Swirl Wins Ad:tech Limelight Award
Ad:tech San Francisco announced that Swirl won a 2009 Limelight Award in the "Best B2C online display ad" category for its Skype Face-to-Face "Holiday" ad. Each year, Ad:tech recognizes the most talented online designers and strategic thinkers in digital marketing. Entries for the Limelight Awards are reviewed and scored by an elite panel of judges comprised of thought leaders in the digital marketing sphere. Each entry is judged on four areas: creativity, results based on objective, ease of use/clarity of message and overall experience. See Swirl's winning entry here in the "interactive ads" category: http://www.ad-tech.com/awards/winners/. Click here to read the entire Skype Case Story.
Coinstar Selects Swirl As New Marketing Agency
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 23, 2009) - Swirl, a pioneering integrated marketing agency, has been selected as Coinstar, Inc.'s agency of record after an extensive review process. Coinstar is the leader in self-service coin counting and other consumer services found at the front of retail stores. Swirl will support Coinstar's consumer coin business in the U.S. providing overall strategic, creative and media planning services.
"We selected Swirl as our agency because of their creativity, nimbleness, and new media expertise," said Alex Camara, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Worldwide Coin at Coinstar, Inc. "We're looking forward to leveraging their strategic planning and creative execution to drive the Coinstar coin business to new heights."
"We couldn't be happier about this new relationship. Coinstar has already proven that they're an innovative, collaborative client, open to new ideas. Our process of surrounding consumers with relevant messaging across all media platforms is exactly what they wanted and we're excited to work with them to deliver results," said Martin Lauber, CEO/Founder, Swirl, Inc.
The integrated brand campaign will focus on driving the coin line of business and is expected to launch this year.
Swirl Takes Home Addy Gold
Once again, the Greater San Francisco Ad Club announced Swirl won an Addy Award for everything it entered! This included 2 GOLDs and 2 SILVERS for The San Francisco Giants "Gamer" campaign (best television campaign, best television spots); 4 SILVERS for the Skype Face-to-Face Video campaign (interactive/rich media work); 1 SILVER and 1 BRONZE for the Oakland Raiders (social media - RaiderCreator.com and Season Tickets brochure); and 3 BRONZE trophies for PG&E television (CFL spots). The Addy awards - the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition - employs a panel of judges to select the most creative entry in each category and evaluate all creative dimensions and angles of each entry.
Swirl’s RaiderCreator.com Named Category Winner for Internet Marketing
The winners of the 2009 National Sports Marketing Forum ADchievement Awards were named on February 3, 2009. More than 500 ads from the sports industry were submitted for consideration. Submissions came from teams representing MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, NCAA, and minor leagues, as well as NASCAR, television networks, retail stores, and private corporations. Finalists in each category were determined in preliminary judging by an independent panel of advertising experts. Winners of each category were determined by a vote of the attendees at the 2009 National Sports Forum. More than 600 senior-level executives from throughout the sports industry were in attendance. Swirl's sales collateral for the Raiders was also named a Finalist. View the RaiderCreator.com
Sunny Days with PG&E
Swirl won ’Tier One’ agency status with PG&E and will be responsible for developing integrated outreach programs for solar, appliance recycling and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Swirl’s past efforts for PG&E helped them move over 30 million CFLs!
Swirl Congratulates Cy Young Award Winner Tim Lincecum!
San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum was recently named the National League’s best pitcher, making him only the second pitcher in Giants’ history to receive this prestigious honor. Swirl helped the Giants commemorate Tim’s achievement with an ad that ran in the San Francisco Chronicle. The below left image is the piece that ran in the paper next to our favorite runners-up (we were so excited we couldn’t create just one). Click the images for a larger view.
Swirl Celebrates 11 with the Arts!
