1. Cristin M. Dempsey: Professional Portfolio
Title: Getting the Word Out—Locally!: New Small-Scale Marketing
Strategies for GetStackCup
Purpose: To introduce and implement new marketing ideas and
strategies for GetStackCup so that more people know what the product
is and are more tempted to purchase it in the future.
Author: Cristin M. Dempsey, Business Writing Intern at
Tourbillon Alliance Partners
Keywords: Get, Stack, Cup, marketing, idea(s), strategy, strategies, benefits,
target, audience, profit, product, distributor
Abstract: Stack-Cup is a product that originally emerged in
Brussels and branched out all throughout Europe. Users of the
products, mainly college students and young adults, are satisfied
with its efficiency and mission to be environmentally conscious.
The immense success Stack-Cup is having with European
consumers caused an American company to take notice and
become the exclusive North American Distributor. GetStackCup is
the online portal for ecommerce sales throughout this region. It is
the same product with the same benefits; however, it still is not
very well-known by Americans. It is easy to realize the benefits of
this product and the profit it can gain from Americans. Therefore,
this white paper aims to suggest various different small-scale
marketing strategies that GetStackCup can use in order to promote
their product and get the word out to the target audience. In the
future, they will be able to use these marketing strategies, though
small-scale, to increase their target audience and increase profit.
File Information: PDF, 489K, 7 pages, contains images

2. Getting the Word Out—Locally!
New Small-Scale Marketing Strategies for GetStackCup
Introduction
Recently, a product in Europe introduced the future to parties and restaurants. That
product was called Stack-Cup, an efficient, environmentally-friendly cup that can be
used for just about any drink or snack. Following the success Stack-Cup saw in
Europe, a North American distributor wanted to sell the product here in the United
States. That is called GetStackCup. However, many people still have not heard of this
product, and GetStackCup must face the obstacle that they are only a distributor, so
their marketing opportunities are quite limited. This obstacle does not have to get in
the way, though. Even small-scale marketing can have great success with its target
audience. It is the hope of GetStackCup and its promoters that it will see a bright
future among college students and young adults.
History of Stack-Cup and GetStackCup
Both Stack-Cup and GetStackCup are relatively new
companies, according to their home websites. Stack-Cup
began in Brussels, Belgium in 2012, according to the
“about” section on their website. Because of its efficiency
and efforts to be environmentally conscious with its
recyclable material, the product spread rapidly to young
adults in various parts of Europe during the next two years.
In fact, being environmentally conscious was initially
one of their main goals with Stack-Cup. Because it is
made out of recyclable plastic, manufacturers believe it
would reduce waste in landfills and CO2 emissions in
the air.
One year later, in 2013, GetStackCup emerged on the East Coast here in the United
States. It was created, mainly because the American distributor, Michael Munson,
noticed the success of Stack-Cup in Europe and wanted to offer it for Americans.
Munson is an entrepreneur always looking for ways to improve products. When he
saw the Stack-Cup product, he thought, “…wow, these will make beverage holding at
parties, events, and tailgates [for students and young adults] so much easier!” According
to their website, GetStackCup is also an Independent agent of the original Stack-Cup
brand in Brussels.
Some of the first customers of the product, many including college and young adult
waiters and frequent party hosts, agreed that Stack-Cup was much more efficient than
a simple tray carrying glasses, according to videos and user comments found on the
product website. Since its invention, the Stack-Cup has been chosen over normal cups
Tableof
Contents
1: Abstract
2: History of Stack-
Cup and
GetStackCup
3. Purpose
and Benefits
4. Existing
Marketing
Strategies
5. Suggestions for
New Marketing
Strategies
6. ABright Future

3. in restaurants. They have also been used in fun carrying contests or games, such as beer
pong, at social gatherings, though mostly in European countries. Even just by browsing the
user comments on the website, past and current users do not seem to have any complaints
about the product. It has gained a lot of respect in just two years.
Purpose and Benefits
Purpose
The purpose of Stack-Cup that manufacturers and distributors alike boast about is to offer an
efficient, environmentally-friendly cup to college students and young adults. They wanted
drinks to be served in a shorter amount of time by being able to “stack” cups on top of one
another. They wanted a cup that could be used for many years; one that was washable,
recyclable, and made of durable plastic.
Benefits
The initial purpose and goal of the Stack-Cup has succeeded, yielding several benefits. It is more
efficient than a lot of existing party cups; and according to videos on the Stack-Cup website,
party hosts and waitresses can carry up to 50 cups at a time. That means more people are served
in a shorter amount of time. In addition, the durable, recyclable plastic can be washed and used
for many years. Recycling the cup instead of throwing it away also reduces wastes in landfills
and decreases CO2 emissions.
Existing Marketing Strategies
Website
Both Stack-Cup and GetStackCup
have detailed, informative websites.
However, GetStackCup should include
a physical address, e-mail address, and
phone number that are easy to find so
that interested consumers have a way
to ask questions about the product.
The Stack-Cup website has this
information, but since they have so
many distributors for the product, they
should include a list of distributors and more
information on how to order the product in the
consumer’s country or region. Secondly, since the
cup is offered in multiple colors, GetStackCup
should add these to the website so that consumers do not think all they can get is clear, red,
white, or blue. They should be able to recognize how many options they have to choose from.
Social Media
Both Stack-Cup and GetStackCup have established themselves on various social media outlets,
including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and most recently, Instagram and Vines. They often post
about the product and what the target audience can do with it. They show different varieties of
the cup and special offers. I think this is a great way to promote the product; but in order to attain
Figure 2: This graph proves that the
highest percentage of alcohol users are
college students and young adults
(cspinet.org).

