social media: donald pliner social media contest

the brand’s original shoe box

pursuant to our agency philosophy that every touch point is an opportunity to engage the consumer into the DNA of the brand, we embarked upon the “donald pliner art box” social media contest. turning a simple disposable packaging item into a brand message, and giving it a post consumer “afterlife”.

above: one of many images from donald pliners “the art of fun” campaign (see the full campaign here)

ceft and company proposed an idea to replace, for a set period of time, the brand’s original shoe box with a plain un-coated stock box.

accompanying the box were a pliner branded black marker, and a note card with call to action: “welcome to THE ART OF FUN…”

1- show us your art skills…

2- draw on this box…

3- post the results on your social media…

4- tag your post with #donaldpliner #theartoffun for a chance to win $1,989 shopping spree

after encouraged pre-population (local artists) and the consumer engagement, 3 winners were to be awarded a $1,989 shopping spree on donald pliner website.

(the $1,989 reward was based on 1989, the year donald pliner was established).

winner’s were to be selected based on;

1- merit of work

2- public popularity and

3- donald pliner’s discretion.

this idea is an example of one of the many ways in which every touch point of a brand can be optimized to serve a purpose that is beyond its rudimentary functions.

the beauty of this idea was that the cost-savings from replacing the brand’s standard “paper wrapped box” with a stock box, nearly paid for the addition of the marker and note card. these brand-rooted proposals the agency puts forth, often have a fiscal responsible mindset as a component. of course, this is but just one example, the mailer catalogues for WHBM is another. each one custom tailored to the brand it is intended for. 

under the guidance of the new CEO and design team, donald pliner has made a pivotal shift in their product offering, which in turn has created triple gains on orders at key department stores such as neiman marcus and bloomingdales. view all work related to this project.