Eagle Volunteer Firefighters - "RM Paddle"

FCB New York

FCB New York New York, United States

3551

Brand: Eagle Volunteer Firefighters
Country: United States

Advertiser: Eagle Fire Department

Title	RM Paddle
Agency	FCB New York
Campaign	Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed - EFD
Advertiser	Eagle Fire Department
Brand	Eagle Volunteer Firefighters
Posted	November 2007
Product	Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed
Business Sector	State Employment, Forces & Police Recruitment
Tagline	Have a ball. Or two.
Story	The Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed is a one-day charity festival to raise money for the Eagle, Idaho Volunteer Firefighter's Association, so they can purchase life-saving equipment and maintain training and education. Rocky Mountain oysters are bull testicles. People don't normally want to eat them, but many like supporting a good cause. With a very small marketing budget, the objective was to create talk value and raise awareness for the Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed, leading to a high turnout and a successful event.
Philosophy	Draftfcb New York created a spokesbovine -- Victimized Bull -- who lamented the loss of his family jewels that were being cooked for the Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed. Seen humorously from the perspective of the outraged bull, the campaign was designed for television, radio, and a Web site to heavily promote the event and draw in people from surrounding communities. The Internet campaign that generated thousands of hits on the departments Web site and YouTube offended the mayor of Eagle so much she threatened to cancel the circa-1950s, all-you-can-eat benefit spurring television, wire service, and newspaper stories. However, consumers embraced the angst-ridden spokesbovines cause, and word spread of his campaign far beyond the small Idaho town.
Problem	Draftfcb New Yorks challenge was to increase the number of tickets sold to the event, which translates into more money for the fire fighters. To do so efficiently, the agency drove consumers to a website where they could pre-purchase tickets and order limited edition t-shirts and other items. In the past, the firefighters had only promoted their event in Eagle, which the team thought was a missed opportunity, so the campaign went beyond the borders of Eagle and spoke to people in neighboring communities.
Result	Attendance at the Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed was up over 200% from previous years, breaking all attendance records. Ticket sales increased by 24% and profits increased by 64%. The firemen had to turn people away because they ran out of Rocky Mountain Oysters. Next year theyre planning to double their order.
Media Type	Other Collateral
Executive Creative Director	Gary Scheiner
Group Creative Director	Toni Hess
Group Creative Director	Lucille Guardala
Copywriter	Tim Roan
Copywriter	Gary Resch
Copywriter	Craig Geller