SXSW

There are plenty of well-known luxury liquor brands that market to an affluent audience, but we’re digging the way some brands are trying to market to certain people before they get rich. The best place to find up-and-coming billionaires? The annual South by Southwest Interactive festival, of course.

 

SXSW is taking over Austin until Sunday and it’s filled with entrepreneurs and major players in the tech crowd. Some smart liquor brands are realizing that if they get in with these trend setters, hook them on their drink and build fierce loyalty now, they could potentially have some very, very rich brand evangelists by the time these techies cash in on their next great idea.

 

Macallan is hosting tasting events during SXSW and they even have an internal program that focuses on how to market specifically to the tech industry. The company noticed about two years ago that the whiskey-drinking demographic was changing, so they began direct marketing to those in the tech field and trying to attract young professionals in their late 20s or early 30s who enjoy the finer things in life.

 

“We associate Macallan with leaders of particular fields,” said Charlie Whitfield, the U.S. brand ambassador talking to a CNBC.com reporter. “And obviously, SXSW is a hotbed of future leaders. Innovation is driving the whole business world and there could be people at South by Southwest who will be the next founder of the company that takes over Facebook.”

 

Macallan isn’t the only company, however, that is trying to reach the young technology market. Ketel One is sponsoring two different parties during SXSW; one during the interactive portion, and one in partnership with Ashton Kutcher’s venture capital firm A-Grade investments. Bombay Sapphire is not sponsoring any events at SXSW this year, but they do say they are also targeting the tech crowd. They are sponsoring a new program that showcases new trends in digital media at the Tribeca Film Festival.

 

We’re impressed with these forward thinking liquor brands who are able to look at the big picture. Yes, some of these tech people may be living in their parents’ basement right now, but they could be running the Internet in less than a year… and these brands will be ready for them.

 

Photo