By Matthew Halverson
Photograph courtesy of Jim Braddy
At this point, Jack Daniel’s should be easy to sell.
But when Ted Simmons starts talking about the “heritage of a brand” and “communicating the values of a label,” you’re reminded that the gears of the marketing machine are always grinding, in this case greased with a couple shots of whiskey.
Simmons started communicating the values of Jack in 1967 as a copywriter at St. Louis–based Gardner Advertising, when the typical liquor ad showed high-society types dressed in tweed sport coats, sipping bourbon at the country club. The boys behind the Jack Daniel’s brand had a slightly different idea: hillbillies in bib overalls. Simmons is St. Louis–born and bred, but talks as if he’s been marinating in Tennessee ease for decades when he explains the campaign: “There was a kind of counterculture feeling to it,” he says.
Nearly 40 years later (and after having started and sold his own agency, Simmons-Durham) he’s still at it as a consultant, helping to expand the brand around the world. His peers noticed: He recently won the American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award for his contributions to the industry.
The big question: Did he celebrate with his old buddy Jack?
“Of course,” he says. “Once you go down there and see the whiskey being made, it’s hard not to be a Jack Daniel’s drinker.”
“Ad” It Up
We know what Ted thinks about Jack, so we asked him to pick his favorite current ads.
Starbucks: “They’ve elevated the coffee-drinking experience, but it was more about communicating the brand through the look of their stores and materials.”
Nike: “Nike stands for personal athleticism and an appreciation of what it is to be athletic.”
Apple: “They have a cult of personality. The brand stands for creative minds. The tagline says it all: ‘Think different.’”
Altoids: “That’s how to take something as insignificant as a breath mint and turn it into something cool.”
