When the company called Zappos came into the picture to shop online for shoes It soon became one of my wife’s favorite sources for shoes.

It seemed like almost weekly a Zappo box would arrive on our doorstep with several different pairs of shoes. My role in all of this to simply take the shoes that needed to be returned to the UPS Store. It seemed like some weeks I was going to ask for an intervention. The closets were getting filled with shoe boxes.

What do shoes have to do with what we do?

At Generating Media we pride ourselves on finding creative ways to increase awareness and energy without using paid advertising. (We can help you. )

Getting creative to reduce your marketing budget

We reached out to Zappo’s headquarters and asked them if they would consider sending empty Zappo boxes to about 20 people if we provided their names, addresses, and contact information. The purpose of sending the empty boxes was so these 20 people could go into their closets and search for an old pair of shoes to send to my wife for her 60th birthday gift. Along with the old shoes a birthday card that expressed a story that went along with the shoes. Zappos loved the idea and without hesitation sent out the empty Zappos boxes.

We composed a note to all 20 people to request they help with this 60th birthday celebration. Almost every day for the month prior to the 60th birthday a Zappos box would arrive at our doorstep. The mystery was always where did the box came from, what was with the old shoes, and the fun stories about why some old shoes were chosen.

Zappos brought it to another level. Their Customer Service Team also sent a Zappos Box filled with gifts including Zappos T-Shirt, water bottle, notepaper, and a great birthday card signed by the entire team.

With each arriving box, we sent out an email to all 20 people with a photograph of the Zappos Box and the shoes that came with it. The mailman was even asked, “What’s with all the Zappos Boxes!?”

We Can Create Viral Moments

The point in sharing this story is to encourage you to contact us to see if we can create a relevant story for your company or brand that will not require advertising or marketing dollars. We will create that “viral” moment for your company.