Client Spotlight: Gear to Grow is “Calling All Poles”!
Last April, Howard, Merrell & Partners obtained a new client, Gear to Grow. First introduced during the 2011 Winter Outdoor Retailer tradeshow, we quickly realized that our services and experience in the outdoor industry would be a perfect fit for Gear to Grow. Based out of Salt Lake City, Gear to Grow works with outdoor retailers and manufacturers to donate used or surplus gear and apparel to other non-profits that promote outdoor recreation. Simply put, they act as a broker between donors and beneficiary groups and places gear into the hands of outdoor non-profit groups.
Our goal as Gear to Grow’s agency of record, was to create more awareness about the Gear to Grow program and ultimately, generate more relationships with potential donors and beneficiary groups. While brainstorming for the 2011 Summer Outdoor Retailer, we decided to connect Gear to Grow with one of our other clients – CORDURA® brand fabrics . Known for its resistance to abrasions, tears and scuffs, CORDURA® fabric is a primary ingredient in many of the world’s leading high-performance gear and apparel products ranging from luggage, upholstery and backpacks to footwear, military equipment, tactical wear, workwear and performance apparel. Gear to Grow’s mission seemed to align perfectly with the CORDURA Cares (SM) Program that pursues goals in four key pillars: Responsible Manufacturing, Sustainable Performance, Enduring Materials, and Corporate Citizenship. Together, the two hosted a gear-drive during the tradeshow, where exhibitors and attendees visiting the CORDURA® brand booth could drop off used or surplus gear and apparel for the Gear to Grow program. The event was a tremendous success! Gear to Grow received several significant donations from attendees, including a large donation of tent shells. Unfortunately, these tent shells didn’t come outfitted with poles or rainflys.
Once again, we were tasked with another project for Gear to Grow. After evaluating all of our options, our team knew that the outdoor industry as a whole has a heavy online and social media presence. As a result, we developed an online campaign focusing on social media outreach in order to reach the widest audience as possible. The “Calling All Poles” campaign encourages individuals and companies to donate used poles or contribute $10 online that will be used to purchase new poles. Gear to Grow requests pole sets that are either 13′ 6’’ long or between 11.5 and 12 feet.
Gear to Grow’s “Calling All Poles” is launching today, Oct. 3rd and will run for 60 days. We’ve partnered with several of our media, donors, and beneficiary groups to help spread the word through their social media outlets, in hopes to generate more awareness about the campaign, and ultimately, outfit Gear to Grow’s beneficiaries groups with full tent sets.
Want to help? Donate today or simply help spread the word online!
For more information, visit www.geartogrow.org or “Like” them on Facebook.
Agency Receives Two Communicator Awards
Kudos to the PR team who brought home two Communicator Awards of Excellence for its successful client initiatives and campaigns! The team won in the “Print/Design” category for its efforts with Butterball, LLC‘s Worker Safety Publicity Campaign and in the “Integrated Campaign” category for the CORDURA® Baselayer Brand Integrated Communications Business to Consumer campaign.
For more information, click here.
A Hippie’s Advice on Getting High…On the Corporate Ladder?
A hippie’s advice on getting high…on the corporate ladder? Not the first type of person you would think of asking about career advancement, is it? Well in the case of Skip Yowell, co-founder of JanSport, it is. He emerged from the 60’s with a successful business that has kept him and his company high on both life and corporate culture.
In his book, The Hippie Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder & Other Mountains: How JanSport makes it happen, Skip takes you from the earliest days of JanSport (with headquarters above an auto-shop and a convenient bar across the street), to the thriving internationally recognized brand it has become today. He recounts adventures both in business and in the backwoods.
The Durability Experience
CORDURA® has added a new section to their site. The agency was tasked with showcasing how CORDURA fabrics are used in clothing and other items. HM&P developed a simple, interactive solution that allows users to rotate models and click on hot spots to find out detailed information about the fabric being used in the clothing they’re wearing. Smart. Simple. Fun to use.
Agency Takes Home 16 ADDYs!
We certainly are consistent… Over the past few years, we have had a very strong showing at the ADDY Awards and we did it again this year. We took home 16 ADDYs — eight gold, four silver, three bronze and a Judges’ Choice.
The majority of the honors we received were for the “Durable People” campaign created for the CORDURA® brand. We also won awards for work created for Georgia-Pacific Professional, Texas Farm Products, Invacare and for the agency itself.
Check out the press release here.
New Work
New work has been added to the agency website for Cordura, Dixie and Precise Dog Food. It’s good stuff. Nice job to all who played a part in its creation. Check it out when you have a moment at www.merrellgroup.com
Cordura® Website featured on CSS Mania
Nice!
Click image to visit CSS Mania page.
