The Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) announced today the winners for its prestigious REGGIE® awards, the highest honor in integrated marketing.  PGW is honored to have received the Silver Award for Experiential Marketing with a Budget Over $1 Million, awarded for our “AMP UP For What’s Next” program executed for AMP Energy/Pepsico.

PGW is already deep into its new 2010 campaign for AMP Energy, which is even more adventurous and far-reaching than in 2009… see you at the 2011 Reggies!

AMP Energy has partnered once again with the Agenda tradeshow in sunny Huntington Beach, CA. Come check out “What’s Next” in the fashion world tomorrow, January 8th and 9th, 2010.

Every fall, the popular San Francisco festival ‘Love Parade’ (renamed LovEvolution), annually draws in thousands of people to celebrate love and music.. AMP Energy was right in the middle of the fun this year, sponsoring the Solid Gold Jacuzzi which has been awarded “Best Float” for several years now! With special appearances by Groove Armada and others it was not to be missed.

On to the Mezzanine, AMP Energy drinks and Scion presented the official Gold Play after party with electronic music label Om records (Child’s Play) and Flavor Group (Solid Gold Jacuzzi).

LA Riots, Dj Heather, Trackademicks and more on the 1’s and 2’s.

For client Kodak’s nationwide “Save $110 Tour,” which introduces consumers to its newest range of high-quality, money-saving photo printers, PGW has designed and produced a completely customized mobile unit and put it on the road with dedicated staff.  On a very tight schedule, PGW created customized Kodak graphics and props, researched and routed tour destinations for the full 4-month duration, and provided a trained team of brand reps to provide product information to consumers, award daily consumer prizes, compose ongoing Twitter updates, speak knowledgeably with press and media, and drive traffic to the client’s “Print And Prosper” website.

The Tour launched on October 2nd, when PGW’s team presented the outfitted vehicle and setup to the Kodak upper management at their Rochester, NY headquarters.  The team then inaugurated the Tour by making their first stop at a local Best Buy and immediately attracting local foot traffic and even spontaneous invitations for them to come visit other retail locations.  During the 16-week Tour, the Kodak vehicle and team will visit 6 - 8 towns per week, all of which can be monitored via the custom Tour tracker created by PGW for www.PrintAndProsper.com.  Check it  out!

Local newscasters covered the launch of the Kodak “Save $110 Tour.”

This past Sunday, September 27th, the famous Abbot Kinney Festival returned to Venice for its annual music and culture fiesta, taking over the boulevard in front of PGW’s headquarters and filling the streets with live music, vendors, and thousands of people all day long. PGW secured a sponsorship of the event for client AMP Energy, which meant an AMP-sponsored rock band stage with Guitar Center, AMP sampling tents and teams on the street, AMP photo wall, and branding on all official event signage and press.  We promoted the event via the AMP Energy Twitter, and co-branded full-page ads went out in local press in the preceding weeks.

The event was packed and the AMP Energy street team had a great time sampling to the diverse crowd backed by the sound of live bands onstage!  See more AMP activation on the official Abbot Kinney Fest photostream.

The festivities seen from balcony at PGW HQ

The “WHAT’S NEXT” video series that PGW has created for AMP Energy, profiling dozens of cutting-edge influencers in art, fashion, streetwear and action sports, has been a huge success featured in all kinds of media. To honor and thank the amazing influencers who have worked with us on the series, PGW threw a VIP event at its AK1511 event space on September 24th, calling it A.M.P. (All My People) and featuring sets by DJ Tendaji, a guest performance by Pac Div, guest art exhibit by Tofer Chin, onsite screenings of the entire “WHAT’S NEXT” video series, open bar by AMP Energy and Belvedere, and a gifting suite with exclusive AMP brand collaboration items.  Click for more event press on Hypebeast and on Ben Baller’s Icee Fresh & Co blog!

Pac Div onstage

Sneaker Steve Patino & co. pose in front of Tofer Chin’s work (”No 2″ & “No. 3″, 2009)

Artist Tofer Chin

DJ Rashida

The AMP “WHAT’S NEXT” video viewing stations, staffed by  L.A’s AMP team

Bee Nguyen and director Ace Norton with the AMP Energy collab gift bag

Musician Mick Kelleher with his AMP x Flip camera and AMP x G-Shock watch

Streetwear icon Sneaker Steve Patino with Bee Nguyen, checking out the AMP iHome

DJ Skeet Skeet showing off the custom AMP x Han Cholo ring

Celebrity jeweler Ben Baller and his lovely wife!

Designer Brian Lichtenberg with Natalie Levy of Grey Ant

Photographer Rony Alwin of Rony’s Photobooth

Check out more All My People party photos at RonysPhotobooth.com!

