Check it Out: An Offbeat Way to Say You're Sorry
If you spend a lot of time in the great outdoors doing your thing, you’re probably in the doghouse.
But a print, online and social media campaign launched this fall by Cloudveil Mountain Works, a Jackson, Wyo.-based outdoor sportswear marketer, is just for you. Cloudveil is offering customers and prospects the chance to buy apology gifts for anyone they may have offended by spending too much time skiing, fishing or climbing in the mountains.
The merchandise isn't from Cloudveil, but other companies. Cloudveil's agency, Boulder, Colo.-based TDA Advertising & Design, arranged cross-promotions with three online/direct marketers — 1-800-Flowers.com, Zazzle and Kool Dog Kafe — to provide Cloudveil customers with merchandise they can buy to express how sorry they are.
Dubbed "The Priorities Collection," products are presented in a tongue-in-cheek tone and can be found and ordered on Cloudveil's site.
The Priorities Collection is composed of three categories: "I'm Sorry," "Really, I Mean It" and "It Won't Happen Again."
The "I'm Sorry" section features the "Sorry-I-Went-Climbing-Instead-of-Taking-You-For-a-Walk Dog Treats." The $5.99 treats are supplied and fulfilled by Kool Dog Kafe, a Rio Rancho, N.M.-based online seller of gourmet dog treats.
"Man's best friend gets mad too," reads the description of this section of the site and corresponding ad. "'The Sorry-I-Went-Climbing-Again-Instead-of-Taking-You-For-a-Walk' dog treats are the perfect cross-species apology gift. Specially designed knowing that canines forget negligence best when distracted with real Chicken, Peanut Butter and BBQ flavor."
Then there's the "Really, I Mean It" section, featuring a "Fresh-Powder-Made-Me-Miss-Lunch-With-Your-Parents Bouquet," which costs $39.99, supplied and fulfilled by 1-800-Flowers.com. "With the perfect combination of color and flair," the description states, "this stunning arrangement will surely draw attention away from your beaming smile that resulted from an amazing day on the slopes."
Finally, the "It Won't Happen Again" section features the "Sorry-I-Missed-the-Meeting-Because-of-the-Stonefly-Hatch" coffee mug, which costs $12.95 and reads, "#1 boss." The marketer calls it "the sincerest microwave-safe apology on the market." The mug is supplied and fulfilled by Zazzle, a marketer of gifts and novelties custom designed by customers.
Of course, actual Cloudveil products appear at the bottom of each online listing and the ads. In the dog apology offer, lightweight rock-?climbing jackets are featured. In the mug/stonefly hatch offer, fly fishing gear is featured.
Cloudveil doesn't get revenue from the merchandise sales, which the partner merchants keep. Revenue from the sales of Cloudveil merchandise featured alongside the offers, however, goes to Cloudveil.
I give Cloudveil an A-plus for the humorous way it engages customers in this campaign. It captures the fun, free-wheeling spirit of outdoor enthusiasts using a reliable cross-branding technique, comparable to when Ben & Jerry's began selling Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream. There's nothing sorry about this strategy.
