FM Kool 108, City Center & Rubba Ducks host Duckfest 2000
Read story below, of the inspiration behind the Duckfest 2000 event
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Why Duckfest 2000?
Target had reached out to Rubba Ducks expressing interest in the brand. We were discussing setting up a few scheduled meetings with several of the main buyers in the appropriate departments in order to make a presentation. Mark inquired if the buyer meetings could be held outside of their offices, in order for him to create a true Rubba Ducks experience. When we were informed by a marketing VP of Target of its policy that all buyers meetings would need to be held in a designated conference room at the Target offices (located in the Multi Foods Tower which is above City Center). Mark requested if Rubba Ducks would be able to arrive early in order to elaborately set up the conference room to assure the buyers get the true Rubba Ducks experience of what the brand had to offer. We were immediately told, all vendors have approx. 5 to 10 min to set up the designated conference room prior to scheduled meetings with the buyers. Mark persisted in asking again, of the opportunity to have the buyers visit the Rubba Ducks office space to make the presentations. Again, Rubba Ducks was informed of the Target policy, “all vendor presentations made to the buyers must be made at the Target headquarters – no exceptions!” Mark Boldt responded intensely, although passionately, reinstating the importance that the Rubba Ducks presentation would have the opportunity to visually transcend the buyers. The Target VP on the call firmly stated to Mark, like every other vendor, Rubba Ducks will be granted the same amount of set up time, prior to the presentations.
Mark left the call pondering this rule, in the hopes to find a creative solution to allow the buyers to get the full Rubba Ducks experience he desired them to endure. As Mark entered his car, inspiration struck him, and he headed for the City Center offices in downtown Minneapolis. While driving to downtown, he initially called his contact at FM Kool 108 to pre-pitch his new idea… Duckfest 2000, an event that would take place “over the lunch time hours” at City Center with lots of Rubba Duck giveaways; that would include “Get Lucky” a chance to win a vacation trip for 2 (public participants would guess how many Lucky ducks were in the Rubba Ride – a 69 Camaro SS/RS Convertible Pace Car) and more… Kool 108 loved it! Mark stated, he would confirm an exact date for the following month, once he confirmed all the details with City Center.
Mark arrived at City Center and met with management who also shared their enthusiasm for the Duckfest 2000 event. In addition, at Mark’s request, City Center agreed to place Duckfest “Get Lucky” posters outside the elevator’s doors on the specific floors Target offices their buyers. As well as, providing Rubba Ducks full access to an empty retail store located on the street level where the event would take place (for the Rubba Room) – in addition, City Center stated Rubba Ducks would also have access to the retail space’s 3 huge display windows that faced the outside street and was right next to the entrance to the Target offices. Mark immediately imagined how these windows would also be elaborately decorated to entice the buyers interest of Rubba Ducks, since each buyer would walk past these display windows at least twice a day, going in and out of work.
Rubba Ducks went to work transpiring the Rubba Room into the Rubba Duck experience Mark envisioned. This also included classy, but fun elaborate invitations inviting each buyer to visit the secluded Rubba Room (not available to general public) during their lunch break and the Duckfest 2000 event. And, as a fail safe reminder for the buyers to be present at the event, as promised, the Get Lucky signs were placed outside the elevator’s doors on the floors of their offices. Rubba Ducks was determined to make it impossible for the buyers to forget of the Duckfest event taking place in City Center during the lunch time hours.
On the day of the Duckfest 2000, there were 100’s of people waiting for the event to get started, the buyers were starting to get lined up outside the Rubba Room waiting to receive their free Dilly Duck bar (a specially made Dilly bar from DQ in the shape of a Rubba Duck), and most importantly, to learn all about the Rubba brand and all our product offerings. More importantly, the Duckfest event allowed the buyers to experience first-hand of how much the public loved Rubba Ducks, not to mention the Rubba Room providing them with a complete visual experience of everything Rubba Ducks had to offer.
At one point, Mark was standing near the Rubba Ride waiting for the DJ from Kool 108 to announce the winner of the Get Lucky raffle, when he looked up and noticed the marketing VP who advised Mark on the initial call of the Target policy on how vendor presentations will be made to the buyers. Mark happily lifted his hands up to him, motioning to him of his thoughts on the event… He proudly smiled back at Mark while shaking his head slightly, and mouthing the words “You did it”. The following year, Target and Toys R Us were the first major retailers to place the complete line of Rubba Ducks in stores nationwide, and ultimately went on to sell millions of Rubba Ducks.
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