Portland Streetcar x Shopify
Portland, Oregon
I championed and managed this end-to-end as part of Shopify's Portland Megaregion Campaign for the 2021 holiday season.
Portland's independent retailers had a brutal 2020 holiday season. Shopify had hundreds of merchants in the area but not a lot of consumer-facing brand recognition. The challenge was to drive foot traffic, web traffic, and brand love for both Shopify and its merchants in one campaign.
What I built
I championed and managed the Portland Streetcar sponsorship across nine teams: Marketing, Legal, Integrated Marketing, Content, and Press at Shopify, plus Sponsorship, App Development, and Press at the Portland Streetcar.
Physical presence: We wrapped a streetcar. Put signage at 30 stops. Got the Portland Streetcar Tour App permanently reworked to feature local Shopify-powered businesses along the route.
"Only in Portland" shopping guide: A curated guide featuring dozens of Shopify merchants organized by neighborhood and category, from Wildfang's gender non-conforming collections to Paxton Gate's ethically sourced taxidermy and oddities. It was printed in the Oregonian and displayed digitally in the streetcar's plexiglass dividers.
Giveaway contest: We bought gift cards from participating merchants as contest prizes. Real revenue going directly into merchants' registers while driving consumer engagement.
Free weekend rides: Shopify sponsored two weekends of free streetcar rides during the holiday shopping season. Fewer barriers between shoppers and merchants' front doors.
What it took
Nine teams. Marketing UX on design. Legal on the sponsorship contract. US West Marketing on the landing page and contest. Content on the printed shopping guide. Integrated Marketing on out-of-home beyond the streetcar. Press teams at both orgs on the press release. Portland Streetcar's App Development team worked with me directly on the mobile app integration.
Everything shipped on time. Portland Streetcar invited us back.
The numbers
- 300K daily impressions from the streetcar wrap
- 1,100+ contest entries
- $21,000 in gift cards purchased from local Shopify merchants
What merchants said
"I wanna partner with Shopify on stuff like this forever." - Max, Roots and Crowns
"Another winner came in today and she was having SO. MUCH. FUN. spending part of her $500 gift card. It was such a fun conversation and we were all appreciating Shopify and the promotion!" - Kristin, Woonwinkel
"I'm standing on a ladder and I just read your email and almost fell off. Our gift cards can be used in store and online THANK YOU!!" - Elizabeth, Reclamation
