by thesavageway | Jul 1, 2014 | clean graffiti, services
How many people ever have the opportunity to meet the leader of their industry? The “Steve Jobs” of what they put their heart and soul into? Well #thesavageway had the opportunity to do just that this past weekend. We (Torrie & Paula) headed to Nashville, TN to meet the European “Godfather” of reverse graffiti, Jim Bowes.
Jim Bowes , Sustainable Advertising Pioneer, has been practicing natural media in the Netherlands and throughout Europe for over a decade with his company Green Graffiti. They offer a huge range of natural techniques including sand stamping, moss graffiti, milk paint, reverse graffiti and more!
When #thesavageway started doing Clean Graffiti over two and a half years ago, we did some research online to see if other people were doing this around the world. Sure enough it was an established art form in Europe . There were not many companies to be found, but one of the biggest and most active online was Green Graffiti. We would see Jim comment on articles and give his insight ANYTIME reverse graffiti came up in an online post. He was obviously knowledgeable and had a voice in this “green” movement. Seeing natural media from his perspective was very insightful from our location in Charlotte, NC.
Finally, after admiring his work from afar we decided that we were going to reach out. We said, “Screw it, let’s email him and see what happens.” Sure enough, he emailed back, we set up a Skype session and Jim started interacting on all of our social portals. We were blown away at how receptive he was to what were doing here in Charlotte.
Oddly enough, Jim, who is based in the Netherlands, was going to be in the States at the end of June – Nashville, TN to be exact. There was not even a question for us; we were about to take a road trip! We were going to meet the “Godfather.”
Road Trip.
7 hours outside of the Queen City, we get into the heart of Downtown Nashville and settle in for what was sure to be an experience. It felt a little strange to be in another state, meeting a person that we did not know nor did we ever think we would have the opportunity to meet. Imagine meeting Richard Branson or Bill Gates – that just doesn’t happen everyday. He lives and operates on the other side of the world! Regardless, we knew that we were there for a reason and that we were going to embrace whatever knowledge this man was about to drop on us.
The Meeting of the Minds.
We met in a suburb of Nashville called Franklin (think what Ballantyne is to Charlotte). The hustle and bustle of this little city during lunch rush did not stop us from grabbing a cold beer at a local brewery.
It must be noted that there’s never been an instance where three strangers were more excited to meet over beer and talk about a city’s dirt!
The conversation flowed really well. We talked dirt, concrete, city laws, billboard waste – the topics were endless. We discussed #thesavageway, Clean Graffiti, our experience and challenges and he did the same. It was nice to chat with someone who has walked in our shoes. Someone who sees Clean Graffiti as we see it – a HUGE asset!
It is not often in life that you are given an opportunity to sit down in a business conversation with a person who is not only a competitor but also a cheerleader. To sit face-to-face with a guy who BELIEVES in Clean Graffiti the way that we do was a pretty awesome feeling.
After the Dirt Settled.
We walked away from our meeting with the “Godfather” more confident and assured that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing in this life. We felt proud of our Clean Graffiti journey knowing he has gone through some of the same things and has come out stronger and more innovative in the end.
Jim brought up a fact that we have continued to reflect upon. He said, “It takes a brave soul to do what we do.”
We agree! Non-traditional marketing is not suited for everyone. It takes the right person for Clean Graffiti to succeed: it takes ethics, long term vision, a passion for sustainability, a little bit of risk taking, and most importantly gusto!
Who knows if we will see Jim again or what collaborative projects may be in our future – be we do know that we went to good ole Music City in order for our path to cross with the Godfather’s. That reason may not be perfectly clear just yet – but we do know that we will continue to live our lives with gusto until we figure it out!
by thesavageway | Jun 26, 2014 | community
At #thesavageway, Yelp is an app that we use on a regular basis. Anytime we want to find the closest Thai restaurant or if the auto shop will be open at 8am, we check Yelp. In fact, it is a HUGE asset when travelling because we can rely on the local’s perspective on the best places to try!
What you probably didn’t realize about Yelp is that they also throw amazing parties throughout the year that incorporate a charity – Yelp Helps! Usually these parties are for Elite Yelpers (private events for those Yelpers that have reviewed a TON and meet the qualifications), but one glorious time per year, they throw a big bash for the public. This year it was the Summertime Soiree held at the Neighborhood Theatre in NoDa! And the best part is one of our clients, Green Teacher Network, was the official charity of the evening!
