Foolish Forecast: Jones Soda's Newfound Marketing Skills

Alternative soda-pop brewer Jones Soda (Nasdaq: JSDA) -- you know, the one with the carbonated turkey-and-gravy Thanksgiving drink -- will report fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday night. Fizzy and flavorful, or as stale as a cup of flat, warm, store-brand diet cola? Let's have a taste of tidings to come.

What Fools say:
Here's how Jones' CAPS rating stacks up against some of its peers and competitors:

Soft drinks have become a hot commodity again, thanks to new and innovative potions from every corner of the market. But despite being among the cleverest of all the master mixers, Jones gets no love from your fellow Fools. The bears think Jones is overpriced, and they can't find the soda in local stores. Bulls admit that the stock is "speculative," but they do see the brand popping up in more and more convenience stores and supermarkets.

What management does:
Oh, dear. Cash is flowing out, not in, and GAAP income is going down the drain, too. That's because Jones is spending big money nowadays on marketing and "slotting fees," or cash paid to retailers to guarantee some shelf space -- $1.3 million in the last quarter, compared with only $60,000 a year earlier. That's a significant chunk of the slender $13 million gross quarterly revenue.

One Fool says:
Chairman and CEO Peter van Stolk left his corner office at the end of December. His interim replacements bring a wealth of upper-management marketing experience from the likes of Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX), Coke, and Nike (NYSE: NKE), so perhaps we shouldn't be shocked to see a greater emphasis on brand awareness. Expect marketing costs leading to another loss, although sales should be up significantly with a much larger store presence.