Southern Comfort

The smooth-drinking whiskey born in New Orleans and spread throughout the area during the Voodoo Music Experience and Southern Comfort Music Experience.

Overview & Objectives

Bond was hired to develop and implement a public relations strategy designed to integrate the Southern Comfort brand throughout the Cities of Memphis and St. Louis during the Voodoo Music Experience and Southern Comfort Music Experience. 

Our communications objectives included:

• Establish relationships for Southern Comfort with influential reporters, editors and producers
• Garner news stories about Southern Comfort in the print, broadcast and internet media
• Generate opportunities for Jeff Stum to provide commentary in news stories, thereby positioning him as a thought-leader
• Establish top-of-mind awareness of Southern Comfort among all target audiences
• Leverage the company’s involvement in the music and entertainment industries

Approach

Our goal was to target local and regional print, broadcast and Internet media outlets, as well as community leaders and potential Southern Comfort strategic partners. Through a robust media relations campaign we created a variety of tailored story pitches focusing on the following:

• Southern Comfort’s influential role in the music industry
• Southern Comfort Music Experience’s economic impact on the area
• Southern Comfort Music Experience and Voodoo Music Experience general topic pitching

Additionally, we identified and targeted strategic community partners to build relationships for the brand.

Results & Impact

Southern Comfort dominated coverage in all media outlets in both Memphis and St. Louis. 

Memphis highlights include: 6 feature stories in the Memphis Commercial Appeal; features in the Memphis Business Journal and Memphis Flyer; 6 segments on WMC-TV’s (NBC affiliate) morning show; three segments on WHBQ-TV’s (Fox affiliate) morning show; coverage on all local television affiliates; and in-studio interviews at WXMX 98.1 FM and WSRR Rock 103 FM.  Reuters.com and billboard.com featured the events as well.  Relationships established with key community leaders, including the CEO of the Memphis CVB, head of the Memphis Beale Street Merchants Association and Pat Tigrett, founder of the Memphis Blues Ball.

St. Louis highlights include: feature story in playbackSTL, the monthly music magazine; morning show appearance on KSDK-TV (NBC affiliate); several interviews with local television affiliates, including KTVI-TV and KPLR-TV; television interview with “St. Louis Week in Review”; interview with 105.7 The Point; and relationships established with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Riverfront Times.

Atlanta highlights: coverage garnered in several local, regional and national print outlets, including: Atlanta Journal Constitution, Creative Loafing, Pollstar, The Auburn Plainsman and 6 Degrees, among many others.  In addition, interviews occurred with WAGA-TV (Fox), WXIA-TV (WDSU) and WNNX-FM, among others.  Internet coverage included stories on www.accessatlanta.com, www.creativeloafing.com and www.atlanta.net.  Relationships were also established with many Atlanta community and business leaders on behalf of Southern Comfort.