by thesavageway | Nov 18, 2015 | clean graffiti
Did you know that it’s only a 7-minute walk from Armada Skate Shop to Midwood Smokehouse in Plaza Midwood? This was one of the many walking facts that we learned while working on the Walk Your Neighborhood #WalkCLT initiative powered by OrthoCarolina & Sustain Charlotte.
#WalkCLT is a project created by Sustain Charlotte’s Transportation Choices Alliance & OrthoCarolina to promote the walkability of our Charlotte neighborhoods. Walking creates more vibrant streets, helps support local businesses, highlights unique neighborhood features & strengthens Charlotte as a whole. #WalkCLT brings the community together in a big way.
The first #WalkCLT event went down in Plaza Midwood. #thesavageway
#thesavagway was brought in to assist with the creation and promotion of this community event and well as executing Clean Graffiti to denote walking distances. Clean Graffiti was a natural medium to use as a wayfinding sign because it is a sustainable form of messaging – it’s just water.
Clean Graffiti was used as a wayfinding message along popular walking areas in the neighborhood. #thesavageway
It’s only 9 minutes to a good book! #WalkCLT helps promote walking in your neighborhood. #thesavageway
On Saturday, November 7, our team, Sustain Charlotte & OrthoCarolina threw a launch event for the #WalkCLT initiative. Residents & participants were encouraged to walk from their home (instead of driving) to the heart of the Plaza Midwood business district. The festivities included a free t-shirt upon checking-in at the Pizza Peel on Central Ave, a scavenger hunt for families, two and three-legged races, and some amazing deals from the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. Over 18 local restaurants, shops & businesses offered a special deal for participants. #thesavageway team was of course on hand to manage the social media for the event!
The Sustain Charlotte crew setting up for the #WalkCLT launch event.
Successful check-in for the inaugural #WalkCLT event. #thesavageway
Cruise Carts, another sustainable form of transportation, stopped by for the #WalkCLT launch. #thesavageway
Volunteers are all smiles at the #WalkCLT launch event. #thesavageway
Walk Your City Signs were also used as wayfinding signs for #WalkCLT. #thesavageway
This launch event was just the beginning of #WalkCLT, which has a larger vision to get all of Charlotte walking more often! OrthoCarolina has been a huge community supporter and is a key reason why this initiative took off!
In the words of Blair Primis, Vice-President of Marketing at OrthoCarolina, “OrthoCarolina is a committed community partner and we felt this initiative fell perfectly in line with our efforts to educate Charlotteans on living a healthy lifestyle.”
Stay tuned for the next #WalkCLT event coming to a neighborhood near you!
OrthoCarolina’s Blair Primis supporting #WalkCLT. #thesavageway
by thesavageway | Oct 8, 2015 | clean graffiti
UNC Charlotte, which happens to be Torrie’s alma mater, has been introduced to Clean Graffiti in the past. OrthoCarolina ran a campaign during the inaugural Charlotte 49er Football season in 2013. Recently, #thesavageway had the opportunity to re-visit the campus for another Clean Graffiti initiative. We worked with The Edge University Walk to highlight the UNCC Alumni Tailgate Village – (The Alumni Tailgate Village is located directly across the street from Lot 19 at the corner of Cameron Blvd and Craver Road, near the tennis courts once you’re on campus).
Our reverse graffiti was to bring attention to the newly established Hauser Alumni Pavilion. We chose locations surrounding campus where people would be walking to the games as well as highly trafficked parking areas.
Clean Graffiti by #thesavageway for The Edge University Walk!
Clean Graffiti supporting the new UNC Charlotte Alumni Tailgate Village sponsored by The Edge University Walk. – #thesavageway
When you’re on campus for the Charlotte 49ers vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles Homecoming Game on Saturday, October 24, keep your eyes out for these Clean Graffiti spots! Take a picture and let us know by using the hashtag #49erAlumni & #thesavageway!
Clean Graffiti for UNC Charlotte, sponsored by The Edge University Walk. Photo Credit Amy Jolly. #thesavageway
Go 49ers!
by thesavageway | Jan 9, 2015 | services
As #thesavageway, we are blessed to have the opportunity to work with some amazing people and innovative business ideas. Our clients cross industries and company size (and that is exactly how we want it!) We love the variety working with clients on everything from sustainable media like our Clean Graffiti to social media training, brand consultation, copywriting, logo development, public relations, event management and more.
However, every once in a while we are given the opportunity to work with a business from the ground up and get our hands in everything. Most recently that business has been Cruise Carts.
THE CONCEPT
Cruise Carts is Charlotte’s newest transportation service and it is FREE for riders. The company offers a free, green & safe ride in and around the Queen City on an advertiser-sponsored golf cart.
A wrapped Cruise Cart during the testing period.
Cruise Carts Instagram Account: @RideCruiseCarts
“I saw a need in Charlotte for a sustainable transportation service,” said Owner Dustin Adams. “We offer a unique way for companies to not only practice social responsibility but to give back to their customers in a fun way!”
