I want to visit Kipling, Saskatchewan. According to their Website, the Town of Kipling has a population of about 1,100 people, who appear to not only enjoy a quality lifestyle, but seem to be very friendly as well (see these photos).
Kipling is also the new home of Kyle MacDonald, the young Canadian man who traded the now-famous One Red Paperclip for a house in Kipling. For those who might have missed it, Kyle started with one red paperclip on July 12, 2005, made an interesting series of trades, and announced that he would be trading with the Town of Kipling for a three bedroom, two story house located on Main Street.
As he put it in the beginning:
one red paperclip.
one house.
one year.
Not only was this an amazingly creative thing to do, he has created quite a following, making him a bit of a cult hero to many. His Website has had over six million visitors since July 12, 2005, and the number keeps going up. It's an example of intuitive self-marketing at its best. Just follow the series of trades he made to get this house, including the trade he made with rock star Alice Cooper, then one for a paid role in an upcoming Corbin Bernsen movie called Donna on Demand. 
Is Kyle a PR consultant, a marketing manager or advertising whiz? No, but he could teach all of them a thing or two about
promotion. He's a writer and a trade show rep. He runs a number of blog sites, and some of them are absolutely hilarious, including one requesting that the Queen of England politely asks the Canadian government to remove her head from all Canadian coins - except for the fifty cent piece. There's even a petition for one to sign on that issue, so go for it.
But credit is also due to Kipling's Town Council and local development coordinator Bert Roach. Once they found out about the available role in Corbin Bernsen upcoming production, they showed amazing foresight and marketing perception in moving quickly. They made Kyle an offer he couldn't refuse: a house.
And Kipling is a town of less than 1200 people, with this kind of marketing savvy?
So kudos to Kyle and his lady, Dominique, for reaching your goal… and in only 14 trades. And congratulations go out to the Town Council, Bert Roach and residents of Kipling for presenting such a friendly face to the media in July 2006 during all the media coverage.
Kipling’s Website has a slogan: ”Where If Becomes Reality.” Looks like this little town knows how to live up to their motto. Yes, I do want to visit your town.
By the way, it's great to see that Kyle has a great sense of humor. You can see on his site that you can join the One Red Paperclip FAN Club for free.
So, our lexidiem is paperclip.
Tags:
kyle macdonald one red paperclip 14 trades paperclip lexidiem kipling
3 comments:
I live about 40 mins from Kipling, and I fully plan on visiting him
Kyle is really one brilliant dude! You're right, his creativity exceeds so many of the marketing genius types in the corporate world today. He's sure to go far in the world today.
Thnks for the info here, and the great write-up!
He sure is brilliant! I would love to meet him too!
Post a Comment