The Situation
Like many classic spirits brands, Jim Beam's success is depends upon maintaining and growing relevance with millennials. It knows technology is a major passion point for that group and that insight fueled 2016's Jim Beam Apple Watch, a self-proclaimed "drinkable wearable" inspired by the brand's Jim Beam Apple extension. That comically low-tech launch —essentially a telescoping shot glass on a wristband—captivated the tech media and set social ablaze. A year later, the brand wanted an encore.
But the market had shifted in two ways: First, wearables had been trumped by artificial intelligence as the buzziest tech topic and,...