Bevscape WHAT’S HAPPENING ACROSS BEVERAGES

US SENATE UNANIMOUS: WE LOVE BOURBON!

The U.S. Senate declared, by unanimous vote, September 2007 as “National Bourbon Heritage Month.” The resolution reinforces bourbon as “America’s Native Spirit” by celebrating the family heritage, tradition and deep-rooted legacy that the bourbon industry contributes to the United States. The resolution calls for consumers who enjoy bourbon to do so responsibly and in moderation.

“This is a great honor that the U.S. Senate has bestowed upon the bourbon industry,” said Bill Samuels Jr., president of Maker’s Mark Distillery. “The tradition of family heritage, authenticity and craftsmanship behind bourbon is what has made it an American Icon.”

This resolution is only part of Bourbon’s long relationship with the U.S. government. As America’s only indigenous spirit, bourbon was recognized in 1964 by an act of Congress when it declared bourbon “America’s Native Spirit.”

“The bourbon industry is a source of pride for Kentucky and its Heritage and has served as a major part of the Commonwealth’s economy for over 200 years,” said U.S. Senator Jim Bunning. “I am pleased that Kentucky bourbon will be recognized across this nation in September,” Bunning declared.

The declaration comes as U.S. bourbon consumption is surging, particularly the interest and demand for high-end, super-premium and ultra-premium small batch bourbons. In the United States, since 2003, high-end bourbons have seen revenue grow from $450 million to over $500 million, some 2.2 million cases, according to DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. High-end bourbon sales accounted for eight percent of total spirits growth in 2006.

ANHEUSER-BORBA

Well, if you’re dehydrated from drinking too many Anheuser-Busch products, the company has decided to offer a solution, becoming the primary distributor of a pair of water brands.

Earlier this summer, A-B became a distributor for Icelandic Glacial Spring Water, imported from Iceland. Now, the company has become the distributor for antioxidant-heavy BORBA Skin Balance Waters.

BORBA's Skin Balance Waters include Clarifying, Age Defying, Firming and Replenishing varieties. A-B wholesalers will begin distributing the beverages in select markets in November 2007.

BORBA beverages contain antioxidants, vitamins and botanicals. Each beverage is formulated to provide a distinct skin benefit, such as a clearer complexion, firmer skin, and help for dry, dehydrated skin.

MONSTER PERFORMANCE AT X GAMES

Red Bull might have opened the door connecting energy drinks to extreme sports, but Monster Energy has run into the room and apparently grabbed all the athletes and put ‘em to work.

Athletes backed by the Hansen’s-owned label recently cleaned up at the 13th annual ESPN Summer X Games, raking in a total of 14 medals – five of which were gold.

“Monster Energy’s overall marketing plan is based strongly on core athlete sponsorship. And to see first hand the kind of return we enjoyed this past weekend at X Games 13 was truly remarkable,” said John Lee, Director of Sports Marketing for Monster Energy. “We are ecstatic with the results.”

Some of those results were shockingly unplanned, as in the case of Monster Energy skateboarder Jake Brown, who, much to the shock of the millions of people who watched the clip again and again on YouTube, fell dozens of feet onto a wooden deck, peeled himself off, and walked away.

“Suffice to say we’re relieved Jake is up and about, doing the national network TV tour and already talking about returning to competitive skateboarding here in the near future,” said Lee.

Monster Energy also received the lion’s share of the coverage in the motorcycle events, something the energy drink company can trace back to its initial foray into action sports. Monster Energy-backed pro motocross legend Ricky Carmichael had an entire event wrapped around him, the inaugural X Games Moto-X Racing competition. Monster Energy athletes also swept gold in Moto X Freestyle (Adam Jones), Moto X Best Trick (Kyle Loza), BMX Vert (Jamie Bestwick) and SuperMoto (Mark Burkhart).

The U.S. Senate declared, by unanimous vote, September 2007 as “National Bourbon Heritage Month.” The resolution reinforces bourbon as “America’s Native Spirit” by celebrating the family heritage, tradition and deep-rooted legacy that the bourbon industry contributes to the United States. The resolution calls for consumers who enjoy bourbon to do so responsibly and in moderation.

“This is a great honor that the U.S. Senate has bestowed upon the bourbon industry,” said Bill Samuels Jr., president of Maker’s Mark Distillery. “The tradition of family heritage, authenticity and craftsmanship behind bourbon is what has made it an American Icon.”

This resolution is only part of Bourbon’s long relationship with the U.S. government. As America’s only indigenous spirit, bourbon was recognized in 1964 by an act of Congress when it declared bourbon “America’s Native Spirit.”

“The bourbon industry is a source of pride for Kentucky and its Heritage and has served as a major part of the Commonwealth’s economy for over 200 years,” said U.S. Senator Jim Bunning. “I am pleased that Kentucky bourbon will be recognized across this nation in September,” Bunning declared.

The declaration comes as U.S. bourbon consumption is surging, particularly the interest and demand for high-end, super-premium and ultra-premium small batch bourbons. In the United States, since 2003, high-end bourbons have seen revenue grow from $450 million to over $500 million, some 2.2 million cases, according to DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. High-end bourbon sales accounted for eight percent of total spirits growth in 2006.

