television ad during Super Bowl 50 on CBS.
©2015 Saratoga Photographer.com
Round Lake-based Death Wish Coffee Co.
calls its product “the world’s strongest coffee,”
and soon people around the country–even
other parts of the world–will hear about it.
The company won a competition held by
software maker Intuit for a 30-second spot
during the third quarter of the Super Bowl 50
on Feb. 7. They beat more than 15,000 other
small businesses in voting by the public and
Intuit employees.
According to Adweek, companies are paying
CBS, the network carrying the big game
this year, $5 million or more for a 30-second
spot–a prohibitive price for a small business.
Last year’s Super Bowl had an audience of over
114 million people, officials said.
The Death Wish ad features a Viking ship
sailing on treacherous seas before segueing
into the moment of a man enjoying a cup of
the coffee.
It can be viewed at: www.smallbusinessbiggame.com/contests/sbbg.
Death Wish was founded in 2012 by Mike
Brown. Brown was the owner of Saratoga
Coffee Traders and sought to create the most
caffeinated coffee possible for customers. He
created Death Wish Coffee, which he said
contains 200 percent more caffeine than the
average cup, due to its combination of beans
and roasting process.
Packaged in a black bag with a skull and
bones label, the coffee, a blend that Brown
created, is sold in a handful of stores and
online. He said Death Wish sells about 1,000
pounds a day, a number expected to increase
considerably after the Super Bowl spot runs.
Brown recently hired two employees to
prepare for a jump in business, giving him a
staff of 12. He said even if half of 1 percent
of the people who see the commercial decide
to try his product, and most recommend it
to others, there would be a big jump in sales.
Death Wish Coffee operates a warehouse
and almost all sales are conducted online,
through its own website and Amazon. The
company also sells some coffee at Saratoga
Coffee Traders on Broadway in Saratoga
Springs, as well as at Price Chopper supermarkets.
The company website is www.deathwishcoffee.com.
Its phone number is 400-1050.