Honest Tea Gets Organic Certification
r of lightly sweetened, bottled iced tea, recently received organic certification for several of its varieties by Pennsylvania Certified Organic, a member of the Organic Trade Association.
Honest Tea's bottled versions of Moroccan Mint, Jakarta Ginger, First Nation and Community Green were certified as being free of any chemical herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. There are some organic ingredients in all of Honest Tea's bottled tea flavors.
This organic focus puts Honest Tea in the forefront of the emerging organic market, which will get a boost over the course of the next year as new standards released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in December 2000 go into effect.
"Wild on Bud" Promotion
ST. LOUIS -- Budweiser is partnering with E! Entertainment Television's celebrity host Brooke Burke for a new summer consumer program. Burke hosts E! Entertainment Television's "Wild On" program, which takes a look at the people, food and nightlife of exotic destinations.
This summer Burke will serve as spokeswoman for Budweiser's "Wild On Bud" promotion. The program will run in bars and clubs throughout the United States until Oct. 28.
In each of the promotion markets retailers will host events that feature party games. Consumers have the opportunity to win local prizes and a grand prize trip for two to a "Wild On Bud" culmination party in the Hamptons resort area in New York, Las Vegas or Miami.
The promotion will be supported by national commercial spots on E! Entertainment Television, local radio mentions, a Web presence on the Budweiser and E! sites, and "Wild On Bud" merchandise and POS materials.
New Look for Traditional Tea
CINCINNATI -- Tradewinds Beverages recently launched a new label design for their kettle-brewed teas.
The new look completes a two-year packaging makeover that started when Tradewinds moved to a wide-mouthed bottle modeled after their original narrow-neck bottle.
The new design allots more space to explaining the company's "Kettle Brewed" message and adds neck sleeves color-coded, by flavor, to facilitate flavor recognition for consumers and retailers.
Yoo-hoo Learns "Teen Speak"
NEW YORK -- Yoo-hoo is pulling some slammin' V's and spinnin' phat tunes this summer.
The chocolate drink company's new summer promotion is adopting "teen speak" as part of its introduction of new limited edition packaging featuring the Yoo-hoo Crew and the World's Laziest Roadie Sweepstakes.
The Yoo-hoo Crew features three caricatures of teenagers on 11-ounce cans of Yoo-hoo as part of the company's sponsorship of the Vans Warped Tour summer concerts.
In conjunction with their sponsorship of the Vans Warped Tour, Yoo-hoo is also hosting the World's Laziest Roadie sweepstakes where one winner and two friends will win a three-day trip to Vans Warped Tour 2002, complete with chauffeur, tickets to the concert, catered meals and all the Yoo-hoo they want.
Other prizes include the World's Laziest Roadie custom-designed recliners and inflatable chairs. Consumers enter the sweepstakes online at www.drinkyoo-hoo.com.
Energy Brands' New Sports Water
WHITESTONE, N.Y. -- Energy Brands has announced that it will introduce a new product, Glaceau Smartwatersport, a nutrient-enhanced bottled water.
This latest product in the Glaceau Water+ line has no calories, no carbohydrates, no sugar and no sodium. Vapor distillation is used to remove all dissolved solids, such as heavy metals and inorganic minerals, and nutrient enhancement adds electrolytes -- calcium, magnesium and potassium -- which promote rapid rehydration.
Glaceau Smartwatersport will be available in a 750-ml sports bottle this fall at a suggested retail price of $1.19.
SoBe Launches Love Bus Brew
NORWALK, Conn. -- South Beach Beverage Co. here has created a new chocolate energy drink called the Love Bus Brew.
The beverage is enhanced with Siberian ginseng and vitamins A, E, B6 and B12 for extra energy and contains 25% of the RDA of calcium.
Initial rollout of the product started June 1 on the West Coast; a national launch is planned for the fall.
The beverage is supported by a marketing campaign entitled "Shake Your Goo!" that focuses on the Dutch chocolate and energizing herbs that settle to the bottom of each bottle. The campaign uses print, radio and POS materials. SoBe Love Bus Brew is available in 16-ounce glass bottles at a suggested retail price of $1.25 to $1.49.
Also, starting in July Microsoft Corp's Xbox video game system will be integrated into the SoBe experience at all Love Bus stops. SoBe has signed on as a strategic marketing partner with Microsoft for the launch of the new system.
Eight Love Buses will tour the United States to support the Xbox launch, providing one of the few venues where consumers can experience the game system prior to its Nov. 8 launch. Each Love Bus will house two game stations offering gamers the chance to experience the "Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee" game featuring SoBe "power-ups" within the story.
Mountain Dew Launches Code Red
PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Mountain Dew launched a new cherry flavor drink, Mountain Dew Code Red, nationally last month.
Initially, the new Dew will be available on a single-serve basis in coolers, vending machines and other retail outlets in 20-ounce and 1-liter plastic bottles.
The launch was supported by radio and outdoor advertising, in-store merchandising, a Web presence and local sampling efforts. TV advertising for Code Red is scheduled to air later in the summer.
Gatorade Sponsors Athletes
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. -- Gatorade is cosponsoring a grant program for junior high and high school girls with the Women's Sports Foundation.
The program offers the Equipped 2 Play grant to schools, clubs and other recreational organizations in need of equipment and apparel. Gatorade has provided a $100,000 grant pool for girls' sports programs that show a demonstrated financial need.
The program is an extension of Gatorade's previous sponsorship of the Women's Sports Foundation, which began last year with the creation of a Web site.
Welch's Launches 100% Juice LINE
CONCORD, Mass. -- Welch's announced the addition of a new line of premium Concord grape 100% juices to its shelf-stable bottled juices. Welch's Concord Grape Blends come in three flavors, Concord Grape Strawberry, Concord Grape Cranberry and Concord Grape Mango.
The Concord Grape Blends rollout will be supported by the nationwide distribution of a high-value FSI coupon later this year and by television ads.
Kids' Drink Needs Own Category
ATLANTA -- Belly Washers, In Zone Brands new novelty beverage, appears to be making a mark in its unique category. Belly Washers is a line of collectible novelty beverages for kids.
The 100% vitamin-C fortified drinks are packaged in reusable bottles that take the shapes of popular licensed and nonlicensed characters with high kid appeal. Belly Washers come in a variety of flavors, including Powerpuff Girls-Berry Bam, Looney Tunes-Berry Crazy and Scooby-Doo Ruh-Ruh Raspberry. Other lines have used characters from Saban Entertainment's Power Rangers, Universal Studios' Jurassic Park III, and the Grinch. Belly Washers are available at Target, 7-Eleven, Toys 'R' Us, Texaco, Shell, Stop & Shop, Kroger and other retailers, and retail between $1.99 and $2.99.
Double-Cola Expands
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Double-Cola Co. introduced a new soft drink, Caffeine Free Ski. Caffeine Free Ski has the same orange and lemon flavors as the original. Initial launches of the new drink during June will take place in Evansville, Ind.; Greensburg, Ky.; Breese, Ill.; and Wellston, Ohio.
