Torching the record
Mike’s Hard Lemonade broke the Guinness World Records’ (GWR) title for most candles on a cake. As the brand celebrated its 17th anniversary, it engaged its Facebook fans and torched the old record of 48,523 candles, set in 2008, by lighting 50,151 total candles. “We’re thrilled to officially congratulate Mike’s Hard Lemonade on breaking the Guinness World Records’ title for most candles on a cake,” GWR Adjudicator Christina Conlon said in a statement. “What makes this so exciting and special is the unique, unconventional way Mike’s chose to celebrate its 17th birthday — by enlisting its fans to help the brand make history.”
Be a homebrewing LongShot
Samuel Adams is celebrating the 20th anniversary of launching homebrewing longshots with its Samuel Adams LongShot American Homebrew contest. Created in 1996 by Sam Adams founder and brewer Jim Koch, the contest celebrates the innovative spirit of American homebrewers, which today exceeds 1.2 million people, the company says. To be considered for the 2016 LongShot contest, homebrewers must submit a beer that’s style is part of the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines. Two winning beers will be featured in the Samuel Adams LongShot variety pack, which will be available nationwide in 2017. Submission for the LongShot contest will be accepted July 1-22, and winners will be announced in early October at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival in Denver.
What’s all the Buzz about?
With summer here, consumers are looking for something cool and refreshing. BuzzBar combines ice cream with alcohol to create delicious, artisanal and refreshing alcohol-infused frozen treats for adults, the company says. The ice cream bars are made with all-natural dairy ice cream and whole-food ingredients and blended with whiskey, Irish cream, liqueur, rum or cognac and coated in a dark chocolate shell, while the sorbet bars contain all-natural fruit and are vegan-friendly, it adds. BuzzBar is available nationwide at premium retailers in the following varieties: Bourbon St. Chocolate, The Buzz Café, Creamy Cookie, Strawberry Joy and Vanilla Daze. Its sorbet flavors feature Citrus Berry Drop, Majestic Mango, Mojito Madness and Pineapple Buzz.
Who you gonna call?
Fans of the “Ghostbusters” franchise have one more reason to celebrate this summer — the Hi-C Ecto Cooler. The juice drink, which harkens nostalgia from the 1980s and 1990s, is hitting shelves again for a limited time. Hi-C Ecto Cooler became available May 30 to coincide with the release of “Ghostbusters,” which hits theaters July 15. “Hi-C Ecto Cooler fueled a pop-culture phenomenon that is well remembered and beloved by fans to this day,” said Charles Torrey, vice president of Minute Maid/Hi-C Brands at Coca-Cola North America, in a statement.
Commandeering Cucumber Day
Hendrick’s Gin declared its takeover of National Cucumber Day (June 14), along with the entire cucumber celebration season. “All individuals prone to wonder, curiosity and atypical acts of garnishment are advised to keep an eye on us for the next 44 days,” Hendrick’s Gin National Ambassador Jim Ryan said in a statement. “This is not a hostile takeover; it’s more of a whimsical one. In fact, the term ‘takeover’ may be overstated, since, quite frankly, no one seemed to be looking after the holiday to begin with.” The brand begins with The Cucumber Festival of Wonder, set to take place in New York City this month. The event presents a cavalcade of cucumber-inspired marvels, including a penny farthing cycling concourse, fascinating live spectacles, roaming cocktail contraptions and more than a few surprises, the company says.
Going country
Budweiser is breaking into the country music scene during the summer concert season with its new Budweiser Country Club and partnerships with Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett. The Budweiser Country Club is a three-level structure that is appearing at four live country music events and features an open-air buildout providing elevated views of the festivals. It also includes two bars, Budweiser Signature Draught towers, outdoor games and goods for purchase. Additionally, Budweiser will be the official sponsor of multi-platinum duo Florida Georgia Line’s “Dig Your Roots” nationwide tour and will produce two online video series: one featuring Florida Georgia Line and one with Thomas Rhett. Both acts will visit the Budweiser Country Club to meet fans for beers between performances at the Country Music Awards Music Festival in Nashville.
Connecting with kids
For its 21st year, 7-Eleven is working with law enforcement agencies across the country to distribute free Slurpee coupons through Operation Chill, its community-service program. Big-city departments and small-town forces alike use the Slurpee coupons to enhance relationships with young people by rewarding them for good deeds, positive actions and acts of kindness. “I don’t know who likes the Operation Chill program more, police officers or kids,” said Mark Stinde, vice president of asset protection for 7-Eleven, in a statement. As many as 1.28 million coupons will be issued to more than 940 law enforcement agencies this summer. With the celebration of Slurpee’s 50th birthday, the Operation Chill logo was redesigned, now sporting the retailer’s trademark colors and the tag line “Encouraging Positive Behavior.”
What’s your emoji?
Pepsi announced it is taking the world’s global language — emojis — offline in a visually striking and socially shareable campaign inviting consumers to Say It With Pepsi. With more than 600 proprietary PepsiMoji designs released in more than 100 markets, this year’s global hashtag #PepsiMoji campaign brings a fresh take on the cultural phenomenon of emojis, the company says. The campaign will be brought to life through a variety of elements, including collaboration with fashion designer Jeremy Scott, photographer Ben Watts and street photographer Daniel Arnold. The fully integrated campaign also will feature global TV spots and digital content as well as a PepsiMoji keyboard app, available for free download on Apple App and Google Play stores, it adds.
