Learn about the culture and marketing strategy around Chicago's most famous (infamous?) liquor with Sam Mechling, the cultural ambassador for Jeppson's Malort.

This episode is so Chicago it HURTS. I’m really excited about this one because I feel like this episode encapsulates the whole point of Office Hours: “How/Why did this cultural moment happen and what lessons can we learn from it to apply to our own businesses?”

Also, I just hastily did my research and this episode = the only place where you’ll learn what the wild-as-hell Russian translation of “malort” is AND you’ll learn what the “4” in 4Loko actually stood for.

SHOW NOTES:

- An Abridged History of Malort (4:55) 

- We pinpoint the moment that made Malort “A Thing” in Chicago culture (08:25) 

- What Is The Chicago Handshake? (13:00) 

- How Malort built a network of fanatic brand evangelists without spending a cent on influencer marketing (30:00) 

- What’s the dream Malort partnership? (32:00) 

SONG OF THE WEEK: Statik Selektah feat. Mac Miller & Termanology “82-92”

RIP MAC MILLER.

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