Beer blaster - Red Stripe goes for modile, music marketing

The Red Stripe Beer Patrol-branded Toyota FJ Cruiser stands tall on black rubber tyres in its glistening predominantly red paint with chrome trimmings glory. The gap between the front tyres' tops and the truck's body gives an extensive view of coil springs and indicates how much after-market lift the Cruiser has been given.

Similarly, Red Stripe is hoping for a lift in sales from the cruisers, one operating from Kingston and the other from Montego Bay. For while the trucks, topped off with a row of lights in chrome housing, are undeniable head-turners, it is making people stop and sip - that is the real aim of this cruising game.
"We are turning heads. In a cluttered landscape you have a very limited time to make a loud enough impact so it stays in people's minds," Cato said. "They definitely stop traffic."

Making the potential Red Stripe drinkers look is one thing. Getting them to listen is another. Pushing 2,000 watts of power (much less than the Toyota Hiace vans, branded for Red Stripe, Heineken and Guinness which thump out up to 10,000 watts, but still more than enough to pack a wallop) and playing predominantly reggae and dancehall, the FJ Cruisers crank up the music wherever they stop - which is practically anywhere. The systems were set up by Stuart Duquesnay at Supreme Audio in St Andrew.

"There are a few things that excite consumers around beer. Music is one. There is a deep connection with music and our customers," Cato said. The mobile-marketing machines play "mainly reggae and dancehall, but don't be surprised if you hear R&B"

The combination of mobility and music is appealing to both Red Stripe and the potential customer. "Why we have these vans is part of a strategy this year is to definitely reconnect to our market and reconnect with community. We needed to do it at a certain pace and high mobility. This is what these vehicles allows us to do. We are reconnecting with people with something which is a big part of their lives - music," Cato said.

"We are reconnecting with people with something which is a big part of their lives - music ... . We are fitting into your lifestyle, to bring the beer to you."

The Hiace vans predate the FJ Cruisers, which are a part of the Red Campaign (which kicked off with the Mission Impawsible advertisements) in the company's current financial year, which started in July. There were test runs in August and the Cruisers have been operating fully since September. Operating fully means a near non-stop schedule, which requires about eight persons per Cruiser. Between Sunday, November 6, and Saturday, November 12, each FJ made 60 stops. The Kingston-based truck made it to Waltham Park Road, Olympic Way and the Savanna-la-Mar Town Centre, while the MoBay unit hit Dumfries, Grange Hill and Cambridge Square among their stops.

The missions are two-fold - an unannounced sampling run which stops at football games, bars and unexpected places and beer is served, along with the music, naturally. "We are reintroducing people to cold serve - really cold beer," Cato said. Then there is Beer on Ice, where the sales team follows up. "The bar buys a certain amount of quantity from us, we roll up with the truck, do some promotions and turn up the music," Cato said.

To give the party more oomph, multiple vehicles can be synced up to play the same song. Plus, the vehicles can accommodate a guest selector plugging in their equipment.

In early October, The Gleaner reported that the production of about 3.5 million cases of Red Stripe beer, annually will be moved from Jamaica to the United States in 2012, resulting in the axing of 70 jobs. This followed lay-offs in the middle of last year, The Gleaner reporting that the company had taken a "significant volume hit" over the previous two years.

If demand goes in the same direction as the FJ Cruisers, the company would be happy. "We are actually oversubscribed. We need more vehicles," Cato said.

melville.cooke@gleanerjm.com