jones soda

LOS ANGELES WPP Group's Cole & Weber United has won creative and media duties for Jones Soda, the agency confirmed.

According to Mike Doherty, president of the Seattle agency, the client conducted a review but did not request creative presentations, relying instead upon chemistry and strategy.

Most of the agency staff will work on the account, Doherty said. The first campaign is expected to break before year's end. Todd Grant, ecd, will lead creative at the shop; media director M.J. Keehn will head up media strategy.



Doherty said that the upcoming campaign would be the client's first foray into national advertising. The brand is distributed at stores such as the Kroger chain and at retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart.

"Strategically, two of the key brand differentiators are their use of cane sugar versus corn syrup―a sweetener that has been associated with diabetes and triggering obesity―and that the brand is a people brand," Doherty said. "For instance, consumers can go to myjones.com and customize labels for the bottles, even putting their own faces on it."

Seattle-based Jones Soda spent less than $100,000 advertising in 2006, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Agency clients include Colt 45 malt liquor, Livingston Cellars wine, Tree Top juices and Carlo Rossi wine. Until now, Jones Soda's unusual flavors were at least based on things you put in your mouth ― turkey and gravy, dinner roll and antacid.

This week, the Seattle company goes from weird to gross with a five-pack inspired by its new affiliation with the Seattle Seahawks.

Maybe football players eat this stuff, but most people won't be able to judge whether Jones is on the mark with its carbonated versions of dirt, sports cream, perspiration, natural field turf and the easier-to-take "sweet victory."

The Seahawks Collector Pack will be available in QFC, Haggen and other Pacific Northwest stores beginning next week.

It retails for $19.99 on Jones' Web site and includes a "Spirit of 12" fan flag.

Because the new flavors come in glass bottles, they won't be sold at Qwest Field, where the Seahawks play and where Jones supplies soft drinks during games and other events.

Jones CEO Peter van Stolk said the company toyed briefly with the idea of pigskin and jockstrap flavors but settled on the final ones with Seahawks officials.

"It pays tribute to football players," van Stolk said. "The amount of sweat they go through, and they're eating dirt and grass and using sports creams ― those were the four flavors that really resonated with them."

You should work your way through the difficult flavors to reach "sweet victory," van Stolk said, a flavor that's hard to describe but "tastes really good."

Potential customers in Seattle wrinkled their noses at news of the latest flavors.

Solomon Hargrove said his 13-year-old son might try them ― "he's weird like that." Hargrove added that most Jones flavors are "good but expensive."

Shauna Freidenberger, a theater student at Cornish College of the Arts, agreed the price is too high, even for fun.



"No one would spend $20 just to test something that tastes putrid," she said.

The collector pack and a new Seahawks-themed 12-pack of cans with regular flavors like cola and lemon-lime will be available only in limited quantities, although van Stolk didn't disclose how many of each pack will be available.

Collector packs aren't big money makers, he said, but they create buzz about Jones and, in the Seahawks' case, about its new relationship with pro football.

Philadelphia, PA, Sep 28, 2007 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- SSTR | charts | news | PowerRating -- Bullish Alerts is currently monitoring the following Stocks: Silverstar Holdings, Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSTR), 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS), Finisar Corporation (Nasdaq: FNSR | charts | news | PowerRating) and Jones Soda Co. (Nasdaq: JSDA)



Silverstar Holdings, Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSTR | charts | news | PowerRating) is currently trading at 4.00 per share up 63.27% on 6,782,029 volume while 11,922 trades have been placed. On Thursday September 27th Silverstar Holdings, Ltd. reported record financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2007 ended June 30, 2007. Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2007 Financial Results As compared to the previous quarter and same period a year ago: Revenues for the quarter totaled $12.0 million, an increase of 161% from $4.6 million in the previous quarter, and a 2500% increase from $470,000 a year ago. The increase over the previous and year-ago quarters is primarily due to the performance of Empire Interactive, PLC, which Silverstar acquired in December 2006. Net income totaled $2.6 million or $0.25 per share, compared to a loss of $2.8 million in the previous quarter or ($0.27) per share and a loss of $868,000 or ($0.10) per share a year-ago. Operating EBITDA (Earnings before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization), a non-GAAP measure, totaled a record $4.6 Million or $0.45 per share, as compared to an operating EBITDA loss of $0.3 million or ($0.03) per share in the previous quarter and operating EBITDA loss of $0.6 million or ($0.06) per share a year ago. The company recorded depreciation and amortization charges of approximately $2.0 million in the fourth quarter, compared to $950,000 in the same period last year. A reconciliation of operating EBITDA to operating income is included at the end of this release Full Year Fiscal 2007 Financial Results: Revenues for fiscal 2007 totaled a record $19.8 million, an increase of 500% from $3.3 million in fiscal 2006. The gain is primarily attributable to the contribution of seven months of increasing revenues from the company's Empire Interactive subsidiary, which generated revenues of approximately $17.2 million in fiscal 2007. During fiscal year 2006, revenues were generated solely by the operations of the company's Strategy First subsidiary. Net loss totaled $2.4 million or $0.25 per share compared to a loss of $2.0 million or $0.21 per share in 2006. Depreciation and amortization charges totaled $4.7 million in fiscal 2007, as compared to $180,000 in fiscal 2006. Operating EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, totaled a record $3.1 Million or $0.31 per share, as compared to an operating EBITDA loss of $1.1 million or $0.12 per share in fiscal 2006.

