Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/455266
70 / the tasting panel / january/february 2015 stakeholders can look at progress and measure it against brand performance and the ambassador, to see which education programs are working best. It's been very successful, made every- one's lives easier, and we can account for nearly every dollar spent and how it's having an impact." From BarSmarts to Tales Chris Patino, PRUSA's Director of Brand Education, started his career in the beverage industry as a bartender. He explains his start: "I was living in New Orleans and fell in love with the spirits side of the biz—it was all passion at first, then I got into the science side and the organoleptic aspects of what's in the glass and from there the building blocks of beverages." Patino oversees cocktail develop- ment and drink strategy, and he's served at the James Beard Awards as well as other major events, including Tales of the Cocktail, Portland Cocktail Week and California's Golden State of Cocktails, in addition to myriad of other smaller events. "We don't feel there is a one-size model that fits every opportunity," says Patino, "and with the 500,000+ bartend- ers working in the U.S.—that's a lot of people making a career of it, while some are paying their way through school and others are moonlighting as a second job. With so many different skill-sets and goals, I have to ask: What are they looking for?" Pernod's BarSmarts program is the answer to Patino's question. An exclusive collaboration between the Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR), LLC (the partners are Dale DeGroff, Doug Frost, Steve Olson, F. Paul Pacult, Andy Seymour and David Wondrich), the program is geared toward bartenders, but servers, busboys even general man- agers have taken it as well. "We pick a city," explains Patino; "we just did Vegas and Seattle is next. Participants watch pre-course material online, then have a live session with a BAR partner who will judge their drink-making, then there's a written test. Anyone scoring 85 percent or above is awarded an Advanced Certificate. It's tough, engaging and people really feel like they've accomplished something," he says. (BarSmarts has become the pre- requisite course for BAR's "Bar Five Day" advanced intensive, which takes place in NYC every year for a select group of bartenders). The Last 3 Feet You've probably heard of and even used the expression "Moment of Truth" and in PRUSA's world, that "final deci- sion or moment" comes in at the "Last 3 Feet." Imagine the physical space between the consumer and a bottle of say, Jameson Irish Whiskey, on a store shelf at an off-premise location—that's always been perceived as the Last 3 Feet. But according to Mitch Cristol, Director of Trade Marketing, "Really, it's more a state of mind than the physical space, because 60 percent of purchasing decisions are made before shoppers even get to the store." Mitch adds, "Don't get me wrong, we need to win in-store, but we also need to win before they get to the store!" "We spend time doing brand educa- tion in the off-premise and work with our retail partners to develop category- selling stories, not just about our brands, but for the entire category— because a rising tide raises all boats," he says. Still, the Last 3 Feet can be critical in a game-changing eleventh hour decision. According to a 2013 Miller Zell Display Study, 70 percent of surveyed shoppers said they noticed or engaged with end-aisle displays. That same survey found that category- specific displays are the sweet spot, noticed by 21 percent of shoppers with COVER STORY Mitch Cristol, Director of Trade Marketing. Ed DeLoreto, Director On-Premise and Consumer Engagement. Carol Giaconelli, Director of Marketing Operations. Marime Riancho, Director Multicultural Marketing.