My (Kickass) Kentucky Home

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A growing number of local startups are working to promote a new perception of the Commonwealth

Whether you are a born and bred Kentuckian or a transplant, chances are you’ve heard negative stereotypes about Kentucky all of your life. But in the past few years, state pride in the Bluegrass State has been on an upswing. As the growing number of local startups and merchandisers incorporating state symbols in their marketing shows, Kentuckians love Kentucky – and even are wearing their hearts on their actual sleeves.

”Heaven Must Be a Kentucky Kind of Place.” “Namast’ay in Kentucky.” “You Had Me at Bourbon.” And simply, “Y’all.” These are just a handful of slogans appearing on T-shirts and other apparel that are flying off the shelves of local merchandisers Kentucky for Kentucky and Shop Local Kentucky, two of several local startups that have been working in recent years to disseminate a positive image of Kentucky with its products.

Using marketing tactics to promote the state’s image is not an entirely new concept – the official state agriculture marketing program, Kentucky Proud, has been explicitly incorporating Kentucky pride into its branding for more than a decade. Created to help increase sales of agricultural-based goods that are produced or processed in the state, the program currently promotes the products of more than 3,800 members. According to Ben Shaffar, director of business development with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s marketing department, the program largely has been driven by consumer demand for local food.

But many Kentucky-touting marketing initiatives are newer, and inextricably tied to the rise of e-commerce, social media and “local first” movements.

Whit Hiler, co-founder of the irreverent, hilarious force that is Kentucky for Kentucky, helped launch the Lexington-based brand on Kickstarter in 2011 with the idea of crowd funding a humorous Super Bowl commercial promoting Kentucky. Though the campaign fell short of the millions needed for the ad, it raised $100,000 and garnered national media attention.

Kentucky for Kentucky, which now has six employees, continued to gain traction with its campaign to change the state motto to “Kentucky Kicks Ass.” A lighthearted celebration of the Commonwealth, the group works with designers from around the state to create and sell unique Kentucky-themed items, including a gold-dipped Kentucky Fried Chicken Bone necklace that was featured in People magazine, and mint julep- and fried chicken-scented candles that went viral a couple years back.

“The holiday season of 2013 with the candles was insane,” said Hiler. The group, which currently is working on a new line of Kentucky-themed socks, new mug designs, flasks and doormats, doubles sales every year and hopes to expand. Operating out of the warehouse in downtown Lexington that formerly housed the Lexington Rescue Mission thrift store, the group hopes to open it into a 12,000-square-foot multiuse retail and activity center called the Kentucky Fun Mall later this summer.

“We want to create an experience that makes people have to go there,” said Hiler. Ideas range from putt-putt to mini bowling to a teepee village and Kentucky-inspired food and drink.

Kentucky for Kentucky isn’t the only startup to specialize in merchandise promoting a love of the state. The e-commerce shop Shop Local Kentucky was started by Kentuckian Rick Paynter, who came up with the idea during a winter storm last year. With a background in social media management and politics, Paynter partnered with the Lexington charity Toy Chest Children’s Charity for the company’s first product, a T-shirt with the Shop Local Kentucky logo. One hundred T-shirts were sold online in three days, with all proceeds going to the charity. Paynter was astounded by its instant popularity.

“We promoted and sold out of the shirt within a week” said Paynter. “Through this, we realized that there was a market for items promoting all things Kentucky.”

The company, which prides itself on family-friendly apparel and kids’ products, and prints all of its products by hand in Kentucky, uses the social media photo sharing platform Instagram as its main line of communication, with more than 30,000 followers on the site. Paynter recently moved the operation to a larger facility in Lexington to keep up with demand.

“Everything is done in-house – we design and manage our own Web presence, design and print our shirts, photography, marketing, fulfillment,” he said. “You name it: we do it with a very lean staff.”

Roam Kentucky, founded last April by University of Kentucky student Luke McCowan and his friend Hunter Boswell also has found success in Kentucky-themed merchandise.

“We started selling stickers online and sold 250 in less than 24 hours,” said McCowan, who grew up in London, Kentucky, surrounded by people who thought there was nothing to do and nowhere to go. Wanting to change that perception, he started the site to feature photographs submitted from around the state that showcase the beauty of Kentucky, using the hashtag #roamkentucky. He quickly found that sharing photos encourages state exploration and a sense of community.

“People are very interested in being involved,” McCowan said. “They are excited to see places they didn’t even know existed.”

Changing state perception is also important to Gerry Seavo James, the founder of Explore Kentucky. At once a catch phrase, hash tag and mantra, Explore Kentucky is being used by James and his field team of “professional wanderers” to shape a new narrative about the state.

With a strong focus on ecotourism, Explore Kentucky started on Instagram, allowing users to submit stories about and photos of their adventures in Kentucky. After amassing more than 15,000 Instagram followers in several months, the team is dedicated to promoting adventure entrepreneurship and exploration of the state, through sharing photos, organizing group adventures, creating content and other enterprises.

“We go out actively all of the time,” James said, who also studied environmental science in college and has a deep-seated appreciation for the state’s ecological qualities. “Ecotourism is fun and gets people to care about the environment.”

James’ immediate plans include using 15-second video clips from Instagram to create a crowd-sourced film about Kentucky, and paddle boarding down the Kentucky River.

Promoting a fresh perspective about Kentucky has a personal significance for James, who grew up in a military family and traveled a lot as a kid. An African-American, James said he initially received warnings about coming to Kentucky because of his race. He opted to go to college at Campbellsville University anyway, and said when he flew into Louisville, Kentucky struck him as “one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen.”

James said he did experienced discrimination, and after his girlfriend’s parents pulled her out of school because they disapproved of their relationship, he considered leaving. What could have been a deterrent, instead, became a catalyst for change.

“I decided I want to promote diversity here,” James said. “I decided to stay because the state needs young energy and people willing to make a change.” cc

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