The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel’s poolside space, notorious for its exclusivity, got an unexpectedly down-home look when Bartles & Jaymes took over the place to reintroduce itself and launch its newest pomegranate-raspberry flavor. Guests who made it past the strict check-in gauntlet walked a red carpet lined with faux-shabby country fencing and wildflowers. E&J Gallo Winery senior brand manager Blair Owens hired Noah Tepperberg and Samantha Walker from Strategic Group, who brought aboard Best Events to help execute Strategic's national marketing plan for Bartles & Jaymes.
Inside, Samantha Ronson spun from a DJ booth built to resemble a southern porch, and guests served themselves from an all-American-style pie buffet alongside the pool. Staffers snapped Polaroids of guests’ heads peering through giant cutouts of the brand’s iconic salesmen, Frank and Ed, and guests participated in faux milking contests using the rubber udders of a cow cutout. Frank and Ed themselves circulated about the party, thanking guests for their support.
A cool invitation, made to look like Frank's leather-bound diary—containing no entries between 1992 and 2007—announced the party. The latest entry read, "Great news! It seems as if people have been missing Ed and I as well as their favorite cooler.... We are going to get off the porch and come meet some new friends and tell them about our nifty new flavor.... They are even having this fancy shindig in Hollywood to celebrate our return...."
The fancy shindig brought out the likes of Britney Spears and Leonardo DiCaprio.
