Church of the Customer has a very entertaining podcast with Bill Samuels, Jr., the CEO of Maker’s Mark bourbon.

His father, the CEO before him (who had co-created the bourbon with Bill Jr.’s mother) had some very specific ideas about traditional marketing and advertising—namely, he hated it.

This forced Bill Jr. to use some very creative approaches to promote Maker’s.

In one situation, he went to great lengths to “engineer” the discovery of Maker’s Mark by a Wall Street Journal reporter. Maker’s got a front-page story which ended up being a watershed moment with their customers and distributors around the country.

There were definitely bumps along the way. It takes six years to make a barrel of Maker’s, and many times Bill Jr.’s efforts caused demand to outstrip supply.

Their approach is to stimulate conversations and “market without fingerprints.” Bill’s committed to introduce potential customers through other customers, rather than by using blaring advertising that’s traditional in the spirits industry.

This approach carries over to today where the bulk of their promotion is handled by “Ambassadors”—individuals who get a barrel named after them in exchange for talking with friends and bartenders about it.

I, as a Maker’s Mark Ambassador, do pledge to introduce those who have not yet had the pleasure (poor souls) to the smooth taste of Maker’s Mark bourbon. To help friends understand, appreciate and savor what handmade bourbon is all about. To encourage establishments I encounter within my travels to stock Maker’s Mark for their thirsty patrons. And to lead by my own example, that every occasion for enjoying bourbon is the perfect occasion for enjoying Maker’s Mark.

Sign me up!