GRILLING SEASON IS ON!

by Pat Vaughn

Summer is finally within our reach! After such a tough winter and a rainy spring, most of us in New England are beyond happy to celebrate the unofficial start of the summer this weekend. Although Memorial Day does not actually mark the beginning of summer, the team at GAP considers it to be the start of something tastier: grilling season. To ensure that your grilling season is fired up right, we have some fantastic food and drink ideas that are perfect for your summer barbecue.

Summer seasonal craft beers are always a huge hit at outdoor events, and a prominent trend this year is session IPAs. These are beers with large flavor profiles and ABVs commonly lower than 5%, which pairs well with many warm-weather summer activities. Give Founders All Day IPA or Notch Left of the Dial IPA a try.

Grilling season is also the perfect time to crack open a refreshing shandy, which is traditionally beer mixed with lemonade. Over the last few years, many breweries have developed their own versions of shandy as the style has increased immensely in popularity. Be sure to grab the quintessential Summer Shandy by Leinenkugel’s, or give the new Narragansett Del’s Shandy a taste.

Beers aren’t just for drinking. Draft Magazine has a recipe for beer barbecue sauce (seen below), which is a delicious addition to your cookout, whether you’re grilling chicken, beef, or pork. Use an amber ale (Fat Tire) for chicken, a porter (Stone Smoked Porter) for beef, and a fruity wheat beer (Wachusett Blueberry Ale) for pork. Save the remainder of the beer for enjoying with your delicious concoctions. And don't forget to use the proper tools for the job! Check out GAP's handy Barbecue Tool Set:

While Memorial Day does mark the triumphant return to beautiful weather and spending time outside with friends and family, it’s mainly a day to remember and honor the men and women who have died protecting our country. Enjoy the holiday and be sure to appreciate the soldiers who have made this all possible.

Beer Barbecue Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/3 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
1 cup beer of choice

Instructions:

In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, add the oil, onion, and garlic; cook until the onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, honey Dijon, molasses, brown sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce; bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the sauce from heat and add the beer. For a smoother sauce, strain out the onions or pulse in a blender.

[CraftBeer.com]

71st Annual WSWA Convention Wrap-Up: "Honey, I Shrunk the Display Racks"

The WSWA Convention in Vegas never disappoints and this year was no different. The GAP team returned to Gloucester more inspired than ever after three days of conversations with old friends and new, exciting brand innovation, and amazing opening-night cocktails featuring sponsors Heaven Hill, Florida Caribbean Distillers, Sazerac, and Proximo. With guest speakers like real-life Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, and Captain Richard Phillips, who survived being hijacked by Somali pirates, this was a WSWA Convention for the record books.

The WSWA Convention is a premier event bringing together key distillers and wineries with exciting beverage brands along with other leading product and service providers within the industry. This was GAP’s fourth year as an exhibitor. And, for the first time, GAP was also a proud sponsor of the Convention. As always, our booth was a showplace for our latest innovative promotional items and custom displays and we were thrilled to connect there with old friends and to share what we do with new acquaintances.

GAP's Booth

In advance of the show, we wrestled with which of our award-winning display racks to bring to the sponsor hall. We ultimately called on the magic of Vegas (actually, one of our amazing partners) to shrink them down so we could bring a whole lot of them. These ‘miniature’ versions of some of our most successful displays were presented in a glass case, providing an amazing opportunity for us to share the creativity and diversity of our work. 

GAP's Display Case

In the spirit of market research, the GAP team experienced some of the emerging products in the wine and spirits industry, including cinnamon flavored whiskey and many new types and brands of vodka. Cinnamon flavored whiskey is huge right now, thanks to the success of Fireball, and many new brands are capitalizing on its popularity. In the vodka world, brands continue to differentiate themselves with interesting, new flavors and innovative packaging.

We also had the opportunity to visit several of our clients’ suites to sample some of their exciting new products and to gather additional insight into their marketing efforts. Some of our clients who participated in the conference were: Heaven Hill Distilleries, Phillips Distilling Company, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Florida Caribbean, and Imperial Brands.

