How Winning Best Bar in Knoxville 3 Years in a Row Exploded Our Brand
- Dereck Chapman
- Jul 30, 2025
- 2 min read
What we learned about momentum, marketing, and turning a local award into a full-blown marketing machine.
How Winning Best Bar in Knoxville 3 Years in a Row Exploded Our Brand
When we opened our ‘80s-themed cocktail bar, we knew we wanted it to be different. Fun, loud, nostalgic — but also profitable. What we didn’t know? That winning Best Bar in Knoxville would become the rocket fuel behind our growth.
We didn’t win once.We didn’t win twice.We won three years in a row.
And more importantly — we used it.
We Turned a Trophy into a Megaphone
A lot of businesses win an award… and then do nothing with it. Maybe a post. Maybe a thank-you. And then it's forgotten.
We went the other way.
We brought out championship belts — think old-school boxing and pro wrestling — and branded them with Best Bar in Knoxville. We put them behind the bar, took pictures with customers, and even walked around with them during events like we were defending a title. Because we were.
People noticed.People posted.People remembered.
We Reminded the City All Year Long
Here’s the truth: The voting season is short, but the winner’s window is long.
Most bars posted their win in July and forgot it by September.
We kept the spotlight on ourselves year-round.
We put “Voted Best Bar in Knoxville” in our bio, flyers, and menus.
We used it in every ad.
The DJ reminded people we were #1 every Friday night.
We gave out “championship shots” to birthday guests.
We didn’t just win — we made it part of our identity.
What We’d Do Differently: No Year on the Belt
Looking back, there’s one thing we’d change.
We put the year on the championship belts.
Which meant when 2022 passed, the belt said “Best Bar 2021.”Still true, but it felt old. So we made new ones for each year.
But here’s the lesson:🧠 If you’re going to create reusable marketing props (like trophies, signs, belts, etc.), leave the year off. Let it live longer.Because being “Voted Best” never expires in the minds of your customers — unless you make it expire.
How This Applies to Your Business
At Vice Business Group, we help entrepreneurs take moments of momentum and stretch them into months of marketing.
Winning something is great — but knowing how to leverage it is what grows your brand.
🏆 If you’ve won “Best of…” anything — use it. Milk it. Build around it.
Don’t just post once. Build a campaign.
Need Help Turning Recognition into Revenue?
We’ve done it. We’ve helped others do it. And we’ll show you how to do it too.
📲 Let’s talk strategy: Team@vicebusinessgroup.com🌐 Or visit us at [Vicebusinessgroup.com]
Let’s turn your win into more than a post — let’s turn it into power.
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