Skiver Advertising Lands Kangaroo Express Contract, Launches With Slam-Dunk Campaign

NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - May 16, 2011) - Skiver Advertising, an "uncomplicated" Southern California advertising agency known for integrating effective digital and traditional advertising under one roof, celebrated its newest client, Kangaroo Express convenience stores, by launching a thrilling campaign that earned the attention of The New York Times. Kangaroo Express and its parent company, The Pantry Inc. in Cary, North Carolina, intend to repeat the promotion periodically throughout their new two-year contract with Skiver Advertising.

Skiver used college basketball season to score big points with the Fortune 500 client by orchestrating an innovative campaign that boosted sales of Kangaroo Express' Bean Street coffee brand by 120,000 branded cups of coffee from mid November 2010 to April 1, 2011. Skiver's highly integrated strategic campaign incorporated fierce team rivalries to stimulate record sales for the convenience store chain.

"These college basketball fans are so passionate about their teams," says Jeremy Skiver, CEO of Skiver Advertising. "This campaign put us in the middle of that energy, getting fans riled up and excited to participate. It's a great example of how a simple concept can succeed when it's supported by a smart team with an in-depth understanding of the elements, from Facebook and Twitter to radio spots and in-store promotions. Those are our key strengths in a nutshell -- breadth of knowledge and uncomplicated execution under one roof. While there were plenty of moving parts, the big picture was seamless for the client."

Under Skiver's direction, Kangaroo Express introduced 20-ounce cups emblazoned with three local college colors and logos: Duke University in Durham, North Carolina; North Carolina State University in Raleigh; and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Each cup fans purchased scored a point for their university, and points were tallied daily on a dedicated website. On April 1, University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the team with the highest sales, received a $20,000 donation to their chosen charity -- plus bragging rights. The two runners-up received $5,000 each for their designated charities.

A Winning Solution Exceeds Kangaroo's Goals

Kangaroo Express reintroduced Bean Street brand coffee last August with new flavors, brewing equipment and cups. The coffee makeover kicked off the company's intention to increase food and beverage sales.

When the client passed the ball to Jeremy Skiver, he took it strong to the goal. He and executive creative director Rob Pettis -- passionate basketball fans who relished the opportunity to mix business and fan-hood -- spearheaded the digital and traditional advertising promotion.

"This ingenious campaign is the ideal way to communicate with our target audience that there's something new happening at Kangaroo Express," says Dave Henninger, vice president of marketing at The Pantry. "In addition to pulling off the epic task of bringing together mascots from three rival schools in one television commercial, Skiver Advertising used every medium to reach out to the hundreds of thousands of college basketball fans who visit our stores. It tapped into their energy and passion. Every part of the campaign worked together to build a level of excitement that made the whole promotion incredibly successful."

Social Networking Sites Rallied the Competitors

In addition to traditional media support, including TV and radio spots, in-store advertising and on-campus promotions, Skiver Advertising put social media platforms to textbook use. Fans could access Facebook and Foursquare social networking pages, a Twitter account, and a YouTube channel. Online banner ads, QR cell-phone codes and the dedicated website also targeted the student populations. Traditional media caught the attention of faculty, alumni and other locals devoted to their favorite college teams.

A campaign stand-out was the incorporation of a dedicated website, where competitive fans could track the daily sales of their team's logo cups by store location in real time. The site spurred some dedicated participants to travel into other teams' neighborhoods, spiking sales for their own team in rivals' territories. Skiver Advertising is eager to brew similar success for Kangaroo Express for the next two years of the new contract.

ABOUT SKIVER ADVERTISING: Based in Newport Beach, Calif., Skiver Advertising is an uncomplicated ad agency with a common-sense approach that draws from a depth of knowledge and talent in digital and traditional advertising to deliver simple messaging with strong results -- all with a single point of contact. The company was founded in 2001 by Jeremy Skiver, whose resume includes some of the hottest agencies in Southern California, like TBWA/Chiat/Day, DGWB, Bates USA and DiZinno Thompson -- with expertise in automotive, fashion, sporting goods, fast food, retail, real estate and luxury resorts. The company's seamless integration and simple style has impressed national clients from T-Mobile and Targus, to Kangaroo Express. Skiver Advertising solves complex marketing problems with innovative solutions -- in an uncomplicated manner -- providing everything clients need in a single phone call. For more information, visit www.skiver.com.