Green Teacher Network’s goal is advancing academics, environmental sustainability, and health through schoolyard gardens. They are working with a variety of organizations (like Friendship Gardens, The Health Department and 18+ more) in order to bridge the gap in communication between teachers and available garden resources. They are a big resource for teachers and garden volunteers both with online portals and interactive Quarterly Workshops.
Needless to say, when Nikki, Yelp Charlotte Community Manager, offered GTN the charity of choice position, we were BEYOND grateful! The opportunity to be in front of 500+ people and gain some awareness for what GTN is doing in the community was awesome.
The night was full of support for GTN, local restaurant samplings, beer, live music and live ART!
In total, the Yelp Summertime Soiree raised $1,224.00 for Green Teacher Network. It was an honor to have GTN involved and to be a part of this awesome community event. Way to go Nikki – keep on Yelping on!
by thesavageway | Jun 17, 2014 | clean graffiti
What do you get when you mix Art, Dirt and Messaging?? What you get is Clean Graffiti – or a Clean Message on a Dirty Sidewalk! #thesavageway has been given the opportunity to present our idea for a Clean Graffiti art project at Queen City Soup on Sunday, June 22!!
So what is Queen City Soup?
“Queen City Soup” is a regional micro-grant program housed under Project Art Aid, for emerging and established artists and community activists in the Charlotte metropolitan area. This quarterly event seeks proposals from local artists for projects in the range of $1500-$2500. The projects must have some tangible benefit to community, and projects that have a broad public impact are encouraged. Project Art Aid organizes the events, which include food and drinks, an opportunity to meet the artists, and a program where the artists pitch their projects to the attendees.”
How it works – you pay $10 for a ticket and join the audience. You get to watch the work from 5 artists – we’re talking dancers, a videographer, a talk show host, an art camp, and then there is us (orange safety suits and all)! After we each perform for 5 minutes – you, the audience, cast your vote!
From #thesavageway, you can expect to see five minutes of positive vibes, passion, and a mission to bring inspiring Clean Graffiti messages to some low-income areas around Charlotte. We want the community to see how something as simple as Clean Graffiti can change someone’s perspective.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Please come out on Sunday and cheer us on, laugh with us, and help us make our little dream of bringing positive, inspiring messages to places in Charlotte that need some encouragement a reality.
DETAILS
What: Torrie & Paula Present Art & Dirt
Date: Sunday, June 22
Time: 4:00pm
Location: Charlotte Ballet
Cost: $10 (includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks)
Join Facebook Event Here
Buy Tickets Here
by thesavageway | May 28, 2014 | services
Here at #thesavageway, we work with a wide variety of business owners in a range of different industries. A common thread we see between them all is that small businesses rarely have a large marketing budget, let alone a strategic plan behind how they plan to get the word out about their company. When an owner is working to get their doors open, making time for marketing is often their last thought. In fact, an owner is a specialist in their industry, typically not a marketing specialist so thinking about flyers, social media pages, websites, etc is beyond overwhelming. Hesitations to dive into the online world of Social Media are understandable.
Enter #thesavageway. We work with business owners to help make the intimidating social media world make sense. Depending on their specific industry needs, we work one-on-one with owners on either a training program or ongoing consulting services at an extremely cost effective level.
Over the past 4-5 years it has become more and more imperative for businesses to utilize social media in order to get the word out about their company. According to Business Insider , “Social is now the top Internet activity: Americans spend an average of 37 minutes daily on social media, a higher time-spend than any other major Internet activity, including email.”
With all of those active, potential consumers online waiting to engage with your company, how is your brand being perceived? The thought with owners has always been, “If I build it, they will come,” well that is no longer the case. Consumers want to know more than just your hours of operation, they want to know your story. Social media is the perfect portal to show life and engage with your consumers. So are you still asking why do I need social media?
Social media is the modern day branding tool that small businesses should capitalize on and embrace. There are a plethora of reasons but here are our Top 5 Reasons to Use Social Media:
- Create a Brand Presence Online: In today’s technology-driven, immediate satisfaction world, consumers are more likely to look a company up on Facebook or Yelp before going to their website. It is important to brand your social pages so that your message is consistently received no matter what portal your customer prefers to use.
