bartlesandassociates.com 1 Copyright © 2013 All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoeverwithout the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United States of America. First Printing, 2013 ISBN 0-9000000-0-0 Coyote Road Press 1410 20th St Suite 218 Miami Beach, FL 33139 Book Illustration by Shariar Ahmed Book Designed by www.coyoteroadpress.com

bartlesandassociates.com 2 Marketing & Champagne Tips in the Bubbly

Hey ya’ll! We are so excited to introduce our free e-book inspired by our Champagne Thursday shenanigans… we mean Mastermind sessions. Who knew that Champagne recipes could have a correlation to Marketing? We did of course. Why do you think we have Champagne Thursday Mastermind sessions? Champagne gets our creative juices flowing. Yeah, sometimes we get a little silly and maybe have a LITTLE too much fun, but you can’t be serious all the time, right? Where’s the fun in that? You would be AMAZED at what great ideas or information you come up with or gather when you are having fun and “not” working (but still working). Brainstorming can be that fun and easy. We do it all the time. Well at least once a month anyway. So it’s ok to take our word for it. Really it is! The bubbly concoctions make it fun and laid back. Plus it’s like we aren’t even working, when we actually are. It even boosts our morale and creates a fun work environment. Come on. You know you are dying to try it for yourselves.

Either way, we have created this little booklet of some of our favorite Champagne recipes and added little marketing twists for your enjoyment (well and ours too). We created Marketing Tips that relate to the following fantastically fun bubbly concoctions. YES you heard correctly…Marketing & Champagne! So grab a bottle or two of your favorite bubbly. Sit back and relax. And read about your next marketing inspiration. You won’t be disappointed. Your creative juices will start to flow. So have fun and enjoy. Be sure to share with us your own bubbly inspired marketing ideas.

You never know…you might have lots of fun and even like it. Once you cross over to the light and bubbly side, you will NEVER want to go back to life before Marketing & Champagne! The Tips are in the Bubbly! Just you wait and see…

bartlesandassociates.com 3 Classic Champagne Page 5 Citrusy Champagne Page 8 Chanel No.6 Pag e 11 Champagne & Chambord Page 14 Bar Page 16 The End Page 17

bartlesandassociates.com 4 bartlesandassociates.com 5 Classic Champagne Cocktail

RECIPE

• 1 sugar cube • 3 drops • champagne or sparkling wine Soak the sugar cube in bitters and drop into a champagne flute. Top with a champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.

MARKETING TIP

Keep It Simple Stupid

When you’re trying to sell your business in a world with a lot of clutter, sometimes it can get confusing. Not only confusing to you, but confusing to your target market. They see so many flashing lights and loud noises that buyers can get overwhelmed and run for the hills. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, about KISS? Keep It Simple Stupid. No? I’m sure you have. You just don’t remember. Well, I’m going to remind you. Keep it simple stupid - KISS. Do you over think things? Your work? Your life? A resounding YES. Then learn to KISS. NO, not the passionate kind that you get after a drunken night of dancing your ass off on tabletops and drinking champagne. I’m talking about simplifying your work and life. We go through this daily but because we are in marketing and branding and always thinking about creative ideas that reach target consumers sometimes it feels like our job is to over think. But then it overruns into our processes and EVERYTHING we do. And all of a sudden clients have marketing plans that are 125 pages long. Then, we have to give ourselves a swift kick in the ass and snap out of it. We were reminded of this recently while working on a marketing committee for a project. The team leader sent us all an email with the marketing plan attached and it was 1 page. Let me say that again, ONE page. It was so simple but told me exactly what we are going to do and when. And that’s all we need to know.

bartlesandassociates.com 6 Here are some simple ideas that will help you KISS your business and marketing: • A brand: logo, brand elements (colors, fonts) and its story. That’s all you need. Simple. • Business Cards: This is a must! They give so much information in such a small package. Don’t overlook a great business card. They make a great first impression. • Website: Again, this is a must in today’s business world. This is the communication tool that everyone will use to learn about what your company does. • A Plan: This ONE page document will contain your mission, vision and values as well as what you do, why you do it and how you do it. Those that fail to plan, plan to fail. What a fucking novel concept! Tell people what to do and when to do it. It’s what we lovingly call Fucking Focus around these parts. Marketing plans (or business plans for that matter) don’t have to be a million pages long to communicate what you want. Just tell people what you are going to do and when you are going to do it. Then, do it - mean what you say and say what you mean. So start KISS-ing your work. Or your life. Or both. Ahhhh! The simple bliss of simplicity. How freeing?

bartlesandassociates.com 7 bartlesandassociates.com 8 Citrusy Champagne Sangria

RECIPE

• 4 cups freshly squeezed grapefruit juice • 1 cup ginger ale • 1 lemon, thinly sliced • 1 blood orange, thinly sliced • 3 clementines, thinly sliced • 1 honey crisp apple, thinly sliced • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds • 1/4 cup sugar • 1/3 cup water • pinch of salt • 1 bottle of chilled champagne Prepare simple syrup by stirring sugar and water until sugar completely dissolves. Keep in refrigerator to chill while prepping other ingredients. In a tall pitcher, add all fruits + grapefruit juice + salt + simple syrup and ginger ale. Chill in refrigerator for a few hours, preferably overnight. To serve, add sangria in a fancy-schmancy glass and top it with bubbly champagne! Toast with your loved ones

bartlesandassociates.com 9 MARKETING TIP

Add Some Zest to Grab More Interest. BE FRESH!

