Retail & Experiential Marketing

From live launch events to in-store kits and retail partnerships, these campaigns brought products to life through hands-on experiences. Each one connected audiences directly with the brand in memorable, measurable ways.

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Sandra Boynton’s Dog Train Launch Party & Retail Activation

Workman Publishing

For Sandra Boynton’s Dog Train—a children’s book + music CD performed by artists including Weird Al Yankovic, Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, and Mickey Hart, among others—I developed and executed a fully integrated retail and experiential campaign that combined a live event, national in-store events at Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores, retail sell-through promotional kits, and an aggressive backlist sales initiative. The result: major bookseller engagement, expanded shelf presence, and wound up being one of the biggest and most successful Boynton launches ever.

Results

Times Square launch at B.B. King’s: Led all promotion and creative for a family concert with
Weird Al Yankovic + The Phenomenauts, drawing media, booksellers, and fans.
Turnkey “Dog Train Party Kits”: Mailed CD samplers, themed games & activites, stickers, and branded goodie bags to 400+ indie and 600+ chain stores, generating national in-store events.
Retailer incentive push: Produced the Boynton Backlist Bonanza brochure with discount terms and free shelf-talkers to boost sell-through.
Nationwide adoption: 300+ retailers participated; the program expanded into Barnes & Noble and helped Dog Train become an RIAA Gold Record.

Worst-Case Scenario Jr. Gross Edition:
"Free" Slime Giveaway Campaign

Chronicle Books

To promote the Worst-Case Scenario Jr. Survival Handbook: Gross Edition, I launched a national sweepstakes that combined a cheeky physical giveaway with digital lead generation. What started as a small, low-budget promotion exploded into a viral success after being picked up by giveaway aggregators and parent blogs—ultimately growing Chronicle’s Children’s division email list more than sevenfold.

Results & Highlights

Developed and produced 500 branded “Official WCS Jar of Slime” giveaways to promote the new book, including designing custom color labels and packaging.
Email list & revenue growth: Added 40,000 opt-in subscribers (up from ~10K baseline) and achieved 8% CTR and 3.3% conversion on follow-up email offers—delivering a positive ROI and major brand awareness boost.
Viral amplification: The offer was shared by freebie and parenting sites nationwide, generating over 70,000 entries and widespread online buzz.
Cross-channel campaign: Drove traffic via a Boy’s Life magazine ad to a custom landing page and funnel where visitors entered the sweepstakes and joined our email list.

Brain Quest “Permanent Display, Permanent Deal” Program

Workman Publishing

To strengthen Brain Quest’s year-round retail presence, I conceived and launched the “Permanent Display, Permanent Deal” campaign — a national sales incentive program encouraging bookstores to dedicate permanent shelf space to Brain Quest decks through creative merchandising, premium displays, and lifetime discount terms. The initiative solidified Brain Quest’s visibility as a core educational brand and delivered strong incremental revenue across major national retailers.

Results & Highlights

Custom acrylic display design: Developed a 36-copy permanent acrylic shelf display featuring built-in sample decks, full-color shelf talkers, and interchangeable branded inserts.
Incentive-based sales program: Offered a 50% returnable / 55% nonreturnable discount — later upgraded to a 52% / 57% lifetime deal — for retailers committing permanent shelf space.
Nationwide retail adoption: Borders implemented the program chain-wide prior to its closure, alongside hundreds of independent bookstores; B&N adopted a companion floor display version.
Sustained sell-through: The displays ensured Brain Quest maintained year-round visibility and frequent restocking, increasing sell-through an estimated 15–30% across participating stores.

The Portable Miracle Ball Method/Amtrak Transit
Partnership & Giveaway Activation

Workman Publishing

To amplify visibility for The Portable Miracle Ball Method, I developed a transit-partnership promotion with the Capitol Corridor commuter rail line — distributing sample units inside train cars, building a custom flyer/insert with giveaway and sweepstakes call-to-action, and creating a follow-up email funnel to drive purchase. The activation combined physical product in an unexpected channel with digital conversion leverage, designed for both brand awareness and measurable follow-up.

Results & Highlights

Transit channel integration: Secured placement of sample “Miracle Balls” or related inserts inside Capitol Corridor cars for a 3-month period, reaching commuters in a captive environment.
Creative giveaway mechanic: Designed a custom promotional insert offering a free sample + sweepstakes entry and directed users to a landing page, enabling capture of opt-in audience.
Cross-media follow-up: Launched a targeted email sequencing campaign to the captured leads, offering special discounted purchase of the book and related product to drive conversion from awareness to sale.
Brand leverage & credibility: Leveraged the author’s bestselling credentials (“Miracle Ball Method” brand has sold nearly 2 million copies globally) to position the campaign as premium and trusted.

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