How did the product come about: The Harley-Davidson marketing department identified the beer as a great way to promote the TRUE EVEL special exhibit (Google True Evel exhibit) at the Harley-Davidson Museum. The original product was brewed by Lake Front Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The TRUE EVEL beer name has been trademarked by K&K Promotions, Inc., the family owners of the intellectual property and rights of publicity of Evel Knievel.
What does the beer taste like: We have two recipes: TRUE EVEL Daredevil Ale and TRUE EVEL Daredevil Pilsner.
I like the concept, but at this point I don’t want to stray from building my own brand: You do not have to build the Evel Knievel brand; the Evel Knievel brand is already built. Furthermore, the Evel Knievel beer would be your brand with exclusivity. The product would clearly be labeled as your beer. The objective is to utilize the strength of the brand and increase beer sales beyond your current distribution to as many other retail outlets as possible.
Is this like a franchise: No, there are no upfront “fees.” You manufacture and sell the TRUE EVEL beer just like you do with your own products except you have the exclusive privilege of also utilizing the marketing power of the iconic brand Evel Knievel. You simply pay a “commission” on wholesale sales.
What’s in it for me to build someone else’s brand: A large bank account. The beer will be your own manufacturer’s brand and you will be the “brew master”, selling the beer in your own establishment and wholesaling the beer to distributors to sell to other retail outlets. The TRUE EVEL beer product will also be a segue for you to better promote your own brand as well.
My ad people don’t like the Evel Knievel idea: To stand out you have to be bold. What do you think is so compelling about being barely different from fifty other beer brands? Do you really believe your beer tastes so uniquely great, and your label design is so bitchin, that your brand can honestly compete with the legend of Evel Knievel? Our intention is not to replace your ad agency. Our intention is to give you more effective tools you and your ad agency can utilize. We’re not here to sell your ego; we’re here to identify entrepreneurs with vision who want to build a large bank account..
How is Evel Knievel relevant to a beer product: The advertising space in the beer sales market is crowded, and your product MUST be impactful with memorable brand recognition in order to stand out. The imagination of the Evel Knievel asset is exactly relevant to what you are trying to accomplish in differentiating yourself from your competition. Evel Knievel’s characteristics are personally relevant to the aspirations of your customers. Evel Knievel’s enduring relevance today is evidenced by recent ad campaigns by companies like GM, Audi, Doritos, Gillette, Vanity Fair, Caesars Palace, Sony, The History Channel, A&E Network, The Travel Channel, Discovery Channel and major special exhibits at the Harley-Davidson and Smithsonian Museums. In the United States, Google statistics record hundreds of mentions of Evel Knievel per day in media and entertainment consistently imprinting millions of people every day. There was a reason Evel Knievel won three of the highest rated ABC Wide World of Sports shows ever, including the #1 top spot. Evel Knievel’s real life drama was, and remains: original, unique, thrilling, emotional, and indelibly stamped into the American conscience and culture.
Use your common sense: There must be thousands of brew masters out there with the delusion of making a lot of money by winning a silver medal at a beer tasting contest… What they fail to understand is that years of effort, expense, skill, luck, television exposure, culture, perception and public acceptance – have already been established by the real life exploits of Evel Knievel. Doesn’t it make sense to take advantage of the legend already established by Evel Knievel versus the futility of trying to recreate such a strong brand?
It almost seems too simple: Making money with the Evel Knievel beer product is as simple as brewing up a batch, install a keg handle, set out some table napkins, promote a “launch party,” invite some press with a few well placed advertisements, and then, when grass roots demand starts to take off, make the beer available to distributors to wholesale to other retail outlets. The question is, will your complicated brain allow you to accept that it could really be just that simple to make a lot of money?
Evel Knievel does not fit with my image: If you’re worried about your image hire a public relations firm. If you want to build a large bank account, and serve notice that your beer product is the top dog, market with Evel Knievel. Manufacture of the TRUE EVEL beer will bring recognition by your peers and the public that you are one of the most prestigious brewers in your market.
Why use Evel Knievel when I could use any celebrity: No other celebrity on the planet personifies or is more famous for the human qualities and characteristics that beer advertising targets. Watch any beer commercial and ask yourself if the persona of Evel Knievel conveys the same concepts targeted by the advertisers.
Test market: Install an Evel Knievel keg handle (test market using any beer recipe proving our point that it is the perception of the brand that matters most) and without spending one penny on marketing, we know that just the keg handle alone will sell beer right now! The popularity of the beer will spread simply because the product is such a perfect fit for the legend of Evel Knievel; the TRUE EVEL beer product will be become a grass roots phenomenon. The personal characteristics and aspirations that people associate with Evel Knievel is just perfect for a beer brand.
Be the judge of your own focus group: Ask all the people that work for you if they think an Evel Knievel beer would appeal to young men? Go out on the street and ask all the strangers you meet if they would best remember your beer brand or an Evel Knievel beer brand? Evel Knievel has one of the highest rated “Q” scores ever (a measurement of name recognition), and you want that recognition, association and branding working for your marketing efforts. Advertising with the Evel Knievel brand will bring new customers in your door and open up new wholesale opportunities for you to sell more product.
Let me think about it and I will get back to you: Fair enough, but could you imagine a more perfect fit? Could you imagine a better way to boldly stand out from the competition? Test market with the keg handle and trust your instincts…
I’m not interested: Establishing a successful beer brand requires you to be part entrepreneur, part barista and part marketing genius. Put the Evel Knievel marketing genius to work so you can concentrate on managing the business and maximize distribution and profit.
I make these advertising decisions with my partner(s): Fair enough, but keep in mind the license is exclusively available to only one brewery in your territory on a first come first serve basis. Do you want to build a large bank account and exclusively be identified with the Evel Knievel brand, or would you rather see that distinction belong to one of your competitors?