On September 18 Swirl celebrated its 11th Anniversary by hosting the "eARTh Show." This was the agency’s first foray into an art exhibition with proceeds benefiting the Surfrider Foundation. The environmentally focused art was displayed on recycled cardboard "easels" hung throughout the agency. The guests were able to view, mingle and nibble on a variety of Earth friendly treats including local favorite Cow Girl Creamery cheeses. The night concluded sweetly on the entrance (and quick disappearance!) of a couple hundred mini cupcakes; compliments of Swirl’s very own baking brigade. We thank everybody who was able to join us. It is our clients, friends and partners who make Swirl the agency it is today. We thank you.
We invite you to take a peek at some snapshots from the evening.
Telly Awards
The Telly Awards is a widely known and highly respected national and international competition and receives over 14,000 entries annually from all 50 states and many foreign countries. The judges rate each entry on a ten point scale. Only between 7% to 10% of entrants are chosen as Silver Telly Award winners, the highest honor! Bronze Telly Awards are awarded to entries recognized for outstanding achievement. Swirl won five bronze statues and took home the Silver Telly for a television spot they produced for The San Francisco Giants.
Swirl Partners with MISSION Product™
Swirl is excited to announce their digital marketing partnership with MISSION Product, the pioneer of Athlete-Engineered Skincare™. This Spring, Swirl will be working in collaboration with MISSION Product to launch their new line of groundbreaking, high-performance products engineered by athletes, for athletes. Some of the world’s most accomplished athletes, including two-time MVP Steve Nash and two-time Olympic Gold Medal soccer player Mia Hamm, are just some of the founding athletes on the team at MISSION Product, and are intimately involved in product innovation and development. Swirl will be responsible for developing, implementing and optimizing all aspects of the MISSION brand’s online marketing. Visit www.missionproduct.com.
Swirl Wins at Addy Awards
The Greater San Francisco Ad Club announced Swirl won an Addy Award for everything it entered this year. This included GOLD for Jamba Juice (best poster campaign), 3 silvers for Cisco (consumer websites – "Collaboration", "Customer Care" and "Sales Solution"), 2 silvers for PayPal micro sites ("Back-to-School" and "Holiday"), 2 silvers for PG&E (consumer television – "Better Bulb" and "Fridge Recycling"), and 1 bronze for eBay ("eBay Mastercard Holiday" site).
Swirl Gives Back
Here at Swirl, we are committed to achieving results for all of our clients. We are also committed to supporting positive social change within our community. We invite you to learn more about the organizations that are a part of our philanthropic outreach. We also encourage you to take a look at the work we've created for their worthy causes. »Read more
Swirl celebrates 10!
Hundreds of Swirl's partners, friends, former colleagues and current Swirlies came together at Foreign Cinema restaurant to ring in our tenth anniversary. »Read more
Reach for the stars
Swirl is proud to announce that Chabot Space and Science Center has hired Swirl as their new marketing partner.
Swirl takes home five trophies at the 2007 Davey Awards
The Davey Awards is an international creative award focused exclusively on honoring outstanding work from the best small firms worldwide. Competing against over 4,000 entries, Swirl recieved recognition for interactive, TV and direct work.
OQO Expects Big Things Out of Swirl
Swirl is proud to announce that the makers of "the world’s smallest PC" have hired us as their new marketing partner.
Super Fruit Deserves a Super Agency
The California Table Grape Commission has hired Swirl as agency of record to handle its global business.
Swirl's Got The Juice
Swirl has been retained by Jamba Juice to reinvigorate their national brand.
Giants TV Takes Gold
The International Academy of Visual Arts gave Swirl the 2006 Gold Davey Award. Out of 3,500 entries from around the world only 39 entries received the gold honor in television.
Consumer Print Campaigns win Gold
Adding to last year’s ADDY Gold, Swirl won two more Gold ADDY Awards for eBay Motors and Lennar Homes.
Time To Shop
Swirl, Inc. is leading the launch of a new international brand for Shopping.com. Email campaigns, microsites, and collateral are being developed to support this launch. In addition, Swirl developed the corporate identity of Shopping.com University, an internal learning program for merchants.
