"The Age Your Own Whiskey Kit includes two 750 ml bottles of 110 proof White Dog un-aged whiskey, a 2 liter aging barrel, pouring funnel, two tasting glasses, and step-by-step instructions. Because of the small barrel size, the aging process is significantly accelerated with nicely aged whiskey available in 3-6 months (you be the judge!). Aging barrel can be refilled and reused 5+ times."
The Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo is offering up a unique Valentine Day special: The Diamond Martini. It's Grey Goose a hint of lime, stirred and shaken over ice, with a one-carat diamond as a garnish. And right now it'll run you 1.8 million yen (or about $22,000). And for those wondering, they've sold four of them since 2007.
Everywhere else in Asia, a cold brew can be bought for as little as $1 ($1.28). But not so in Singapore where a single beer can set you back $20 at certain upscale bars.
Enter Beer Market with its welcome "buy low, drink high" mantra.
A popular beer did once reach S$100, but most of the time this method creates cheaper drinks.
Using the concept of the stock market to price its brews, punters consult the LCD screens displaying various beers alongside listed prices, volumes, changes and week highs -- similar to what you find on a stock market screen -- and watch as beer prices rise and fall according to supply and demand.
Prices are updated every half an hour and hopefully the beer selected does not get too popular before the order is registered.
This is possibly the only place in Singapore where one prays for a market crash.
While prices can start as low as S$7, expect to pay between S$12 and S$14 for a Stella Artois beer. Do keep an eye out though as there has been an instance where a beer shot up beyond the S$100 mark.
Don't wait too long to bid on that pint as it may cost you.
For the trading fanatics expecting a "Boiler Room" scenario, don't. Beers cannot be re-sold to another drinker in the hope of turning a profit.
Just head down with the sole purpose of buying a beer for less than you would next door.
"A Sort of Coal product, Chikutan Sticks are a white charcoal made from Japanese bamboo. White charcoal is naturally activated by a controlled burning process based on traditional Japanese methods. Use it to stir your beverages and the charcoal will absorb impurities in alcohol or tea for a pure taste. Chikutan sticks are popular in high-end Japanese bars. Before use, rinse the stick under boiling water. The Chikutan stick is fragile, handle it like porcelain."$ 25.00
Amstel Light Taps Jagtag for First 2-D Code Campaign
By: Brian Quinton for PROMO Xtra
In its first scannable bar code campaign, beer brand Amstel Light is letting fans in selected cities enter a sweepstakes to eat gourmet burgers in Miami by photographing and submitting a code place on coupon books, table tents and T-shirts made available at on-premise events in restaurants and bars.
Amstel Brewery is offering to send one sweepstakes grand prize winner and a friend to Burger Bash 2011, the first tasting event in the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The Amstel Light Burger Bash campaign will activate in Miami, Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale FL and Washington D.C. until February 7, 2011. The Burger Bash Hosted by Rachael Ray event takes place on Thursday, February 24.
To enter, players who are over 21 can take a picture of the Jagtag code with their cell phones. If they’re AT&T or Verizon customers, they can simply text the picture to short code 524824; otherwise, they can email the picture to Amstel@jagtag.com. In reply entrants will get a message asking them to input their date and year of birth.
Once their entry is confirmed, players will get a text directing them to the South Beach Fest (or SoBeFest) microsite for the Burger Bash, a contest testing the burger creations of some 30 local restaurateurs, grilled on the beach in front of The Ritz-Carlton South Beach Hotel. Both general and VIP admissions tickets to the event have already sold out.
“Partnering with Jagtag helped us to create an innovative mobile marketing campaign that targets the right audience in the right place with a great prize in the Southeast region ahead of burger bash,” Amstel light brand director Amanda hawk said in a release. “We wanted to build excitement in the region and around the event to encourage supporters to become a part of the fun.”
Unlike smartphone scanning apps that compel users download software to phone devices, the content to Jagtag’s scannable 2-D codes is hosted on jagtag’s own servers. Proprietary technology allows those servers to do a visual scan of incoming codes and associate them with the correct marketing message, which allows Jagtag to extend its 2-D campaigns to the non-smart feature phones still used by a majority of the U.S. mobile market.
