Promo - November 2008 - (Page 22)

Clean and Green #16 Best Loyalty Program DETOX SEATTLE AGENCY: A Squared Group CLIENT: Method Earth-friendly cleaning products maker Method has never lacked for fans. Almost since its 2000 beginnings, the company has had a small cadre of enthusiastic supporters telling their friends and posting in their blogs about Method’s line of clean, green solutions—from laundry detergents and toilet bowl cleaners to air fresheners and baby wipes. “That grass-roots support was crucial to its early success,” says Amy Cotteleer, president of A Squared Group, Method’s promotions agency. But in an industry as competitive as cleaning products, a small, privately held brand can use all the friends it can find. So Method and A Squared went looking for a way to enlist these loyal handraisers on a wholesale basis, without waiting for new users to fall in love. The answer they hit upon was to move into a specific market—in this case, Method’s Seattle hometown—and identify the influencer homemakers in the area. “One of the things we specialize in is word-ofmouth advocacy,” Cotteleer says. “In this day and age, one way you find individuals who are naturals at that is by looking at Web activity such as blogging. But they can come in any form: the president of the PTA or someone who’s just very involved in her community.” In October 2007, A Squared compiled a list of these local influencers and sent them a brown-bag invitation to bring some friends and spend an evening at Method House, a green home that was transformed into a 360degree brand experience, complete with eco-aware drapes and carpets and in colors that suggested Method’s biodegradable bona fides. Invitees were asked to use the brown bags to bring along their most toxic household cleaners for safe disposal. (Hence the name, “Detox Seattle.”) The experience-by-invitation approach was similar to a campaign A Squared had just run for the Nintendo Wii—but much harder. “People are eager to play with a Wii,” Cotteleer says. “But you can’t really say, ‘Come IDEA TO STEAL: SEND SAMPLES Don’t let the relationship die once the buzz is over. On the ﬁrst day of spring 2008, Method Mavens from the Seattle event received hand deliveries of local ﬂowers, grown on sustainable farms and wrapped in recycled paper. Oh yes, and samples of a new scented toilet bowl cleaner. a prawn salad with grapefruit, mint and avocado; and locally made lavender-scented truffles and chocolates. Bartenders blended and taught “sustainable sips,” such as the Method Mint Mojito and the Lavender Grapefruit Martini. “It was about embracing a lifestyle, not about soap,” Cotteleer says. “Attendees thought it was primarily just a great night out with their friends. But inevitably, almost everyone came to our team at some point and said, ‘Can I smell the soap?’ ” The month-long campaign spiked area enrollments in Method Mavens, with 98% of participants signing on to the informal program. Just as important, attendees went on to create more than 100 unique blog posts and podcasts about their “Detox Seattle” experience, and to write hundreds of comments on the blogs and Web Method’s “Detox Seattle” pages of others about campaign offered a brand experience combining Method, its products, on over—you’re organic cuisine with safe and their new engagegoing to love cleaning disposal of caustic cleansers. ment with the brand. our floor and wash“At the end, this ing our dishes.’ ” wasn’t about having people in for a Instead, Detox Seattle offered night and giving them a couple of event programming that gave a bottles of soap,” Cotteleer says. “It nod to Method’s green credentials was about creating a very positive first without hammering attendees with impression, then continuing that coma sales pitch. Chefs gave hands-on munication over the next year to concooking demonstrations that created vey that they were now part of a comdishes inspired by the organic, edible munity and that Method valued their ingredients used in many Method participation.”—Brian Quinton products: fennel soup with saffron; 22 november 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

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Promo - November 2008 Contents Editor's Note Pro Awards The Promo 100 The Agency Center Resource Center Index of Advertisers Promoland

Promo - November 2008

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