How Heartfelt Marketing Delivers

January 14, 2010 · Comments

Dave Delaney and the Griffin Tech CESBound Project

Dave Delaney and his company, Griffin, put on quite a great little project with CESBound. They took an old VW bus, after hours, and restored it, and then drove it from Nashville all the way to Las Vegas for CES. Along the way, they made media, met friends, told stories, shot photos, froze a bit, played music, and had a blast.

When they arrived at CES, the thing they kept hearing (and I heard it when I visited the booth, too) was, “Man, it’s so cool that you restored this bus and took it on a huge road trip. That’s so much more genuine than renting a nice car and putting it in the booth.

The side of the van was covered in little Polaroid photos from the road trip. The back of the van was playing some of the CESBound TV episodes. Everyone around the bus, whether they were from Griffin or not, seemed really happy.

Dave and the whole rest of the team (we know Dave because he’s one of us, but there’s also Melanie Pherson and tons of other names that Dave or someone will add when they see this post) really did a lot to make the >Griffin Technology CES story into more than just a company selling iPhone and iPod accessories.

Luchador of Griffin

They made a special site, CESBound.com. They befriended the VW community via some forums, where they were told that, when the bus breaks down, someone will come and help them out, no matter where they are in the country. They did all kinds of gatherings and other on-the-road relationship building on the way to the event.

Here’s what I saw from the CES Bound experience:
threadless logo

  • Tell a story and tell it well.
  • Capture the story in multiple types of media.
  • Involve people by communicating and relationship-building.
  • Tie it to your core theme and beliefs (Griffin is a lot about art, design, expression).
  • Build a meaningful online presence around the experience. Don’t call CESBound a microsite.
  • Do it inhouse. Near as I can tell, they had no external agency help with the project.
  • Share the spotlight. Griffin also partnered with Threadless to create a special CES iPhone case, with BrightKite for location services, and more.
  • Bring it all home. The team did a great job of telling a story that also strengthened the brand.

There’s more to how Griffin told the story, but you can see it all at CESBound.com.

As for us, let’s just think about how heartfelt marketing delivers, and what you can do with this kind of information.

Here’s an episode of CESBound’s TV show:

Dave Delaney and the Griffin Tech CESBound Project

Additional photos by griffintech.

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  • Wow! I think that "Mysteryo"!
  • It's great to see that the power of road trips still moves people. Yes, It's hard to tell a great story well but I always wonder why more brands don't put more effort into it because, if successful, the return can be soooo worth it! Thanks for sharing this one! I think it's time to plan a road trip, too. ;)
  • jordankettner
    Could you imagine trying to pitch this idea to a traditional corporation? "I want to restore an old van and drive it to the next trade show instead of flying" It would never happen.

    These types of stories can only come from truly remarkable companies with a great corporate culture.

    Another reason to be 'less traditional'
  • That's the best kind of marketing -- honest and fun. Thanks for sharing.
  • Its a great idea for marketing.
  • Unique and interesting, If Seth Godin says be remarkable some people will listen others will go ahead and do it. Looking for my road trip moment today will put in 2010 goals .

    Hitler never knew how popular the VW would be or it would endup at CES.

    I agree with Julie and others he forum idea is good Nic that marketing has to be fun.
  • I imagine they created a tremendous amount of unity during this process!
  • For sure. It was awesome getting to know each other better.
  • I can only wonder what "regular working guys" think when they read stories like this... it probably goes something like this:

    "Hey, get a dressing down when I'm 10 minutes late from lunch and they have to hold up the production line... and these guys get paid to drive across country in a silly care and shoot video with their Handicam. Unbelievable!"
  • I forgot to add the other names behind the project. They are:
    Jackie Ballinger
    Bradley Spitzer
    J. Curtis
    Mark McGlon
    Tim Coble
    James Finney
    Chris Helman
    Victor Marks
    Rick Kenedy
    Jennifer Fisher
    Dave Reynolds
    Stephen Woolverton
    and many more folks who helped with the bus. Seriously, the list goes on and on.

  • I hope that I get the chance to work for a company that lets me do something like this too! Really nice site - with great photos and stories - looks like it was a fun trip.
  • You guys are a fun, innovative bunch that worked on a fun project! Your peripherals are works of art and it's definitely reflected in your VW wagon. I hope the trip met all your expectations, from when you first came up with your idea, to when you arrive at CES. You guys did great!