All My People event invite

PGW flew its InHouse Creative team out to Vegas last week for the 3rd season of designing and producing MAGIC tradeshow’s select streetwear area, S.L.A.T.E. It has been a fantastic experience since last August when IHC first debuted the show at MAGIC, and this show was no exception. Along with the normal show area we also got to create special lounges, bring in artists and host a fantastic opening party along with Stussy. Got to see a lot of old friends and admire the new gear that all the brands have coming out for Spring 2010… Photo recaps from S.L.A.T.E. and the Stussy x AMP Energy opening party below!

The AMP Energy roulette wheel with brand collab prizes like AMP x Skullcandy headphones

AMP x Hit + Run live tee screening station with limited-edition artist designs just for S.L.A.T.E.

The AMP team sampled AMP Energy to eager designers and buyers for all 3 days of  S.L.A.T.E.

Busta Rhymes stopped by the show and hung out with the AMP team

AMP Energy brought musician Trouble Andrew and his band in for a live gig on Tuesday

All AMP brand collaboration items were displayed onsite, including the G-Shock watch, New Era/Takeout cap with custom capstrap, Flip video camera, Han Cholo ring, and Skullcandy headphones

Invite for the AMP x Stussy official S.L.A.T.E. opening party with Dam Fun & Pollyn at Body English

Gobo light branding above the main Body English bar

AMP Energy served with all VIP bottle service

Additional S.L.A.T.E. press…

MAGIC’s official S.L.A.T.E. site

NYLON Magazine’s “GET AMPED UP” recap

Cardboard Robot show recap

Two In The Shirt show recap

yeeBay show recap

DrJays.com show recap

IM KING show recap

MAGIC show blog

Great show, great time, and we get to do it all again in February 2010!

Hard to believe, but our office is packing up and heading to Las Vegas in just a few days to set up S.L.A.T.E. at MAGIC! PGW’s creative agency InHouse is in charge of putting on the whole production, and S.L.A.T.E.’s third season is definitely going to be bigger and better than ever.  Amazing roster of top progressive streetwear and action- sport-inspired lifestyle brands… three full days of live show DJs from Dim Mak, Skullcandy, Aerial7, Live Mechanics and Ubiquity… the return of the Antenna Magazine x S.L.A.T.E. claw arcade game filled with awesome freebies from 10.Deep, Freshjive, Hot Air, XLarge, Stussy, Akomplice, and many others… the AMP Energy x Hit + Run booth featuring live tee screening, the AMP roulette wheel and AMP brand collaboration items to win… and of course the MASSIVE S.L.A.T.E. opening night party on Monday, hosted by AMP Energy and Stussy.  See you there!!!

The Hit + Run Crew broke out with their latest in the “What’s Next” series hosted by AMP Energy and AK1511 by presenting Zackey Force Funk. “The Force” killed it with an garage-style performance that was almost more than the room could handle.  Crime and crew held him down with keyboards and sampling machines propped up on milk crates. Talk about keeping it real… It was funk meets punk meets screamo and it all worked! Hit + Run also had a line snaking around the gallery space to get custom-screened shirts with all new designs from 2 Cents, Kofie One, Retna, The Mac, Anne Madison, & the Crew. The installation from Paperworks Laboratories had the masses staring (check out the limited Song of Songs print on their website as well as our walls!). Another great AMP Energy eventwith fantastic guest talent & a great crowd.

Another Hit + Run event with one-time-only custom  screenprints, CD release for Zackey Force Funk, launch of Paperworks Laboratories, and massive entertainment to spare!  Art pre-show with DJ Erok of Latin Division for the early party people, and a range of DJs throughout the night.

Hosted again by AMP Energy at PGW’s event space in Venice, CA.  RSVP now, these guys have a huge following and it will fill up fast! www.ak1511.com/rsvp

Wednesday’s BPMp3 battle was epic! BPM Magazine brought their annual showdown to PGW’s space AK1511 and it was a battle to remember.  Teams of  L.A.’s hippest culture vultures all took a shot at the title with their carefully  curated mp3 players and all-out war cries. Audience fueled by AMP Energy and Belvedere screamed their loudest and after many rounds crowned the winning team. Thanks to BPM and to the teams from Stones Throw, Eat Skeet, From Elsewhere, Dim Mak, The Cobrasnake, Deckstar, Lovemade and Barracuda for coming out!

The line waiting to get in (400% as many people RSVPed as we could allow in)

Apl.de.ap from Black Eyed Peas stopped in for the fun

Team Lovemade calling for audience backup

“Oh yeah, well my AMP can takes photos too!”

