Jim Beam(R) Bourbon Captures 210 Years of Authenticity in First-Ever National TV Ad Campaign

Jim Beam(R) Bourbon Captures 210 Years of Authenticity in First-Ever National TV Ad Campaign

'Change' Signals New Era for Jim Beam Bourbon Advertising

DEERFIELD, Ill., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's number one selling bourbon, Jim Beam(R), this week launched its first-ever national television campaign. Entitled "Change," the :30 second spot captures 210 years of authenticity, integrity, and tradition. http://screeningroom.bbdo.com/jimbeam

The television commercial incorporates the positioning established by the print campaign "The Stuff Inside Matters Most," which debuted in 2004. It draws inspiration from the fact that a 210-year old recipe, handed down through seven generations of Beam family members, is still used today to make the world's #1 bourbon. A double-entendre, "The Stuff Inside Matters Most" refers literally to the quality and consistency of the liquid inside the bottle, and metaphorically to the values shared by the brand and its target consumers.

"Proprietary research tells us that authenticity and integrity are values that are important to our core target audience of males 25 to 34 years old. When it comes to a person's character, it's what's on the inside that counts," says Keith Neumann, Marketing Director, Jim Beam bourbon. "Our target consumers have the self-conviction and the self-confidence to remain true to themselves.

"They are not easily impressionable, nor are they vulnerable to short-lived shifts in trends or fashion. Our consumers are confident enough in who they are to stand by their preferences and opinions.

"Jim Beam bourbon is a brand that is built on these same characteristics. Its history, heritage, and tradition are integral to the relationship the brand has with consumers today," says Neumann. "'Change' captures these principles, and reinforces the values shared by the brand and its target audience."

Overview of the Jim Beam bourbon TV Commercial

Jim Beam bourbon's heritage is at the root of "Change". It depicts a barrel of Jim Beam bourbon being rolled through a rack house after its aging process has been completed. As the barrel is rolled, the workers and the environment change subtly to depict different eras in the brand's history.

The passing of time is denoted by technical and artistic components. The look and feel of each period is characterized by one of four different film stocks (black and white, early color, color and cinematic film stock); special wardrobe, facial and hair treatments; authentic, era-specific rack-house tools; and historically accurate barrel and rack-house recreations, right down to the aged wood.

Throughout the :30 second spot a single voiceover declares: "Whoever Said Change is Good, Knows Squat About Making Bourbon. For 210 years, we've stayed true to the Beam family recipe. Here's to Stubbornness." It culminates with the tag-line, "The Stuff Inside Matters Most."

"Our first-ever television commercial does a great job bringing the Jim Beam brand to life," says Neumann. "The historic and story-telling nature of the commercial is educational and visually powerful. At the same time, the toast to stubbornness is a nod to the fact that we don't take ourselves too seriously. We're having a bit of fun with this too."

The commercial comes as Jim Beam gains momentum in the marketplace. Since the launch of the 2004 print campaign, growth for Jim Beam is ahead of the bourbon category overall for 2004. And over the years, Jim Beam bourbon has enjoyed a strong track record of staying relevant and vital to consumers throughout the ages.

"It's the only spirits brand that has made it to the Adams Top Ten Spirits List every year, from 1960 when the list began, to the present day," says Neumann. "We have every confidence that 'Change' will increase top-of-mind brand awareness and continue to make Jim Beam even more relevant to today's target consumers."

The campaign debuts the week of September 5th on various cable networks including Comedy Central, Discovery and Spike. It will run on shows that best fit the brand positioning. The media buy exceeds the distilled spirits industry's voluntary commitment that legal-purchase age adults comprise not less than 70% of the viewing audience, and the commercial concludes with Jim Beam Brands Co.'s drink smart(TM) message.

The Jim Beam bourbon advertising campaigns for print and television were created by BBDO Chicago. Examples of the print campaign can be found at http://www.jimbeam.com/ . For a copy of the commercial, or a four-minute behind-the-scenes video of the making of the commercial, please contact Sarah Devaney, PR Director, Jim Beam Brands Co.

About Jim Beam Brands

Jim Beam Brands Co. is an operating company of Jim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc., the fourth largest spirits company in the world. With nine of the world's top-100 premium spirits in its portfolio, the company's brands hold global leadership positions in key categories, including Jim Beam(R) bourbon; Canadian Club(R) Canadian whisky; Courvoisier(R) cognac, Laphroaig(R) Scotch and Sauza(R) tequila, together with national and regional leaders such as DeKuyper(R) cordials in the United States, Whisky DYC in Spain and Teacher's(R) Scotch in the UK. Jim Beam Brands is also a top-five super-premium wine company in the U.S., with Clos du Bois(R), the number two super-premium wine brand and the award-winning Geyser Peak(R). Jim Beam Brands Worldwide, Inc. is part of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO), a $7 billion leading consumer brands company. For more information on Jim Beam Brands, and the Company's sales and distribution partners, please visit http://www.jimbeambrands.com/ .

Source: Jim Beam Brands Co.

CONTACT: Sarah Devaney, Director, Public Relations of Jim Beam Brands Co., +1-847-444-7661; or Mitch Koppel of Ketchum Public Relations, +1-312-228-6914

Web site: http://www.jimbeam.com/ http://screeningroom.bbdo.com/jimbeam http://www.jimbeambrands.com/

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