A Conversation with Kendall Busby of jordan winery
Q&A: How Jordan Winery Stands Out
Our interview series where marketing leaders share their secrets, reveal their bold ideas and tell all about their game-changing strategies.
Kendall Busby sees Jordan Vineyard & Winery not only as a wine brand, but as a lifestyle brand. By blending the traditions of wine with the creativity of lifestyle marketing, she’s helping Jordan reach new audiences and deepen its connection with loyal fans. Humor, relatability, and authentic partnerships are at the core of her approach, and the results have been remarkable—especially with Gen Z and Millennial audiences.
I’ve known Kendall for years and can say firsthand that she’s not only a sharp strategist but also a talented photographer, videographer, and creative director behind many of Jordan’s most stunning visuals. I love her transformative perspective on brand storytelling, and I’m thrilled to share her insights with you here.
Read on to hear her innovative approach and how instead of treating Jordan like a traditional wine brand she has taken the approach to treat it like a Lifestyle brand and it has paid off in spades.
Let’s dive in!
Jordan Winery X Dawn Heumann for Wine Country Table Magazine
Here is what Kendall has to say…
Dawn Heumann: Can you tell me a bit about your current role?
Kendall Busby: I am the Director of Marketing and Communications at Jordan Vineyards & Winery. When I was promoted to my current role in 2022, I was able to really build my own department and think critically about marketing in the wine space and lifestyle space. My overall approach with Jordan has been to treat the brand like a lifestyle brand, not just a traditional wine brand.
Dawn: What does the marketing team look like at Jordan?
Kendall Busby: It’s only three of us in-house. When I took over, we restructured completely. My internal team now consists of a Digital Marketing Manager who handles SEO, website management, email marketing execution, analytics, and social advertising. She also manages several consultants and vendors, like Google advertising specialists and website developers. It’s a lot!
In addition, we have a Marketing Project Specialist who functions as more of a project manager for our department. She oversees all print collateral, branded items, and special hospitality projects.
Outside of that, we work with a social and PR agency. They help with influencer management and relations, community management, trend monitoring, oversight of social calendars, and proactive engagement on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Dawn: What do you lean on the agencies for the most?
Kendall Busby: Definitely influencer management. It’s such an ever-changing space and requires a lot of back-and-forth. They help us curate our group of brand ambassadors, define deliverables, and manage the relationships. They’re also great at handling incoming social messages, scheduling content, and keeping an eye on social trends.
Dawn: I love that! And it’s so fun to hear you say you think of Jordan first as a lifestyle brand and second as a wine brand. That perspective must influence your partnerships, right?
Kendall Busby: Absolutely. That’s why I sought out an agency that didn’t have a wine background. I wanted fresh eyes and new ideas. A partnership with lighter, brighter, and more creative ideas. They’ve been instrumental in helping us step out of traditional wine industry marketing and into a more lifestyle-oriented space.
Dawn: Has there been a specific campaign, or a favorite piece of content you have created at Jordan that you are especially proud of or that was a big success?
Kendall Busby: Social is continuing to be, and growing even more into a space for entertainment. Of course, we post beautiful photography, and we educate, but there also needs to be this cadence of humor and relatability. Lately, I’ve been really excited about our collaborations with comedic couples. Now I know what you are thinking – comics, who are not necessarily in the wine space, not even in the travel, hospitality, space – are an odd choice, but they're funny. People, especially Gen. Z. and Millennials, really gravitate towards comedy. I wanted to insert Jordan in a space where it feels authentic, and it is authentic. These couples do love the wine and love the brand. The idea is to have Jordan naturally and without force, be inserted into these comedic narratives, and the results have been amazing.
Dawn: What metrics do you focus on most when evaluating success?
Kendall Busby: Engagement is a big one for us, along with follower growth. We look at these metrics weekly or monthly using tools like Sprout Social. For example, with our influencer collaborations, we can see significant spikes in follower growth that don’t taper off. That’s important because those followers are authentic and likely to become customers.
For ROI, we focus primarily on e-commerce campaigns with specific ad spend. Those are fewer and further between since they need to have a real draw to perform well, but when we do run them, we can clearly track purchases and conversions.
