Apr 9 2008
Most people might assume that a promotion campaign called "Pump & Pass" would have something to do with a quarterback of a football team. "Not so in this case," says Jim Miele, spokesperson for WSS-Warehouse Shoe Sale, a 50-store shoe chain in Southern California.
"It’s all about high prices at the gas pump and the need to spread the word about the green benefits of using public transit bus passes," he said at the launch of the chain’s year-long campaign to give away 1000 monthly gas prizes and 300 monthly bus passes, each and every month. "We wanted to do something meaningful to help our customers suffering from skyrocketing gas prices and to support Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s campaign for greater use of public transit," said Miele.
The gas card prizes are for $35 each, and the MTA monthly bus passes have a $62 value each. "That’s over $53,000 each month that is pumped into the pockets of consumers who walk in our doors and it puts cash back into the economy to spend as encouraged in President Bush’s economic stimulus package." Any adult 18 or over can register for the monthly drawings at any of the retailer’s 50 stores located throughout Southern California. "Absolutely no purchase is necessary to enter or win," Miele emphasized.
The WSS-Warehouse Shoe Sale campaign is consistent with Mayor Villaraigosa’s stated vision to increase the convenience, reliability, safety and speed of Los Angeles’ transportation system and change how people move throughout the city. The Mayor is a strong proponent of green campaigns and has said that his administration is "striving to transform Los Angeles from the car capital of the world to a vibrant metropolis that can also be discovered and lived on foot and by public transit."
The Mayor has praised WSS with a commendation acknowledging the company’s commitment to the city’s economy while highlighting the giving away of MTA Bus Passes. "We were thinking outside the shoe box to come up with this Pump & Pass campaign that will be promoted extensively on billboards, T.V. radio, newspapers, in stores and at community events," Miele said. "We are hopeful that efforts like ours will catch on with other conscientious companies in major U.S. cities. We need all the help we can get to ease the gas crisis, improve public transportation and move to a more green environmental mindset--while still effectively promoting our independent businesses."