Gear Up Give Back donates a percentage of retail sales back to local non-profit organizations that promote outdoor recreation.

1. Cause Marketing Program
Oct - Dec 2016

2. As an international leader in the sporting goods industry, Columbia
is dedicated to giving back to our communities and conserving the
outdoors in a dynamic, meaningful way.
❖
Columbia believes that outdoor education and conservation efforts
ensure everyone will be able to enjoy the outdoors for generations
to come.
COLUMBIA FOR GOOD

3. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
OBJECTIVES:
1. Drive incremental retail sales and increase brand awareness by engaging customers in a
cause marketing promotion that supports local non-profits.
2. Increase traffic to stores by 2%
3. Attract 150 attendees per event
STORES:
8 retail stores (5 Sportswear, 3 PFG):
• Alpharetta, Chicago, Miami, New York, Oakbrook, Portland, Seattle, Southlake
TIMING: October 13 - November 12, 2017*
*Chicago Market Nov. 17-Dec. 15

4. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
DETAILS:
• Local non-profit partner chosen in each market
• Store Promotion: 4-week promotion period with 10% of retail sales donated to
the partner when GUGB was mentioned at checkout
• Events: 14 in-store events (2 per market)
• 10% of all sales donated to partner during events
• Marketing: comprehensive marketing effort around promotion and events
■ Bag stuffers, flyers Columbia emails
■ In store signage FB Event pages
■ Non-profit partner communications Eventbrite Event pages
■ Influencer outreach and PR Paid FB Posts

5. TOP LINE PROGRAM RESULTS
The program generated incremental sales of $128,724, which equates to a ROI
of 38% overall, and a 2.24% increase in total store traffic.
• Total traffic increase during promo 2.24% (+12% vs. goal)
• Total Sales During Events: $18,253
• Total Sales During Promo: $128,724
• Total donation to non-profits $18,281 (includes $6,075 in product)
• Total Media Impressions: 10.6 million
• Highest store sales: Seattle $78,795
• Program ROI 38%

6. PROGRAM IMPRESSIONS
Portland Seattle Chicago Southlake Miami Avalon NYC TOTAL
Partner Marketing 59,174 2,547,085 413,221 44,189 51,025 47,230 6,059,694 9,221,618
Influencer Marketing 287,346 116,357 385,818 120,703 145,685 105,796 43,155 1,204,860
Paid FB 63,647 47,404 26,726 14,822 27,177 49,862 15,236 244,874
Columbia emails* 6,153 2,447 75 1,490 1,139 3,609 14,913
TOTAL 416,320 2,713,293 825,765 179,789 225,377 204,027 6,121,694 10,686,265
* Opens Only for First Event

7. INFLUENCER OUTREACH
OUTREACH OBJECTIVE: Identify influencers,
entities and publications in each market with an
engaged following to post about and attend events
and promote the in-store promotion
● Reached out and educated influencers about the
program to ensure they were a good fit
● Requested blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
posts and provided them with formatted post materials
● Invited them to attend events to further the
conversation between non-profit and audience
● Reached out to about 15-20 influencers per market
with approximately 5-10 posting per market
● Influencers and groups posted when they perceived
the program to align with their values and be of
interest to their following
● Some influencers felt the program was too commercial

8. INFLUENCER OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS

9. PARTNER OUTREACH
OUTREACH OBJECTIVE: Non-profit partners were required to
market to their communities and membership to encourage
participation in the promotion and attendance at the events.
● In each retail market, GSG selected a local non-profit
organization that shares Columbia’s passion for the outdoors,
and that connects active people to nature through their core
mission.
● 9.2 million impressions generated through their collective
outreach
● Outreach was through:
● Facebook
● Twitter
● Dedicated email
● Website
● Instagram
● eNewsletter