Marketing is about standing out from the rest. Do you stand out from your competitors? Or are you just status quo? Are you doing something fresh to draw that interest to your product or service? No? Well you should be! So get to it! People, and by people we mean consumers, like to see something fresh and new. We get tired of seeing or hearing the same thing from every direction. Zest it up a bit. Grab their attention. Do something that your competitors are not doing that will grab that interest. Or just freshen up your look to add that zest while staying true to your brand and what you stand for. Let’s take Applebee’s for example. People love Applebee’s. Good food, good atmosphere. Applebee’s all over the country have been getting a face-lift lately. Before they freshened up, they gave everyone a coupon for their re-opening. They re-decorated the inside and gave the outside new signs and décor. Now they look fresh and added a little zest to their drab look. Now we are not saying you need to go all out like Applebee’s and do a complete overhaul. We’re just saying add that something fresh to your marketing. It could be a promotion that no one else is offering, or some gimmick that adds some zest. Send you customers or clients a surprise present or personal thank you note – make them feel special. Use your imagination. Marketing is all about being unique and doing something new. You don’t want to be like the rest do you? No you don’t! Add that zest to your marketing. Are you getting the idea? Take an old product or service and freshen it up. Cell phone companies do it all the time. Samsung comes out with the GS II, and the next thing you know, they freshen it up, add some new features and BAM! the GS III is born and within a year comes the GS IV! They take one of their products and freshen it up every so often. Consumers eat it up and wait in line to get the new and fresh product. Apple is also notorious for this. Get the picture? SWEET! Now go out there and freshen up your marketing. See Champagne is good for marketing. Maybe drink a glass or two to help get your juices flowing to come up with that zesty idea.

bartlesandassociates.com 10 bartlesandassociates.com 11 Chanel No. 6

RECIPE

• Vodka • Chambord • Chilled pineapple juice • Champagne • Fresh Raspberries Pour 1 ounce vodka, 1 ounce Chambord, and 1 ounce chilled pineapple juice into a champagne glass. Top with well-chilled champagne. Add a fresh raspberry.

MARKETING TIP

Integrate Some Luxury into Your Brand

At some point in time we have all said how we have ‘champagne taste on a beer budget.’ We say it all the time and it’s generally true. But what about that empire you are building? Branding is all about what you stand for and the story you tell. It cultivates a culture and a movement. Consumers buy from companies because they identify with the brand and its culture. They like to feel like your company gets them. They want to know that there is a human back there doing all this cool work. And they want to know that that human is just like them and has champagne taste on a beer budget. So, is your company all PBRs (for those that may not know Pabst Blue Ribbon), all the time? Don’t get us wrong. There is nothing better than an ice cold PBR on a hot southern summer day but every now and again we like to switch it up with a little class. Even if that class is that you put on pants to go to work today. Classy man! Want an example? Sure. Miller High Life is the Champagne of Beers. Miller High Life is NOT a fancy beer by any means. We can think of many others that are much fancier and rival fine wines. But they have injected a little luxury into the brand by adopting the slogan Champagne of Beers. BTDubs, at B&A, we are equal opportunity drinkers. But if you follow us at all you probably have already deduced that. See what we did there. We used terrible slang to start that phrase and then injected the fancy word deduce. Classy, we are.

bartlesandassociates.com 12 Everyone is trying to cut costs today but sometimes you just need to give into the luxury of that something special because you know that if you go cheap then you get cheap. And at the end of the day, you save more money of the luxurious choice because it lasted longer than the cheap version. It’s all about value at that point. We all love a little luxurious touch here and there regardless of the cost or the form it comes in. Take your brand up a notch by throwing in a little luxury with a great giveaway or super fancy business cards. You and your customers will appreciate the little bit of pampered they are getting. Your customers are the same way; they just want to feel a little luxury in their life. So make them feel good by adding in that little luxurious feel of champagne that we are all looking for. And then tomorrow we’ll hit up the PBR again.

bartlesandassociates.com 13 bartlesandassociates.com 14 Champagne & Chambord

RECIPE

• Champagne of choice • Chambord Liqueur Fill glass with Champagne and add couple splashes of Chambord to preferred taste

MARKETING TIP

Why be DRY, when you can be EXCITING!

