What's happening with Avantgarde and its clients...

Avantgarde Leads Buzz Campaign for the Treo 600
A strategic seeding project developed by Avantgarde put Handspring’s new Treo 600 smartphone into the hands of key personalities in the entertainment, technology and business worlds, continuing the company’s successful viral marketing efforts around its Treo line of mobile communications devices. The highly visible “influencers” reached by Avantgarde acted as leaders or connectors to other personalities in their circles, helping to spark an epidemic of Treo 600 purchases immediately upon the device’s release in September. Avantgarde is presently developing testimonials around influencers' use of the Treo.

A December article in Business 2.0, “Anatomy of a Buzz Campaign,” highlighted the value of this program in generating awareness of the Treo 600 (see article in Business 2.0; subscription required). Business 2.0’s Damon Darlin asked Biz360, a San Mateo, CA-based media analysis company, to track mentions of the Treo 600 in print and electronic media. Biz360 found that between the launch of the device in September and late October, the buzz campaign had garnered free editorial coverage equivalent to $265,000 worth of advertising space.

(Avantgarde contributed to Biz360’s own successful launch in 2001 with launch materials, a corporate web site, and interface and branding design. See Biz360 Case Study).

Buoyed by positive reviews of the Treo 600, Handspring merged with Palm in October, creating the new PalmOne. (See press release). And in November, the Treo 600 received PC Magazine’s Technical Excellence Award and was a finalist for the Best of COMDEX Award in the Mobile Devices category. (See press release). Avantgarde congratulates Handspring on the Treo 600’s phenomenal success and stands ready to help other clients establish “customer epidemics” through targeted product placement with visible thought leaders.

Corel/Xerox Partnership Leads to Holiday Promotion of Xerox Free Color Printers Program
Avantgarde continues its relationship with Xerox, helping to develop strategic marketing partnerships to support the company’s FreeColorPrinters program, which delivers free color printers to qualified organizations such as non-profits, schools, and small businesses. A partnership we arranged between Xerox and Corel earlier in 2003 has now resulted in a holiday promotion offering Corel products to FreeColorPrinters program members.

Through a targeted e-mail, Xerox offered program members 25% savings on the Business Bundle and Graphics Bundle of Corel software. Corel, best known for its award-winning CorelDRAW^® and WordPerfect^® Office Suite, gives customers the power to create, exchange and instantly interact with visual content.

Timbuk2 Hires Avantgarde to Expand Audience Appeal
San Francisco’s own Timbuk2, a maker of hand-sewn bags for bicycle messengers and cycling enthusiasts since 1989, has hired Avantgarde to help evolve its brand strategy as it introduces products geared toward broader lifestyles. The company’s new Graphic Messenger Bags and Laptop Bags have been winning rave reviews, and the company plans to expand into other related lifestyle products.

Tibetan Aid Fundraising Event More Than Doubles Previous Year’s Donations
The Tibetan Aid Project is a Berkeley, CA-based organization that works to preserve and restore Tibet’s cultural and spiritual heritage. For the past three years, the organization has raised funds through an annual Taste and Tribute dinner featuring a range of cuisines. For this year’s event, held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, Avantgarde developed a unique mail-out invitation beckoning supporters to the gala dining experience, which showcased nine four-course menus created by 18 renowned chefs. The event raised more than $100,000 for Tibetan Aid, surpassing the 2002 dinner’s fundraising record by more than $50,000.

The Tibetan Aid Project was founded by Tibetan Lama Tarthang Tulku in 1969 and is staffed entirely by volunteers. The project supports the production and distribution of sacred Tibetan texts and art to Tibetans in Asia. It also provides general assistance to monastic centers, sponsors traditional ceremonies, and works to promote awareness of Tibetan civilization around the world. Avantgarde looks forward to supporting such a worthwhile cause in the years to come.