10. PARTNER OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS

11. IN-STORE EVENTS
Event Objective: Draw new customers to the store to
learn about non-profit partner and drive sales to benefit
partner by hosting 14 events in 7 markets.
● Events were two or three hours in the evening, designed to
foster community among attendees
● Donations from local beer sponsor with loyal following for
each event
● Total attendees: roughly 600
● Local food vendors provided bites to accompany our
“brews”
● Local musician performance at every event
● At the peak of each event, a presentation by the non-profit
partner about relevant topic facilitated discussion, and an
opportunity for audience to engage and participate
● Event marketing was through store signage, influencer
outreach, media outreach, bag stuffers and flyers, outreach
by non-profit partners to their audiences

12. IN-STORE EVENTS

13. MARKETING MATERIALS
● Marketing materials were created using Columbia images
and using Columbia standard formats. The following
materials were provided to stores:
○ Leaselines (6)
○ Table toppers (4)
○ Bag stuffers (quantity?)
○ Flyers (quantity?)
● Marketing materials were provided to influencers and
partners to use for posting and outreach
○ FB, Twitter, Instagram posts
○ FAQs
● Media Alerts and Calendar postings were created and sent
to key publications
● Additional materials were created for
○ Columbia emails
○ Columbia FB Event posts
○ Columbia website (CGR)
● Over 80 pieces of collateral created
Leaseline
Tabletopper
Bag Stuffer

14. ADDITIONAL MARKETING
● BSSP
○ Paid facebook posts
○ Targeted by location and to Friends of Columbia, fans of environmentalism,
sustainability, Sierra Club members etc.
○ 245,000 impressions
○ 3,500 clicks
○ $.88/CPC
● COLUMBIA
○ Emails
■ Sent to Columbia mailing list within 20 miles of event zipcode
■ “Greater Rewards” bonus points offered for event attendance
■ 1 email per event; 124,275 delivered; 14,913 opened first event (12%
open rate)
○ Facebook posts
○ Blog Post

15. PROGRAM BUDGET
Portland Seattle Chicago Southlake Miami Avalon NYC TOTAL
Event Costs $1908 $1833 $1611 $1918 $2464 $2,769 $1486 $13,989
Paid FB $500 $500 $500 $202 $500 $500 $360 $3,061
In Store Signage $475 $475 $482 $475 $475 $475 $440 $3,297
TOTAL $2883 $2808 $2593 $2595 $3439 $3744 $2286 $20,347

16. KEY LEARNINGS
EVENTS
● Events attracted highly engaged attendees with knowledge of, or interest in, partner organization
○ Though attendees were fewer than expected, those who did attend were highly engaged
○ There were a few extraordinary events that depressed attendance at a some events (Trump protests, torrential rain)
○ The events and promotion helped to build community of like-minded people
○ Seattle and Portland partners had table set-up in stores throughout promotion
○ Attendance of relevant meet-up groups led to great connections in the markets
● It is critical to have enough time to plan and execute events
○ Second set of events were more successful and easier on staff due to more time for planning
○ More time for marketing and spreading the word is needed
○ There is a need to ensure store managers are aware of all marketing that is taking place
● Different store locations require different event specs
○ Locations had different event timing and day of week needs, based on location (in mall, downtown work area, etc)
● Making the events turnkey is critical for store managers
○ Run of show calls could have happened even earlier, and included full management staff so they felt prepared
○ While there were a few small hiccups, most of the event details were very well planned and executed
● Holding 14 events in 7 weeks was very ambitious (and expensive)
○ Event costs averaged $1,000/event (even with discounts and donations secured) + $500 paid marketing = $1500 per
event (not including planning time costs)

