Sole Technology once again showed the creative spirit that’s made it a market leader by offering to host a Christmas party to employees of rival footwear companies.
After it was announced that adidas, like many companies, would forego a holiday party this year, Sole Technology’s etnies brand took out a full page ad in Oregon’s Willamette Week newspaper announcing that it would be hosting a party for employees of this footwear giant.
Yeah, it may have been a bit of a thumb to the eye of adidas management, but the public loved it. Soon the press was picking up on the story coast to coast, with coverage running the gamut from Slap to CNBC. Talk about stretching those marketing dollars! This is the type of guerilla marketing that made the skate industry famous—and hopefully we’ll see more of its ilk in the coming months.
And of course this wasn’t the only holiday event etnies has planned. etnies’ list of holiday events includes the etnies Holiday Festival to help Santa Claus deliver more than 500 pairs of shoes to needy children living in Orange County and of course its employee Holiday Party in Lake Forest.
The etnies Holiday Festival is at the etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest on Friday, Dec. 12 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. where Mr. and Mrs. Claus and etnies owner and etnies staff will give shoes to children in need.
Over the last four years etnies Holiday Festivals have given 2,218 pair of shoes to needy Orange County kids.
But, no surprise, it was the Portland party that got all the attention. And with the free press out of the way, there was still a party to throw.
Last night more than 250 people showed up at “My Father’s Place” bar in Portland, Oregon with free beer for all, and a visit by Santa and his sexy lady elves spreading holiday cheer with corporate gifts in the form of coffee mugs bearing a picture of Santa and proclaiming: “etnies Believes in Santa.”
According to etnies Public Relations Manager Ashton Maxfield, “When fellow employees and skateboard friends at a rival footwear company got their holiday party canceled, etnies saw it as the perfect opportunity to come together and share the holiday cheer, reflect upon life’s gifts and close out 2008 with a celebration. Skateboarding is about having fun, and etnies believes that skateboarders are a family and that’s what the party was really all about.”
According to reports from the scene, the party definitely served its purpose with a packed house full of local skateboarders and a few employees from Portland’s biggest footwear companies.
During the party etnies paid for 1,203 16 oz PBR tall boys, and more than 107 shots of liquor that were served to attendees. Don Brown personally drank 23 PBR tall boys, and the total count of shots he took is still being tallied.
Check out the photos below, and congrats to Sole Technology on an awesome concept:
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