If it wasn't obvious, those are double takes you see at Target (NYSE: TGT ) when folks see a seasonally charged Jones Soda (Nasdaq: JSDA ) flavor like candy corn pop during Halloween or pairing lip balm with a music CD and a "Love Potion" fizzy drink for Valentine's Day.
Then again, fans of Jones Soda may have done a fair share of eye rubbing when they saw their beloved bottled sodas sold in canned form at Target since last year.
Yesterday afternoon, Jones Soda announced that it had extended its licensing and distribution agreement with Target, giving the "cheap chic" discounter exclusivity in selling canned soft drinks from Jones Soda, through the end of the year.
The two are a perfect match, even if Jones Soda considers itself an upscale premium brand with limited retail distribution but a fixture at places like Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX ) , Panera Bread (Nasdaq: PNRA ) , and Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS ) .
Jones has compared its foray into canned soft drinks to Heineken's move into canned beer. If Heineken is able to market itself as a premium beverage in the bland canned form, then Jones Soda hopes to do the same in the non-alcoholic market.
You already have alternative beverages like Red Bull and Hansen Naturals' (Nasdaq: HANS ) Monster charging a pretty penny for their canned concoctions. Target hasn't taken that approach with Jones Soda, pricing the canned products competitively for now. The deal being extended for such a short timeframe may be due to each company thinking over its role in this particular strategy, but one can't deny that the two were made for each other.
Target has made a name for itself by providing some much-needed personality to the drab realm of discount department stores. Jones Soda has done the exact same thing in the soft drink market. Here's to something more beyond pumpkin soda come Halloween and turkey with gravy soda a month later at a Target near you.
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Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz actually enjoyed the Jones Soda candy corn, pumpkin, and caramel apple sodas from Target last year during its Halloween promotion. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. TheFool has a disclosure policy. Rick is also part of theRule Breakersnewsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.
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