17. KEY LEARNINGS
PROMOTION DESIGN AND MECHANICS
● Staff understanding of the promotion mechanics was uneven across the stores
○ Part-time staff often did not know about the promotion, creating a bad impression with consumers
● 10% donation to non-profit with no incentive to the consumer was not perceived as a strong
call to action
○ This was especially evident in PFG stores
● Program could benefit from Implementing a simpler method for recording donations
○ Bar code scanning was complicated and frequently did not work, or was not known to all store staff
○ In markets scanning reports have many discrepancies
○ “Secret shopper” testing revealed many issues with scanning and promotion knowledge in stores
● Some promotion mechanics were out of our control
○ Change to NYC FB event page resulting in “Cancelled Event” emails to responders

18. KEY LEARNINGS
NON-PROFIT PARTNERSHIPS
● Partners are seeking a longer term partnership with Columbia vs. a short promotion
● We asked the partners to do a lot, for a very small donation commitment
● Facilitating communication between partners and store managers before each event was
very successful
○ NY and Chicago found this useful
○ Creates more personal connection between store and partner
○ Allows non-profit partners and stores to be fully aware of all marketing efforts
● Some partners were far more motivated and involved than others
○ Forest Park Conservancy and Washington Trails were highly involved, manning tables at stores, and their
stores recorded the highest levels of sales
○ GoFish Georgia and Chicago Park Foundation/District were also great partners with strong following
○ CCA/Star, Grapevine Recs and Parks did not resonate as well with consumers in the markets
○ Friends of the Highline were harder to engage due to their other high profile donors and projects

19. KEY LEARNINGS
INFLUENCER OUTREACH, PR, AND PAID FB
• Meetup.com outreach was effective, free PR, and great for getting groups to attend events
• Influencers helped draw crowds to the events and drew attention to the promotion
• Influencers across all markets were receptive to posting about the event on their social channels without
compensation
• However, many influencers felt the event was too commercial, benefitting Columbia more than the non-profit,
leading them to not support the events or promotion
• Some influencers had conflicting pre-existing sponsors (especially fishing influencers)
• Perhaps having influencers play a dedicated role at the events could help
• Social media posts and inclusion on event calendars only require a one-month lead time, or
less, and we were able to secure many of these
• Lead time for larger circulation traditional/digital publications is 2-3 months, so we could not secure these
• BSSP was difficult to engage meaning many paid posts were late
• While Paid Posts delivered 244,000 impressions, and led to 3,500 clicks, they did not results in many event
attendees

20. KEY LEARNINGS
MARKETING MATERIALS
● Continuity across all marketing materials led to a strong visual presence for the program
across all media
● Creating formatted materials helped partners and influencers easily communicate the
program in a consistent way
○ “Media Kit” materials were used by partners and influencers
○ Materials also used for Paid FB posts, Event pages
● Materials were “busy” due to complicated and dual messages needed
○ Communication of promo dates, with partner name, and the promo mechanics (mention partner at checkout)
meant a lot of copy
○ Some materials had to carry the promo message and the event message
○ Photo chosen for the PFG stores was not ideal for clear messaging since it was busy
● Long approval process at Columbia meant much rework and many delays
○ Knowing guidelines upfront would have saved many hours of work
○ Feedback was not consistent across sizes
○ PFG image was busy
○ Specific city images were not available for NY or Chicago

21. KEY LEARNINGS
OVERALL
● This program was very ambitious with many moving parts, and not a lot of time. Overall
feeling was that it was a great idea, but it was rushed, and not all parties had clear
communication, as it came together quickly.
● All parties agree working with local non-profit partners is a great idea and engages the
Columbia community
● GSG spent over 1,000 hours executing the program and events; it was extremely time
intensive and complicated. Biggest areas of work were:
○ Managing partners to post, present, and then report
○ Planning events (vendors, materials, ROS, A/V, communication, timing)
○ Outreach to influencers, meet-ups, and media
○ Creating 80+ pieces of marketing materials

