A Brand to Drink To

One of the vodka's launch parties was held at trendy L.A. nightclub Les Deux in January, and it drew its share of celebrities, including Brittny Gastineau, Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton. Celebrities attract paparazzi, and this in turn attracts more press. Last year's launch party at Trump Towers was also a who's-who event, featuring music by popular hip-hop artist Busta Rhymes.

"Other celebrities want to associate with Trump because it brings them into the spotlight," explains Brian Kenny (Patrick Kenny's son), vice president of marketing.

As helpful as it is having Trump's involvement, at the end of the day, "it's all about selling cases," says Bruce Klein, chairman of the board of Drinks Americas. Trump Vodka sales totaled over $5 million within 120 days, explains Patrick Kenny.

Of course, in the drinks business, strong selling requires strong distribution. Drinks Americas currently has deals with winery Kendall Jackson and Heineken (HINKY Quote).

Icon Management

One of Patrick Kenny's specialties is marketing. He worked at Seagrams for 22 years, where he turned around the company's fledgling nonalcoholic division in several ways, including working closely with distributors and bottlers, and by using marketing dollars efficiently.

His work with Trump is nothing new; his team at Seagram's was on the cutting edge of working with celebrities to promote a brand, such as using Bruce Willis to promote the company's wine coolers.

One of the keys, according to Kenny, is that alcohol is akin to fashion. "When someone orders a drink at a bar, they are making a fashion statement about themselves," says Kenny; it's no different from wearing a Diane von Furstenberg dress or an Armani suit.

There are several factors Kenny considers before finding the ideal celebrity for a brand icon: "Transgenerational element, global image, understanding of the business partnership and a premium image," says Kenny. And once "you assemble that list, there's not 100 people in it."