4. a wider audience, more should be done. A free way to do this would simply be to invite multiple
people on these sites to like the product so they can see the posts. A way to find these people is
looking at “friends,” “followers,” or “connections” of the people who already see posts about it
and adding them. They are likely friends, family members, or classmates of the person already
familiar with the product, so they can share samples and exchange ideas about Stack-Cup.
Samples
According to Munson, GetStackCup already has 500 samples available for use. College students
and young adults are able to test the product out and see if they like it and want to buy more for
their organization, club, or business. The trick here is to make sure those samples get into the
right hands, hands that will benefit the distributor in the future. The main college market for this
would be bars and Greek organizations. If they see the value in these products, they will be
tempted to purchase more of it. This not only brings in profit to GetStackCup, but it increases
membership for these organizations and clubs and brings in more business for local businesses,
which includes bars and restaurants, since they will see how efficient and long-lasting the cup
really is.
Suggestions for New Marketing Strategies
Social Media
Even though many social media accounts for Stack-Cup and GetStackCup already exist, more
could be done with them in order to gain a wider audience. The existing posts are great and
should continue, but how many people are seeing them? A few ways to improve this is by
inviting new people, like friends, connections, or followers of existing GetStackCup connections,
to like or follow the page and start receiving the updates and posts as well. As mentioned before,
these people are likely friends, family members, or
classmates of current GetStackCup connections, and
they can share ideas, suggestions, and even samples
with each other. Another option would just have the
existing connections invite everyone they know to like
or follow the page themselves. That way, people know
who is inviting them and will be more convinced it is a
reliable product if their friend uses it.
Both Stack-Cup and GetStackCup do have YouTube
channels, but they are not as developed as other social
media outlets. Both only have a few videos that can
easily go unnoticed. Short videos could be added to enhance credibility. Videos could cover a
wide variety of topics, including more stacking or carrying contests, experiments to see how
many washes one cup can sustain, or the process of printing a logo onto the cup and how it can
help other businesses with their own marketing. If frequent videos such as these were posted on a
regular basis, more college students and young adults would take notice of the product and that
other people their age enjoy what it has to offer for the future or cups and party utensils.
Greek Organizations
All, or at least most, college campuses in the United States have at least one fraternity and one
sorority, otherwise known as Greek organizations (the names of the organizations are all in
Figure 3: Satisfied Stack-Cup customers
on social media (coolthings.com).

5. Greek). These organizations are always hosting parties at their
house, meeting room, or participating in campus events. Almost
always, some food or drink is served. Typically, they use plastic
cups, such as Solo cups. While these are recyclable, plastic Solo
cups are not washable and are only meant for one use. If these
Greek organizations looked into Stack-Cup, they would only have
to purchase it once instead of for every single party. They can first
test out a few samples to see if it fits their needs, and if it does,
they will want to actually buy a set of cups, as well
as other products that go with it, such as the beer
pong stand.
The Greek licensing process can be an in-depth and
confusing process, but it is a necessary process to understand in order to gain results from
consumers. According to Munson, licensing is only necessary when outside parties (parties who
do not have the rights to sell products with the particular Greek trademark) want to sell the
products. Because GetStackCup has access to a printing company (Jornik Printing), this process
becomes much easier, because Greek organizations will not have to search for their own printing
companies. GetStackCup is then able to use the trademarked image if they OR the ordering
customer have licensing rights. Usually it is assumed that trademarked items are purchased by a
Greek organization that already has those rights to trademark.
Bars and Restaurants
Bars and restaurants need good cups and utensils to run their business, and they need something
that they can rely on for several years. They all may already have cups and utensils; but
eventually, they may wear out, become outdated, or not fit the needs of consumers. The Stack-
Cup would be a perfect cup for a local bar or a low-key restaurant, such as a pizza restaurant.
When the GetStackCup distributor markets the cup as washable, that means it can handle both a
commercial and an industrial dishwasher for several washes. It has durable plastic that will last
for many years. If the bars and restaurants know these selling points and know that they can
purchase the cup with their logo or picture right on it, then they will be more tempted to make
the investment. They will have inexpensive cups that will still last for many years and will not go
outdated. The best way to market these features to bar and restaurant owners is to e-mail them
directly, sending them all the information they need to know about the cup and help them
become aware of it. If a few people in different areas did this, it would automatically create a
wide audience with just a press of a button. It is GetStackCup’s job to reach out to these people
via telephone, e-mail, or an in-person visit to explain in-depth the cup’s benefits and why the
restaurant or bar should invest in them.
People that are already familiar with the Stack-Cup product know that it is commonly used for
beer. While it can obviously be used for many other beverages, food, and even things like
writing utensils or craft tools, its use for beer is a huge selling point for bars. Regular beer
pitchers are great because they have a big handle, but GetStackCup should remember to inform
them that this product is more durable, lightweight, and will serve beer to all their friends faster
(the stacking mechanism is one of the most unique features of the cup). Plus, according to Dave
Mullins, CEO at Tourbillon Alliance Partners and co-distributor of GetStackCup, each individual
Figure 4: Additional products such as this cup stand
(for beer pong) encourage consumers that they will
enjoy the product (www.stack-cup.com).

