Seattle Who? Jones Soda Gains Qwest Field Soft-Drink Rights

Jones Soda Secures Soft- Drink Rights At Qwest Field

Seattle-based Jones Soda Co. has secured the soft-drink rights at Qwest Field for the next five years, becoming the “only label outside of” Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to have an exclusive deal with an NFL team, according to Craig Harris of the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER. Terms of the deal, which runs through February 2012, were not disclosed. Jones will sell both fountain drinks and bottled soda drinks in the stadium, and canned soft drinks in suites. The bottles will feature images of Seahawks players and fans, and Jones CEO Peter van Stolk said that a “key in getting the deal ... was a patent the company owns that allows [it] to place individual photos on the labels.” Harris reports Jones also has the rights to sell “other non-alcoholic beverages,” but it “hasn’t decided which products it will sell.” Jones becomes a Seahawks sponsor and is allowed to use team trademarks, but NFL Dir of Corporate Communications Brian McCarthy noted that league rules will limit the company “to selling Seahawks-related products within the state of Washington” (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 5/24). Seattle-based Tully’s Coffee VP/Merchandising & Production Rob Martin, whose company previously has held rights with the Seahawks and Mariners, among others, said, “The focus on stadium deals is not to make revenue. It’s more about building brand awareness” (SEATTLE TIMES, 5/24).