This morning my co-workers and I attended Seattle Goodwill’s Appreciation Breakfast, which honors volunteers, sponsors, and scholarship recipients.  As a proud sponsor of Goodwill we were humbled by the stories of individuals whose lives were changed by the job training and support that Goodwill offers.  It truly brings into focus the reason behind everything we do in support of an outstanding organization that for over 80 years has been devoted to our community.  To ensure that Goodwill continues to thrive, we throw our creative energy into developing thought-provoking campaigns and guerrilla marketing events on behalf of Goodwill, and this past Memorial Day weekend was no exception!

To bring awareness to the many reasons for shopping at Goodwill, we staged a mock protest at one of the largest events in Seattle – Northwest Folklife Festival!  With over 250,000 attendees over four very spirited days, it’s the perfect opportunity to utilize guerrilla marketing at it’s finest… in other words, GoMobile = kid; Folklife = candy store.

We crashed Folklife Festival with protestors dressed entirely in outfits found at actual Seattle Goodwill stores carrying picket signs encouraging attendees to “Free Your Wardrobe!”, “Eliminate Waste, Save a Shirt!” and “Fight to Stop Outfit Dumping!”, etc.  We also passed out 10,000 coupons for 30% any item at Goodwill, which alone is quite a feat!

Everyone at Folklife Festival was very receptive to our spirited protest and we were happy to have the opportunity to converse with hundreds of people about their history with Goodwill.

As announced a couple blog posts down, as well as all over our website and the internet community as a whole (we hate secrets), we won a Silver ADDY Award for our Miller Chill campaign at last month’s local competition put on by the AAF.  Well, we just got word a couple days ago that at the regional competition (competing against five states in the Pacific Northwest), we won another ADDY…

And this time it’s GOLD!

You should have seen us in the office when we heard.  Ryan, our Marketing Director, literally jumped from his chair, arms flailing, and he and I ran into Chris’ office like a couple of 5-year olds (which actually isn’t uncharacteristic of us).  In other words, we’re all really excited.  From here, we’ll go on to the National competition held in the other Washington (DC) on May 8th and 9th.

The Miller Chill Cuban Lounge campaign was an outstanding display that the team worked painstakingly on, so we kinda feel like proud parents of an honor student right now (look out for our “Our beer campaign can beat up your beer campaign” bumper stickers soon). To check out a case study of the campaign, click here.

And cross your fingers for us!

-Jamie, Marketing Associate

GoMobile Advertising was recently asked to answer a set of questions about our event marketing experiences in 2008 by Event Marketing Magazine’s EX Awards, for which we were recently announced as finalists.  The EX Awards competition honors the best of the best in event marketing each year, and we were thrilled to be chosen for our Miller Chill campaign in 2008.  We wanted to share our video responses with you as a sneak peek before they’re shown at the EX Award Ceremony on April 24th.

As you can see, we keep it pretty lighthearted in the office, but when it comes down to it, we’re obsessed with experiential and event marketing and we live for creating unforgettable brand experiences for consumers.  Enjoy!

Question 1: What Inspires You?

Question 2: What Were Your Biggest Challenges in 2008?

Question 3: How Do You Do More With Less?

As it turns out, all of the blood, sweat and tears (and late nights drinking Miller Chill) paid off!  Nearly a year after putting together the multi-market campaign for Miller Chill, we have something to show for it, aside from the millions of impressions and interactive experiences garnered for Miller throughout last spring and summer.

Out of over 400 entries, we were chosen as the silver award winner in the Vehicle Design category for our local Seattle ADDY awards.  So, our entries will head to Spokane next week to be judged for regionals.

The awards show was last Friday, and it was a blast.  Seattle does some really creative work!  We were honored to be there, humbled with our single award amidst some giant agencies taking home armfuls.

But we are also proud to say that we are the only media company (non-agency) with winning work.  I guess there aren’t a lot of media companies doing creative work that could compete at an agency level.

Anyway, congrats to all of the agencies that took home awards!  You guys do great work; keep making Seattle proud; let’s make it a city to be recognized amidst the international advertising community!

