Maker's Mark is a full-flavored bourbon whiskey from the heart of Kentucky. The brand began with one family's quest to create a bourbon they enjoyed drinking and sharing with friends.
Maker’s Mark partnered with Roku to go beyond the traditional ad experience and reach streamers. The brand partnered with Roku Brand Studio to create content that was not an ad, but rather an entertainment treat for viewers that captured the spirit of their brand motto “The Maker’s Hour.” Maker’s Mark was also the first band to partner with the Roku Brand Studio for content.
What is Roku Brand Studio?
Roku Brand Studio creates advertising experiences for TV streaming. As a Roku Brand Studio partner, advertisers can co-develop programming that will entertain consumers and capture the attention of viewers on America’s #1 TV streaming platform.¹
Together, the team at Roku Brand Studio and Maker’s Mark developed a six-episode branded-content series called “The Show Next Door,” starring Randall Park.
This unique take on the talk show format features actor-comedian-writer, Randall Park, who makes drinks and chats with celebrities in his “living room.” Guests stopping by Randall’s place include Jason Mraz, Tony Hale, Fortune Feimster, Nicole Byer, Terrell Owens, Mark Duplass, and more. Episodes to “The Show Next Door,” were distributed on The Roku Channel and social channels to drive awareness and viewership.
Watch a short clip of The Show Next Door:
The Show Next Door saw 57 million total press impressions across 23 publications, including The Hollywood Reporter, AdAge, and Adweek. The show also drove incremental engagement, 108K+ video views on Funny or Die social channels. Lastly, according to a Nielsen Branded Content Study in October 2021, 56% of viewers would like to see more content like The Show Next Door and 53% would watch Season 2.
By partnering with The Roku Brand Studio, Maker’s Mark’s achieved brand awareness and The Show Next Door ranked as a top-performing show, #7 Comedy, on The Roku Channel.² Additionally, the show reached TV streamers, where 61% of the show audience were cord cutters.³
“We were really excited about this partnership with Roku because of their consumer reach; we know that they are very successful in serving that need for consumers looking for great content on their own terms. Finding a streaming partner who could provide insights into what people were looking for in terms of entertainment, and ensuring that what we wanted to create in partnership with them would resonate and be exciting for them was a huge first piece.” - Josh Clark, Sr. Brand Manager, Maker’s Mark
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¹ America's #1 TV streaming platform claim is based on hours streamed (Hypothesis Group, October 2021)
² #7 Show in the Comedy category in The Roku Channel for September, out of 150+ shows
³ Roku Internal Data; 7/14/21-9/21/21