The thrill of being a member of a winning sponsorship team during the Olympic Games cannot be rivaled. Most bucket lists include being part of the Olympics process, but few people realize the magnitude of the logistical plans necessary for success. To set the bar even higher, imagine being responsible for the entire medalist bouquet process including the preparation and delivery of flowers to 25 venues daily across the state, in sub-freezing temperatures, after the 9/11 crisis.
Kicking Cow was hired by Hallmark Cards in November 2000 to activate the prestigious sponsorship of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The responsibilities included the management of the entire flower process, the consumer engagement activities in Olympic Square, and management of the Hallmark Card Shop in the Athlete’s Village. Not one stakeholder at the time could have foreseen the obstacles that would need to be overcome in order to achieve success.
It’s easy to look back now on how Kicking Cow helped Hallmark Flowers successfully launch the business platform during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter and Paralympic Games, but the success was far from guaranteed. It should be noted, Hallmark was the first sponsor to use fresh flowers for medalist bouquets in a winter Olympics and the first brand to access the internationally televised medal ceremony on premise.
Peak Behind the Podium
Kicking Cow’s logistical expertise was tested immediately on 9/11. An on-site team was in Salt Lake City, UT, when the twin towers went down and there were riots and anthrax threats to contend with. From that moment on, Kicking Cow was forced to recalibrate every element of the logistical plan including equipment, housing, production, transportation, security, and staffing to steady the sponsorship for Hallmark during the crisis.
Kicking Cow managed a 50K square foot warehouse and accepted daily flower deliveries of over 100k stems from South America. Kicking Cow followed exacting security protocols for the staff, warehouse, flower preparation, bouquet production, and distribution as the bouquets had to arrive to the venues on time and without issue. Kicking Cow had to revise security plans numerous times since riots impeded deliveries and flower food closely resembled the white powdery anthrax being sent through the mail.
The Kicking Cow warehouse was a marvel considering the challenges at the time and the media’s interest generated over 33MM impressions as a result.
In spite of the crisis happening throughout the country, Kicking Cow was flawless in the delivery of winner bouquets to each and every medal ceremony. The Kicking Cow team delivered over 200,000 single stem flowers and cards on premise. Kicking Cow also staffed the Olympic Square Card Sending Station and distributed and mailed more than 60,000 cards worldwide during the multifaceted sponsorship.
A Gold Medal Moment
The last and final obstacle for Kicking Cow to overcome served as a testimonial on having contingency plans incorporated into programs.
No one could have predicted a lost bulk shipment of flowers after a 100% success rate during the Olympics. But, that’s exactly what happened during the 2002 Paralympic Games. A shipment of stems necessary for the delivery of bouquets during the first ceremonies of the Paralympics never arrived.
Kicking Cow powered into action using the network established as a backup plan. Over 100K flower stems were shipped, prepared, and delivered in record-setting time. Kicking Cow turned a logistics crisis into a gold medal moment on a national stage for the Hallmark brand.