Polar Plunge 2009 Challenge Kit

When Special Olympics South Dakota needed to bolster its awareness and attendance for its annual Polar Plunge fundraising effort, an event that requires participants to jump into the frigid river in winter, I suggested an idea that directly addressed the concept of involvement, a Polar Plunge 2009 Challenge.

Collaborating with Augustana’s PRSSA group, fellow designer, Andrew Osborn (@ajosborn, www.ajosborn.squarespace.com) and social media/marketing whiz, Scott Hale (@sjhalestorm, www.scottjhale.com), a campaign was created around the idea that making the Polar Plunge personally relevant to an individual would increase involvement.

Through guerilla-like tactics, we delivered Polar Plunge 2009 Challenge Kits around town. These kits informed each of our target publics that its rival had issued a Polar Plunge fundraising challenge. The kit included an entry form, a plunger’s guide, fundraising directions, a list of prizes, and my favorite, details on The Golden Plunger, the trophy for each challenge winner.

The truth was, no one had actually issued any challenges (besides our group, of course.) Yet, banks still thought they were being challenged by other banks, schools still faced off against schools, businesses still moved against other businesses. The publics were forced to choose a path: raise money and defend their honor or sit idle and watch their competitors excel. And let’s face it, no one wants to concede victory to a rival.

The result was a self-motivated movement of fundraising and fervor that won a Minnesota PRSA Student Classics award. We had simply planted a seed that grew. Attendance increased by 40%. The groundwork was laid for a lasting annual campaign that featured a new image (above), a social media presence, and potential for statewide growth. This rebranding of the Polar Plunge offered a consistent direction and a much-needed departure from the childish, unorganized efforts of the past:

An explanation of why I’ve chosen bubbles as part of my personal brand:

As an avid West Ham United FC fan, I can never really escape my soccer allegiances. Hence, the theme of BrenniFresh.com could never be anything but “Forever Blowing Bubbles.” “Bubbles” is the anthem/song for which the soccer club and its supporters have become famously known:

I’m forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air
They fly so high, nearly reach the sky
And like my dreams they fade and die

Fortune’s always hiding,
I’ve looked everywhere
I’m forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air
United! (clap hands) united! (clap hands)

The words have come to represent the team’s passion, dedication, and perseverance in my mind. I want to bring a similar attitude to my work and my contributions to the greater creative community. I should be so lucky as to impact others the way West Ham has impacted me.

Though infectious, the song is merely a slice of the greater West Ham brand as a whole.  The brand extends itself from the players on the roster, to the traditional claret and blue uniforms, to fans, owners, foam fingers, pre/postgame rituals, team history, you name it. The breadth of the brand’s influence is something that should be considered within the context of every club decision.

I’m fascinated by how a brand manifests itself in all facets of operation and boggled by those companies that choose to disregard its importance.

Letting your brand become inconsistent and disjointed will ultimately muddle your operations. Eventually your business might become such a mess that you won’t know which way to go.

If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. Let me know. I’m just blowing bubbles…

Promotional piece for DudetoDad.com

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