For roughly half a century, Jack Daniel’s and Frank Sinatra had a symbiotic relationship. Jack Daniel’s provided Sinatra with pleasure – the “nectar of the gods,” he called the Tennessee sour mash whiskey. And Sinatra wasn’t shy about mentioning Jack Daniel’s, even making it part of his nightclub act, right to the end: In 1998, Sinatra requested that he be buried with a flask of Jack at his side.
In anticipation of Sinatra’s 100th birthday in 2015, Brown Forman Corp. (Louisville, Ky.) distilled a special limited-edition version of Jack Daniel’s called Sinatra Select.
It debuted, appropriately enough, in Las Vegas, with an elegant, bigger than life merchandise presentation the crooner would almost certainly have applauded.
“Sinatra was a global icon,” says Matt Blevins, Jack Daniel’s manager, global trademark strategy. “And he represented luxury.”
Commandeering space immediately outside the Duty Free Store in the retail concourse at McCarran International Airport, Fitch (Columbus, Ohio) created a sensual journey with an appeal to sight, sound and taste to engage travelers and drive them inside the Duty Free Store for purchase.
As Eric Daniel, Fitch’s creative director, North America, said, “We distilled all the brand elements” into a grouping of three displays inspired by the limited edition whiskey’s commemorative box. Travelers were invited to experience the “story within the box” through interactions with each display, including tasting, viewing and listening.
A 9-foot-high box wrapped in black linen fabric looks like a replica of the actual hinged commemorative box and opens to reveal a simulated gift box of Jack Daniel's, complete with tufted black leather panels trimmed in orange, Sinatra’s signature color. A table slides up and out to provide a sipping station.
Equipped with a leather bench for stopping and resting, the second station tells the Sinatra/Jack Daniel's story with life-size photos and descriptive text.
And, since no Sinatra experience would be complete without music, a third station features tufted seating, an iPad and overhead sound dome, so travelers can sit down and listen to a Sinatra song.
It seems like a great way to spend some airport waiting time, especially at a quarter to three.