Why is it that at Yankee Stadium the line to purchase an imported beer can sometimes seem longer than the line to purchase the all-American brew? It could be because those trusty beer guys in the stands shouting, “get your Bud Light here!,” make the American brands so accessible. Or it could be that fans are looking for an alternative.

jones soda

“Twenty years ago when they were called microbrews, the micro fit the name because the production was really small,” she says. “Now, production levels have increased to the point where what used to be called micro brewers are now craft brewers because their scale permits them to do things like supply sporting events.”

She continues, “I still believe that when people travel, and a lot of people do travel to go to sporting events, festivals and concerts, etc., they want to try something local. So having a local craft beer on tap is a completely smart move.”

In Kansas City, Mo., for example, fans cheering for the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium or rooting for the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium can sip on the hometown brews of Boulevard Brewing Co., (Kansas City, Mo.) a specialty brewer that is distributed in 13 Midwestern states. In fact, Kauffman Stadium is the brewery’s single largest account where its No. 1 brew, Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat Beer, and the next best seller, Boulevard Pale Ale, are sold.

“As our market share has grown dramatically in Kansas City, there was enough call and demand for our product at these venues,” says Bob Sullivan, vice president of sales and marketing for Boulevard Brewing Co. In Kansas City, Boulevard makes up 16 percent of all the draft beer sold, which is more than Coors and Coors Light combined and just behind Miller Lite, he adds.

Sullivan explains that because the Kansas City Royals don’t own the pouring rights at Kauffman Stadium, Boulevard wasn’t competing against Anheuser-Busch in this case when it comes to paying for a sponsorship contract.

“The contract that any national league baseball team or NBA team or NFL team would have with Miller, Bud or Coors is not within our resource ability to compete for,” he says. “So it really becomes about whether or not there is value beyond what we may or may not be able to pay in a sponsorship.”

Energizing an Event
Dan Fleyshman, president of energy drink company Who’s Your Daddy, Inc. (San Diego, Calif.) says that part of the reason why smaller brands are gaining accounts like stadiums, arenas and festivals are because they bring fun along with a good product.

Who’s Your Daddy was the exclusive energy drink and made part of the title sponsorship at Wild 98.7’s Last Damn Show featuring LL Cool J, Lil Wayne and Three 6 Mafia at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla., in November 2007. Who’s Your Daddy was contacted via its distributor in Tampa that was approached about the partnership.

“Adding the Red Bull and Monsters of the world, even the Coca-Colas, it just becomes redundant,” says Fleyshman. “It’s not fun.” In addition, a “smaller” company is more likely to promote around the brand whereas larger companies won’t put in the same effort to spread the word, he claims. “We’ll put 400 hummers out on the streets and we’ll hand out flyers. We will market around their brand, their radio station, with them.”

Jones Breaks the Mold
The discussion of channel selling through stadium deals can’t be had without including Jones Soda, the soda maker that made headlines last year for its partnerships with the Seattle Seahawks and soon after with the New Jersey Nets.

The Seattle-based soda company sealed the deal with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Qwest Field and Qwest Field Event Center—beating out Coke in a bidding process for the exclusive non-alcoholic pouring rights—because it was able to personalize the event. Jones is offering an assortment of regular and sugar-free sodas at Qwest Field with the company’s patented packaging technology where fans can collect bottles featuring themselves and their favorite players including Deion Branch, Josh Brown and Matt Hasselbeck.

“All arenas are looking for ways to personalize and make the experience unique,” says Stacey Donahue, vice president of marketing for Jones Soda Co. This was the fist time that any private label soda company won a major pouring contract and exclusive deal with a NFL team.

To keep things unique, Jones released a limited edition Seahawks Collector Pack last fall with five football inspired flavors—Dirt Soda, Sports Cream Soda, Perspiration Soda, Natural Field Turf Soda and Sweet Victory Soda.

Since the Seahawks deal, Donahue says Jones has been approached by more than a dozen stadiums. “We are taking those on a case-by-case basis.”

So, it might not be long before Yankee fans can get a bottle of chewing tobacco-flavored Jones Soda (?) with Derek Jeter’s picture on it and the beer guy shouting, “get your Jones Soda here!”

 
From Beverage World February 15, 2008