Doe Anderson - Building Brand Enthusiasts
We even have our own brand enthusiasts. How else could we have grown into the nation's 5th oldest independent brand builder. Read what a few of them are saying.
Word of mouth is a key strategy, as fans of the product can often become de facto brand ambassadors who spread the gospel to others.
- Wendy Melillo,
"Underdog Spirit", AdWeek
The word 'remarkable' means worth making a remark about. If a company is remarked on, it gets past all the spam filters. If something is remarked on, the word spreads, the idea spreads... [Brands like theirs] don't need to sell to everybody. They just need to sell to a few people who really care about what they're doing... [Louisville] has the kind of culture in which people can really cause change to happen by approaching the world in a different way.
- Seth Godin, Author,
Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside, and All Marketers Are Liars
They're the best in class at cultivating brand fans... They've been able to get an incredibly high amount of talk.
- Rory Finlay, Global Chief Marketing Officer,
Beam Global Spirits, "To build buzz... Beam's all talk," AdAge
Maker's Mark bourbon whisky has a very sophisticated ambassador program that takes its relationship with talkers to the next level.
- Andy Sernovitz,
Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking
By not talking to people who are not interested, we don't waste anyone's time. The main reason we succeeded is because we didn't try to punch the peanut up the hill. We went around the hill and only talked to people interested in what we were doing.
- Bill Samuels, Jr., President,
Maker's Mark
There's a saying, "Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow."
In 1915 in Louisville, Kentucky, Mr. Doe and Mr. Anderson believed the same could be said for growing mighty brands. And one simple typographer's symbol later, the acorn starting revealing a wealth of insights we've never forgotten.
First, there are no shortcuts in growing a brand. Cracking open an acorn doesn't give you an oak tree. And cracking one clever ad campaign doesn't make a strong brand. It takes seasons of growth.
You can't grow a tree from the top down, nor a brand. Only by starting at the grass roots can real growth begin. That's why having a word-of-mouth marketing program is so important, and so effective.
Environment is critical. If you create an inviting experience where customers feel at home, they'll not only put down deep roots, they'll invite their friends to join them, and grow your brand exponentially.
Life is a never-ending cycle. Only repeating growth ensures survival. By continually planting new seeds of opportunity, a brand is able to grow in a predictable way. Fortunately, it offers both quick, green growth, and a long-term system for more.
And since 1915, the acorn has done exactly what it is designed to do -- grow.