Senior Cathryn Caver, a certified lab technician, wears a lab coat and goggles by day and heels by night. She is a Bacardi promo girl.
Besides various jobs in the past, Cathryn has worked as a promo girl for the last three years. Inside sat down with Cathryn at Kilroy’s on Kirkwood to find out how she holds power in a room full of intoxicated bar-goers.
Explain what a promo girl does exactly:
“The gist of the job itself is going to different venues around town that are assigned to us, and we pass out samples of the product and giveaways to people. We’re there to hang out with everybody and build the product knowledge to let them know what it is we’re doing and what our product is about. That in turn raises bar sales because people get excited about Bacardi, and then, they buy it at the bar.”
What kind of power do you hold in influencing customers as a promo girl?
“It depends on the night and the establishment. Crowds vary from place to place, so some nights you have more power than other nights. If you like what you’re doing and you’re there having a good time, the people are going to have a good time. It’s not difficult to make people want to have fun with you.”
Do you feel empowered in your job?
“It doesn’t make me specifically feel empowered. But I do know several girls that come on to the team that start out as a little shy, but as the different semesters pass, I can see their growth and sense of empowerment during their time with Bacardi. The more empowered you feel, the better you’re going to feel about what you’re doing.”
So would you say this is more than just a job?
“Absolutely. We build each other up. It’s kind of like a group of sisters growing with each other. People think it’s just, ‘Throw on this uniform, go out, make your money, and leave,’ but it’s a lot more than that. So many positive things can come from working in a promotional industry.”
