‘Celebrity Brands’ Multiply On the Back Bar

BEVERAGE INDUSTRY LOOKS TO ENTERTAINMENT ICONS TO HOOK CONSUMERS

by: Larry ‘Smokey Genta smokey@BeverageUnderground.com

Are you ready for Bill O’Reilly Irish Whiskey, Oprah’s Pinot Grigio or Tiger’s Scotch?

So far there are no such products…but if history repeats and trends continue, get ready for anything, or anybody to wind up on your back bar. Celebrity endorsements for adult beverages can be traced back to 1955 when Vodka was the ‘new’ spirit that needed lots of help. Originally marketed as ‘white whiskey’ Smirnoff was the first to used the actor, comedian and ‘Toastmaster General’ George Jessel in magazine and billboard advertisements. Smirnoff carried the celebrity theme through the sixties in magazine and billboard advertising, while Ed McMahon was regularly seen proudly pouring and representing Budweiser on the Tonight Show in the Sixties.

But celebrity endorsements have reached crazy proportions. Danny DeVito’s TV appearance, hungover on Limoncello in November of 2006 spawned his own brand of Limoncello. Sammy Hagar sings about and drinks his Cabo Wabo Tequila but Trump doesn’t drink at all, he just endorses Trump Vodka. Musicians seem to sell the best, and vodka sells the most, so Jay Z bought Armadale Vodka, and Dan Ackroyd has a piece of ‘Crystal Skull’ Vodka, while Jimi Hendrix’ brother lost his rights to hawk a bottle of vodka with Jimi’s image on it.

The beverage industry is a highly competitive playing field, and using celebrities to gain awareness and placements just…works. In song, in print, on TV, and at the movies, the beverage alcohol business continues to entertain the thought of ‘buying in’ or ‘selling out’ to popular entertainers to help sell their ‘juice’.

The Beer companies have long made the association to the athletic world. NASCAR comes alive with a ‘coolie cup’ and for years, summer sales are spiked by branding logos with popular baseball stars, teams and stadiums. It’s no secret that they serve lots of Budweiser at Busch stadium, Coors at Coors Field, and that they’ll be pushing Miller Chill all summer long at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

This year the NFL will see ‘Landshark Stadium’ in Miami as new Miami Dolphin owner Stephen Ross has recruited Jimmy Buffet and given him the chance to showcase his beer for a year of sponsorship. Buffet, who already lends his name, owns part of and cashes checks from Margaritaville Tequila… also entered into a joint effort with Anheuser-Busch to brew and market Landshark Lager from his ‘Margaritaville Brewery’. Jimmy Buffet makes tequila placements from his recordings- to his chain of restaurants and instead of just playing concerts in stadiums, now he sells his beer until the end of the third quarter.

But it’s about to get stupid, and the back bar looks like a summer concert schedule. Kenny Chesney is backing a new rum, Bruce Willis will be pitching his favorite vodka, Vince Neil has a new tequila and so does Justin Timberlake. Dr Dre, Guy Ritchie, Willie Nelson, Marilyn Manson, Kidd Rock, and Snoop Dogg all have endorsement deals and stock options on spirits brands.

Ratings monsters like Oprah, O’Reilly and Tiger Woods have loyal followers that buy whatever they sell. The economy chases us to the movies, the television and to damn near any bottle to escape from personal financial struggles, and the beverage industry looks for anyone that will help bring revenues.

Just tell me we’ll stop the madness before we get to the Rush Limbaugh whine.