How PIÑATA Is Bringing Beverage Field Marketing Out of Excel With Ian Ferguson

You’re paying for tastings, winning placements, and sending teams into the field. But can you tell which of those investments are actually driving sales? For too many drinks companies, the answer is no. The relevant data is buried in spreadsheets, email chains, and program recaps that arrive months after the money is spent. In this sponsored episode of Business of Drinks, Erica Duecy sits down with Ian Ferguson, CEO of PIÑATA, to explore how brands can connect what happens in the field to the numbers that guide their next investment. The conversation grew out of our interview with Saint Spritz’s Ben Patton, who revealed that the brand uses PIÑATA to manage its nationwide team of roughly 100 brand ambassadors. But the opportunity extends well beyond scheduling tastings: It’s about helping sales, marketing, distributors, and agencies act on the same information. One example: Ian says PIÑATA has seen sell-through nearly double when in-store activations were backed by an end cap display. Yet the teams booking tastings often don’t know where those displays are happening. PIÑATA helps surface those details across teams and agencies.  We dig into: Why sampling ROI can be misleading: A tasting that helps win an opening order serves a different purpose from one supporting inventory already on the shelf. Measuring them the same way can lead to the wrong conclusions. What happens after a national account win: How to turn an authorization into actual placements, communicate expectations to distributors, and spot gaps in execution. How to measure trade relationships: Connecting bartender engagement and event guest lists to account performance over time. Where lean teams waste resources: From tastings at stores with no inventory to multiple people calling on the same accounts while others go unsupported. What emerging brands need to prove next: Working backward from a buyer or distributor meeting to capture the evidence that will help open doors. For anyone trying to make a limited commercial budget work harder, this conversation gets specific about where to start. For more information, visit www.gopinata.com For the latest updates, follow us: Business of Drinks website (sign up for our newsletter!) Business of Drinks YouTube Business of Drinks LinkedIn Instagram @bizofdrinks Erica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies. Erica Duecy LinkedIn Instagram @ericaduecy Scott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor. Scott Rosenbaum LinkedIn Subscribe to the Business of Drinks channel for more insights on how brands, retailers, and operators are unlocking growth across beverages. And please rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners. Thank you!