Lambo bringing the bagel bling to victorious Team Stones Throw

First Friday has become a regular rager here at AK1511, with crowds rushing the door to get in for the performers, art shows and open bar hosted by AMP Energy and Belvedere. This past Friday the 3rd, we thought everyone would be gone on vaycay…but not so much! Party crowd was out in full force, so our guest Mick Kelleher played to a packed house. He debuted his newest single, “Hollywood Hello,” and people who hadn’t gotten in on Thursday got to check out the new Hit + Run show up on the walls. Awesome way to start the holiday weekend!

This month’s awesome AK1511 / AMP space art show is by famed Hit + Run Crew artists (following up last month’s equally amazing Restitution Press exhibit)

AMP Influencer and Han Cholo designer Brandon shows up and AMPs up for WHAT’S NEXT LA!

Since it was his CD release party Gaslamp Killer graced the crowd with a long set, totally brought the house down.

The Hit + Run guys didn’t stop screening from the second the doors opened until the last straggler left…everyone left with a custom one-of-a-kind tee with prints from artists Kime Buzzelli, Mike C, Kutmah, H+R Crew and Gaslamp Killer.  Check em out below…

At capacity!!

Outside AK1511 once we finally had to wrap up the festivities…

It was a great time, and many thanks to all our friends Gaslamp Killer, Hit + Run, Belvedere and AMP!  Now let’s rally and keep the party going tonight for FIRST FRIDAY on Abbot Kinney!

Event space AK1511 was jammed with fashionistas eyeing the goods at last weekend’s first-ever Planet Blue trunkshow! The 3-day event drew crowds with its selection of fashion, handbags, beauty (and of course chocolate!). Hosted by PGW, AK1511, AMP Energy and Belvedere.

Tarah Smith

Glitz

AMP Energy x Belvedere open bar

Our events are always over capacity…make sure to RSVP!  www.ak1511.com/rsvp

AMP is sponsoring a listening party at Undefeated in Silverlake for Nosaj Thing's awesome new album.

Check out Nosaj Thing’s blog for details…

Party coverage is on Hypebeast as well.

High Snobiety is highlighting the limited-edition UNDFTDxNosaj Thing tee that will be released at the event.

Through PGW, AMP Energy is supporting musician Trouble Andrew’s current tour with Santigold. In addition to the local AMP team bringing their mobile unit, crew and AMP to each tour stop, the AMP “What’s Next” campaign is sponsoring and promoting the tour itself.  Reactions have been hugely positive, with thrilled concertgoers all heading in to the show with AMP in hand.

PGW’s event space opened its doors  during Abbot Kinney’s First Friday on May 1st for an invite-only event…and what started as a casual dance party quickly became the biggest bash that Abbot Kinney has ever seen.  With open bar by AMP Energy and Belvedere IX, the AMP mobile unit parked outside, and hundreds of guests getting down to jams by DJ Legacy, our AK1511 space had an unbeatable debut.

Emile Hirsch & Ace Norton hanging at the bar

AMP Energy sponsored the afterparty for Tofer Chin’s latest show, Cornish Acid, Saturday night April 25th.  The Flaunt TV studio hosted the party, which featured musical guest Spank Rock.

Tofer Chin x Han Cholo limited-edition egg pendants on display during Cornish Acid.

Check out our custom AMP Energy x UNDFTD fridge on Eddie Cruz’s desk! Featured on Eddie’s Hypebeast blog (with UNDFTD’s new FMJ showcased inside…nice!).  PGW is customizing fridges for the most influential retailers in each market of AMP Energy’s WHAT’S NEXT campaign.

The first massive event in Promotions Group West’s  recently launched AMP ENERGY grassroots campaign, AMP ENERGY joined forces with Belvedere IX, House of Hype and BPM magazine  to present another unforgettable series of VIP events at Music Loves Fashion during  the Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2009. From April 17th to April 19th at Palm Springs’ Riviera Resort, the “Music Loves Fashion” event created a desert playground for entertainment and recording industry professionals and their guests attending the Coachella Music Festival.

AMP supplied both energy drinks and entertainment, bringing amed artist team Hit + Run to the event to silkscreen custom tees for guests at the event. The daytime pool parties held around the Riviera’s clover shaped pool were fueled by the AMP ENERGY and Belvedere IX bar, and at night, acclaimed DJs Kavinsky, Sebastian, DJ Mehdi, A-Trak, Pase Rock, LA Riots, Felix Cartal, Classixx, Them Jeans, Blake Miller, Peter Parker, Hyphy Crunk, DJ Excel & Gomez Warren IV, DJ Yo-C, and Doman+Pettigrew took over the turntables. 55DSL, in conjunction with Dim Mak, also hosted their fifteenth year anniversary pool party with Danny Masterson, The Whip, and many more special guests.

