Bitesize Branding
Jack Daniels and the importance of having a brand story.
Hey! I'm Jack, a copywriter that specialises in helping rad brands find their voice and use words to sell more stuff.
Thanks for checking out my stuff! 🤘
(And if you need words, don't be afraid to say hello!)
This is part of my bitesize branding posts, a series of super-short exercises designed to help you get a grip on your brand’s voice.
If you’re a whisky drinker like me, you’ve probably got a pretty strong opinion about Jack Daniels.(
(Most likely of the four-letter variety…)
And yet, that makes it all the more impressive that they’re the best-selling alcohol brand in the world.
They don’t have the best product. They’re not even the best product for the price. And they’re definitely not a particularly trendy brand, anymore.
But they do something better than any other alcohol brand on the planet: they understand storytelling and the importance of brand story.
Their brand story — which brings together the mystery of Mr Jack, over a century of heritage and a time-old tradition of doing things the right way — isn’t just something they relegate to their About Page, it’s something that’s part of every single word they write.
Check it out:
Look at the voice they used in 1950s and the voice they use now. It’s the same.
That’s crazy impressive.
Just like every bottle of JD has the same vanilla and oaky notes, every piece of writing Jack Daniels produces has the same voice and message:
Jack Daniels have always done things their own way.
Their brand is about slowing down, enjoying life and doing things properly and their brand voice lines up exactly with this.
Their sentences are long, taking a while to get to the point, inviting you to slow down, read the whole thing and enjoy yourself.
(Reading the JD ads was always my favourite way to kill time waiting for the tube.)
Best of all, the language feels wholly authentic to the brand. (You can almost hear the Southern accent speaking to you.)
In short, it’s everything a great brand voice should be: authentic, distinctive, engaging, consistent, quietly opinionated, fun and tailored to the way their customers think.
So, if you’re after a whiskey, you can do much better than Jack Daniels.
But if you’re looking for brand voice inspiration, you can do much, much worse.
Pinch THE EXACT PROCESS I USE TO DEVELOP brand voices. 👇
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