Entrepreneurial Endeavors: Alkie Pops to Stoney Snacks; The Promotion and Selling of Novelty Products

“Things may come to those who wait…but only the things left by those who hustle.”

Abraham Lincoln

            Discussing an organization with which I am familiar with and have a keen understanding of is difficult to establish and narrow down. When one is an entrepreneur, one must be well versed in a multitude of organizations/industries to “hustle” his/her product and make a profit. I choose the word “hustle” because it has so many connotations associated with it that I think perfectly describe what being an entrepreneur, of any sort, actually is. This is especially true when you are dealing with novelty beverages and snacks that are being catered towards niche audiences that predominately include twenty-something college students and individuals who are habitually intoxicated by alcohol or drugs and frequent bars/taverns and clubs. I started the company, R&W Creative Group L.L.C., three years ago upon graduation of my undergraduate studies at The University of Tennessee. R&W Creative Group L.L.C. is located in Knoxville, TN and serves the southeast United States. The company specializes in the production and marketing of novelty products, such as Stoney Snacks, an eclectic snack mix for college students, and Alkie Pops, an alcoholic frozen beverage with an assortment of flavors to appeal to a wide range of taste buds. I will discuss in this analytical piece my experiences with the bar/club industries in which I sold, distributed, and promoted my products, the processes by which I produced the items and the avenues I explored in the promotion of my ventures.

            With this organizational analysis piece, I’m going to start with the actual selling and promotion of said products. When analyzing the various organizations with which I conducted business, mainly the bar/club industry, a number of post-modern analytical critiques can be used to examine the intricacies within these organizations. Through a critical feminist analysis, I can examine the gender politics, power relations, and sexuality, which females play in the bar/club industry. In the bar/club industry, women are constantly objectified and exploited, to sell and promote products for the businesses. There is a great schism between the persuasiveness of a female server and a male server. When promoting Alkie Pops and Stoney Snacks, I constantly used female friends and close acquaintances in various atmospheres, whether it was promotional events, sales functions, or in dealing with concert advertising. The objectification of the female body and sexual aura is commonplace in these industries. The old adage, “Sex Sales,” perfectly describes the position and role of the female when promoting/selling products. In my involvement in the industry, I would deliberately pick out costumes/uniforms for the waitresses to wear while serving the novelty products. Usually, I picked out an attire that suited the bar theme or the “atmosphere” of that evening, e.g. UT Vols football games, fraternity parties, alternative rock concerts, etc… It usually involved clothing that accentuated the assets of the models/servers that could best entice “visually” the potential customers. The drawback of this technique is that you potentially alienate the female customer base, which involved a good percentage of the market base. After observing the potential clientele at the various bars/clubs, I generated a mix where at locations with a larger male base, I would dress the models more provocatively and in places where there were more females, I would dress the models in a more conservative/fresh attire that made them less of a visual threat to the female customers.

            Sexuality has multiple meanings when one is trying to explain and understand the role it plays in business. A female’s body can be extremely persuasive in the way it can evoke primitive desires that can be understood and examined from multiple and complex positions and a variety of different and contextual perspectives.  The examination of the critical feminist analysis in post-modern terms involves the dissection of gender politics, power relations, gender sensitivity, and cross-cultural perceptions. Individuals fail to realize the consequences of this hierarchical structure that has been formed to perpetuate a marketing state where pornographic depictions of women are imbedded in the culture of bars/clubs to arouse an innate desire that shapes and molds a person’s consumerist condition. An illusion is established between the seller and the consumer. This illusion is what brings people to the bar/club in the first place. This illusion is a means to facilitate an escape from reality for the consumer. My job as a “hustler” or entrepreneur is to engage the consumer in a dynamic relationship that involves a manipulation of the senses to get him/her to purchase my product and to ultimately shape them into being a loyal customer. The product itself is in a visually enticing package, it is delicious in its flavor, and has a great price point however; all of this is a moot point if you don’t get consumer to try the actual product. This is the reason why understanding the best way to engage individuals is so very important in establishing a brand and generating a profit.

            The objectification of the female is not only confined to the physical façade that is being presented, but is further interwoven within the female’s mannerisms and dialogue with the bar/club patrons. The sexual persuasion on these levels is an important function in not only establishing an instant rapport, but also establishing the “bait and hook” scenario that is incorporated in the illusionary atmosphere of the bar/club industry. This is important in the selling of the product as well as generating a monetary tip from the sales of the novelty products for the server. Thus, an extra incentive is put in place for the female to make more of a sexually connotative connection with the patron to elicit this monetary benefit. This manipulation is enhanced by playing on the perceived gender roles, whether politically correct or not, to establish the power position between the server and the consumer. The female uses the suggestion of her sexuality to submit men into a magnetic/hypnotic state to generate more sales and thus improving her own bottom line by producing more tips.

            Understanding social relations is paramount when trying to engage in business with the bar/club industry. I have found that change is necessary and one must be aware of what is hot or trendy to be up to date on the promotional front. This is especially true for the analysis of the critical feminist perspective in market based advertising and promotion. As men have become emasculated over time with the pacification of the male psyche through mass-media propaganda, women servers have used their objectified presence as a means to dominate the male in a more submissive state with their approach. I have seen first hand how much more forward women are in the promotion and sales of products in the industry. Not that the women weren’t forward before. However, it seems in my opinion that the perceived roles are now more embraced to improve the bottom line of the bar/club as well as the female sever. Everything seems to be amplified to compete for the attention of the patrons of the bar/club. This amplification of the senses is achieved through a more provocative stance on behalf of the female server. This stimulation of the senses is usually accomplished through the manipulation of the gender roles and pandering to the masses through the playing up of the illusionary sexual arousal of the senses. An interesting dichotomy between predator and prey is delicately balanced by the female server/ promoter to placate the consumer into submission. As the lines continue to blur over time concerning what aspects are used to examine the critical feminist analysis of the bar/club industry in post-modern terms, one must examine the experience in which the gender roles are played out in the consumer’s placation of the senses through the female server/promoters sexual manipulation to achieve monetary gain. By understanding these power relations that result, one can gain a better strategy to “hustle” the patrons and achieve success in his/her business in the bar/club industry.