How something silly, was really quite strategic. 

Why HamsterStacking? It’s a fun way to describe what HenkinSchultz does.

We organize lots of moving marketing pieces in a fun way.
We solve problems. We stack hamsters.

By making Hamster Stacking an issue, we were able to capitalize on the political season. Graphics were created. Billboard space was purchased. A website was born. And a public relations response was put in place. Oh yeah, we even made yard signs too.

Getting Attention with Intention

Getting attention is often the easy part. But you must do it with specific intention. To pull this off, we needed not only creativity, but also strategy. HenkinSchultz wanted to be noticed as we teased the campaign, but also dropped a few breadcrumbs along the way.

• Hamster Stacking featured the letters H and S colored in.
• Hamster Enthusiasts for Sensible stacking is loaded with H’s and S’s
• IM 27 was no initiated measure. It just meant “I am 27.”
• 6201 Hamster Wheel Drive is fake. 6201 Pinnacle Place isn’t.

Eventually drivers took notice of the signage, social media began talking, and local news outlets Argus Leader, KELO-AM and others were reporting on their websites. Curiosity was piquing. Twitter was gaining momentum throughout the day.

A CNN employee shared us. People were hash tagging to forward to Jimmy Kimmel. We were even getting comments and questions from as far away as New Zealand. Come Wednesday morning, Hamster Stacking was top-billed front page news.

While it was a wild ride, it was also a calculated risk. There was strategy behind, not only the why of doing this, but how we should stack our own hamsters in preparation.

• Our digital team stood at the ready to engage in all social media posts.
• We developed a ready response statement for the billboard company.
• We alerted media when to expect developing news and delivered on that promise.
• We added a philanthropic element to raise awareness for Sioux Falls Area Humane Society – and donated ourselves.
• We had a turnkey press release, blog and website update ready for when the news finally broke.
• We followed-up by thanking viewers and followers for playing along.
• Most importantly, we were prepared with a “why” message.

The Point of Such an Elaborate Campaign

HenkinSchultz introduced the fictional IM 27 to celebrate their 27th Anniversary. And if you’re going to celebrate? It better be fun. It was also clearly self-promotion – to demonstrate that creative messaging works when combined with the right medium.

Yes, Hamster Stacking made for great graphics, but it’s an even better metaphor for the business of marketing. In marketing, there are always pieces moving in every direction from traditional to digital, new technologies and new strategies. There are always hamsters to stack.

We engage customers, encourage conversations, apply new technologies and always push to turn curiosity into action. HenkinSchultz did that this past week. Thank you for coming along for the ride and celebrating 27 years with us.