Bourbon isn't a drink just for men. But that's not the main reason Jim Beam picked an A-list female actress as the new face of its brand.
Rather, Beam entered into a long-term marketing partnership with Mila Kunis because she is down-to-earth, authentic and "liked as much by guys as girls," said Chief Marketing Officer Kevin George. Ms. Kunis will make her debut in three TV ads that start airing today as part of the brand's "Make History" campaign scheduled to reach more than 100 markets across the globe.
The campaign is by a consortium of agencies called Future Works that's composed of StrawberryFrog, New York; The Works, Sydney, Australia; and Jung von Matt, Hamburg, Germany. The effort, which represents the brand's first-ever coordinated global marketing effort, blends the 219-year-old brand's heritage with calls to millennial consumers to make their own history.
One TV ad features Ms. Kunis walking the viewer through some historical moments, including a reference to Prohibition and the Civil War, when Kentucky distillers would often get visits from Union troops and Confederate troops on successive nights, according to Beam.
What makes Ms. Kunis qualified to tell the story? Mr. George said she is "a huge bourbon fan." She "doesn't endorse that many products," he added. "This is the first product that she has really endorsed in the U.S. in a big way."