And, two of our clients’ “hot” brands were amongst the award winners! Heaven Hill brought home a “Gold Medal” for Cinerator whiskey and Phillips Distilling Company won a gold for their latest UV brand launch – Sriracha

As a bonus, GAP team members Erica Nee and Nick Nappi appeared on this year's schedule of events (seen below). We look forward to seeing you all at next year’s show!

Erica and Nick!

Top 5 Food Trends of 2014

by Caitlyn Berns

In the promotions business, it is obviously important to have a solid understanding of trends in the promotions industry. At GAP, we believe that deep knowledge of the industries in which our clients compete is equally important. We continuously look for opportunities to learn about the key trends facing our clients at trade shows, during client meetings, and through an array of trade publications. We focus much of our research in food and beverage promotions, and thought we’d share some insights into the Top 5 Food Industry Trends for 2014.

1. Promoting Product Quality

Consumers are showing greater interest in knowing where the food they eat is coming from. Food producers are starting to highlight the origins of their products and ingredients in order to regain customer confidence. Consumers are interested in socially responsible food products and are looking for terms such as “free-range poultry,” “natural,” “organic,” and “locally grown,” among others. These labels instill trust in many food products and often allow companies to command premium prices for their products.

2. Sustainability

Many consumers are also looking for products from eco-friendly companies. Men and women are equally likely to consider sustainability as a factor when making food-purchasing decisions. They are also equally likely to pay more for local food options. Millennials, ages 18 to 24, are more interested in purchasing food from companies that support a social issue and/or charity. The number of restaurants offering sustainable menu items has grown more than 34% since 2011, and sustainable menu items are up more than 75% for that same time period. Food manufacturers which produce items in eco-friendly packaging have also gained market share over competitors.

3. Social Media Marketing

Through the use of social media, trendy, high-quality and unique products that would historically have reached only small niche segments have been able to gain much braoder audiences. Using social media to create a customer experience that supports the sharing of opinions on products really helps food companies appeal to consumers.

4. Nutrition Initiatives

Enhanced attention to nutrition is key to improving public health. Some have found that Americans are willing to sacrifice variety and even pay more to eat healthy. Many food and beverage companies are are capitalizing on this trend by offering more nutritious food and beverage choices.

5. Healthier Food Options for Kids

The National Restaurant Association has launched the Kids LiveWell program, which helps parents and children select healthy menu options through a mobile app.

The food industry continues to target children while also attempting to appeal to parents. Using characters that kids love in packaging encourage children to ask for a product. Incorporating keywords such as “natural” and “organic” increases product appeal to parents. Parents are also interested in whatever might help them better organize meal planning and shopping. Food companies can utilize promotional giveaways designed to assist parents in these areas while growing brand awareness and brand loyalty.

Sources:

[National Restaurant Association]

[QSRWeb] [QSRWeb]

[SpecialtyFood.com] [SpecialtyFood.com] [SpecialtyFood.com]

[PR Newswire]

10 Interesting Facts About the 2014 Winter Olympics

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics have finally arrived after months of hype and preparation in Sochi, Russia. These are the 22nd Winter Olympic games since the games started in 1924. Competition officially starts today, February 6, with alpine skiing and snowboarding events. The Opening Ceremony will be held on Friday; the first time in 30 years that events are starting before the Opening Ceremony.

To celebrate the winter tradition that comes once every four years, here are some interesting facts about the Sochi Winter Olympics:

1. There are 2,871 athletes competing from 87 National Olympic Committees.
2. This is the first year that Dominica, Zimbabwe, Malta, Paraguay, Togo, Tonga, and East Timor are competing in the Winter Olympics.
3. There will be 98 gold medals presented throughout 16 days of competition.
4. There are 15 sports featured at the Winter Olympics, including: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, Nordic combined, short track speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating.
5. There are 12 new events debuting at the Sochi Winter Olympics, including: ski halfpipe (men and women), ski slopestyle (men and women), snowboard slopestyle (men and women), snowboard parallel slalom, women’s ski jumping, biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event, and luge team relay.
6. After a 12-year absence, Jamaica will return to the two-man bobsledding event.
7. This was the first torch relay to occur partially in space. Two cosmonauts took it for a space walk on the International Space Station.
8. The United States won 37 medals in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics (9 Gold, 15 Silver, and 13 Bronze).
9. Norway has won the most medals since the Winter Olympics started; 303 to be exact.
10. The United States is the only country to earn a Gold Medal at each of the winter games.