Express Yourself
Swirl, Inc. is proud to announce that it will be creating this year's holiday print and direct mail campaign for Shutterfly. Shutterfly, the online photography site, wants to make the world a better place by helping people share life's joy. Please visit Shutterfly.com today to see how you can turn your digital pictures into thoughtful and creative gifts!
A New Home
Lennar, the #1 new home builder in the Bay Area, has hired Swirl, Inc. to create and implement a brand strategy for its 17 new housing communities in the Bay Area. Lennar is a Fortune 500 company.
Keeping our Eye on the Ball
Keep your eye out for San Francisco Giants ads around the city and on TV. Our new multimedia campaign to drive ticket sales out of the park is now running in full swing. San Francisco can look forward to an exciting new season when the SF Giants bring the same energy to the field that Swirl brought to their marketing efforts!
Tuning In
KGO AM810, the Bay Area’s most listened to radio station, has selected Swirl Inc. to launch an awareness campaign that truly sets KGO apart. The campaign launched this month on billboards and buses throughout the Bay Area. The ads feature 15 distinct messages that speak to the unique characteristics of the station. Whether it is “RADIO THAT LISTENS”, “MENTAL WORKOUT” or “WE SUPPORT SMART PEOPLE”, these billboards stand out from the clutter in the same way that KGO stands out in their field - with a clear, intelligent voice.
Swirl takes the Gold!
Swirl is excited to announce our recent triumph at the 2006 ADDY awards, the world’s largest advertising competition™ for creative excellence. Swirl took home the Gold ADDY in the Collateral Material category for the launch of Shoo Fly, a new Australian wine. We also received a Silver ADDY in the highly competitive category of Consumer Magazine Campaigns for Lexar, and several Bronze ADDY’s recognizing our achievement in radio, TV and print.
Bella Blossoms in 06!
Swirl partnered with Bella to start the new year by launching a revitalized identity and positioning via dynamic new website and sales materials. The work is modern and compelling – sure to draw in style-savvy brides looking for amazing wedding photography.
Out of the Park
Your SF Giants just got even better. With Spring Training just around the corner, and Swirl now behind all their marketing, the San Francisco Giants are looking forward to an exciting 2006 season and advertising campaign.
Photo Opportunity
Swirl is proud to announce a new branding campaign for Lexar, the preeminent digital photography company. This unique campaign, encouraging professional photographers to "Take a Closer Look," launches nationally in October.
Think Ink
Swirl has recently partnered with Cartridge World, the world's fastest growing printer cartridge refilling franchise. The company’s 900 nationwide locations will feature Swirl's new campaign and design, both in-store and across many advertising mediums.
New Way to Invest For All
Swirl recently signed an on-going AOR relationship with HedgeStreet Inc. HedgeStreet is the first person-to-person online marketplace in the United States that allows you to speculate on economic events.
Pour the wine…
Swirl is proud to announce the launch of the newest premium wine brand from Australia's Old Bridge Cellars. Launching nationally in June, Shoofly promises to bring a distinctly Aussie personality to the highly competitive world of wine.
Swirl Wins at Addy Awards
Swirl picks up four awards at the Bay Area Addy Awards. The Addy's are the advertising industry's largest competition, recognizing and rewarding creative excellence in the art of advertising. Winning entries included a print campaign for national restaurant chain Panda Express and for local online giant eBay.
Swirl Takes Home Gold
Swirl, eBay and partnering agencies bring home the Gold REGGIE Award for their integrated marketing promotion and extravaganza, “Camp eBay.” Awarded by the Promotion Marketing Association, the REGGIES identify and honor the best promotional programs of the year.
“Swirl came up with the idea of a summer camp for eBay users, which was perfect for our brand and our business objectives. They were critical in translating and maintaining the integrity of the idea across a wide variety of media formats—which was essential to this campaign's success. From concept to final analysis, they really proved their integrated approach.”
--Carolyn Pollock, Senior Manager, eBay, Inc.
