Cheers to Cocktail Excellence in 2009: Hanson Associates Brands Pernod Ricard's 'BarSmarts' Program

Start with the leading global supplier of prestigious spirits and wines, add an innovative bartender education program designed by celebrated cocktail experts, and call on a master branding agency to help whip it into a tasty reality. That was the recipe in 2008 for the launch of phase one of BarSmarts(TM), a first-of-a-kind bartender education and certification program from the top-shelf collaboration between Pernod Ricard USA, BAR LLC, and Hanson Associates, a national brand-marketing design firm.

'The creative foresight from Hanson Associates made BarSmartsTM exceptional - both creatively and functionally,' says Suzanne Freedman, Director, On-Premise Initiatives, Pernod Ricard USA. 'Their vision and approach to the brand gave the program much needed energy and relevance for the trendy bartender audiences in the New York and San Francisco markets. And their full range of brand marketing services enabled us to launch a highly acclaimed program.'

Launched in August 2008, BarSmarts(TM) offers two levels of accredited bartender training and education. Approximately 1,000 bartenders from ten major markets in 2008-2009 will be invited to participate in BarSmarts ADVANCED, the new gold-standard of spirits and cocktail education designed by the all-star team from BAR LLC (Beverage Alcohol Resource): Dale DeGroff, Doug Frost, Steven Olson, F. Paul Pacult, Andy Seymour and David Wondrich.

'This was a dream job for us because we were at the forefront of a new concept for an industry that is always creating and inventing,' says Gil Hanson, founder and president of Hanson Associates. 'We had enormous fun branding the program, developing the content and working with Pernod and BAR LLC. And the best part is there's more to come.'

Using its proprietary brand development process, Hanson Associates:

• created the BarSmarts brand

• produced the website, online banners, email campaign, and sales promotion collateral

• developed the BarSmarts ADVANCED multimedia training kit

The phase two nationwide rollout of BarSmarts WIRED will be offered to a larger audience in smaller markets through a totally online web-based education and certification program for bartending, mixology and service training.

'BarSmarts WIRED will be more comprehensive and fun with extensive online video tutorials and testing that includes an animated drink builder,' says Hanson. 'Knowledgeable and confident bartenders have a tremendous influence on a customer's drink selections and enjoyment, and BarSmarts WIRED will help train a new generation of cocktail experts.'



Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

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