22. RECOMMENDATIONS
● EVENTS:
○ Hold only 1 event per market instead of 2 to allow focus and preparation, and a larger spend for 1 big event
○ Customize date and time by location, and do not hold all on events on the same day
○ Consider paying a well known speaker to attend to help attract attendees
○ Include a draw for consumers, such as a discount, or bigger prize
○ Ensure speaker topic is engaging and relevant to audience
● PROMOTION
○ Simplify promotion mechanics - no scanning
■ Shorten promo period, and allow donation on ALL sales during promo (bar is being set by Patagonia)
○ Offer an additional consumer incentive beyond the donation to partner (coupon, discount, giveaways)
○ Create a specific project that Columbia’s funding will support instead of general partner support
○ Include a fundraising goal per store, and track activity in store
○ Send “secret shoppers” to all stores to ensure staff is informed and mechanics are working
○ Offer store incentives for highest number of GUGB sales completed (store competition)

23. RECOMMENDATIONS
● COMMUNICATION
○ Use Run of Show document early to keep all partners on the same page
■ Include all marketing efforts so all partners are informed
○ Conduct Run of Show calls earlier, and include partners in the calls
○ Allow longer lead times for Columbia approvals on marketing materials or have Columbia create the
materials internally
● NON-PROFITS
○ Create on-going relationships with non-profit partners to show commitment
○ Foster consistent engagement throughout the year
■ Partner presence in store monthly
■ Volunteering or events with partners for employees and customers
○ Reevaluate CCA/Star, Grapevine Parks and Rec, and Friends of Highline as relevant partners

24. FOR THE FUTURE
● Simplify and shorten the promotion period, allow percent of all sales during the period
(eliminate scanning)
○ Create Day of Giving with percent of all sales going to partners
■ Earth Day
■ Giving Tuesday
■ National Public Lands Day
■ National Trails Day
○ First Tuesday of every month, etc.
○ Once a quarter
● Ensure events have long lead times and a headline speaker
○ Allows more time for marketing and communications
○ Ensure all parties are in communication at least 1 month in advance
○ Pay speaker or influencers as needed
○ Customize event times per store to fit store location
● Invite non-profit partners to participate year round at the stores
○ Tables in stores monthly
○ Materials in store
○ Volunteering events with non-profits

25. APPENDIX

26. POS MATERIALS
Bag Stuffer-Miami Flyer-Miami

27. POS MATERIALS
Lease Lines-Portland
TableToppers-Chicago

28. PARTNER MARKETING EXAMPLES
ALPHARETTA
Geo-targeted email
Facebook

29. PARTNER MARKETING EXAMPLES
CHICAGO
Website Home Page
Facebook

30. PARTNER MARKETING EXAMPLES
MIAMI
Website
Facebook

31. PARTNER MARKETING EXAMPLES
NEW YORK
Facebook
Twitter

32. PARTNER MARKETING EXAMPLES
PORTLAND
Blog post
Facebook
FPC post on Columbia FB page

33. PARTNER MARKETING EXAMPLES
SEATTLE
Website
WTA post on Columbia fb page

34. PARTNER MARKETING EXAMPLES
SOUTHLAKE
Facebook
Twitter

35. INFLUENCER MARKETING EXAMPLES

36. INFLUENCER MARKETING EXAMPLES

37. EVENT PHOTOS

38. GSG ROLE
• Research, recruit and manage non-profit partners
• Facilitate and negotiate contracts
• Manage partner PR, messaging, and communication
• Determine topic of store presentations with each partner
• Create Marketing and Training Materials
• Store signage, flyers and bag stuffers
• FB and social media posts and emails
• FAQs, Training Docs
• Execute local influencer outreach and PR
• Outreach to local influencers
• Send media alerts and calendar alerts
• Plan and coordinate all store events
• Hire vendors and musicians
• Order event supplies
• Establish “Run of Show” with store managers
• Coordinate details with partner speakers

39. Shari Boyer
CEO
456 E. ORANGE GROVE BLVD. SUITE 302
PASADENA, CA 91104
sboyer@goodsolutionsgroup.com
(626) 229-9991 ext. 1007
GOODSOLUTIONSGROUP.COM