Mophie executed a clever social media stunt at the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival that wrapped up over the weekend in Austin, Texas.
The Tustin-based smartphone case maker teamed up with the Saint Bernard Rescue Foundation to “save mobile users from low-battery life.” The rescue team dispatched dogs carrying Mophie Power Reserve chargers to SXSW attendees who sent tweets using the #mophieRescue hashtag with a screen shot of their dying smartphone batteries.
The effort also raised awareness about Saint Bernards available for adoption.
The idea is: “mophie and the St. Bernards save the people of SXSW; the people of SXSW save the St. Bernards,” Ross Howe, the company’s vice president of marketing, said in a news release.
The Brand AMP public relations firm in Seal Beach helped mophie promote the effort at the festival. Deutsch LA is mophie’s advertising agency of record.
Empowering Women
Urban Decay Cosmetics LLC, L’Oréal SA luxury division’s No. 2 brand, launched the Ultraviolet Edge, a global initiative to empower women.
The Newport Beach-based company plans to donate $3 million over the next five years to causes that support women. Its first beneficiary: the Denver-based Women’s Global Empowerment Fund, which gives women in post-war Uganda “an opportunity to rebuild their lives” by providing them with microloans, business training and literacy classes.
Urban Decay, established in 1996 by Wende Zommir and Cisco Systems Inc. cofounder Sandra Lerner, is giving 100% of sales of its Eyeshadow Primer Potion to the cause. The product is the first in a series of limited-edition products that will fund Ultraviolet Edge.
The company posted 42.5% growth in sales in 2013, or an estimated $221 million.
Pro Bono Ads
Casanova Pendrill was part of the pro bono team that created the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s national advertising campaign that promotes seat belt use by tweens.
The radio, print, outdoor, television and digital ads will run on donated media placements in English and Spanish.
“It is key for us to do work that gives back to the community and sends a positive message,” said Ingrid Otero-Smart, the Costa Mesa-based agency’s president and chief executive. “Working on the NHTSA campaign allowed us to educate our community about a very important safety issue.”
Casanova Pendrill’s client roster includes Denny’s, Nature Valley, USPS, TurboTax and Chevrolet.
Wheels and Real Estate Deals
Hyundai Motor America Inc., pointing to data that show a growing number of people are purchasing a vehicle right after moving into a new home, has partnered with more than 57,000 RE/MAX residential brokerages on several experiential marketing efforts.
The Fountain Valley-based automaker is offering “preferred pricing” to real estate agents, who often use their vehicles to shuttle buyers to available properties. The collaboration will also include co-branded advertising on the RE/MAX affiliates’ websites and print publications.
Student Gamer Tourney
Blizzard Entertainment Inc. has launched a “Heroes of the Dorm” video game tournament offering the winning team free tuition for the rest of their college careers.
The students will compete in “Heroes of the Storm,” an online game that features “iconic” Blizzard characters from “Warcraft,” “StarCraft” and “Diablo.”
ESPN will broadcast live coverage of the championship, a first for the network.
