The Point Pong van has been a fixture at sporting events and festivals in the East.
When we first covered Point Pong in April of 2012, Kevin Brown had just introduced his clever spin on beer pong to the industry. He was learning as much about retailers, buyers and consumers as they were leaning about his company. In the 12 months since, Point Pong has emerged as a product with an amazingly diverse appeal. “We’ve been doing really well,” says Brown. “Point Pong is now sold through more than 30 major websites, including one of our more recent additions, Brookstone. We’ve also seen great interest from the swimming pool industry. That has opened the door to international vendors, including one in Canada.” Brown has found a receptive audience in the tailgating industry as well. Point Pong made its debut at the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show this past January. Brown left Las Vegas with plenty of new contacts. “That’s where we got Brookstone,” he says. “We met with lots of interested buyers. There is a real ‘Wow’ factor to Point Pong. People loved that it floats.” Brown’s experience at the show helped underscore the family appeal of Point Pong. Indeed, one of the reasons for the game’s growing popularity is that anyone can play it just about anywhere. “A family friend bought it for his 12-year-old son who plays hockey,” explains Brown. “His team brings it to tournaments, and the kids play between games.” That kind of word-of-mouth endorsement is crucial to Brown. Grassroots promotion, in fact, has been a powerful tool in generating exposure for Point Pong. For example, Brown has been driving a custom-made Point Pong van to events and festivals on the East Coast to spread the word about his product. The game’s Facebook page, meanwhile, has more than 5,000 likes. “Point Pong is real family fun,” says Brown. “We’re generating a great buzz about the game. We expect to continue to expand in all different ways in 2013.”