Amazing Seminar: “Brand Ambassadors,” sponsored by Belvedere Vodka
Posted on July 22, 2011
Filed Under Cocktail Buzz | Leave a Comment
Steve Schul and Paul Zablocki (Cocktail Buzz) ply their love for cocktail and food pairings on their Web site, Cocktail Buzz, and their blog “Buzzings.”
Wednesday morning. It was time to wake up and smell the coffee. Thank god for the Kahlúa Coffee Bar to jumpstart our morning. Those red-eyes—a shot of espresso mixed with regular joe—plus some churros gave us the energy we needed (and the means for soaking up all the alcohol that was about to come our way) for what turned out to be the biggest “laughfest” of 2011: a seminar titled “Brand Ambassadors” led by Claire Smith, the Belvedere Vodka Brand Ambassador, who gathered a panel of three antis (Simon Ford, John Lermayer, and Nuri Djavit) and three pros (Angus Winchester, Dan Warner, and Allen Katz), revved up to discuss the nature of the Brand Ambassador and debate the main question: “Do we really need them?” So entertaining, they all kept us in stitches while still managing to supply us so much information.
Here are some gems, mixed with some words of wisdom:
Nuri Djavit: Discussing how Brand Ambassadors must look to social media, “One out of twelve people on Earth are on Facebook.”
Simon Ford: Stating that a Brand Ambassador should have “complete knowledge of their product.” They should “visit the distillery, study the competition, and not just read the company’s marketing material.”
Jon Lermayer: “I want to see more cooperation among competing brands.”
Allen Katz: “Brand Ambassadors need to educate the executives within their own company about the market.”
Dan Warner: “The Brand Ambassador should be a knowledgeable person, letting the world know its brand is there, shouting it from the rooftops.”
Angus Winchester: “Some Brand Ambassadors are just glorified salespeople. Others are always learning how to be a better bartender from bartenders all over the world.”
Simon Ford: “Brand Ambassadors are fickle whores; whoever pays more, wins.”
Angus Winchester: “A consultant is someone who’s ego is too big for just one company.”
Allen Katz: “The greatest pleasure on Earth is sex. Good sex is derived from many things. Among them, good food and drink. This begets more good sex, which in turn begets more good food and drink. It’s the circle of life.”
Nuri Djavit: Regarding the longevity of a product with a celebrity as Brand Ambassador, “People connect more to [the celebrity] and not the product.”
Dan Warner: “What happens when the celebrity is no longer in the public eye?”
Simon Ford: “The brand should be the most important thing.”
Jon Lermayer: Sarcastically, “I just love the Brand Ambassadors who come into my bar and rearrange my shelf when I’m not there.”
This was a great kick-off to the seminar series, and was worth getting our asses out of bed for. One of the cocktails served that surprised us used the Belvedere Bloody Mary Vodka. With some citrus juice and a pineapple garnish, it tasted a little spicy and a little bit sweet. A nice balance and a great alternative to the traditional Bloody Mary or brunch cocktail.
A man from Virginia Beach decried poor Brand Ambassadors who would come to his bar and give him cursory lip service and crappy information. Claire promised to send a better Brand Ambassador his way. “Is it sunny there?” she asked. Chortles and Guffaws abounded. It was a great way to end the cheeky, yet serious, seminar. (By the way, mostly every one in the audience was in favor of the Brand Ambassador.)