How are these brands giving back exactly? By wrapping a cart, that company is sponsoring a month of FREE rides to potential customers. Cruise Carts can be found cruising the Charlotte streets at popular areas (think Panthers Games, the EpiCentre, NC Music Factory, etc) so everyone walking by or riding in the cart is being exposed to that particular brand (as well as being given promo items). In addition, brands are giving back because each cart is not only 100% electric, but those harmful emissions left from motor vehicles are eliminated when using a Cruise Cart.
BIG PICTURE
There is something to be said for companies that constantly keep their consumers in the forefront of their mind. Seeing companies actively make the decision to think outside the box of traditional media AND practice sustainability is so rewarding for us.
We’ve seen these innovative thinkers with our Clean Graffiti service. Leaders like OrthoCarolina, MADabolic, and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte (just to name a few) have seen the benefit of using sustainable media. Now we have the chance to watch our client, Cruise Carts, take on this sustainable, outdoor media world as well!
HITTING THE STREETS
On New Years Eve 2014, Cruise Carts had their first contract with another Charlotte startup, Socialtopias. Socialtopias is a social networking app that allows users to discover new places, make plans with friends, and claim exclusive deals. During their NYE launch party, Cruise Carts acted as the VIP shuttle service to and from the several event locations happening around the city.
The Socialtopias team on the Cruise Cart in Uptown Charlotte.
Wrapped Socialtopias Cruise Cart.
Socialtopias quickly embraced the free ride concept and saw the value of aligning with another cool, innovative company in the Queen City. In the coming months, Cruise Carts will have an official launch date and media event, so stay tuned for more details. In the mean time, follow them on social media to stay up-to-date on progress (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
We are elated for Dustin and the Cruise Carts team! They truly are leaving Charlotte a little bit happier with each FREE ride!
More happy passengers on a Cruise Cart.
Cruise Carts at a Carolina Panthers game.
by thesavageway | Dec 17, 2014 | services
2014. A year that brought many Happy moments and many challenging ones. Here at #thesavageway, we are beyond grateful to have made it another year in business and still remain passionate about what we are doing in this world.
At the end of each year, we like to take time to reflect on the moments that defined us, inspired us and that simply made us happy. Here is a look at a year in the life of #thesavageway:
#thesavageway Team Expanded!
At the beginning of 2014, Paula came on as a full time partner! This was a huge moment for the company and one that we had been working on for some time.
Other areas of growth in Charlotte include our residential Clean Graffiti division, Clean Graffiti Kids. However, our biggest move has to be our expansion to New York. Our sales team in NYC is bringing our sustainable medium of Clean Graffiti to the dirty (and perfect) streets up north!
We Met the “Steve Jobs” of Our Industry!
Torrie & Paula on a Skype session with Jim and Mike of Green Graffiti.
Never in a million years did we think we would meet our European competitor let alone become friends and partners with him! We traveled to Nashville, TN in June of this year to meet Jim Bowes, founder of Green Graffiti and crusader for all things sustainable media. Talk about eye opening and inspiring! Our future with Jim and his team is developing as we write this and we cannot wait to see how together we can make change!
We Won an Art Grant!
Queen City Soup Proposal.
Talking Dirt at Queen City Soup!
On a whim and some encouragement, we applied for Project Art Aid’s Queen City Soup micro grant. After a fairly hilarious skit in front of 200 people, we were awarded the grant for our Clean Graffiti project. The premise was to put down positive messages in high-risk areas of Charlotte in both English & in Spanish. Upon winning we decided to partner with Project LIFT as they were already established in West Charlotte and would allow a more direct impact in the community. Our project is ongoing with the West Charlotte High School IB Art students. Stay tuned for the finished project around March 2015.
We got to work with some pretty rad people…
As a small business, your clients are your bosses and we have to say that we have had some of the best. Huge shout out to this amazing bunch of clients, partners and friends that we’ve had the opportunity to work with this year!
28toLife, AIR – Aerial Fitness, Breathe, Bruks Bars, Carolina Textiles, Carolinas Healthcare System, Charlotte Gastroenterology & Hepatology, CPCC The Curious Advertising & Graphic Design Club, CrossFit 704, Cruise Carts, Crunch Bistro, Custom, Epic Apparel, FaceMounts, Flex + Fit, Four Sisters Boutique, Green Graffiti, Green Teacher Network, Idolize, Justin Driscoll Photography, Libretto’s Pizzeria, LiveUptownNow.com, MADabolic, Midtown Search, NoDa Brewing Company, NoDa Neighborhood, NoDa Brewing Run Club, OrthoCarolina, Pink Toast Ink, Playing for Others, Progressive Urban Real Estate, Project Art Aid, Project LIFT, Queen City Church of Christ, Ready at 7, Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte, Second Helping Charlotte, Stache House, Tech Talent South, TRi Yon Performance, UNC Charlotte PRSSA, Wine & Design Charlotte, Yelp Charlotte, YMCA of Greater Charlotte
We Fell BACK in Love with Coffee.
