Going For The Gold

Mack II Inc. owner and president Mack Wilbourn is a walking ball of energy. He doesn't even sit down for interviews. The 52-year-old former McDonald's franchisee answers questions about his color-changing coffee mugs, color-changing glassware and other products while bouncing off what some people say should be his color-changing walls.

Indeed, Wilbourn's downtown Atlanta office is painted a most eye-opening shade of pink. While the color was his decorator's idea, he likes it. The vibrant, feel-good shade suits him, especially when he's asked why he chose to get involved with the Olympics. Shaking imaginary pom-poms and imitating the leap of a high school cheerleader, he says, "Because of the excitement!"

Wilbourn's products change colors and show motion when either hot or cold liquid is added. Pour coffee into one of his mugs, and the soccer player on the side drills a shot into the back of the goal net; into another, and leafy ornamentation appears over various Atlanta Olympic symbols. Pour a cold beverage into his Coca-Cola glass, and the route of the nationwide Olympic torch run shoots across a map of the country.

A previous owner of four McDonald's franchises, Wilbourn was in the market for other entrepreneurial challenges when an associate showed him the product. He was so impressed, he decided to start a new business in 1994 selling the glasses. "The product had appeal, and I knew I could do something with it," he recalls. "I knew this was something people would take home to friends and show them. Olympic products are also collectibles, and we want families to have something they can look back on and cherish."

Wilbourn did have to overcome one hurdle to prove that his product could move. "The challenge was to demonstrate it on the shelf, so I came up with a minibillboard for each design," he says. The small cardboard strips, which fit inside the cups, are illustrated to show how the design changes. "I wanted to be able to catch the consumer's attention in seconds, and I think we've done that."

Now the glasses are sold in airport gift shops in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, as well as in Texaco gas stations nationwide. Wilbourn, like many licensees, is also working on a multitude of corporate tie-ins. In addition to the Coca-Cola glasses, he is pushing pilsner glasses for Budweiser. The idea is to create products corporations will want to use in their own promos, both during the Olympics and after. At press time, Wilbourn was also talking to various restaurant chains about using his glassware in Olympics-related promos.

As for the bottom line, Wilbourn, like most smaller licensees, sees Olympic merchandising as a launching pad. "If I'm able to get my money back and get my products out to new consumers, I will consider this venture a success," he says. "This will take my company to another level because of exposure I would never have been able to get in other ways. For me, this venture is also a degree in learning about sports marketing and being able to market other products."

Advice:"You have to be patient, and you have to learn a lot. You have to understand that Olympic products are emotional products. They have a very high peak and a fast descent. I think entrepreneurs should think twice before getting involved, but it is a worthwhile project."

This article was originally published in the July 1996 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Going For The Gold.