MO-based Tyler Mountain Water signed a three-year deal
to become the official water of the PBA, and began
distributing bottles bearing the company's logo to "many" of
the PBA's 6,000 bowling centers earlier this summer,
according to David Adams of the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL. PBA
Dir of Marketing Services Chris Bame: "There is a big surge
in demand for bottled water throughout the country. No
other sporting organization is doing this, so it just made a
lot of sense." Under terms of the deal, Tyler will pay the
PBA "an undisclosed sum up front, plus a percentage of every
bottle sold." Adams reports that Tyler hopes to sell about
20,000 bottles in the first year of the deal, "not a big
amount, even for the medium-size company, which sells about
2 million bottles a year." Because of the bowling logo, it
is "unlikely" PBA water will be sold outside bowling venues.
Adams adds that about 10% of the PBA's revenue comes from
licensed merchandise, but it is looking to increase that to
about 15% or 20% by the end of 2000 (BEACON JOURNAL, 9/16).