The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, sponsored by Food & Wine magazine, is a four-day event showcasing the talents of numerous national and global wine producers, chefs and culinary celebrities. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the annual festival raises funds to benefit the teaching restaurant at Florida International University’s School of hospitality & Tourism Management.
Bacardi Pushes Leading Brands to Pull Others Along
By: Patricia Odell for PROMO Xtra
Bacardi USA is using its powerhouse brands, like Bacardi Rum, Grey Goose Vodka and Dewar’s White Label, to draw attention to its entire portfolio, including lesser-known brands such as Cazadores Tequila, Disaronno and Seven Tiki Rum.
The fully integrated two-month holiday program centers on promotional marketing in stores and leveraging social media and print at a time when consumers are twice as likely to be new to the category and shopping for gifts or are stocking up on alcoholic beverages for holiday parties.
The campaign, called “Mix & Share,” uses holiday entertaining tips, food pairing and cocktail recipes that often require multiple Bacardi brands to encourage more than one purchase. For example, “Cozy Coffee” calls for 1 part tequila Cazadores and 1 part Disaronno liqueur and 4 parts coffee.
“The more you can combine that power you’ll get a halo effect over smaller brands,” says Mary Perry, president of Ryan Partnership Wilton, which is handling the promotion. The agency is AOR for Dewar’s, Bombay Safire and the Prestige brands, and also conducts project work for Bacardi USA.
Here’s a look at the components of the campaign:
A partnership with the well-known food authority “Food & Wine” magazine adds credibility to the program by providing its 925,000 readers with Bacardi- entertaining tips. The first seven pages of the November/December holiday issue are dedicated to a “Mix & Share” advertorial. A 24-page “Mix & Share” holiday entertainment guide ships with each issue and also appears in “Food & Wine’s” iPhone and iPad apps. Celebrity chef and “Food & Wine” contributor Gail Simmons is the face of the campaign online and in print.
A cause component is relevant to the more than half of adults reported to respond to cause marketing and the 86% of consumers likely to switch brands when a product is associated with a good cause. Even more good news, about a quarter of consumers would pay 10% more for a product that supported a cause they cared about.
Bacardi chose to partner with the United Service Organization (USO) Charity that benefits service members and their families. The charity is integrated in all digital elements, the “Food & Wine” advertorial and the entertainment guide. Consumers participate by “Mixing & Sharing” a cocktail via the “Mix & Share” Facebook page. For each cocktail mixed and shared, Bacardi USA donates $1 up to $75,000. A media buy on Google and Facebook, as well as URL placements in print and retail elements help drive consumers to the Facebook page where Simmons offers a video introduction to the program. The 24-page entertainment guide can also be downloaded as can a $10 mail-in rebate or instant coupons.
“At this very competitive time of the year, it’s important to demonstrate value to the consumer,” Perry says.
On the mobile front, Bacardi USA introduced a new interactive iPad app that is demonstrated by brand reps at off-premise experiential events. Shoppers can view entertaining tips, recipes and videos, download and submit rebates up to $45 and learn about the USO program and Facebook page. A 4-bottle carrier is offered as a gifting option.
“The iPad is so much more interactive and shows the Bacardi brands to be a current and contemporary brand,” Perry said.
On mobile phones, two “Food & Wine” apps take over the loading page and push ads on transition pages while content is loading.
In stores, case cards, banners, posters and pole toppers draw attention to the promotion and merchandising displays. Very limited sampling is taking place.
“It’s really about the power of presence in the store environment, if you can have a bigger footprint, you are going to get more attention and leverage more equity than if you have a single brand on display,” Perry said.
"The invitation-only private members’ society that rewards your lifestyle. La Société Stella Artois is a rewards society for individuals who share a desire for Stella Artois and the finer things in life. Among other benefits, members may gain access to exclusive parties as well as chances to win once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences."
