Finding Your Inspiration

Inspiration can come from many sources: an article you read, random sign on the side of the road, Instagram or Pinterest photos, or another person. For Bruce Pike, founder of entertainment company Bruce Pike Productions, that inspiration came from his favorite menswear accessory: the bow tie. In honor of yesterday’s National Bow Tie Day, Pike hosted the inaugural Tie One On DC party dedicated to the bow tie on Thursday at the Decatur Carriage House.

“This entire event came from my love of bow ties,” said Pike during his remarks on Thursday.

Pike took that love and parlayed it into sponsorships from local caterers, rental companies, and graphic designers and partnerships with five east coast-based mens apparel companies to bring his vision to life.

Nearly 280 event professionals from the Washington area attended the affair that had its source of inspiration at every turn. Bow ties popped up in the desserts from Fluffy Thoughts Cakes, signage for Rouge Fine Catering‘s buffet items, centerpieces on the highboys in the courtyard, pillows on the lounge furniture, nail art from Coatroom, and five bow tie vendors selling their wares on site, to name a few.

The Results

Pike utilized social media to drum up public attention in the invite-only event with custom hashtags and a campaign launching his Snapchat handle. The pre-event campaign included multiple posts across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook showcasing preview shots of the vendors participating, bow tie teasers, and the designated hashtags. Combined with on-site usage of the hashtags, and custom bow tie geofilter on Snapchat, the event garnered more

The company’s social presence is continuing to get a boost from Tie One On DC with more than 55 new followers on Instagram within 48 hours, a 56.9 percent increase in Twitter impressions, and 217 percent rise in engagement rates on its Facebook page.

Want to learn how to properly manage your social campaigns for increased followers, engagement, and reach? Get in touch with us today! 

How To Apply This To Your Business

In a society that can seem to revolve around social media (We’re looking at you Instagram!), going offline for inspiration can sometimes be your best bet. By taking a step back and paying attention to what you see, hear, taste, and experience in your everyday life you may just find your next marketing campaign or event strategy.

Check out all the ways Pike and his team incorporated the bow tie into the production.