Jack Daniel’s has unveiled a new music strategy starting with the launch of its Jack Rocks campaign in partnerhip with music magazine NME.
The campaign has kicked off with the opening of a live music venue in East London, Jack Rocks The Macbeth, which will see the whiskey maker partner with Hoxton’s The Macbeth, a 150-year old live music pub.
The venue, which will open for four months initially, will feature a mixture of specially-curated live performances from acts such as Florence and the Machine, acoustic sets and expert talks and workshops from music industry insiders.
The full calendar of events will be unveiled over the coming weeks through NME and the Jack Daniel’s Twitter account, and details will be given about how fans can attend and get involved in the activities.
The opening of Jack Rocks The Macbeth forms part of a wider and “up-weighted” music programme of activities throughout the year, which will see the brand align itself with music.
Jack Daniel’s senior brand manager Michael Boaler said: “Jack Daniel’s has a history of supporting artists and venues who share our values. From Sinatra to the Stones to exciting new talent like CuT, we want to continue a legacy that goes back decades…
“Partnering with a live music venue with our own spin is a first for us and we’re really excited to give both up-and-coming artists and like-minded music lovers alike a place where they can listen to some inspirational stories and most importantly share some legendary music moments.”
UM Studios, the content division of UM London, created the concept and will handle all music content and production at the Macbeth.
The venue is being run in association with NME and Spotify, with NME’s new music editor Matt Wilkinson working out of the venue to create content for the magazine.
Meanwhile, the third nationwide search by NME and Jack Daniel’s to find Britain’s Best Small Venue also kicks off this month. Fans can nominate their favourite venues on the NME website, after which a shortlist of 10 venues will be drawn up, and a winner will be decided based on public votes.
The winning venue will host a winner’s gig, and follow previous performances from Frank Turner at the Joiners in Southampton, and Enter Shikari at the Tunbridge Wells Forum.
Jack Daniel’s is also working with digital consultancy Splendid on the new strategy.