    -Maurizio Maranghi
  • Thanks a million Maurizio.
  • I love this: "They befriended the VW community via some forums, where they were told that, when the bus breaks down, someone will come and help them out, no matter where they are in the country."

    Not IF the bus breaks down...but WHEN.

    Great post...great story.
  • I've owned a number of Griffin products (still use an iMic), and have always found them useful and reliable. Better yet, when I have had questions, I've received quick, helpful answers by the phone and by email. And their people at MacWorld have been lots of fun. Good people, good company (and nice work on the van).

    And Chris, today I received Trust Agents (free!) in the mail, just for having attended a free webinar of yours in late 2009. Dunno if it was your idea or Citrix's (mailed from their address), but that's quite generous, particularly since I received solid info from the webinar—the book is gravy. So this week I'm reading Seth Godin's Linchpin and your Trust Agents; I'm SURE to be a genius in a week or so...
  • Thanks for a great post Chris. It was so good to see you again. I wish we could see each other more often.

    Double Nickels and the gang said to say hello!

    We'll see you at SXSW.

    I almost forgot to plug Casey Gittings, the amazing guy who made and sent us the cesbound.com emblem. Any VW people should check him out here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.p...

    Cheers,
    Dave
  • It's fun, it's heartfelt and most of all it is different and grabs your attention. A very ingenious approach to marketing. You guy did a fantastic job.
  • Thank you.
  • Wow, fantastic! I'm thoroughly jealous, it sounds amazing. Now, perhaps they should take that baby down the dragstrip for a run or two... <grin> Sounds like a great group of smart folks, I hope to meet 'em someday.
  • Thanks. A couple of us will be at SXSW Interactive. Perhaps we'll see you there.
  • dariuswalker
    Hearfelt marketing is nothing more than emotional advertising. The other day I saw a commerical for "Don't text and Drive". It was a brother who was texting and ran over his sister. It's sounds terrible and definitely sob but if you really analyze it, it is effective. It seems (especially with the economic downtown) that emotionl/hearfelt advertising is the way go. Nice story.
  • Awesome story and like many others I enjoyed reading. It is one thing to build a car and road trip to Vegas, but to make it a story and cover it in so many different mediums is just amazing. I am planning on road tripping to Vegas in Feb. Maybe I will have some stories of my own
  • Be sure to let me know what you decide to do. Safe travels.
    Don't forget that what happens on the road to Vegas stays on the Internet! :)
  • great concept and so nice to see how we can bring together the real world and digital space. Creating and sharing. It's human.
  • I feel this way too. There's nothing better than going to meet ups and conferences to mingle with our friends from the fish bowl.

    It's all about high-fives, handshakes and hugs!
  • Loved your learning points summary, shared it with our CMO, www.mindbloom.com. Thanks! Nicey Hilton
  • Nicey- I've been loving Mindbloom, FYI. Definitely reframes my usual lists.:)
  • I love the video! so fun. and how great of them to incorporate a fun project into their business, so clearly having a blast.
  • A blast was had for sure. We've have several other videos on the site, be sure to check them out. More soon.
  • Very creative way to make the brand tangible. Terrific Marketing!!!!
    Now you can create some webpisodes with this van an have a weekly
    viral youtube campaign.
  • We're working on four more episodes that will give you a real look at life on the road. Stay tuned.
  • Hey! Let me know . I love working on sponsored brand content and online brand content. I would love to see this going really far. Is growing rapidly in the agency and is getting fast acceptance.
  • When you are authentic, you connect. People are emotional creatures and react/are moved by authenticity. I am so impressed by CESBound's ability to distill and convey their essence. They tapped into Americana. Who among us hasn't scribbled a sign and taped it to the back of the Family Truckster, waving at folks all the way along the highway?

