It’s a new world of media and Buffalo Trace is keeping up with the action, they’re delivering users a complete Buffalo Trace experience online on their new site: BuffaloTraceSaloon. We’ve reviewed the bourbon, now it’s time to look at their other efforts–how they’re building a community.
Unlike the big boy media brands that still believe in print advertising, Buffalo Trace Bourbon is taking a different route in catering to their audience with more information about their brand, their brand ambassadors and all that goes into the Buffalo Trace product. Their new site lets you checkout profiles on employee’s like Buffalo Comstock, their brand manager, where you can get a very “facebook like” approach to knowing more about him (I follow him on twitter myself.)
Don’t care about their employees? What about the video’s (heck, everyone like’s videos!) or the Bourbunnies (I think that may be short for Bourbon Bunnies given the hot photos). Obviously Buffalo Trace is working to take care of their male demographic with the imagery and take on the site, while staying true to the brand with actual information about the product line available for those that can take their eyes off the “bunnies.”
The site offers an area for you to post events that will be featuring Buffalo Trace products, allowing fans to gather in “real life” for the activities and explore the brand further (that’s fancy wording for drink bourbon). Unfortunately, to utilize some of the features of the site, Master’s Distiller blog is the one I wanted, you’ll need to sign up as a member. This is probably because of that whole 21+ thing or perhaps because they want to increase their member base. Of course, as all good brand websites should, they allow Facebook Connect for authentication so you’re not having to manage yet another profile and login.
Once I signed up I realized that this is as close to a Buffalo Trace Facebook site as you can get. I’ve got a wall I can write on, I’ve got “Drinking Buddies” that started friending me up immediately and, most importantly, a place to link up video’s I’ve done with the brand and pictures. Loving it!
No doubt we’re going to see more brands building virtual “saloons” like this in the future. I enjoy knowing their investing time and money into the online realm as this is our future and building a brand with a bit of transparency into their business only makes for stronger fans and believers in the product.
If you want to checkout the site, head to BuffaloTraceSaloon.com.
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