Not all college marketing is directly targeted to students. There are those campus distributors to think about, too.
Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co.’s Mello Yello launched a tour of Northeast colleges last spring to introduce new flavors and penetrate the market share of top rival Mountain Dew. A fleet of branded PT cruisers delivered 20,000-plus samples while hosting games and distributing premium items such as T-shirts, key chains, and CD holders. But the effort was designed as much to gain the approval of distributors and college purchasing agents as co-eds.
“We went to about 17 different campuses and worked with eight to 10 different distributors,” says Mike Elmer, manager of emerging markets for Coca-Cola. “Those are your customers. You’ve got to make sure the college is happy with the way you’re interacting with the kids, and make sure the distributors are happy with the way you’re treating their clients.”
The effort will be repeated in 2002-2003. Universal Consulting Group, Boston, handles.
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