FBI Gets Call About Right Guard Promotion
Right Guard was in Cleveland, OH, last week gaining attention for a promotion there before the brand made its appearance as part of an action sports tour being held this week.
The promotion also caught the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation when the agency received a complaint.
Large green stripes—18-inches by 20-feet long—began appearing on sidewalks around the city on July 5. The green stripes symbolized the Right Guard Power Stripe brand and included the Web address WhatAreTheGreenStripes.com. At the site, a single message was posted: “Soon the city will witness an extreme event, people will fly through the air and hair will stand on end,” said Josh Richter, account coordinator for Cenergy, the agency handling the promotion.
The message was referring to the action set to begin at the AST Dew Tour, which runs July 19 through 22 at the North Coast Harbor. Right Guard is the title sponsor of one of the events, the 2007 Right Guard Open. The caller who made the complaint, however, didn’t get the meaning.
“Somebody was a little freaked by the wording,” Richter said.
The FBI also called officials at the Dew Tour to make sure all was on the up and up. They asked that the message be changed quickly to avoid further confusion.
The FBI received the call on July 11 and plans had been in place to remove the message and update the site on July 12, which was done, Richter said.
In addition to the caller, the street campaign for Right Guard Xtreme had already attracted interest. The site drew close to 2,000 hits.
The site also provided information on an in-store partnership with Rite Aid to build awareness for the tour with offers of discounted tickets. In-store signage and street teams supported the effort.
And that wasn’t all.
A hunt for a giant deodorant stick was supported by local radio stations, which provided clues to find the inflatable Right Guard Xtreme stick at several locations around the city. When found, listeners were instructed to text message a keyword to the local station for a chance to win two tickets to the Dew Tour. One winner was chosen each day last week. One grand-prize winner won four Right Guard Open VIP passes, valid for all days of the competition.
In May, Right Guard renewed its event title sponsorship of the tour for this year. This marks the third consecutive year the brand has held event title sponsorship of the Right Guard Open, one of five tour stops on the tour.