Dawn: Let’s talk about content creation. Where does it come from, and how do you make it all happen?
Kendall Busby: It’s a combination. I still shoot a lot myself (sometimes on my iPhone for authenticity and quick turnaround) but we also work closely with influencers and content creators to produce high-resolution images and videos that we can post and repurpose. UGC (user-generated content) consistently performs exceptionally well on Instagram and TikTok, and with collaboration tools like Instagram’s partnership posts, we’re able to reach entirely new audiences.
When I’m shooting onsite, I typically share the raw footage with our agency team so they can help me edit, refine and schedule everything for final delivery on social.
Ahead of the Jordan Sauternes launch this year (a new dessert wine we introduced) I shot a higher-resolution piece that highlighted the wine’s debut. I had a lot of fun experimenting with the afternoon light and incorporating the stunning packaging that our team designed, which really elevated the final look and feel. I love the energy, music and pace of the video that our agency edited together.
It’s so important to stay on top of trends but only engage with the ones that make sense for your brand. If it feels forced, it won’t resonate. Staying true to your brand identity while listening to your audience is key—they’ll tell you what works if you pay attention.
For example, this summer we quickly tapped into The Summer I Turned Pretty trend by adding playful, brand appropriate text overlays to existing photos from our library. It was simple, authentic, and ended up generating over 40 shares—proof that relevance doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.
Dawn: How many content creators or influencers are you collaborating with a year?
Kendall Busby: If you include journalists, press, content creators and influencers it’s probably close to 50 collaborations a year. It’s a lot!
One example from this year was our partnership with Amanda McCrossin for the Jordan Sauternes release. Her audience is primarily wine-focused, so we knew she’d be the perfect partner to help amplify this launch. The results spoke for themselves: her post generated over 775 shares, 1,500 saves, and 80,000+ views, giving the release incredible reach and engagement.
Another favorite was our Open That Bottle Night collaboration with Emilia Marie, which showcased a group of friends gathering at home for a home-cooked meal and Jordan Cabernet & Chardonnay—celebrating the simple joy of sharing wine with people you love. That post resonated in a big way: 220 shares, 425 saves, 30,000 views, and over 2,000 interactions. It really showed the power of storytelling that feels both authentic and aspirational.
Dawn: What are the biggest challenges you face in creating, and managing content?
Kendall Busby: Time is a huge one. One of the biggest challenges is just keeping up. Social media evolves so quickly. You want to be ahead of trends, but when you’re wearing a lot of hats, it’s hard to step back and dedicate time to creative thinking or long-term strategy while you are also trying to balance the day-to-day-grind. I wish there was more time for research, brainstorming, and truly impactful content creation.
Another challenge is balancing polished content with more authentic, on-the-fly posts. Some reels need to be highly polished, but others resonate because they feel real and unfiltered. It’s a constant push and pull to figure out what works best. (But it’s also what makes this industry so fun and challenging!)
Dawn: Looking ahead, what’s something you’d love to do more of? Or is there a dream campaign you haven’t had the chance to execute yet?
Kendall Busby: I’d love to dedicate more time and budget to creating polished brand reels. Authentic content is great, but there’s definitely a place for high-production storytelling on Instagram. It would be amazing to plan and execute those on a more consistent basis. Another dream would be to collaborate with larger, like-minded brands on an epic travel giveaway—something that not only highlights Jordan but also aligns with our values of hospitality, sustainability, and luxury.
Dawn: Kendall, thank you so much for all your insight and expertise. I have just one more question that I am curious about and I am sure readers are too. Are there any inspirations or resources you turn to for education or inspiration?
Kendall Busby: I subscribe to Marketing Brew, which is a great newsletter, and I always look at Sprout Social and Hootsuite’s annual reports. AdAge is another go-to resource—I recently attended their conference in March, and the panelists and topics were outstanding. I’ve been intentionally seeking out non-wine-specific education to get fresh perspectives. It’s important to see what the big players in other industries are doing and think about how we can adapt those strategies.
Jordan Winery X Dawn Heumann | 2024 Holiday Campaign
