"It's all about a good buzz, viral event," said
Steven Jarmon, VP-brand communications, 1-800-FLOWERS.com, which
provided several thousand dollars worth of floral arrangements.
Dave Kerpen wanted to invite everyone he knew (and we mean EVERYONE) to
watch him marry the girl of his dreams. He knew that the kind of
wedding he wanted would cost an arm and a leg-- and so, using the
knowledge that he and his bride Carrie shared from their extensive
background in marketing-- they came up with a plan.
Since they both
loved minor league baseball-- the couple realized that if they went to
their favorite ballpark, and bought out the promotional inventory of
the game-- they could OWN the night. They created the promotion:
Our Field of Dreams.
They then approached sponsors to participate in promotions throughout
the game, in exchange for free stuff for their wedding. 1800flowers.com
was the first to sign on, followed by dozens of companies. In fact,
they got so MUCH stuff, that they decided to donate all profits to the
David Wright Foundation.
Their wedding took place on the field of KeySpan Park, after a Brooklyn
Cyclones game, in front of 8,000 fans. The toe-the-line topic of
"sponsored weddings" was controversial enough to attract local,
national, and even international attention. (The bride and groom even
watched themselves on ABC World News Tonight while honeymooning.)
Energized by the success of their wedding, and fueled by the desire to
have flexible hours for their family, Dave and Carrie left their day
jobs and started theKbuzz- a company founded on the belief that great
ideas, and word of mouth, are far more valuable than traditional
advertising. Their wedding started a conversation which received
attention unparalleled to any ad campaign.
Since their wedding in
2006, theKbuzz has had triple digit growth year to year. Their business
is based on putting as much passion into their clients'
marketing success as they put into their own wedding day.
Spirits, wine and beer giant Diageo created a
signature drink for the bride and groom's big day. The couple matches
the Smirnoff brand image of being "clearly original," said Christian
McMahan, brand director for Smirnoff. "There's no couple more clearly
original than Dave and Carrie."