6. cup only costs 60 cents, before tax and shipping. Even then, the cup is much more inexpensive
than any of the current drink ware that bars and restaurants invest in. (add in average cost)
Crowd Funding
One way that this marketing project can result in success is with crowd funding. According to
crowdfunding.com, crowd funding is a process in which the manufacturer or distributor has the
product or service, but they rely on multiple different parties to contribute to the overall profit.
This can be anyone from family, friends, local stores, restaurants, and bars, or even just
individuals from outside parties interested in the product and what it has to offer. In order to
guarantee success with crowd funding, the product or service (in this case, GetStackCup) must
offer some sort of deal for purchases at different dollar amounts. Munson highlights
GetStackCup’s proposed deal in a detailed list:
$15: GetStackCup Founder’s Club T-shirt, featuring the limited edition designed Stack-Cups
$25: Four-pack of limited edition design Stack-Cups and T-shirt
$50: Stack-Pong Game featuring four limited edition design cups and T-shirt
$100: Stack-Pong Game featuring limited edition design cups, eight additional cups, and T-shirt
This list is still in its beginning stages, so it hasn’t been used with many consumers just yet.
However, Munson adds that the list gives GetStackCup supporters “bragging rights,” and they
are able to tell
everyone exactly why
they should buy this
cup. Simply put, the
more consumers are
willing to invest in
order to own not only
the cups, but
additional
merchandise as well, the
more successful the crowd
funding approach will be. A
good portion of the profits
made will be coming from
this crowd funding approach, because it is the most appealing to a wider number of consumers.
In the end, they will be satisfied with their purchase, and GetStackCup will have more money to
invest in more products and marketing practices for the future.
A Bright Future
While the new marketing suggestions do not seem like they would benefit a large number of
people, once they are implemented, GetStackCup could see a much higher level of success. It is
highly unlikely that most small-town bar, restaurants, and Greek organizations have even heard
of the cup, but all it takes is one person in a specific area to inform them of the cups benefits and
the new deals they can expect to see. This can create a chain reaction, and as the bars,
restaurants, and Greek organizations begin to invest in Stack-Cup, their consumers will take
notice of the product as well. Hundreds of people in a specific area can discover this innovation
at little to no cost, which is especially motivating for getting the word out.
Figure 5: This is the graphic that will be displayed on cups to show what
consumers are getting when they make a purchase and participate in the deal.
The graphic must look very appealing in order to the crowd funding technique to
work. (www.getstackcup.com)

7. Works Cited
Text
Munson, Michael et. al. “About Us.” GetStackCup American Distributor:
www.getstackcup.com. United States, 2014. Web. 19 May 2014.
Munson, Michael et. al. “GetStackCup American Distributor.” www.getstackcup.com: United
States, 2014. Web. 19 May 2014.
“Stack-Cup.” www.coolthings.com, 2012. Web. 20 June 2014.
Stack-Cup. Stack Corporation: www.stack-cup.com, 2012. Web. 19 May 2014.
Images
“Beer Pong Cup Stand.” Stack-cup.com: Add-Ons. Belgium, 2012. Web. 20 May 2014.
Center for Science in the Public Interest: Binge Drinking on College Campuses. “Past Month
Alcohol Use by Age, 2001.” www.cspinet.org: Alcohol Policy, 2001. Web. 23 October 2014.
Munson, Michael. “GetStackCup Crowdfunding Project.” www.getstackcup.com:
Crowdfunding. United States, 2014. Web. 6 July 2014.
“Stack-Cup Makes Carrying Multiple Beer Cups Easy.” www.coolthings.com: Simply Cool, 29
February 2012. Web. 23 October 2014.