Jones Soda will pour the pop for N.J. Nets

Jones Soda won rights to sell soda, bottled water and other non-alcoholic drinks at the New Jersey Nets' new basketball arena when it opens in Brooklyn for the 2009-2010 season, team officials said Tuesday.

It is Jones' second victory this year over Coke and Pepsi, which have dominated professional-sports venues for decades. This summer, Jones began pouring drinks and selling bottled beverages at Qwest Field. Coke had poured for the Seahawks for most of the past 30 years.

The Nets contract is for an unspecified "multiyear" period and an undisclosed amount of money.

The team currently plays at an arena in New Jersey that it doesn't own and which has sold Pepsi products for more than a decade, according to Nets spokesman Barry Baum.

He said Jones was the highest bidder and that the team feels a cultural kinship with the innovative soda company.

For one thing, they are both underdogs, he said. The Nets play in the shadow of the better-known New York Knicks.

"We certainly are the underdog, and we look at that as an enjoyable challenge, and that's just like Jones Soda. There's a great cultural connection between the companies," Baum said.

Both companies also have a knack for quirky marketing ideas.

Jones has been known for years as the soft-drink company that puts customers' pictures on its bottles and sells turkey-and-gravy-flavored soda at the holidays. This fall, Jones introduced a five-pack of Seahawks-inspired flavors including dirt, sports cream and perspiration.

The Nets, who plan to introduce their own custom flavors, are known for unusual ticket-selling techniques. For the past few years, they've held cocktail parties at the homes of fans who invite friends to meet big-name players like Jason Kidd and Vince Carter. The friends buy an average of $75,000 in tickets per party, Baum said.

Nets CEO Brett Yormark said in a news release that the deal gives Jones a chance to build its brand in the world's No. 1 media market.

In the same Nets release, Jones CEO Peter van Stolk said its packaging there "will reflect the history and heritage of Brooklyn and the passion of the Nets."

Jones officials declined to comment further, citing a silent period before its third-quarter earnings release on Thursday.

Jones' stock has struggled since spring and dropped to 52-week lows after an August announcement that second-quarter profit fell 98 percent.

On Tuesday, shares climbed 62 cents to $9.47 in regular trading, then gained another 3 cents to $9.50 in after-hours trading. Over the past year, Jones' shares have traded between $8.50 and $32.60.

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312