True Value, Marc USA Paint Chicago Green

Each year, crowds gather to watch the Chicago River turn green as part of Chicago's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. This year, however, True Value and Marc USA decided to insert a little fun into the mix to leverage True Value’s first time as a sponsor. As the Chicago River turned green, there was a giant paint stick to help "mix" up the dye.  

“Being able to be part of one of Chicago’s most cherished traditions was really important to us since Chicago is our home” said Abhinav Shukla, True Value Chief Operating Officer. “The Chicago River was first dyed more than 50 years ago, and that’s how long we’ve been producing our own paint in this great city. The parade also represents the start of spring, the traditional season for home painting and repair projects, so it was a great way for us to build visibility for our brand at this key time.” 

Marc USA developed the massive 40-foot tall True Value paint stick, which was then placed in the water on the NE corner of Michigan Avenue and embossed with the line, “The Value Of The Perfect Color,” a reference to both the bright green river and True Value’s line of paints in hundreds of different hues. 

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Then, during the parade festivities held Saturday, March 14th, True Value ambassadors handed out bright green painter’s hats to St. