Page 90 - BCM_April_2024

MARKETING

Want a Glass With That Wine?

The enduring popularity of drinkware as a sales tool.

’ve never been much of a drinker. I jokingly tell people the upcoming clash.
I that I quit drinking alcohol at the age of 21, and that’s During our discussions, Brunner and I would brain-
not far from the truth. e number of drinks I’ve had in the storm as to whether beer and co ee could be combined to
past 50 years could most likely be counted on one hand. create a sudsy beverage with a ca eine jolt. I don’t know if
But because of the marketing positions I’ve held with he ever took those thoughts to Miller, but I was surprised
three large bowling companies, the need to nd a few years ago that Molson Coors had begun ex-
for attention to bar promotions was always perimenting with the idea.
there. Co ee spiked with booze has been a hit for decades. In
One of the biggest promotions was the the 1990s, Jim Beam Brands (now a part of Suntory Hold-
Budweiser/Bud Light Hall of Fame Tour- ings) came calling with a co ee liqueur that was not as
nament in the early 1980s. e program sweet as Kahlua, but just as avorful. It was called Kamo-
was a fundraiser for the original National ra. One of that company’s greatest promotions involved a
DAVE Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Kamora co ee mug with the Mayan calendar as a back-
WILLIAMS Louis, and under its precepts, a bowler was drop. ere also was an opportunity to print drink menus

asked to donate $1 during league competi- displayed inside plastic 4-by-6-inch menu stands.
tion, with a portion going to the museum and a portion to e idea was to have the customer purchase one of
an in-house tournament. Some leagues decided to include the co ee drinks, and in return they got to keep the mug.
the dollar in their weekly fees for the season. Both the menus and mugs were provided by Jim Beam at
rough many years of participation with AMF Bowl- no cost and provided a great introduction to the Kamora
ing Centers, American Recreation Centers and Nation- brand. e three drinks that we featured were:
wide Bowling Corporation, we were collectively able to • Mexican Co ee — A true treasure of Mexico featuring
contribute nearly Kamora and house
$100,000 toward blend co ee.
the museum, top- • Spanish Monk —
ping the multi-unit Hot co ee with Ka-
center members in mora and hazelnut
dollars-per-lane- liqueur.
bed. • Hot French Kiss —
Another early Kamora, French
beer association I vanilla liqueur and
had was with Miller co ee.
Brewing, now a e co ees sold
part of Molson well, and the mug was
Coors. One of its a hit.
more memorable Various types of drinkware have always been popular giveaways and sales Another popular
reps was Darius enhancers in bowling centers — including co ee mugs to promote Kamora giveaway item for
Brunner (1963- liqueur and shaker bottles to promote Jose Cuervo tequila. many years was a Jose
2009), a native of Cuervo bowling team
Milwaukee who received his master’s degree from the shaker bottle (the lid served as a shot glass). ere also
University of San Francisco while working for Miller in was a bowling pin-shaped glass from Heublein that per-
Northern California. formed the twin duties of a cocktail glass (lower portion)
Brunner was a numbers freak. He would always bring in and a snack holder (upper portion).
charts showing me trends and making recommendations An interesting story arose with the Boston Beer Com-
for the chain regarding products. He’d also bring me a gift pany and Nationwide Bowling while I was working for
of some sort. We shared a passion for a good cup of co ee, Nationwide many years ago in the New York City area.
so beginning in 1989, Darius brought me a Lite Beer Super We had converted all of the locations to various forms of
Bowl commemorative mug with the date and location of computerized scoring, and my next task was to convert

88 • BCM • APRIL 2024 www.bcmmag.com

3/13/24 7:20 AM
088,089_Marketing_0424.indd 88 3/13/24 7:20 AM
088,089_Marketing_0424.indd 88