Building the Seaman Brand with Red Coconut Event

For well over 12 years, we've been happily involved with Seaman Corporation's annual evening event for customers and friends at the IFAI international industrial fabric trade show. For the 2010 show in Orlando, Seaman reserved the Red Coconut Club, the city's premiere night club located in the Universal CityWalk. Competition is great for customer attention after the show is over for the day, but we enjoy the annual challenge to (1) get the Seaman Corporation name on the minds of targeted attendees during the weeks before, during and after the show, and (2) get customers excited about attending the Seaman event, and remembering it long afterward.

The centerpiece of the 2010 mixed media pre-event promotion is a box containing a printed invitation along with a real coconut that's been hand-painted with the "Seaman Swingin' at the Red Coconut Club" logo we also designed. We had the coconuts painted by a Florida artist and then shipped to Ohio, where a massive assembly process took place in the agency's lower level. Recipients were referred to a special web site, where they were required to RSVP to get a glowing necklace and some temporary tattoos required for entry into this VIP event. The web site also was programmed with directions, details and photos of attendees at previous Seaman Corporation events. (Earlier events include the 2009 "Top Gun" party, held on the USS Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego where we provided tours, food, drink, flight simulators, vintage aircraft, aviator sunglasses and a lot of fun.)

Before mailing the Red Coconut box invitation, we sent a "save the date, watch your mailbox" message out via email. Following up on the coconut mailing, another email reminded invitees that they must RSVP to get the illuminated medallion to gain admission. The second email also promoted the Rat Pack group that will perform for the guests as well as other music, food, drink and fun diversions. After the event, we will send a "see you next year" email with a link to the web site with photos from the party.

Planning for the annual effort typically includes the involvement of CEO Richard Seaman, and we have every indication that it has done a good job keeping the Seaman name on the minds of IFAI attendees for at least eight weeks before and after the show. As a signal of our success, we know that in August each year, people who buy Seaman high-performance fabrics start asking for clues about the nature of the upcoming event. Some say the Seaman event is the primary reason they attend the IFAI show.

But one thing about the 2010 event that we're pretty sure of ... for many years to come, the Seaman logo is likely to remain on a lot of office bookshelves in the form of a hand-painted coconut. To visit the 2010 party web site, go to www.SeamanCoconutClub.com.