Delectables from The Daily Press.
If we didn’t love this sweet nectar of the gods before, the coffee scene in NoDa sure made us obsessed. We’ve always had a soft spot in our hearts for Smelly Cat Coffeehouse & Amelie’s French Bakery, but we were blessed with the opening of not one but three coffee shops this year. Ozpresso and Boquette Mountain Coffee became a staple for our client meetings. However the introduction of The Daily Press has to be our favorite. Their hand crafted treats bring a smile to our faces every time we sample them (hello fall favorite Piccadilly Fog). Needless to say there is no excuse to be tired in this neighborhood!
Networking Became Enjoyable Again!
The lovely Corri & Amy, creators of #InstaBeerUpCLT. Photo courtesy of @corriasmith Instagram.
We’ve all been there… a stuffy networking event that is more uncomfortable than meaningful. Well two pretty rad ladies decided that the Charlotte networking scene needed a shake up. Enter #InstaBeerUpCLT. Corri Smith & Amy Herman created a fun monthly event where social media followers could meet in real life! These networking socials bring together the movers and shakers of the social media world at different hot spots around town. Bravo ladies! Looking forward to the next one!
We also look forward to the 2015 development of the new Charlotte group, #WeLoveCLT. Bringing together awesome people to talk about making our city an even better place. YES!!! Stay tuned for more details here.
This is simply a snapshot of the monumental moments in the #thesavageway world. To us, a successful year is one where we get to work with people that we believe in and collaborate on projects that make a difference in the world. 2014 was fantastic and we look forward to 2015 with excitement, passion and possibility.
Cheers!
Paula & Torrie
by thesavageway | Dec 10, 2014 | clean graffiti
#thesavageway won an art grant sponsored by Project Art Aid’s Queen City Soup. The grant is to execute positive Clean Graffiti messages/art around high-risk Charlotte neighborhoods. Upon winning, #thesavageway partnered with Project LIFT & West Charlotte High School to make a larger, more direct community impact. As this project unfolds, #thesavageway will be documenting their experience working with the students.
December 4, 2014
Last week marked the first meeting with the West Charlotte High School (WCHS) students. We joined Beverly Smith, WCHS Art Director, during her International Baccalaureate (IB) Art class. As stated on the program’s website, “the IB Diploma Program is an academically challenging and balanced program of education with final examinations that prepares students for success at university and beyond.” To say that these kids are talented is an enormous understatement.
Introduction to Clean Graffiti
We spent the afternoon meeting the teens and introducing the concept of Clean Graffiti to them. We explained how our use of this eco-friendly medium came about for #thesavageway (aka playing around with a pressure washer) and we showed examples of past clients (pictured here).
Clean Graffiti campaign for OrthoCarolina and the UNC Charlotte Inaugural football season.
Artistic Clean Graffiti campaign for Wine and Design Charlotte.
Two Clean Graffiti images for client MADabolic.
Next we introduced Paul Curtis (aka Moose) to the class. Moose, was the first person to ever do a reverse graffiti campaign. His work can be seen from San Francisco to London and beyond. His latest piece was in collaboration with Nissan Leaf, the world’s best selling electric vehicle. See video here. No one in the class had seen Clean Graffiti before and as artists, their interest was immediately peeked.
We also showed the class examples of one of the first companies to make sustainable advertising a business, Green Graffiti. When we first began our Clean Graffiti journey, GG founder Jim Bowes was an idol, that person we wanted to model ourselves after. Within the past year, we have been lucky enough to form a partnership with Jim and his team in the Netherlands.
Green Graffiti example use of Clean (or Reverse) Graffiti.
Green Graffiti example use of Clean (or Reverse) Graffiti for Starbucks.
Introduction to the Art Project
The students began questioning how they were going to be involved. We introduced them to the project and how they would play a pivotal role. The gist is to put down a positive, yet artsy, Clean Graffiti installation (in both English & Spanish) at each of the nine Project LIFT schools. We will also target a few of the walking paths around West Charlotte High School. Here is how it is going to work:
- Students are broken into groups and will work as a team.
- Design ideas will be discussed and sketched out for review.
- #thesavageway team will return to help guide the students in the right direction in regards to stenciling.
- In the New Year, the groups will present their proposals to #thesavageway then a winner will be chosen.
- From here execution of the project can begin.
- The IB art students will be present the day of execution at the high school so they can obtain that first-hand experience.
Thoughts from initial Meeting
We are BEYOND excited at the excitement and talent that these creative students exhibit. The fact that they are able to experience this new concept from the ground up is sure to be a wonderful learning experience. We could see their wheels turning and even brainstormed a few ideas on the spot.
#thesavageway team with some of the WCHS IB art students.
The initial goal of this project was to put down some positive vibes in high-risk neighborhoods in Charlotte, however with this collaboration, the opportunity has grown to making a direct impact in this community.
Stay tuned for the next blog when we return to WCHS to help the students in the design phase.