Some bubbles are a little on the drier side. And some people don’t like that dry taste; kind of like a dry sense of humor, some people just don’t get it. When you are excited about your product or service, it shines through and people notice – they get it. Are you exciting? We hope so. If you have gotten dry and boring, start livening things up. Consumers like excitement. If you love what you do and are excited about it, it shows. People will be drawn to your company and will recommend you. Don’t be dry. Please don’t be dry. Get excited! You obviously have a passion if you started a business, so SHOW IT! Excitement draws attention. Attention that you are looking for and need to survive. Have you ever seen the Samuel Adams beer commercials? (Ok yes, there is a theme. We love our alcohol.) The employees are excited about making one of America’s favorite lagers. We know it is just a commercial and they are trying to sell something, but if you just look closely you can see genuine happiness and excitement. Who wouldn’t be excited about beer? Especially if they get to make it and sell it! Getting excited yet? GREAT! Let’s keep this motivation up. If your marketing is dry and you keep doing the same thing over and over again, consumers will get bored, and FAST! Give them something to be excited about again. Now don’t go and start changing your marketing message or go all willy nilly. We are just saying liven it up a little. Take what you are trying to get across and ADD SOME EXCITEMENT! Look like you are having fun and love what you do. People notice your attitude, and that attitude transcends to your marketing and products or services. So do you want to be dry and boring? And pray that people will like you and try your product or service? Or do you want to be EXCITING and have it show through your marketing and your employees? We know what we are drawn to. Why do you think we work at Bartles & Associates? We are super exciting and love what we do AND…. we have Champagne Thursdays! Don’t tell me that is not exciting…

bartlesandassociates.com 15 bartlesandassociates.com 16 Mimosa Bar

RECIPE

• Champagne • Variety of juices (OJ, cranberry, pomegranate, etc.) • Variety of garnishes Create a fun layout with Champagne, juices and garnishes. Let your guests make their own mimosa.

MARKETING TIP

Everybody Likes A Little Customization.

Customization is hot right now. Adapting your product to your individual customer’s needs will make your customer’s buying experience more personal and enjoyable. This will then make your company’s value increase in the eye of the purchaser since they are getting “special treatment.” Don’t let the idea of customization overwhelm you. Going this extra mile isn’t as complicated as it seems. It can be as easy as letting your customer adapt a service package to their needs or pick their favorite color. When you think about it, banquet hall venues have this customization thing down to a science. They have different packages set up for meal options and number of guests attending, and let’s not forget the alcohol… they also provide package ideas for what alcohol one needs at their event. The best part is some places will even work with you a little further and personally customize their packages to your specific needs. Not sold on customization yet? Well here is another example, hair salons. The customer gets to choose what style haircut they want and what color(s) they want. And that’s right you guessed it… they have packages available for the services they offer. Hmmmmm, imagine that. Really this is a no brainer. So our advice is to determine which part of your product or service seems the most rigid and go from there. Customize the hell out of that product or service. Don’t be rigid. Add some variety. Your customers will thank you. Marketing is about customization. You have to work with what fits your needs, what products or services would benefit from it, and what you think will appeal the most with your customers. Now not everything can be customizable. And we get that. What we are trying to get across to you is, if the possibly is there… go for it. Add that variety. If you don’t have the ability to customize a product or service, then invite your customers over to your office, or rent that banquet hall, and provide a Mimosa Bar as a thank you for their purchase. Customer Appreciation is customizable if nothing else.

bartlesandassociates.com 17 bartlesandassociates.com 18 The End

Thank you for your interest in B&A and downloading our Marketing & Champagne: Tips in the Bubbly e-book. You’re awesome! We hope you enjoyed reading about some of our favorite Champagne recipes and how we compliment them with some innovative marketing tips. Please feel free to take our tips and incorporate them into your business. Still need some business and marketing help? Oh don’t worry we got your back. This is what we do and how we do it… The ingenious and innovative blending of business operations with effective marketing strategy. We have it down to a science…with a little creativity sprinkled in and a lot of index cards lying around. And we’re not all talk, either. What we do is more than logos or determining just the right stationery colors. Our business is listening to you, finding out all we can about your company and your clients, your goals, your hits, your misses, and then helping you create your brand around who you are and how you do it. Once you’ve got that, we can empower you with all the tools and attitude to nurture that identity and culture so you can best target and connect with your customers. That being said, we are always available to help you make your business as successful as it can be. If you need any help with your business or marketing please feel free to hit us up. We’ll help you find your way around this circus.

Please feel free to contact us: Snail Mail: PO Box 31383, Charleston, SC 29407 Voice: 843.452.5259 Email: [email protected] On the web: bartlesandassociates.com

Happy Marketing & Champagne!

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