Why BMW and Woodford Reserve Keep Coming Back to the Kentucky Derby

When fans arrive at Churchill Downs for the 149th Kentucky Derby, it’ll be in the most luxurious cars wearing opulent clothing and awaiting a sip of decadent cocktails.

If companies want their brand stamped on all of those facets of the race, they have to show up to Louisville each year.

Casey Ramage, vice president of marketing, brand and partnerships at Churchill Downs, noted that the 30 minutes of average down time between each Kentucky Derby race are just as important to brands as the two minutes of action in between. The event’s brand partners become an integral part of the guest experience at Churchill Downs, with Kroger regularly fashioning the Derby’s red rose garland, Vineyard Vines showing off its Derby-inspired collection, Brown-Forman’s Finlandia vodka brand serving the Oaks Lily and its Woodford Reserve and Old Forester whiskey brands serving mint juleps.

This year, 16 of the event’s more than 50 sponsors have returned for a repeat engagement. Like the event itself, they’re attempting to put a new spin on a grand tradition.

“While our fans look forward to revisiting past memorable experiences, we also welcome guests from around the world seeking a trendsetting stage of what’s next in sports and entertainment,” Ramage said. “With that said, we work closely with our brand partners (new and returning) to create a familiar yet fresh and exciting event for all guests.”

Adweek spoke with a handful of the returning Kentucky Derby brands to get their take on what keeps them in the race and how they feel their loyalty puts them ahead of the pack.

Brown-Forman

Woodford Reserve returns as the Derby’s presenting partner, while Old Forester still sponsors the Turtle Derby, a streamed turtle race fans can bet on through DraftKings.

Woodford Reserve unveiled a 95-foot bar at the Homestretch Club last year, but this year offers a $1,000 mint julep marquee activation tied to the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby win. The juleps are served in limited-editor gold and silver cups featuring sapphires and an engraving of Secretariat’s triumph. All proceeds benefit the Secretariat Foundation, but the lavish display and the reputation it confers upon the brand are what keep Brown-Forman and Woodford coming back.

“The world’s greatest spectacle of food, fashion, cocktails and thoroughbreds,” said Mark Bacon, svp and marketing managing director of Woodford Reserve. “Our Derby partnership is a key strategy that helps make Woodford Reserve the top-selling super-premium American whiskey in the world.”

Old Forester, meanwhile, returns with both its standard mint julep and a French Mint Julep with a hint of black raspberry.

Homme+Femme

This 10-year-old Los Angeles streetwear brand steeps its offerings in nostalgia, but does its homework on their history.

Drew Evans, the Homme+Femme’s owner and design director, brought his brand to the Derby for the first time in 2022 and immersed himself in the culture of Churchill Downs and Louisville itself. He dove into the lineage of African-American horsemen and used this year’s line to tell the story of the African-American community’s impact on the Derby.

“Seeing the reaction to year one gives my team and I so much confidence as we head into the 149th race,” he said. “Being invited back by Churchill Downs and the Derby is a blessing and I don’t take it for granted.”

Evans took his time at the event to better understand the Derby and its culture and to “find our common ground.” The letterman jackets, hoodies, T-shirts, hats and blazers draw their palate from the Derby’s official logo, and Evans notes that the spectrum of this year’s insignia gave him a lot more to work with as he tweaked designs and branding. 

“I would best describe it as southern hospitality mixed with church folks Sunday best attire and kids wanting to show off their outfits on the first day of school,” he said.

Evans noted that being among the 50 or so Derby sponsors for the second-straight year has given him and his team more confidence and increases the brand’s ability to share the African-American community’s Derby history. Aside from being a source of pride, it also brings Homme+Femme into a circle of aspirational luxury brands that helps make Churchill downs “a world of its own on that first Friday and Saturday of May.” 

BMW North America

After showcasing its 7 Series and its all-electric i7 at the Derby in 2022, BMW returns this year with a little more under the hood. Marcus Casey, vice president of marketing for BMW North America, noted that it’s a lot easier to sell a premium automobile like the all-electric BMW iX “sports activity vehicle” when people have a chance to see and experience it up close.

“The Kentucky Derby is a first-class event attended by passionate, driven fans and it is an ideal platform on which to both showcase BMW’s electrified lineup and forge personal connections,” Casey said.

Broderick McKinney, vice president of BMW North America’s central region, pointed out that the company considered last year’s Kentucky Derby appearance such a success—fourth-quarter sales of the 7 Series increased 20% from a year earlier—that the automaker decided to debut its XM sports activity vehicle at this year’s event.

 “The Kentucky Derby embodies excitement and a tradition of performance, attributes which align well with the BMW brand,” McKinney said.

Lusso Style

In 2022, the St.Louis-based luxury sports boutique came to the Derby with a denim jacket made with Swarovski crystals. 

That went over so well that, this year, Lusso ARTboss Drea Ranek said the boutique is bringing an entire “luxe lab” to Churchill Downs’ museum store. Lusso plans to customize jackets and fleece with Derby-inspired patches in chenille, metallics and Swarovski crystal.

While it functions like a pop-up boutique, Ranek hopes the lab will “will become a Churchill Downs tradition for years to come.”