Silverstar Holdings, Ltd., through its subsidiary, develops and publishes entertainment software games primarily for the personal computer platform. It sells its products on CD's and over the Internet. The company markets its products through third-party software distributors. It also develops mobile wireless broadband products. The company, formerly Leisureplanet Holdings, Ltd., was founded in 1995 and is based in Boca Ration, Florida.

3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS | charts | news | PowerRating) is currently trading at 5.01 per share up 36.41% on 30,837,938 volume while 12,038 trades have been placed. On Friday September 28th 3Com Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by affiliates of Bain Capital Partners, LLC, a leading global private investment firm, for approximately $2.2 billion in cash. Under the terms of the agreement, shareholders will receive $5.30 in cash for each share of 3Com common stock they hold. This represents a premium of approximately 44 percent over 3Com's closing price of $3.68 on September 27, 2007. The Board of Directors of 3Com has unanimously approved the merger agreement and has resolved to recommend that 3Com's shareholders adopt the agreement. "The 3Com Board of Directors and senior management team have thoroughly reviewed our strategic alternatives and have determined that the agreement with Bain Capital provides the best value for 3Com shareholders," said Edgar Masri, 3Com president and chief executive officer. "We believe that this agreement better positions 3Com to establish itself as a global networking leader, which will benefit our employees, our customers and our partners." "As business becomes ever more global, companies need to enhance their technology infrastructure to compete more effectively in the broader economy," said Jonathan Zhu, a Bain Capital Managing Director, based in Hong Kong. "3Com has a strong competitive position, and we believe there are significant opportunities to grow by acquiring customers and introducing new products. We look forward to working with the management team and the company's strategic partners to seize the worldwide growth opportunity that exists for 3Com's communications networking solutions." As part of the transaction, affiliates of Huawei Technologies will acquire a minority interest in the company and become a commercial and strategic partner of 3Com.

3Com Corporation is a leading provider of secure, converged voice and data networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes. 3Com offers a broad line of innovative products backed by world class sales, service and support, which excel at delivering business value for its customers. 3Com also includes H3C Technologies Co., Limited (H3C), a China-based provider of network infrastructure products. H3C brings high-performance and cost-effective product development and manufacturing and a strong footprint in one of the world's most dynamic markets. Through its TippingPoint division, 3Com is a leading provider of network-based intrusion prevention systems that deliver in-depth application protection, infrastructure protection, and performance protection.

Finisar Corporation (Nasdaq: FNSR | charts | news | PowerRating) is currently trading at 2.87 per share up 1.4% on 438,039 volume while 557 trades have been placed. On Friday September 28th Finisar Corporation announced that Jerry Rawls, Finisar's President and CEO, will present at the Jefferies Technology Conference. Event: Jefferies Technology Conference Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Time: 8:00am Eastern Time/5:00am Pacific Time Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel, New York, NY Webcast: See investor events at finisar.com (an archive of the presentation will be available for replay following the webcast).

Finisar Corporation is a global technology leader for fiber optic components and subsystems and network test and monitoring systems. These products enable high-speed voice, video and data communications for networking, storage and wireless applications over Local Area Networks (LANs), Storage Area Networks (SANs), and Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) using Ethernet, Fibre Channel, IP, SAS, SATA and SONET/SDH protocols. The Company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA.

Jones Soda Co. (Nasdaq: JSDA | charts | news | PowerRating) is currently trading at 11.96 per share up 4.85% on 1,093,938 volume while 1,029 trades have been placed. On Thursday September 27th Jones Soda Co. (TSX Venture: JSD), announced its limited edition Seahawks Collector Pack of five new football-inspired flavors which includes: Dirt Soda, Sports Cream Soda, Perspiration Soda, Natural Field Turf Soda, and Sweet Victory Soda. "Throughout their career, the average NFL player will spend 2 years of their life in the gym, eat 3 pounds of dirt and perspire 10,000 gallons of sweat. These players must withstand incredibly tough conditions to be ready for every game, which is why we thought we'd bring the fans the full experience in a bottle," says Peter van Stolk, President & C.E.O. "Now, you can enjoy all the sweat and dirt an NFL player experiences, along with the ultimate taste of Sweet Victory." The limited edition Seahawks Collector Pack will be available in select stores through the Jones Soda distributor network the week of September 30th. Each pack will retail at $19.99. "This is certainly unique in the NFL," said Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke. "The flavors are distinct and pay tribute to the hard work and determination of our players." The Seahawks Collector Pack will also be available for pre-sale beginning on Thursday, September 27th at 8 a.m. (PST) on the companys website. The pack will only be available in limited quantities, and on a first come, first served basis. In addition to the Seahawks Collector Pack, Jones Soda Co., will also be releasing their Pure Cane Cola, Sugar-free Cola, and Lemon Lime Soda in Seahawks-themed 12 pack can Fridge Packs, featuring 7 unique Seahawks related photos per box. Athletes featured on the packs include; Matt Hasselbeck, Deion Branch and Walter Jones. These limited edition Fridge Packs will be sold in select retailers throughout the Northwest beginning October 1st.

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Jones Soda Co., manufactures its Jones Soda, Jones Naturals, Jones Energy and Whoopass brands and sells it through its distribution network in select markets across North America. A leader in the premium soda category, Jones is known for its innovative labeling technique that incorporates always-changing photos sent in from its consumers. Jones Soda is sold through traditional beverage retailers and everywhere you'd never expect to find a soda.


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