WEEKLY PRESS RELEASE REVIEW - STRANGE PAIRINGS

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STRANGE PRESS RELEASE PAIRINGS MAKE FOR GOOD INK – A REVIEW OF A WEEK OF ODD PRESS RELEASES

Publicists have known this for years – strange bedfellows can make for interesting news items. This week several press releases crossed our desk that linked very different influences into a singular item worthy of media attention!

Did you know Jedi warriors like Mac and Cheese?  Or that Beer and Bourbon make for a much sought after limited edition Day of the Dead beverage? And coffee and pimples make for a sales winner.

HEATING UP THE MAC AND CHEESE WITH A LIGHT SABRE: 
Two iconic brands deeply rooted in popular culture, are teaming to make the coming release of a new Star Wars movie forceful. Kraft and Disney are now a PR Jedi Knights duo slaying the competition for media pick-ups!

The just launched KRAFT "Star Wars Macaroni and Cheese" campaign includes a limited edition Star Wars themed product box, Star Wars / Mac and Cheese TV commercials, and the KRAFT Star Wars Room (http://www.kraftstarwarsroom.com) – an interactive website giving fans exclusive access to explore rare Star Wars memorabilia, including the afore mentioned boxes of limited-edition Star Wars KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese and collectible character posters.

In a Kraft press release issued earlier this week, Scott Glenn, Brand Manager for KRAFT Macaroni &Cheese, explained why his company has teamed up with Disney Films. "We're bringing to life the nostalgia that many young parents feel about Star Wars and KRAFT, and creating new and exciting ways to experience them together as a family. Our Star Wars Room gives fans a new way to feed their inner Jedi with exclusive access to limited-edition collectibles housed in one amazing shrine."

Collector's edition Star Wars KRAFT Mac & Cheese is on food store shelves In Canada and the United States.  There are four collectible character boxes, featuring left and right faces of Yoda, Darth Vader, R2D2 and C3PO. Shoppers can buy limited-edition collector's posters depicting Star Wars KRAFT Mac and Cheese noodle characters in action and select character portraits.

ZITS AND COFFEE SHOP PAIRING SQUEEZE OUT A WINNING PRODUCT!  
According to a recent California press release the roots of a recent black head removal product can be traced back to the time its inventor spent in an LA coffee shop!

Neil MacKenzie

“One of this year's biggest Web surprises is the sudden success of Neil MacKenzie who started his Aotearoa Beauty Company from a laptop in a coffee shop.” reads the press release. “Neil’s brainchild is the Aotearoa Blackhead and Blemish Remover Kit, a collection of surgical style tools to remove blackheads."

“Everybody in the tech world is focusing on apps and social media. But what the average person really wants is a way to remove blackheads and pimples," continued Neil MacKenzie. “Who knew blackhead removal was going to be as hot as the latest iPhone? I just figured there are a lot of people who would like make their face look better,"

“It is important not to squeeze or pop Pimples and Blackheads with your fingers,” he tells consumers. The Aotearoa Blackhead and Blemish Remover Kit contains five blackhead and pimple removing tools packed in a handy leather case carrier. The tools are double ended and made from stainless steel. They never rust and can easily be cleaned and sterilized.

The Ember Coffee Mug

THE $130 COFFEE CUP 
Clayton Alexander is an American inventor who thought up General Electric’s futuristic light bulb, the GE Infusion. 

He has now teamed up with the well-known design company -Ammunition - to develop “the world’s most advanced coffee mug”.

The Ember Mug uses “patented heating and phase change cooling technology,” reads the company’s press release. 
“Ember mug creates an unforgettable drinking experience that will change the way we enjoy coffee or tea. The Ember mug will begin shipping in April 2016.”

The Ember mug will rapidly cool your hot coffee or tea down to a chosen temperature and will hold it at that exact temperature for hours on end. Experience the pleasure of enjoying your drink, in its perfect state, from the first sip to the last drop. 


“I started Ember to solve a very simple problem: how to keep the coffee you love at the perfect temperature for as long as you like,” said founder and CEO Clayton Alexander. “By merging Ember’s patented temperature-control technology with beautiful design and an incredible user experience, we knew that we could appeal to discerning coffee drinkers.”

Ammunition has given the cup a simple, elegant design has no buttons or complex instructions. Simply rotate the dial at the base of the mug to easily adjust  the temperature. The mug can be controlled on its own, or through a Smart Phone and an Ember mobile app. The app allows drinkers to create temperature presets for all of your favorite drinks and even adjust the temperature of your coffee or tea remotely.

 BC BOOZE BREWED IN WHISKY BARRELS TO CREATE TWO DAY OF THE DEAD BREWSKIES!

Two types of booze are combined for a new Day of the Dead beer. A Penticton, British Columbia craft brewery is using an unconventional method of fermenting beer in Tennessee Whisky barrels to produce two limited edition beers for November’s Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead.

The Bad Tattoo Brewery has purchased used whisky barrels from a Tennessee distillery to produced two new types of beer.  Martin Lewis, the manager of Bad Tattoo explained in a press release. “We’re only (making) 1,200 bottles of the 2015 Dia de Los Muertos Cerveza Fuerte and 600 bottles of Dia de Los Muertos La Resurrección.”

“Designed to interact with the residual Tennessee Whiskey found in the barrels, Bad Tattoo’s uncommon brewing technique infuses (the beer) with notes of dried fruits and warming spices, and will offer the palate underlying flavours of bourbon, oak, vanilla and toasted coconut.”

Bad Tattoo is releasing the beer on November 1, at a British Columbia Day of the Dead event. Inspired by one of the largest and most celebrated holidays in Mexico, Bad Tattoo is transforming its brewery into a Mexican-style arena complete with beautiful altars to celebrate the lives of deceased loved ones. The beers will be paired with two unique Mexican-style pizzas -- Mole Chicken and Nacho pizzas. “We believe Mexican culture is one of the most fascinating cultures worldwide, so we’ve given the new beers Spanish names,” says Lewis. “A big part of traditional tattoo culture is skeletons and skulls, which coincides with the essence of this Mexican holiday. By combining the two, we created a fun and unique event that is a celebration of life.” A PAIR OF SHORTIES:   John Bernnardo CAN A MOVIE ABOUT THE BAD LUCK US $2 bill spell success for the fledgling Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival? In a press release issued Friday the Film Festival announced that it would be premiering John Bennardo's Documentary About the sad sack US $2 bill. “So profound is this belief (that the $2 bill is unlucky) that many would leave the bill on the table rather than pocket it. Talk about leaving money on the table," reads the release. “Every time you spend one, something happens. There's a lasting connection and even a nostalgic feeling that often arises." Will the movie “The 2 Dollar Bill Documentary" help the Film Festival when it premiers November 6th? Fort Lauderdale is a betting a deuce it will! FINALLY A GAME TABLE FOR SKINNY CONDOs.  Condos are the residence of choice for millennial. Flashy. Trendy. Fun. But, in most cities condos lack one thing  -- space. Brunswick, the makers of  professional  and high-end home pool tables realize that the modern condo just doesn’t have the space needed to play pool, so, it has reached into the past to find something that will fit! “The Treviso Shuffleboard is  a classic-contemporary work of art. The (16 x 3) foot shuffleboard table comes with four red pucks, four black pucks, stainless steel abacus scorer, table brush and shuffleboard wax,” reads a recent Brunswick press release. It notes that the condo friendly Shuffleboard retails for $8,000 US.