Ever thought about how amazing it might be to have your wedding sponsored (by somone other than your family, or you and your significant other)?
Co-Founders of Likeable Media, Carrie and Dave Kerpen, did just that and leveraged their marketing know-how to turn a seemingly impossible idea into a sponsored wedding ceremony on a baseball field.
How they did it
Rich in marketing skills but almost no wallet for a big New York wedding, the couple spread the word on booking sites for sponsored wedding promotions. Eventually partnering with a baseball team, Dave and Carrie gathered an incredible $100,000 sponsoring wedding arrangements for 500 friends and family, and over 7,000 fans at the game. They even gave away $20,000 for charity.
The Impact
The unprecedented guest-list included 7,000 Brooklyn Cyclones fans. Key sponsors included roses by 1-800-Flowers, drinks by Smirnoff and a gorgeous cake by Entenmann. Plus the marketer’s dream of (free) features in major media like The New York Times, ABC World News Tonight and the CBS Early Show. The event attracted thousands of blogs, creating space for large vendor promotions. The wedding was truly a turning point in the duo’s lives.
Propelling an Influential Ad agency
Carrie and Dave agree that it was this moment that decided their entrepreneurial journey in establishing their company. A few call backs from sponsors on “What’s next?”, led to the birth of Likeable Media.
Today, Likeable Media is respected for it’s creative and award-winning digital content. From marketing to events, Carrie achieved growth in social media by utilizing it to its full potential. The media house has now expanded to Mexico, even publishing in Spanish!
About Carrie
With many feathers in her cap, Kerpen stands out as an entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, and social media expert. Her ideas as a speaker and a columnist focus on the impact of digital revolution on women's professional and personal lives. Today her focus is on ‘Connecting Women in Digital Media’.
Kerpen graduated from Emerson College and has previously worked with Cox Radio, Radio Disney, and Polaroid.
[fa icon="cloud-download"] Free PodcastLikeable Media as an agency has bagged Crain’s 16th “Best Place To Work in NYC”. It has been recognized in Top 50 Ad Agencies by PivotStack. It has also featured in the Top 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned Businesses by WPO and American Express OPEN in acknowledgement of forward thinking.
The one tip Carrie would like to offer to Influencers
“Focus on the present…It’s the best gift you can give yourself.”
Simplicity is clearly the key to success. Carrie’s journey is a testament that a simple idea, that has a well-crafted execution plan and the potential to stand out is the key to grabbing attention in today’s chaotic world of marketing.
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