-Ryan

SEATTLE – In order to help roll out the 2009 issue of their popular idea book to eager followers, IKEA is taking a unique approach to the traditional delivery system: they’re getting help by using a mobile billboard and 3D showroom vehicle from GoMobile Advertising, an experiential marketing company.  The truck will travel around the greater Puget Sound area, as well as make appearances at local fairs, festivals, and parades, passing out approximately 1 million copies of the IKEA catalogs for the third straight year.

“This year, you’ll find 374 pages that provide ideas, inspiration, and solutions to everyone’s home furnishing needs. The theme for our 2009 IKEA catalog is ‘Home is the most important place in the world’. It will showcase our unique point of view – the home is made for living. You will find that we are focusing on three main areas of the home – the kitchen, the bedroom, and living room.” says IKEA Store Manager, Laurie Helm. “We’re always excited this time of year to show our customers all of our new products at our new lower prices.” The free-of-charge catalog will be released July 29th in more than 27 languages and shipped to over 35 countries around the world.

The BioDiesel-fueled truck is a signature vehicle by GoMobile Advertising, and features mobile billboards on multiple sides that display new IKEA products at their ever-affordable prices.  The crown jewel of the truck is a complete living space encapsulated in the truck’s glass sides that acts as an invitation to the IKEA store as well as inspiration to customers.  This is the seventh partnership for IKEA and GoMobile, with past campaigns including the Twice Yearly Sale and their latest, “Live Small (in a BIG way)!” which showcased living ideas for small spaces and dorm rooms.

The campaign kicks off July 29th and ends September 1st.

SEATTLE – Furniture giant IKEA takes another step in promoting environmentally conscious living in their latest campaign “Live Small in a Big Way” which offers fun, economical solutions to small space living.  The campaign utilizes experiential marketing, including a mobile 3D showroom that began touring the streets of Seattle beginning July 14th.

The campaign, which began just in time for college-bound students to start planning their dorm décor, features a complete room display as well as mobile billboards.  Echoing its environmental undertones, the alternative campaign runs entirely on GoMobile’s BioDiesel-fueled trucks.  The entire room showcases furniture that can be incorporated into petite spaces, acting as a mobile idea-book for consumers.

“Live Small in a Big Way” marks the sixth campaign partnership for IKEA and GoMobile Advertising to date, with past promotions including IKEA’s new Teen Zone, as well as their infamous Twice Yearly Sale.  “IKEA has always been about getting the most for your money, and this campaign physically shows how far that money can take you in designing a room around a small space,” says IKEA Advertising Manager Carol Merry.

The IKEA campaign began July 14th and wraps up July 26th.

SEATTLE – AT&T is promoting key store openings and “a million reasons to buy a new phone event” around the Pacific Northwest featuring an innovative wrapped mobile advertising vehicle in AT&T colors from GoMobile Advertising. The vehicle features tongue-in-cheek banner messages offering a million reasons to buy an AT&T cell phone. The vehicle will be located at store grand openings in Portland, Spokane, and many AT&T sponsored events throughout the greater Seattle area.

This innovative mobile vehicle has a 3D orange carpet display that spotlights an AT&T graphically branded money-blowing machine that participants enter for a limited time with the goal to grab as much AT&T cash as possible to use towards purchasing a new AT&T cell phone or accessory. There are nine scrolling billboards on the vehicle with messages such as “one human year is thirty cellular years” and “because your phone went hottubbing”.

“Mounting a money machine in the back of our GMA advertising vehicles was a smart move on AT&T’s part,” says Chris Schuler, President of GMA.  “it  offers AT&T a unique opportunity to create an emotional connection with their customers who can then turn their experience into cash for products sold at AT&T stores – a promotion that converts immediately into a purchase – the holy grail of marketing!”

SEATTLE – With November elections right around the corner and political candidates eager to create as much buzz as possible surrounding their names, it only makes sense that political hopefuls would want a piece of the experiential marketing industry for their campaigns.  You can imagine our excitement, then, when Todd Gibson for State Legislature summoned us to create an eye-catching 3D display on a signature truck to be used at events and parades this summer.

