Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The Challenges of Growing a Business in These Hard Economic Times Without Traditional Advertising

This past month we have had huge publicity and debate about the Shotpak brand and the patented StandUP pouch we use and whether it encourages underage drinking.

Syndication meant the LA Times article including a colored picture appeared in hundreds of local papers throughout the USA and on several TV news shows. We reminded all and sundry that we agree that anyone under 21 years of age should not drink and also reminded all that the family is in charge of this behavior and not Shotpak!

It is interesting to us that Shotpak has been around since 2003 and in our BPG pouch since last August. The total sales are still small compared to other liquor beverages and we have only just introduced the Shotpak brand fulltime into 7 states and some overseas markets. The store count in USA is under 1000. In other words we are tiny brand, but we were discussed as if we were an industry leader. This is a compliment to our viral marketing program if nothing else.

The key points of the viral program are that our pouch is like a slim flask designed to fit in a purse or back pocket and to fit snugly into a unique marketing niche.

Shotpak is a social drink designed for consumption in settings such as parties, bars and dance floors where glass is a danger.

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression and we are aiming to make Shotpak an iconic brand where the pouch, in its essence, becomes a signature part of the overall brand. In a nutshell our aim is to create loyalty and love for our patented StandUp pouch.

We want to hit a nerve with the consumers as regards the flavor and the package. Our pouch is simple with strong graphics and has an edge to be memorable and unique on the shelf.

In summary, we have a simple, distinctive package, with great products inside and this is the message we want to get across.

Growing a business in hard economic times is already a challenge and if you take our decision not to use mainstream press or TV to advertise and promote, it is unbelievable how we have managed to maintain growth each month via the internet and social functions.

What this nontraditional marketing exercise has taught us is some very clear direction and we share some of these points of our assiduous attention to detail plan, with our Shotpak supporters:

Rule 1 / If you can do it yourself then do it.

Rule 2 / Don't be afraid to wear many hats so that you can ensure the message gets out.

Rule 3 / absolutely essential to surround yourself with honest, passionate, qualified people, who believe it can be done. Keep pushing home what you expect of them and try not to get moved off the path. This will be your biggest challenge.

Rule 4 / Manage limited resources (think cash flow) effectively.

Rule 5 / simultaneously as you launch the new package and product, ensure your next product development idea is ongoing. You will need these stage 2 plans to keep the product in front of consumers as they test your new innovations.

Rule 6 / Create a campaign to communicate brand message in a nontraditional way that is exciting and people want to return to your web site and read more. It is this part of our plan that is working.

Rule 7 / Make sure that your product message is fun, energetic, innovative, and has a personality.

Rule 8 / Broaden customer base to encompass the upwardly mobile professional and sports fan segment of the market place. This has been our mission.

Now in these tough times we have found that users of our products talk by email to each other more frequently and make a lot of buying decisions based on what their peers are drinking habits.

It has not been lost on our supporters the increase in the numbers of celebrities drinking Shotpak on social occasions, as shown on the MySpace web site 'Party in a Pouch.

Early Pearl, the rock band we sponsor, is doing a tremendous job on the road showing the safe, secure drink responsible side of the product and the product message. Texas, Florida and Georgia are part of their tour this month.

Using our viral marketing we are trying to make contact with our consumers on a level that is very emotional.

We try to get in front of our consumers with a face to face and touch the pouch approach, so it resonates with them through a taste of brand event. For example our efforts at golf courses means consumers touch the product before buying and enjoying real time.

A new message is Standup for and talk, touch, enjoy our products in our 'oil to oil' eco-friendly pouch. We are a 21st century product.

It's an aesthetically pleasing pouch and it is hard to describe why, but people just like it.

MySpace was used to launch our viral campaigns and to generate a huge amount of awareness about people drinking Shotpak.

The MySpace site run by The GuyZzz, has been flawless and has managed to elicit the appropriate brand impression of success and Shotpak go together.

Daily we get asked how to reach the 'Party in a Pouch' site and this tells us the message is working as we build a niche brand!

We have also been creating an intimate environment conducive to developing an emotional response to the brand, an olfactory excursion, relax and enjoy life with Shotpak.

We are in stores, bars and clubs where the pouch can be touched before purchase. The success of the pouch is in the way it so beautifully captures the essence of the brand as a high end, unique, friendly and colorful flavorful product. This aspect is what has led to all the press around Shotpak!

We are trying to orient the consumer to the sense of the 'touch' of the pouch, a sensorial significance of this aspect of the package and then after opening remind them and excite their sense of 'smell' and 'taste' of sweetness or bitterness to the palate. The exquisite printed designs invite consumer to feel the pouch and hopefully fall in love or be fully comfortable with it.

We all have five senses and we aim to use all of these on seducing the consumer in our sensory marketing campaign.

We are not a new product, but we want pleasant and surprise emotion when consumers touch, open and drink our products, we prefer to say nothing at all on the web site other than consumers enjoying the product at social functions.

Emotion, joy of drinking, touch, taste, smell, sight and sound are all part of the sensory brand experience and brand loyalty.

That's our message in the campaign. We use all of these tactics and hope to engage the brain link to memory and emotional response to the brand eye-catching colors

Now back to how to introduce a product in a tough environment, we believe get the consumer involved and invite them to touch the pouch and enjoy the products. Let the consumer do the marketing for the product.