In my home, we’re Knob Creek drinkers. Knob Creek is a “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey” (that I do not recommend drinking in large doses). We buy a bottle once a year and slowly drink our way through it – and obviously don’t think much of it, or about the company that’s producing and bottling it.
Until last October, when a mysterious package from the Knob Creek distillery arrived at our doorstep…
Enclosed was a letter that said “Thanks for nothing” and informed me that high demand for this delicious whiskey had caused a drought, and the next batch wouldn’t be ready until the following November. Also enclosed was a tee-shirt that I could wear with pride to let everyone know that I had survived the drought. The letter read:
Dear Knob Creek Lover,
It seems you’ve helped cause a bit of a “situation” here at the distillery. See, because you, and many others like you, have been such loyal consumers, we’ve temporarily run out of Knob Creek Bourbon. And for that you deserve a huge thanks.
With that said, it’s quite possible that you might not be able to find us in our usual places for a bit. Should this happen, take a deep breath and keep in mind that our next batch will be fully matured and ready to go this November (we’d bottle it now to boost supply, but then it wouldn’t be aged a full 9 years and it wouldn’t really be Knob Creek). And once you’ve weathered the storm, be sure to proudly sport this t-shirt commemorating this historic event. Now, hang in there and cherish every drop of Knob Creek like it’s the last, because, well, it could be. Until November anyway.
Cheers,
Your friends at Knob Creek
P.S. If you can’t find a bottle of Knob Creek anywhere, visit knobcreek.com and find out which locations (if any) in your area are lucky enough to have a few bottles left on their shelves.
Read more about the campaign here.
The next time I was out buying a bottle of wine for a party, I grabbed a few bottles of Knob Creek. One for me and a few for friends that were fans – I certainly didn’t want of us to have to have to suffer during the drought. As I paid for more Knob Creek than I’d ever normally purchase at one time, I thought to myself “you got me Knob Creek.”
Sometimes marketing campaigns miss the mark, and sometimes a company sends me ridiculous crap that I don’t want or understand. But when I see a company that understands how to speak to its audience, uses humor as a hook and motivates me to make a purchase; I consider it to be a marketing success story. I can truly appreciate the efforts to create a following or movement for a brand based on a quirky and humorous concept (or maybe we Knob Creek drinkers are actually a bunch of nerds that love a free tee-shirt).
A few weeks ago, I got another mysterious package in the mail. This time it contained a letter letting me know (with relief) that the drought had officially ended. They also included a commemorative bottle bung (which I’ve proudly displayed on my bookcase).
Kudos to Knob Creek on an interesting and well-executed marketing campaign, and cheers to all drought survivors!
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