Grab the bottle    

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) created a new video titled “Bottled Water – Small Water Use With Big Health Benefits,” which highlights bottled water’s increasing role in water consumption and sustainability. According to the video, bottled water has helped consumers choose to drink more water because it presents it in a convenient format. In fact, 40 percent of all water servings come in the form of bottled water, the IBWA says. In addition, by switching to bottled water from soft drinks, Americans save 300 billion calories and 6.4 billion gallons of water each year. This is because bottled water is an efficient water user, consuming less than 0.004 percent of all of the water in the United States, the IBWA explains.

Making the team 

Hood River Distillers Inc.’s Pendleton Whisky and Sinfire Cinnamon Whisky brands have been drafted as official partners of the Portland Trail Blazers. The new partnership comes with some perks for the brands, including a Pendleton Whisky branded lounge at the west club level of the Moda Center, the NBA team’s home arena. In addition, all Hood River Distillers products will be poured at the Moda Center, with Sinfire Cinnamon Whisky being the preferred cinnamon whisky for the venue. Off the court, the official partner brands also have rights to use the team’s logo for promotional and point-of-purchase items.

An indulgent pairing 

Premium chocolatier Lindt USA spent a year collaborating with J. Lohr Estates to create a dark chocolate suitable for pairing with the company’s J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay wine. The resulting Excellence Pineapple dark chocolate bar features a blend of pineapple and caramelized hazelnut pieces. When paired with the aromas of pear, pineapple and toasted hazelnut featured in the Chardonnay, the duo provides a delightful finish of caramel and cream, the companies say. Excellence Pineapple is Lindt’s first chocolate bar created to complement Chardonnay wine.

Up for a party

In the past few years, Bud Light has taken over cruise ships and hotels for its Super Bowl celebrations. This year, the official beer sponsor of the NFL is taking its #UpForWhatever campaign to the next level with the Bud Light House of Whatever for Super Bowl XLIX. Featuring three days of parties, concerts and one-of-a-kind activities, the experience is designed to encourage consumers of legal drinking age to prove that they are truly up for whatever happens next. The Bud Light House of Whatever also will host appearances from artists and celebrities, including DJ Steve Aoki, who will perform Jan. 30. The brand will reveal more talent announcements as the Super Bowl approaches. The brand also will create multiple “Whatever” experiences in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.

Big Red meets Red Mamba

Big Red signed San Antonio Spurs Forward-Center Matt Bonner as its newest brand ambassador. Nicknamed “The Red Mamba,” Bonner began appearing on Big Red soda displays in December at hundreds of stores across central and south Texas. “As a Texas-based company, we’re excited to welcome local legend Matt Bonner to the Big Red team,” said Thomas Oh, Big Red’s senior vice president of marketing, in a statement. “Big Red is San Antonio’s No. 1 flavored soft drink, and Matt is the only redhead in the NBA. So it makes perfect sense for San Antonio’s two favorite reds to partner together to get fans pumped for another championship season.” This spring, Big Red plans to launch a text-to-win sweepstakes for consumers to win an autographed Spurs jersey.

Save the rainforest

Veev Spirits is partnering with lifestyle and bottled water brand Cuipo to preserve rainforests around the globe. Veev has pledged to donate $1 for every drink sold through participating on-premise accounts up to $30,000 to Cuipo’s nonprofit foundation, One Meter at a Time, which works to save rainforests through education and brand activation. The partnership program includes a splash page on the Cuipo website that highlights participating on-premise accounts and tracks the number of meters of rainforest that have been saved through sales. Additional support elements given to accounts include acai bracelets upcycled from Brazilian acai berry seeds, co-branded chalkboards to display and track their own progress, and table tents featuring specialty, eco-inspired Veev cocktails: the Canopy Cosmo, Rainforest Cooler and Eco-tini. Accounts also are encouraged to create their own cocktails using fresh ingredients and eco-inspired names.

A work of art

For its fifth Master of Photography series, The Macallan partnered with portrait and fashion photographer Mario Testino to bring to life the Six Pillars of its foundation. The Masters of Photography: Mario Testino Edition brings together six different Scotch whisky casks representing the brand’s Six Pillars. When blended together, the whiskies create the perfect single-malt whisky with depth, darkness and diversity, the brand says. Bottles of the limited-edition whisky are available in four different variations, each featuring one of the four photographs taken by Testino depicting the Six Pillars, and are presented in a high-gloss, black-lacquered box that features a secret hidden compartment. The sets retail for approximately $3,500 and include one bottle of the single-malt whisky and one miniature bottle of each of the six selected casks. 

Fireworks and Roars

During the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show, Pepsi will host global superstar Katy Perry as the headline performer on Feb. 1. In anticipation of the upcoming performance, Pepsi released an original digital video featuring Perry and re-released its “There Since The First #Halftime” commercial with her song “Firework” as the soundtrack. Fans also are encouraged to tune in to NBC leading up to the Super Bowl to see what Perry has in store for her Halftime Show.