A while ago I was contacted by Beverage Spectrum magazine regarding my work for BAWLS Guarana, they were doing a story on advertising, and wanted to ask me some questions. Well of course I did the little interview then kinda forgot about it. It wasn’t until recently that I actually decided to ask if my little segment actually made it into the article - and it did! My art is featured on the first page of the article, and below is my little segment:

While these kinds of sites help consumers spend time with the brand, marketers can also use the modern online environment to let consumers participate and feel invested. Energy drink brand BAWLS Guarana has used its page for years to create a “cult-like following,” according to marketing director Sabrina Gonzalez.

Gonzalez said BAWLS, with its core demographic of computer gamers – during all-night networked gaming festivals, BAWLS has been nicknamed “geek beer” and then rolled out a product of the same name — has long been ahead of the technological curve. It was one of the first drink brands to create a web page, Gonzalez said, and it has since engaged in variety of online methods to create a community around the brand – chiefly by letting fans contribute. Bawls.com features a “Fun Stuff” section with videos and images created, not by Bawls, but by its consumers. Whenever a fan submits material that makes it onto BAWLS’ site, the company sends swag to the submitter.

“If they went through all of that work anyway just to support our brand it’s the least that we can do,” Gonzalez said.

The tactic has helped keep fans like Austin “Snowy” Milner engaged. Milner created his first piece of BAWLS artwork in 2006 and later sent an entire portfolio of BAWLS-themed artwork – for free – to the company. BAWLS posted his work on its site, and Milner, now a freelance designer, still makes time to create the occasional BAWLS graphic.

In case you missed it, here’s the link to the article: http://bevspectrum.com/issue/April_2009/Advertisingplugged_In

Pretty cool, eh?