Camp Ebay Article — Motley Fool
eBay's Happy Camper
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMF Edible)
May 28, 2004
While most summer camps won’t kick into high gear until next month, eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) has already pitched its promo tent for the season. Camp eBay opened for business yesterday and it's bloody brilliant.
Promising 525,000 prizes worth $750,000, you do the math. The odds of winning are very good. The prize you are entitled to is more likely than not to be worth a buck in credit somewhere else. How do you become eligible to win prizes? Earn badges.
The auction masters at eBay have always put out the finest grade of flypaper on their sticky namesake site, and this marketing campaign is no different. While some of the merit badges can be collected by doing things as basic as answering a few questions about PayPal or soliciting feedback -- all great ways to allow folks to learn more about eBay's services, naturally -- others involve making purchases at the various eBay auction and fixed-price areas.
With eBay winning its own merit badges on Wall Street, it's only fitting that, as nervous as the market may feel these days, the online juggernaut closed at an all-time high yesterday. The company has defied traditional definitions. I mean, here's a company that will produce well more than $3 billion in revenues, yet it is nimble enough to have grown that top line by 59% this past quarter. The stock is also up better than 155% since being recommended two summer camps ago in our Motley Fool Stock Advisor newsletter.
A sucker for a good gimmick, I went ahead and enrolled in eBay's free camp. It will be going on through September, but I'm an early riser. Registration was painlessly quick, and with my first camper badge earned for doing just that, I was up for my first contest entry and won. Would I get the touted $10,000 grand prize? Would I be on the receiving end of a free year of ice cream courtesy of Allied Domecq's (NYSE: AED) Baskins-Robbins?
Nope. I wound up with a coupon for a buck off Sony's (NYSE: SNE) digital music service. Drats! Oh well, the summer's young. I still have time to pick on the know-it-all camp counselor. Now let's go make some s'mores!
So will you be enrolling in Camp eBay? Has the online auction giant's televised ads excited you or turned you off? Should eBay's stock have a “Buy it Now” button or is it overpriced? All this and more -- on the eBay discussion board. Only on Fool.com
Promo Xtra
May 27, 2004
eBay Sets up Camp with $5 Million Mobile Tour
By Betsy Spethmann
Online auction giant eBay takes its brand on the road with an estimated $5 million mobile tour and sweepstakes, eBay's biggest campaign to date.
Camp eBay kicks off May 30 at the Indy 500, then tours 30-to-40 markets throughout the summer to reach offline consumers who haven't shopped on eBay. Tour partners are Baskin Robbins, Clear Channel Communications, Loews Corp. and Sony.
The tour vehicles are a school bus and a vacation cabin—both bought on eBay's travel site. Visitors enter the cabin for a beginner-level tutorial on how to buy and sell on eBay; more advanced lessons are given in the school bus. The cabin features videos of eBay buyers telling their stories. Graphics show photos of purchasers with top-selling goodies for summer.
Both vehicles will visit state fairs, summer festivals such as Taste of Chicago, an eBay Live user's conference in New Orleans and 20 concert venues via partnership with Clear Channel.
Tour vehicles and partners also will distribute 4.25 million decoder game pieces for an instant-win sweeps awarding five grand prizes of $10,000. Smaller prizes include Baskin Robbins ice cream for a year (250 winners) and coupons; $10 gift cards (7,500) and single-song coupons (500,000) for Sony's new music download site, Sony Connect; and eBay gift certificates (20,000). Game cards will be handed out at tour stops and in 2,500 Baskin Robbins shops and 125 Loews theaters. Print ads and limited TV support.
Ad shop Swirl, San Francisco, is lead agency for Camp eBay. Ignition, New York City, handles the tour; Marden-Kane, Manhasset, NY, administers the sweeps.
“Because we're not a traditional retailer and can't control product, pricing or packaging, we've created a new model for promotion to leverage the one-to-one human level,” said director of consumer promotions Julie Haddon. “We're reaching people directly and letting them enjoy our brand.”