And if that wasn’t enough, click here to see all the brand new arenas that were built for the 2014 Winter Olympics. If you're feeling nostalgic, here are all the official logos from each of the past winter games.

Go Team USA!

[BBC] [NBC] [Wiki] [NBC Bay Area] [BuzzFeed]

Casinos in Massachusetts: Where will the chips fall?

In November 2011, legislation was passed allowing the building of casinos in Massachusetts.  There are three licenses available in three regions of the state. Three major players, Mohegan Sun, WynnResorts, and MGM Resorts International remain in the running for these opportunities.  The three operators submitted their applications by year-end and quite frankly, we’re glad we aren’t responsible for reviewing them.  MGM’s application contained more than 7,000 pages while Mohegan’s consisted of 16,034 pages, and Wynn’s more than 18,000 pages!

There has been much controversy over casinos coming to Massachusetts. And, throughout the year, the casinos have been working hard to influence public opinion. They have been conducting meetings to share information with community members about the positive impacts that the casinos can have on the areas in which they are located.

One such benefit is improvements to already-congested roads and highways, which would be redesigned to accommodate the additional traffic.  Additionally, casinos offer many other entertainment opportunities such as concerts, shows, and other nightlife. Proponents also argue that many jobs will be created and local economies strengthened as new opportunities arise for businesses to support the casino and the community.

Whether you’re a resident of a community with a proposed casino site, a vendor looking to cash in on casino-related opportunities, or just looking forward to new entertainment options in Massachusetts, these are exciting times and it’s still unclear as to where the chips will fall.

[Mass Gaming] [WSJ]

Happy Holidays!

GAP Promotions would like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season and a fantastic New Year! Since we're all about the holiday spirit, below are some drink recipes you can try over the holidays featuring some of our favorite spirits. Enjoy and please remember to always drink responsibly.

Baileys Minty Mistletoe

2 oz. Baileys® Original Irish Cream Liqueur
0.25 oz. Rumple Minze® Peppermint Schnapps

• Add Baileys Original Irish Cream and Rumple Minze.

• Shake with ice and strain into martini glass.

Hot Gin Toddy

1.25 oz. Tanqueray® London Dry Gin

0.75 oz. Fresh lemon juice

0.75 Ginger syrup

3 dashes Orange bitters

1.5 oz. Hot water

• Mix ingredients in a tall, clear glass coffee mug.

• Stir.

• Top with hot water.

• Garnish with fresh grated cinnamon.

The Harvest

1 oz. Captain Morgan® Original Spiced Rum

1 oz. Cranberry juice

0.25 oz. Fresh lime juice

4 oz. Cola

1 Lime wedge

• In an ice filled Collins or rocks glass, combine all the ingredients.

• Stir to blend.

• Garnish with a lime wedge.

[thebar.com]

Team GAP ProMO: Supporting Men's Health This Movember

CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT TEAM GAP PROMO

In the month of October, we put together a program that supported the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It was our way of promoting breast cancer awareness within our company, and hopefully for our customers as well.

This month, GAP hopes to “change the face of Men’s Health”. Taken straight from the Movember website, that vision encompasses overall men’s health, as well as prostate and testicular cancer.

Several GAP team members are setting aside their razors to help raise awareness and receive donations in support of programs put forth by The Movember Foundation, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Livestrong Foundation.

That’s right…we’re going to adorn our upper lips with the fanciest of moustaches (or ‘MO’s) to support the cause!

At GAP, we love a healthy challenge, and we are participating with other agencies at Movember.com. So, if you’re in a giving mood, or would like to find out more information to support our cause, you can also go directly to our team page at http://moteam.co/gap-promo

If you’re as enthusiastic about Movember as we are, check out what Foster’s is doing for the entire month. As an official partner with the Movember Foundation, Foster’s is promoting the cause with limited addition Oil Cans. Collect all 3!

Make sure to keep checking our team page and GAP's Twitter and Facebook for updates!