These events benefit the ONEXONE foundation, which works to preserve the lives of children in the U.S. and around the world with a focus on hunger, clean water, health care, and education (www.onexone.org).

AMP in celebs’ hands on Fox News, BuzzFoto

Music Loves Fashion official site

S.L.A.T.E. returned for its February 2009 season presented by PGW’s InHouse Creative group. Brands had a good show and we were happy with it all around.  The show was right in the middle of things this year in Central Hall, all our custom pieces were in place and our DJs (Steve Aoki, (N) and Hyphy Crunk from Dim Mak, Simon S S, Dstrukt and Wrex from Acrylick, Guy Hartley from Mighty Fine) kept up the main sound all show.  Crowds gathered when Common came by on Wednesday morning to film at S.L.A.T.E. (after performing at our Tuesday night opening party), to hang out at the Karmaloop bar, and to play the arcade game we customized with Antenna mag.  We produced graphics for trend forecasters WGSN for their lounge - great to see their take on what’s next in fashion - and for the WWD photo exhibits as well. We had a great show season and are grateful to all the people who kept up the hard work and parties all week long!

To promote Air New Zealand’s new NON-STOP to LONDON flight, Promotions Group West graphically wrapped an authentic London-style double-decker bus with the messaging “Ride to London on Air New Zealand” and staffed it with a ‘crew’ of Brand Ambassadors outfitted in official ANZ flight attendant uniforms. The bus & crew hit the streets of Los Angeles and visited high-traffic business districts, lifestyle locations, coffee shops & British pubs distributing “boarding passes” that promoted the LAX to LONDON message & promotional offer, along with ANZ-branded tea biscuits and handouts that displayed the URL to register for the sweepstakes.

To create consumer buzz at local pubs, PGW created the ANZ Dart Contest which consisted of a series of competitions at select British pubs in the Los Angeles area. PGW partnered with each pub to host the competition, prominently display ANZ branded collateral and incorporate the flight message into all decor and theme elements at the pub competitions. Promotion managed by PGW and CEO Russ Jones.

The Spiderwick Chronicles Experience brought Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ new film, “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” to life with 2 interactive mobile units.  The tour elements consisted of 2 graphically-wrapped 40ft gooseneck trailers that featured theatrical artwork from the movie and partners’ logos.  The interior was designed to resemble the old mansion from the movie, complete with wallpaper, faux hardwood floors, crown moldings, bookshelves and antique wall sconces.  The trailer was outfitted with state of the art A/V equipment, and consumers entering the mobile exhibit were able to explore the adventures of the main characters from the movie and learn about the process of Computer Generated Imagery through a series of interactive displays. The ‘Faerie Photo Station’ also allowed kids to have their photo taken and then morphed into their favorite creature, which was then downloadable at the ‘Experience’ microsite.

Promotions Group West created the 1st Annual ING DIRECT Freedom Ride, with hundreds of Harley-Davidson riders completing a 60-mile ride through the San Francisco Bay Area, followed by a family “Freedom Festival” with legendary rock band KANSAS at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco,  where Blimpie’s provided lunch, and Coca Cola was onsite sampling their new C2 cola. All participants received branded collateral, and fabulous prizes were raffled off including Orange Savings Accounts, ING DIRECT mountain bikes and the grand prize, a custom ING DIRECT orange and blue 2004 Harley-Davidson Road King Classic!  The event was designed to raise money and awareness for the ING DIRECT Kids Foundation and United Way of the Bay Area’s Honoring Emancipated Youth (HEY). A special breakfast for the foster youth and caregivers was sponsored by ING DIRECT earlier in the day, and the children also had an opportunity to paint murals for Portraits of Hope, a public arts program.

Promotions Group West promoted the event directly to ING Direct customers, to HEY members and corporate sponsors, and to Harley fans (through several guerilla marketing techniques, including chapter meeting presentations to all participating ‘Harley Chapters’ in the Bay Area, onsite collateral distribution at Harley themed events and biker hang outs, and signage display at all Harley dealers and shops in and around the Bay Area). PGW also created a website for ING DIRECT to support the registration of the entire Freedom Ride event.   Promotion was managed by PGW and CEO Russ Jones.

The head of ING Direct leads the ride in a custom ING Harley!

