Let's get the ball rolling

Well we find ourselves at the end of another week once again and I for one am looking forward to the long weekend and some nice warm weather, which will be a welcome change from the rain we have been experiencing lately in New York. Though rain or shine work still goes on and that has been the case at Mendis. We are still waiting on our license, which I was informed by Ronald Gregg (our general council) that we will hear back within 2-3 weeks, that was the beginning of this week, so I guess we are still playing a waiting game in relation to that matter. This is just a standard time frame and process for such licenses.

This week also had an interesting twist to it mid-week for me. As some of you know I sometimes drive the Mendis van, well this week I decide to bring it into Manhattan with me and park it on the street for a couple of nights, which turned out to be a bad idea. I woke up yesterday morning to a pleasant surprise down one side of the van, as someone had decided to take it upon themselves to tag it with some pathetic unreadable wording- I blame it on the school system for their lack of creativity. The good news is it is going to get completely re-sprayed next week anyway so I took the whole incident with a pinch of salt.

I’m not sure if any of you noticed the picture that accompanied last weeks blog, though it is actually part of a new image for Mendis being developed, called “Liquid Luxury”, that is going to be rolled out in the next few weeks. I thought I would start sharing snippets of the concept as it is in development. The marketing is about reinforcing the luxurious and unique aspects of Mendis by creating a certain setting that is fitting for the Mendis brand and within that environment portraying a unique element, be it by setting or imagery. If you have any feedback on it I would love to hear it.

I have to give credit to Carolyn L Zannoni for her photography work on the Liquid Luxury campaign, plus she has given great oversight on the development of the project. Carolyn was originally brought on to overhaul our corporate image at the executive level, though she has evolved in the role and taken on additional work with us. We have been extremely pleased with her work and dedication to the Mendis brand and what it stands for- Thanks Carolyn.

Success in building a company does not come about by oneself, but by the holistic knowledge and backing of numerous individuals, for which I have a deep reach of people dear to me that have supported me in bearing Mendis to market. I am indebted to many people for their support, and words in this case simple do not pay due credit to those that have believed in me and the Mendis brand, but I sincerely THANK YOU ALL. Now let’s get this ball rolling.

Oh, to our fashion girl Shana- HAPPY 23rd Birthday for Sunday or should I say Saturday night.


Chris S. Richardson
President
Mendis International

If you want something done right, do it yourself

Last night I was thinking nothing major had happened this week to write about, however, after a good night’s rest I realized that in actual fact a lot had happened and I had just been too busy to take a step back to decipher the main highlights to talk about. Before I start, just to bring you up to speed on where we currently stand, we are still waiting on our license, that our general council and company secretary (Ronald Gregg) has been handling, I have been informed it will be any week soon.

So what events happened this week that warrant talking about? Well, beginning of the week I got a call from an old contact Jonathan Rosenfeld of Slip N Slide records in Miami. We have done previous work with Jonathan on the marketing side of the business and he dropped me a line to discuss product placement (for Mendis) with one of their artists (Rick Ross or Trina). Working with Jonathan in the past has bought about great results from a marketing standpoint and I am very open to discussing product placement of Mendis in a music video or sung about by an industry leading artist. Our media relations director (Cherise Brogdon) and I will sit down with Jonathan in the near future to see what we can work out.

In addition to this marketing campaign with Slip N Slide records, that we are considering, we have been talking to T. Lang of T. Lang Dance- A Dance Company based in New York this week. T. Lang is in our eyes and many others in the dance industry a fast emerging talented choreographer with impeccable credentials and resume of work that is fast emerging from the underground world of Dance.

We are looking at commissioning (later in the year) T. Lang and her Dance company to compile a very unique piece of dance and music based around the Mendis bottle. As an alcohol company we believe it is important in supporting our community and talented individuals in achieving their full potential, T. Lang is one of those artists we have considered at Mendis to be supported and enabling her to reach her full potential as an artist.

All this work is part of developing a forceful marketing campaign to support Mendis release. Before we commit to any marketing campaign we critique the merits of the medium we are using and if it fits into the image of Mendis as a luxury brand. All too often with the release of new alcohol (from small start ups) they just throw the product into stores and have no idea of how to market it. I think without a doubt, we can confidently say, based on our budget and company size we have done a good job at marketing mendis pre-launch.

The difference with Mendis (besides the taste) is that; most of the concepts of Mendis and the development of it come from me, which I then let others at Mendis review and consider for brand fit. Unlike most, if not all, other alcohol companies that just out source their press work to a third party that knows nothing about the brand or really care about the brand integrity. I always want to have a say over the brand development as being the founder of the image, I don’t see anyone else ever really understanding it as well as I do. As the old saying goes “If you want something done right, do it yourself”, and I have all too often experienced this as I’m sure you all have.

As life goes- time will be the bearer of news, accordingly next week will bring more updates for you on Mendis. In the mean time, I will surely be busy plotting and planning the next moves for Mendis, like a game of chess.


Chris S. Richardson
President
Mendis International

Nothing comes of shortsightedness

The other day someone passed comment that brandy is not “perceived” as a mixable product by brandy drinkers, so where does Mendis fit in? Well, big name alcohol conglomerates have been introducing Ready-To-Drink (RTD’s), or better known by consumers as pre-mixed drinks, in the market place for years, which have included distilled spirits such as; Whisky, Rum, Vodka and yes (surprisingly to the person that asked the question) Brandy.

The concept of mixing brandy is nothing new, though I must admit traditional brandy does not mix well at all, this is where Mendis clear coconut brandy comes in. Termed a brandy, but as I have stated in the past, it does not possess the normally perceived harshness of character of grape (or other) brandies.

Mendis coconut brandy is not just a different category wording (Coconut Brandy) on a fancy bottle, there is a bigger story behind it that will and is changing the way people perceive brandy. Mendis is for the educated consumer that is after extreme refinement of product to already clear spirits (vodka and rum) currently offered in the market place.

The phenomenon of Mendis and its uniqueness as a spirit is something I compare to Grey Goose 15 odd years ago. People scorned the late Sydney Frank (founder of Grey Goose) in the development of his product, sure in hind sight we all think it is a great idea, but there were numerous individuals that trashed his vision and thought they knew better in the early days of Grey Goose.

All to often, in all markets, people are so focused on current big brand names and think that is the way the market is and is going to be, but sadly, these are the people that miss out on the next big thing- simply because their shortsightedness does not allow them to look beyond the current and alter their perception of things in the main stream.

Without even being in the market yet, Mendis has achieved recognition with reputable leading names in the media (E!, Rolls Royce and American Express to name just a few of the many publications Mendis has been mentioned in) due to its innovative product development, taste and market leading innovation as a product and concept. Once we actually release the product into the market these attributes will be the driving force of the brand for its success.

Though, as usual, time is the great equalizer of all things, anything and everything has a chance to make it because nothing is stagnant in life. So Mendis time will come and consumers will have a chance to select it and let the taste speak for itself, then we will all Mix with Mendis.


Chris S. Richardson
President
Mendis International