    I have. CESBound mined that commonality and expanded it to great effect, and took us all along on the ride with them. Kudos. :)

    Great post! Best, M.
  • Thanks M! I love your comment.
  • HeatherNolte
    What an amazing example of what TO DO when it comes to marketing...the sincerity and level of interaction they achieved is to be admired. Major kudos and thanks for sharing the story Chris...I'm jotting down notes like crazy! ;)
  • Thanks for the comment Heather. It was an incredible adventure.
  • Love this post. Best thing is "don't call it a microsite" . You're right because it diminishes the experience. Thanks for pointing that out because I make that mistake all the time :)
  • nic_oliver
    You mean it's possible to go to CES, make media along the way and have FUN! Surely no ;-)

    Really inspirational tale, thanks Chris.
  • Indeed! :)
  • This reminds me A lot of http://plaidnation.com/ . They did the same-ish thing in 09'
  • Nothing like an old car project to bring guys together...(what a great excuse for beer...)

    It works beacuse it was made in house (well made actually). You can get alot of mileage from ransparency and simplicity.
  • Thanks Serge. It really was a pleasure getting to know my colleagues better. The beer helped too :)

    The restoration was a huge part of the journey. Many off hours were spent working on Double Nickels.
  • The great and inspiring learning from this post is how well the CESBound team built a community. The team did a fantastic job building a community AND building a brand at the same time. The connection was done so well that their physical presence (their potential product) was sold before they arrived at the event. This is an awesome example of how to build community. Thanks for sharing.
  • Thanks Andy. It was so incredible to connect with our customers in person, both at our meet ups over a drink and at CES in our booth.

    I wish we could hit the road again. Now.
  • This bus was so spectacular- not only did they restore it, but they did it with natural wood plank flooring. If the devil's in the details, the opposite is true as well. The care evident in them shows some serious heart.

    I was also struck by how each person near the booth had a ready point of conversation- the trip- and was comfortable engaging. Of the 20 or so interactions I had at this booth, 1 was about product- and that was because I asked a question. But I feel I have a much better sense of Griffin as a company and a culture- and I was already an avid owner of at least 2 of their products.

    WIth all the gloss at CES, Griffin stood out for grit, and it was awesome.
  • melpher
    "WIth all the gloss at CES, Griffin stood out for grit, and it was awesome." this is one of the greatest compliments we have received. thank you from the bottom of my heart.
  • Thank you so much, you guys. It's just neat to see a company highlighting the human side of its people. And y'all are some neat humans.:) See you in Austin!
  • Your comment is really sweet! Thanks. I'm glad you walked away knowing how cool it is to work for Griffin. We really are a unique and fun place to be, I'm a lucky guy.

    We had such a great time at CES and on the road there.

    Cheers!
  • Wow great marketing story, very inspiring too...
  • lexgarey
    Enable the child within and everything is more genuine. So brilliant!
  • and the kids are alright!
    - we listened to a bit of The Who on the road too ;)
  • That is so awesome.

    I obviously need to spend more time hanging out with Dave & Co - since my cynical subconscious thought while reading it was "and how many people will think it was about having a VW Bus there rather than being genuine, creative, and innovative as well as engaging their community and have not even bothered to read the bullet points?" Ugh. I think I've been around too many 'ooh... we need to be different - how did those guys do it? Let's copy them exactly and do it too!' marketers of late.

    Thanks for sharing this one Chris. Kudos to Dave & everyone else involved in CESBound
  • Thanks Lucretia.
  • Awesome! That is the kind of out of the box stuff that sets the bar for the rest of us. And a ton of fun too I bet!
  • It was tons of fun.
    It's cool we were able to think outside the bus. :)
  • leewoodford
    Great story. Now that's what I call a roadtrip!!
  • vishi96
    Like all the others, Loved this one too. Thanks a lot for this inspirational post.

    http://www.dumblittleblogger.com/
  • Chris may be he will let you borrow his van for the next trip! I love the story the only thing is what happens now ? CESBoundandmore.com
    ps reminds me of Herbie.
  • I grew up with Herbie too! I loved that bug!
    We plan on releasing four more episodes, which will include tons for footage from the road.

    Stay tuned. That's not the last you'll see of Double Nickels! :)
  • "Tell a story and tell it well". This is really true. A story makes one's memory last for generations to come, so tell it well. Loved your post, thanks so much for sharing!
  • Fabulous. Inspiring. I'm going to make my own one happen...
  • Loved this post...inspirational...and doing it inhouse is even better...
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