FATHER OF “PEPSI GENERATION” DIES; SO DOES KING OF BEER WRITING

Alan Maxwell Pottasch, known as the father of the “Pepsi Generation” and the creative force behind Pepsi-Cola advertising spanning nearly five decades, died on Friday, July 27, 2007. He was 79. At the time, he was apparently working on a Pepsi TV commercial in Los Angeles. Although he officially retired from Pepsi in 1991, Pottasch continued to serve as an active creative consultant to Pepsi-Cola and other PepsiCo divisions.

He joined Pepsi-Cola in 1957 and devoted his career to marketing and advertising. In the early 1960s, Mr. Pottasch was among the first to recognize the coming youth culture, dominated by so-called “baby boomers.” Of that era he said, “Pepsi named and claimed 25 million young people for its own with a big, sweeping invitation to live life to its fullest.” The landmark effort shifted the focus of advertising from extolling the virtues of a product to celebrating the lives of its consumers – in this case, the young at heart, optimistic and vibrant “Pepsi Generation.” Launched in 1963, the “Pepsi Generation” was one of the longest-running, most successful advertising campaigns in history. Although initially aimed at Americans, the campaign proved to have universal appeal and resonated with consumers around the world. The phrase remains an important part of today’s global pop lexicon.

Pottasch’s Pepsi commercials won more than 60 major awards, including the advertising world’s highest honor, the Grand Prix at Cannes. Mr. Pottasch also produced some of the industry’s most famous celebrity commercials.

In addition to Pottasch, in August, the beer industry lost one of its greatest contemporary gurus, Michael Jackson. A somewhat eccentric but colorful author, Jackson published his World Guide to Beer in 1977. The book sold more than 2 million copies, and helped spark an interest in specialty beers worldwide.

The popularity of World Guide to Beer, was followed by Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion, The Great Beers of Belgium, and The Pocket Guide to Beer amongst others.

For many years Jackson also wrote a beer column for London’s The Independent. He contributed regularly to major newspapers and magazines around the world. In the USA his newspaper contributions ranged from The Washington Post to Esquire. Whether in the spontaneity of a Fuller’s Pub in Chiswick, or as part of his acclaimed “Beer Hunter” series on PBS, Michael spoke easily and often of his passion and advocacy for great beer.

ENERGY MALTERNATIVES SCRUTINIZED

Although Anheuser Busch has pulled its ill-fated Spykes mixers from store shelves, controversy continues to build regarding energy-laced malt beverages.

Some parental responsibility groups are concerned that the products, while governed by normal restrictions concerning the sale of alcohol to minors, may nonetheless be marketed toward underage youth.

The Marin Institute recently released a report concerning the promotion of products like Bud Extra, Tilt, Sparks, and Rockstar 21. According to the report, underage purchasers are familiar with the effects of energy drinks, but the addition of alcohol might increase the potential for “misjudging one’s level of intoxication.”

“Alcohol producers are taking advantage of the popularity of nonalcoholic energy drinks to sell their products to youth,” said James Mosher of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. “They package their products to be indistinguishable from nonalcoholic energy drinks, confusing consumers, retailers, parents, law enforcement officials, and others who can’t tell which drinks contain alcohol and which do not.”

Meanwhile, it appears that A-B wasn’t necessarily barking up the wrong tree when it came up with Spykes. While the product might have been a bad idea, the name wasn’t: the branding consultancy TippingSprung conducted a brand name survey along with the marketing newsweekly Brandweek and determined that, yes, the best new spirits or cocktail mix name was – you guessed it! – Spykes. The now-pulled product came up with 33 percent of the votes, even after its withdrawal. The vanilla liquor Kajmir came in second.

The 2007 survey, was sent to branding and marketing professionals. The 1,331 senior marketing and branding professional respondents came from a cross-section of companies including CitiGroup, Disney, Toyota, Unilever, General Mills, Clorox, Accenture, Kraft, and PepsiCo.

TAKEAWAY:

If you’ve got someone buying the stuff, card ‘em. Don’t be dumb, the attorneys general are getting fired up again.

fusing consumers, retailers, parents, law enforcement officials, and others who can’t tell which drinks contain alcohol and which do not.”

Meanwhile, it appears that A-B wasn’t necessarily barking up the wrong tree when it came up with Spykes. While the product might have been a bad idea, the name wasn’t: the branding consultancy TippingSprung conducted a brand name survey along with the marketing newsweekly Brandweek and determined that, yes, the best new spirits or cocktail mix name was – you guessed it! – Spykes. The now-pulled product came up with 33 percent of the votes, even after its withdrawal. The vanilla liquor Kajmir came in second.

The 2007 survey, was sent to branding and marketing professionals. The 1,331 senior marketing and branding professional respondents came from a cross-section of companies including CitiGroup, Disney, Toyota, Unilever, General Mills, Clorox, Accenture, Kraft, and PepsiCo.