RTKar
07-08-03, 09:57 PM
From the Chicago Tribune:
"Yet Another Quirky Canadian Export: Bubba's"
Before it was furniture, it was beer. In December 2001, Molson introduced top Canada the 5 liter, 22 inch tall mini-kegs, known affectionately as "Bubba's." Since them, sales have soared and the quirky product has won the hearts of brew and kitsch loving Canadians. Some limited edition hockey themed cans, for goodness sake, are going for $350 on e-Bay.
The appeal isn't so much the beer as it is the aluminum and its design potential. Empty Bubbas are being turned into patio lanterns, lamps, birdhouses and if you stack them just right, TV stands. "It's a novelty and it's collectible says Michelle Warren, beer reporter for Canada's Marketing Magazibe. "The age group that it's geared at - college males - enjoys that sort of thing."
And Bubba's are beginning, just beginning to migrate south. Molson, leading brewer in the land of Anne Murray, sells Bubba's in some parts of northeastern US and Midwest, although a Molson representative could not identify a Chicagoland Bubba outlet.
Local residents, however, have improvised. Evanston's Peter Birks , A Canadian native, personally brought back a few Bubba's for the adults attending his son's high school graduation party.
They went over pretty good, " Birks said, "I'm surprised they're not selling them here, they'd be hugely popular."
Or would they?
"The American market seems to be really stuck in the 6 -pack mind set," says Joel Vogt, assistant manager at Sam's Wine & Spirits in Chicago. "I haven't seen 5-liter cans marketed at all
Launching Bubbas in the US will be a challenge - not only because of the USA's hockey apathy and 6-pack allegiance, but because Molson USA has limited awareness and a significantly smaller share of the US market.
"You'll continue to see more of a push with 12 and 6 packs, that's our key challenge, " says Kurt Cane, brand director for Molson USA.
But who knows? Maybe Bubba will grow into a quirky Canadian celebrity, a culturally acquired taste that finds a niche audience in the states - like Tom Green.
"Yet Another Quirky Canadian Export: Bubba's"
Before it was furniture, it was beer. In December 2001, Molson introduced top Canada the 5 liter, 22 inch tall mini-kegs, known affectionately as "Bubba's." Since them, sales have soared and the quirky product has won the hearts of brew and kitsch loving Canadians. Some limited edition hockey themed cans, for goodness sake, are going for $350 on e-Bay.
The appeal isn't so much the beer as it is the aluminum and its design potential. Empty Bubbas are being turned into patio lanterns, lamps, birdhouses and if you stack them just right, TV stands. "It's a novelty and it's collectible says Michelle Warren, beer reporter for Canada's Marketing Magazibe. "The age group that it's geared at - college males - enjoys that sort of thing."
And Bubba's are beginning, just beginning to migrate south. Molson, leading brewer in the land of Anne Murray, sells Bubba's in some parts of northeastern US and Midwest, although a Molson representative could not identify a Chicagoland Bubba outlet.
Local residents, however, have improvised. Evanston's Peter Birks , A Canadian native, personally brought back a few Bubba's for the adults attending his son's high school graduation party.
They went over pretty good, " Birks said, "I'm surprised they're not selling them here, they'd be hugely popular."
Or would they?
"The American market seems to be really stuck in the 6 -pack mind set," says Joel Vogt, assistant manager at Sam's Wine & Spirits in Chicago. "I haven't seen 5-liter cans marketed at all
Launching Bubbas in the US will be a challenge - not only because of the USA's hockey apathy and 6-pack allegiance, but because Molson USA has limited awareness and a significantly smaller share of the US market.
"You'll continue to see more of a push with 12 and 6 packs, that's our key challenge, " says Kurt Cane, brand director for Molson USA.
But who knows? Maybe Bubba will grow into a quirky Canadian celebrity, a culturally acquired taste that finds a niche audience in the states - like Tom Green.