Timberland To Press the Flesh at Earth Day Events
Timberland is spreading its fundamental core values of environmental advocacy and concern in a setting that supports those values, Green Apple Festival and Earth Day Network events.
The campaign spreads a consistent message focusing on its Earthkeeper brand across a number of marketing platforms to cast a wider net. But the real push comes in 10 cities across American where Green Apple events are being held April 17 to 19.
The marketing and promotions will vary by city based on the size and scale of the events taking place, as well as the types of consumers in the region.
“You won’t see a cookie cutter [model],” Theresa Palermo, Timberland’s director of North America marketing, said.
For example, in Denver, where people like to travel by bicycle, Timberland will sponsor places for people to park their bikes. In Washington, DC, where a weekend of events will culminate on Earth Day, April 19, Timberland has 10 branded pedicabs moving around The National Mall from April 15 to 21 to deliver people to and from various locations. The company will sponsor a bike valet at The Mall on April 19 where riders will receive a complimentary tune-up for their bikes. And it will have a kiosk to showcase its rugged line of Earthkeeper products, which include jackets, boots and shoes.
“These are environmentally sound ways for us to get our message across,” Palermo says. “The overall concern and advocacy toward the environment is who Timberland is as a whole. It’s our fundamental core value and then our marketing comes out of that.”
The company plans to hand out promotional materials at all 10 events. The simultaneous national series of volunteer activities will be coordinated in New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
In advance of the events and in tune with the Green Apple brand, an online Earthkeeper contest will begin March 30 for people to submit entries about their efforts to promote environmental sustainability. People will be asked to use a green apple and a video camera to document their thoughts about the environment. Two winners will receive a trip and guided eco-tour through the forests of Darwin, Australia.
Timberland, which reported 2008 net income of $42.9 million, has a long history of environmental stewardship, including giving each employee 40 hours worth of time to go do public service in their own way. In 2008, under the Earthkeeper brand, the company launched an online network, as a gathering place for people interested in preserving the environment.