We brainstormed and came up with a really stand-out theme; the truck’s 3D display was divided into two equal sections to show two complete classrooms: one reminiscent of the 1800s with old wooden desks, pen quills and ink, and an old bookshelf with ratted books, and the other totally futuristic – with laptop computers, a flat-screen TV playing “Planet Earth”, and a modern, minimalist atmosphere.  During events and parades, the showroom really came alive with fully costumed actors playing their parts as school children and teachers.

During parades, we had Todd on a branded, wrapped Segway addressing the crowd through a wireless microphone while working the audience.  This gave him the opportunity to move around a large area and get noticed at the same time. The looks on the faces of the crowds were very compelling – the amount of exposure that this gave Todd was tremendous; it really got people talking about his message!

We’re very proud of how well this campaign turned out and are looking forward to flexing our muscle in future political campaigns!

For more information about Todd Gibson and his campaign, visit votetoddgibson.com

SEATTLE – To combat the expected sweltering summer heat in the months ahead, A&W will begin touring a mobile ice-cold smoothee and slushee machine around the Yakima area for consumers just in time for Independence Day, beginning July 3rd.

A&W will utilize a special mobile advertising truck for their “Sweets & Treats” campaign, which features 10 scrolling billboards showcasing the new A&W Cherry Lemonade slushee and BananaBerry Dream smoothee.  In a 3D mobile showroom, the truck will feature a replica of a 1950’s A&W diner, serving samples of the sweet treats to event crowds.

The state-of-the-art truck comes courtesy of GoMobile Advertising, an experimental marketing company that A&W is partnering with for their campaign.  “The idea of a mobile drink machine where we could physically show consumers the product on-the-go is just what A&W needed for these summer events,” said Chris Schuler, President of GoMobile Advertising.

A&W and GoMobile Advertising’s campaign will wrap up August 3rd.

About A&W Restaurants, Inc.

A&W Restaurants, Inc., based in Louisville, Ky., is the longest running quick service franchise chain in America. Since 1919, A&W® All-American Food® has been serving a signature frosty mug root beer float and All-American pure-beef hamburgers and hot dogs. There are approximately 400 A&W All-American Food outlets in the U.S., more than 250 outlets outside the U.S. in 10 countries, and 640 additional points of distribution at Yum! Brands multibrand restaurants.

SEATTLE – Prada, Abercrombie+Fitch and Marc Jacobs: These are not names that you would typically associate with your local Goodwill store, but beginning this summer, you will! Currently in Shoreline and launching in Bellevue and Seattle this year, Fashion Focus, a new section of brand name and designer gently-used clothing offers big brands at Goodwill’s trademark low prices.

“We want Goodwill to be synonymous not only with our mission, to provide quality, effective job training and basic education, but also with quality, stylish clothing at amazing prices,” said Catherine McConnell, Vice President of Development and Communications at Goodwill.

In their Fashion Focus campaign, Goodwill is partnering with GoMobile Advertising to create a 3D showroom on GMA’s signature mobile billboard trucks. The display features dress forms in designer outfits and junior trends found at Goodwill stores in a clean, all-white room backdrop.

“The 3D showroom is going to be extremely compelling to the public. The designer looks really pop off of the stark white background, and we can’t wait to see the reaction it gets touring the Seattle streets,” said Chris Schuler, President of GoMobile Advertising.

The trucks began showcasing the exhibit around the Seattle area on Friday, June 20 and will finish Friday, June 27. Three scrolling billboards for Goodwill have also been running on GoMobile Advertising trucks since their partnership began on March 3. Goodwill’s campaign with GoMobile, which also features radio and newspaper promotions, will wrap up in late December.

About Goodwill

Seattle Goodwill Industries is a private, nonprofit organization that has served the central and northern Puget Sound since 1923. It provides free job-training and education programs and services that help low-income and underserved people obtain the skills they need to secure employment so they may achieve economic self-sufficiency. For more information about Goodwill programs, please call toll free at 1-877-GIVE4GOOD or visit the Web site at seattlegoodwill.org.