Promotions Group West created the “I’ve Got A Secret” Mobile Tour for GSN, the Game Show Network, which consisted of a graphically-wrapped SUV & trailer that prominently displayed GSN & IGAS logos & the show tune-in time. The vehicles acted as mobile billboards as they criss-crossed the country visiting ten markets over a ten-week period, hitting gay pride festivals & parades and high-traffic nightlife scenes in each market. At event locations, consumers could enter the mobile recording studio to reveal their scandalous secret, weird hobby or freakish talent. Consumers who participated received an “I’ve Got A Secret”-branded t-shirt and a chance for their secret to be streamed & voted online at GSN.com/secret. Additional premiums distributed were Secret-O-Meter cards that measured how ‘hot’ a consumer’s secret was.

To support the mobile promotion, PGW created an “I’ve Got A Secret” viral campaign, including a weekly “I’ve Got A Secret” video podcast for iTunes and other top podcast sites; creating buzz and excitement about I’ve Got A Secret and driving traffic to the “I’ve Got A Secret” website via specific message boards; and creating a “I’ve Got A Secret”MySpace page to build a fan base for IGAS. Promotion managed by PGW and CEO Russ Jones.

Promotions Group West created the ING DIRECT Cash Cow promotion which consisted of several savings events and was delivered via teams of fully costumed ING DIRECT Cash Cows and several oversized Cash Cow statues which were towed around by branded tow vehicles. The Cows hit the streets of Chicago distributing Savings Passes for  consumers to save on everyday expenses like parking and dining. The Cash Cow street teams visited sporting events, train stations, malls, shopping & business districts and various other high traffic consumer locations to get the word out.

The Cows flooded the streets of Chicago, causing commotion and excitement around the brand launch. PGW also arranged several media opportunities for the Cash Cow team and the ING DIRECT Hot Air Balloon which got picked up on local news shows multiple times. Promotion managed by PGW and CEO Russ Jones.

Promotions Group West’s In House Creative group worked with trade show company Advanstar to introduce S.L.A.T.E., a select streetwear trade show that differentiates itself from the typical trade show experience; to establish a distinction between S.L.A.T.E. as a showcase for progressive lifestyle brands and traditional streetwear labels; to design and execute a show environment that reflected current design trends. Breaking away from the traditional tradeshow structure, In House Creative provided an intimate and sophisticated environment, allowing attention to focus on the brands exhibiting at the show. S.L.A.T.E. made its debut in the August 2008 season.

[Buyers descend upon S.L.A.T.E. at MAGIC, 8/08]

IHC designed the space, created an original S.L.A.T.E. logo waterfall and custom furnishings, and sourced all other décor to reflect the natural/modern aesthetic. IHC provided lifestyle elements such as a VIP buyers’ lounge; art showcases; publication lounge; petite bistro; and custom built full-service Circle Bar. At its central DJ stage, S.L.A.T.E. leveraged high-profile DJs and musical guests including Steve Aoki, Mos Def, Roxy Cottentail and Asher Roth. IHC also collaborated with Stussy for the S.L.A.T.E. opening party held at The Palms’ Moon nightclub.

All executed by PGW, IHC and CEO Russ Jones.

Promotions Group West’s In House Creative group created a 12-week viral marketing campaign to expose Kira Plastinina to thousands of fresh new consumers. Elements included re-branding Kira’s MySpace profile; designing a “Kira Plastinina’s Fashion Life” iTunes podcast; creating a downloadable Kira widget; spreading pervasive online viral buzz using our dedicated viral team; seeding candid video clips on video-sharing and social networking sites; and securing premium editorial coverage.

The campaign enabled Kira’s upcoming MTV special to be widely promoted via MySpace, viral chat and podcast. Kira’s MySpace exploded in popularity, her podcast was featured 5 times on the home page of iTunes, and her videos made it to the front page of video sharing sites. Her American fan base became firmly established, and when the MTV special aired, it reached an audience already familiar with Kira as a relevant brand and face. Promotion headed by PGW/IHC and CEO Russ Jones.

Promotions Group West created the Syphon Filter Spy Van Tour and Online Mission Sweepstakes for Playstation, designing both the tour itself as well as individual elements and staffing. PGW designed and fabricated a custom spy van, which had full exterior branding and was outfitted with the latest hi-tech spy equipment and PSP gaming stations. The van visited large-scale events nationwide that were aimed at target audience. While onsite at these events, consumers could play the Syphon Filter game on multiple PSP stations anchored to the van.

“Special agents” (event staff) gave consumers their real assignment: to visit the Syphon Filter website and register to play the online mission. Successful completion of the online mission entered the consumer for a chance to win a prize-packed Syphon Filter spy case (produced by PGW). Promotion managed by PGW and CEO Russ Jones.