Promo - September 2008 - (Page 58)

“PROMO “PROMOLAND” Limited Edition Custom Fit Somewhere, some little girl is prancing around in light blue Keds sneakers decorated with dog bones, an image of a cute pup and the words “I love Sadie.” Created through the Keds Studio, the customization program lets people design their own sneakers by uploading artwork, graphics and text at www.keds.com or www.zazzle.com/custom/shoes. The shoes, like the Obama slip-ons above, cost between $65 and $75. The shoes are displayed on the site and can be purchased by others. “From the beginning, people have been customizing their Keds, such as writing their boyfriend’s name or putting pictures of their animals on them,” says Wendy Yang, senior vice president of product and marketing for Keds, a division of The Stride Rite Corp. “This is an opportunity to bring [customization] to a higher level.” Since its August launch, more than 30,000 designs have been created, says Jeff Beaver, co-founder and chief product officer at Zazzle, the print-on-demand company that built the Web site. What’s most popular? The subjects vary, but politics, music and animals top the list. “Consumers are no longer being passive,” Beaver says. “They want to be part of the product and want to have more options.” What’s next for Keds? The firm may extend the program to other footwear lines. “The possibilities are endless,” Wang says.—Amy Johannes Nine emerging artists have been given a unique medium on which to showcase their inspirations: tequila bottles. Proximo Spirits, the makers of 1800 Silver Tequila, commissioned the artists from the U.S. and Mexico to design collectible bottles unveiled this month at retail. In keeping with the name of the alcohol, only 1,800 bottles have been produced with each of the nine designs. “When an artist gets inspired to create a piece of work there’s a moment of independent vision happening that we wanted to celebrate—a moment when an artist takes what he knows, adds what he feels and follows his own path,” says Michelle Sanders, senior marketing manager for Proximo Spirits. The artwork, which has an energy and edginess about it, is part of an $8 million promo and outdoor campaign beginning this month that includes a contest at www.1800Tequila.com. People age 21 and over can submit their own designs for a chance to win a cash prize and to have their work appear on the next wave of collectible bottles. Four-page advertising spreads appear in such pubs as Maxim, Blender, Spin, Inked and Vibe. Outdoor billboards and wallscapes are up in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco.—Patricia Odell RNC Tire Gauge Stunt Deflates It was a stunt destined to last, in media time, for about as long as it takes to check your tire pressure. When Sen. Barack Obama said in an Aug. 1 campaign appearance that keeping tires properly inflated was one “simple thing” people could do to conserve gas, the Republican National Committee gleefully cranked out tire gauges labeled “Obama’s Energy Plan.” The RNC saw its opening in Obama’s suggestion that “we could save all the oil that they’re talking about getting off drilling” if American drivers just kept their tires properly inflated. The gauges were handed out during an Obama address on energy in Michigan a few days later, and also mailed to Republican campaign donors with a fundraising pitch. Sen. John McCain quickly chimed in, suggesting Obama either lacked the “experience to understand the challenge we face or isn’t giving the American people straight talk.” In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that drivers can improve gas mileage by 3.3%—saving 12 cents per gallon—by keeping tires properly inflated. And the U.S. Energy Administration projects that new oil drilling would take seven to 10 years to produce new oil. One week after Obama’s initial remarks, the pressure point seemed to deflate as McCain reportedly told an Ohio audience, “I think we ought to inflate our tires. I’m all for it.” Nearly two weeks after the flap started, RNC spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson reported the committee had staged 30 tire gauge events in 20 states. And whether or not anyone was still taking the subject seriously, she said it was planning to keep the tire gauges coming.—Richard Tedesco 58 September 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://www.keds.com http://www.zazzle.com/custom/shoes http://www.zazzle.com/custom/shoes http://www.1800Tequila.com http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - September 2008

Promo - September 2008 Contents Editor's Note Consumer Driven Magic Makeover Free Flight Legal Checkup Lasting Impressions Pop A Shop Commentary Squeezed Q&A: Eco-Friendly Champagne Tastes Safety First Resource Center The Agency Center Web Marketing 101 Index of Advertisers

Promo - September 2008

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