- Engage With Customers: Scott Cook, the Founder of Intuit said, “A brand is no longer what we tell the customer it is – it is what customers tell each other it is.” Social Media allows a business to set the tone for their image. Encouraging engagement with consumers (asking questions, complimenting, talking back) will prompt them to return the favor – in turn growing your brand awareness. As a small business you need the platform to be able to proactively respond to both the positive and negative feedback. Customers are talking about you regardless – might as well join in the conversation!
- Tell Your Story: Let customers in on your daily life. Social media allows an opportunity like never before to show your company culture and put out there what you want the world to see. Before a customer ever steps foot inside your door, you are able to create an experience and give them an idea what they will expect from your brand. You can show them that you support local or carry boutique brands. Show consumers what makes your business tick – show them why they want to be a part of what you are doing!
- Drive Website Traffic: Creative and strategic posts will lead your customers back to your website – where they will hopefully be a step closer to making a purchase of your product or further trust your brand. Overall, social media is gaining more and more importance for SEO rankings – especially Google+. Google is weighing every time you are talked about online – being a content creator on social media helps your brand be more authoritative.
- Listen to Customer Insight – Your loyal followers watch what you are doing in the brick-and-mortar part of your business as well as online. Listen to what they say – they are telling you what they are looking for from your brand. Your next big campaign could be an idea from a Twitter follower.
As you can see, social media is a tool for business, just like that Point Of Sale system or employee manual. It is important to learn it inside and out enough to make the best of each portal. Look what your industry leaders are using and focus your efforts there.
Twitter and Instagram may be intimidating and the last item on that to-do list but as a small business, it is imperative to understand that online communication and non-traditional mediums are only going to grow. Embrace it now and take your business to the next level. And if you are struggling to master your social media, you can always take #thesavageway.
by thesavageway | May 5, 2014 | clean graffiti
This is Part Five in a five part series diving into Clean Graffiti in the Queen City. Clean Graffiti is a service that #thesavageway offers; it is a unique, green form of advertising available since 2012. With several clients in the books, it is time to reflect on the practice. This piece is about incorporating community events with Clean Graffiti.
“Take me out to the ball game,” Charlotteans can now yell this nostalgic summertime phrase from their Uptown offices and actually walk to an afternoon baseball game. The Charlotte Knights kicked off their Uptown residency on April 11 for the season home opener at BB&T Ballpark. This momentous occasion is huge for the Charlotte sports community and the city is buzzing with excitement as can be seen when individual tickets went on sale in March.
In a continuing effort to show support to the Charlotte community as well as showcase innovative, green thinking, OrthoCarolina, Official Team Physicians of the Charlotte Knights, activated a Clean Graffiti Campaign to help launch the inaugural season.
Clean Graffiti is an eco-friendly and green form of advertising. These branded, positive messages are strategically placed on dirty sidewalks and a clean message remains. Not only is this an innovative and creative way to get a business’ marketing initiatives out to the public in a place that you typically would not be able to have a logo or message, but there is no use of any harmful chemicals or sprays – It is just water!
In collaboration with the OrthoCarolina team, #thesavageway created branded messages and then strategically placed the Clean Graffiti spots around the BB&T Ballpark and neighboring streets advertising the Knights new home in the QC.
Once again, OrthoCarolina was able to utilize an innovative and eco-friendly advertising medium to celebrate a momentous occasion in the Charlotte community. Not only did Clean Graffiti offer a green, sign alternative, it also provided “talkability,” which is something that a marketer is always seeking. Utilizing a community supported event, like the opening of the Knights new stadium, with an advertising initiative like Clean Graffiti was the perfect tie in for forward-thinking OrthoCarolina.
Clean Message. Dirty Sidewalk.
#CleanGraffiti
About OrthoCarolina
As one of the nation’s leading orthopedic practices with offices across the Carolinas, OrthoCarolina is your destination for comprehensive orthopedic care. Leveraging our physicians’ expertise in the areas of foot and ankle, hand, hip and knee, shoulder and elbow, spine, sports medicine and pediatrics; and providing services that include physical therapy, MRI and post-surgical support; we can offer you a continuum of care unmatched in the region.
OrthoCarolina. You. Improved. Visit us at www.orthocarolina.com.
