NO REQUEST TOO LOONEY

              The State University of New York's (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) had its work cut out when it took ownership of the Adirondack Interpretive Center (AIC), an outdoor science and educational center, two years ago. "The AIC had no budget or staff. We had to incorporate it into our own educational outreach, using existing budget," says Paul Hai, program coordinator at ESF's Newcomb campus, where AIC is located. He knew some sort of creative fundraising was needed to support this newest addition to SUNY's environmental education and outreach efforts.
             
"I wanted to do something different and creative," says Hai. He came up with the idea of a duck race, given the facility's location on a stretch of Rich Lake, which formed a natural racecourse. Two bridges comprised a perfect start and finish line for the race, which would also help commemorate the Adirondacks' history of spring log drives on the lake, which took place annually in the early 1800s to mid-1900s.

Rather than using typical rubber ducks, Hai wanted to float rubber loons, aquatic birds that are a beloved symbol of the Adirondacks. Also, he wanted the loons to be USA-made to further connect the event to the local environment. "Many people come to the Adirondacks just to see the loons," Hai says. He never expected that it would be so difficult to find rubber versions. He was finally able to locate a promotional products company that could supply him with custom-made ducks.

The company delivered 1,000 rubber loons in time for the AIC's maiden "Loon Drive," held last year on Memorial Day. The AIC's second loon drive kicked off summer again this past Memorial Day. "We were extremely happy with the finished product," Hai says. "The loons helped us garner attention as a unique entity and helped to highlight that the AIC has a special mission of education and research. We are a nature center, tied to the local environment, and the loons fit in nicely and added to the uniqueness of the race."

STARTUP GETS THE PARTY STARTED-A CASE STUDY

SpareFoot brought the crowd to its feet at its "Spare Beats" dance party, held in Austin last year at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW), an annual event widely considered to be the ultimate breeding ground for new music, independent films and emerging technologies. SpareFoot, based in Austin, is an online marketplace for self-storage facilities, founded in 2008 by two UCLA students. It now employs 74 people.

"People at SXSW are looking for a good time. We decided the best way for us to get our name out there was to throw a party," says Jenny Zhang, junior editor at SpareFoot. Spare Beats was an all-day party that went into the evening hours. It featured a variety of local and nationally known DJs, as well as dinner and drinks for the packed audience, which included SpareFoot employees and friends, investors and journalists.

"One of our main goals was to show we are a fun, dynamic and wacky company, despite the fact that we're in an industry that may be perceived as boring," says Zhang. This was SpareFoot's first appearance at the festival, which Zhang calls a "mecca for startups." The company marketed the event as a crazy, day-to-night party, and encouraged people to hydrate before they arrived. The event drew a capacity crowd and generated 42 PR mentions with links, 261 Twitter mentions, 46 Facebook mentions and 9,290 RSVPs, according to a blog post by Rachel Greenfield, SpareFoot marketing manager and editor of The Storage Facilitator.

They distributed logoed T-shirts and mini SpareFoot tape-measure keychains to Spare Beats party guests. "Branded items are a perk of being our customer," says Zhang, who says the company typically offers branded items at trade shows and other promotional and networking events.


SpareFoot T-shirts and towels are popular giveaways at self-storage trade shows, which number 10 or more a year. Zhang says these shows are great networking opportunities. "We're about to enter trade show season again, so we're preparing to distribute even more swag this time around," she says. The company is currently distributing logoed can coolers at shows including ISS World Expo and other trade shows around the country.
Earlier this year, SpareFoot sponsored a "Declutter SpareFoot's Swag Closet" on its Facebook page. The company gave away its signature tee and towels to anyone who asked, and if recipients tweeted a picture of themselves wearing the swag, they were entered in a contest to win a $100 Visa gift card.

The company is not afraid to toe, or perhaps even cross the line when selecting promotional merchandise. In January they sent out a calendar featuring employees to about 300 customers. "It was a scandalous storage pin-up calendar. It was definitely weird and completely inappropriate, and we love the reactions – from horrified to gleeful – that we've gotten so far," says Zhang. The calendar was so popular, the company had to order more copies.
The takeaway, according to Zhang, is that the industry of self-storage doesn't immediately seem exciting or fun. "But the truth is we have a blast doing what we do, and we try to make the rest of the industry, as well as the public, see that. We're a tech startup in Austin, after all – it's in our blood!"