Buzz Without Bucks

In Zone buttressed its distribution with buzz. It knew that for kids, there is no advertising more effective than the peer influence of another kid. So, a year ago, the company launched its Kids Board, a national panel that acts as a mini - business unit within the company. Every year, In Zone selects some 15 kids to the board and sponsors their community-service projects, such as Shelby's excursions to children's hospitals. The kids help In Zone come up with new product ideas and, more important, build grassroots fervor.

In Zone marketing vice president Kathy VerEecke estimates that the Kids Board costs about $60,000 a year to manage. The exact impact is hard to calculate, but VerEecke says that in the past year, board members have organized 40 community-service projects involving 60,000 kids. She estimates that the program has generated 4 million media impressions. Not least, the buzz has fed a vibrant aftermarket: EBay recently listed 32 BellyWashers for sale; in May, a first-edition Powerpuff Girl bottle went for $35.

Meanwhile, BellyWashers have rocketed off of the shelves at Kroger, Target, Toys "R" Us, and Wal-Mart. The company has logged 100% annual compounded growth over the past three years, and it expects sales to top $75 million in 2003. At the end of 2002, A.C. Nielsen had clocked BellyWashers as the 37th most popular fruit-drink brand out of the 700 that it tracks -- and that survey did not include convenience stores, BellyWashers' strongest channel.

VerEecke is planning an alumni group for former members of the BellyWashers Kids Board. Shelby's mom, Amber Coffey, hopes to keep the Atlanta club going, even if none of Shelby's friends manage to make the cut for the national board. "It's been a great experience for all of them," she says. "That's why we're going to keep them together next year and hopefully add to the number of kids in the club." Spoken just like a queen bee.

Heartland sizzle, one sip at a time

If capturing the attention of kids is difficult, cultivating buzz on a tiny budget in the high-end vodka market can be downright dispiriting. Over the past four years, 100 new brands have entered the $9.3 billion vodka business. One of those brands, Shakers, is brought to us by Infinite Spirits Inc. -- the same guys who built Pete's Wicked Ale into the nation's second-largest craft brewer.

Infinite Spirits' strategy? Craft a product that combines the two most important traits in a vodka: smoothness and taste. Position it as the first American ultrapremium vodka to be made from wheat, the grain historically used for the finest spirits. And then use their base in the heartland -- where the spirit is actually distilled -- as a low-cost launching pad for a nationwide rollout.

Without much money to make an impact, Shakers needed a compelling story to differentiate it from the ranks of foreign competitors. The brand's pedigree would be part of its mythology. So in its first small, "low six figure" national advertising campaign, Infinite Spirits took a bold risk. In stark contrast to the swank images used by most vodka producers, Shakers' campaign centers around a decidedly glamour-free pitchman: an elderly farmer, in bib overalls and a straw hat, standing amid amber waves of grain. It doesn't exactly scream, Are you hot?

But the startling image is catching the attention of its intended audience: the distributors, retailers, and restaurateurs who are the gatekeepers for a vodka's acceptance. "I saw the ad with the farmer and thought, There's a great little story," says Raphael Oliver, general manager of Boston's upscale Top of the Hub restaurant. "My staff liked that it's American. With the war and the focus on liberty, justice, and freedom, that's a big plus."

David Glasser, the Manhattan-based president of Infinite Spirits, is wary of pushing the patriotism button too hard -- but he welcomes good word of mouth. Mostly, getting attention for the brand is painstakingly slow work. "It's one drink at a time, one tasting, one convert," says Glasser. His goal is to get buy-in from what he calls "trusted sources at risk": the bartenders, waitstaff, and liquor-store owners whose own reputations are on the line when they recommend a brand to customers. "We're hoping to get a kind of viral thing happening," he says.

Smart move, agrees Salzman. It's all about influencing the influencers. "Finding the superconnectors is the key to a targeted, successful buzz strategy. Go to the trend spreaders and plant yourself intelligently on their radar." According to a May 2001 McKinsey & Co. study, 67% of U.S. consumer sales are influenced by word of mouth.

Ultimately, Glasser hopes that the buzz will plant Shakers in hip Manhattan bars. But for now, he's rolling out the brand far from anyplace where you'd be most likely to see Candace Bushnell perched on a bar stool. It's starting in such hot spots as the towns of Benson, Mankato, and Winnebago, in Minnesota. The idea? To concentrate initial efforts in markets where Shakers can make a big impact with less money, then use early profits to fund growth in more-traditional venues like Boston, New York, and San Francisco.