‘On the rocks’ bar
Diageo’s Captain Morgan rum brand opened a Captain Morgan on the Rocks Island Bar on Holland America Line’s 2,400-acre private island in the Bahamas. The bar is designed as a 101-foot long, twin-decked, three-masted schooner “washed up” on the beach on Half Moon Cay. With seating for 326 guests, Captain Morgan on the Rocks Island Bar pays tribute to the heritage of Captain Henry Morgan with natural artifacts and historic references to the pirate’s exploits, which took place in the area more than 350 years ago, the company says. The ship’s cannons release gentle mists of water to keep guests cool on the open-air upper deck. The lower deck features rum casks for seats and a stage for the ship’s band, the HAL Cats, to perform.
2012 sponsorship
Heineken, Amsterdam, announced that it will be the official lager supplier and sponsor for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As part of the three-tier sponsorship, Heineken will be the branded lager served at the London 2012 games and Heineken UK will have exclusive pouring rights for its portfolio of beer and cider brands at all venues where alcohol is served. The company also is able to use exclusive hospitality and marketing opportunities associated with the event because of its position as an official supplier and sponsor. Heineken UK also will have the sponsorship and venue supply rights associated with the British Olympic Association; Team GB, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic team; the British Paralympic Association; and the Paralympics GB team.
Soccer plaza
To complement the U.S. tour of soccer’s Mexican National Team, The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, designed Plaza Coca-Cola, a gathering place for Hispanic soccer fans in the United States. Plaza Coca-Cola will follow the Mexican National Team as part of its five-city tour in the United States, which lasts through June. The canvas plaza provides a setting that embodies places, symbols, activities and music that convey happiness and is a place where fans can celebrate and pay tribute to their favorite teams, the company says. Plaza Coca-Cola features a 25-foot replica of one of Mexico City’s most recognizable landmarks, the victory column known as Angel de la Independencia. The replica was unveiled in Atlanta in February at an event hosted by Fernando Fiore, host of “Republica Deportiva” on the Spanish language network Univision, at the Mexican National Team’s first U.S. game. At each game, the plaza will be part of Futbol Fiesta, an interactive zone that spans more than 120,000 square feet and includes live music, games, celebrity appearances and giveaways.
‘Refresh’ re-boot
PepsiCo, Purchase, N.Y., announced that it will build on the success of its 2010 Pepsi Refresh Project and fund twice as many ideas this year. Pepsi will give away 60 grants each month in four tiers that range from $5,000 to $50,000 for a monthly total of more than $1 million in grants. In April, the Pepsi Refresh Project will add a rotating category called the Pepsi Challenge that will pose a question and invite answers in the form of ideas that will refresh communities in new and exciting ways, the company says. Pepsi also amended the submission process by accepting entries during a five-day period and randomly selecting 1,500 ideas for public voting that starts in May. Also new this year, Pepsi Refresh complements its online voting with Facebook, Twitter, the Pepsi Refresh Project mobile app and a text2vote program that can be used to promote and vote for the ideas. Changes are based on feedback solicited from the Refresh Everything community, including focus groups on Facebook and interviews with grant recipients.
Leisure bus giveaway
Salisbury, N.C.-based Carolina Beverage Corp.’s Cheerwine brand gave away its “Leisure Bus” to Cheerwine fan Chris Rizzie of White House, Tenn. The “Leisure Bus” is Cheerwine’s Volkswagon bus that features a refrigerator stocked with Cheerwine, a flat-screen TV, an X-Box video game system and a surfboard. The bus completed Cheerwine’s “Long Live Leisure Tour” that began in May 2010 and visited more than 100 retailers and events across the South. Cheerwine fans could enter in-person at various events and on the brand’s Facebook page through October. Rizzie discovered Cheerwine while vacationing in North Carolina and became a fan of the brand on Facebook.
Catchphrase contest
Sunkist Soda, a brand of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Plano, Texas, teamed with ESPN analyst and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Dick Vitale for a contest that invites fans to submit ideas for his next catchphrase. Consumers can enter “The Sunkist Catchphrase that Pays” contest for a chance to win one of eight $10,000 weekly cash prizes. Catchphrase ideas can be entered through the end of this month on sunkistsoda.com to be judged by a panel that includes Vitale.
