chairman at Doe-Anderson, who has been on the Maker’s Mark account for 30 years.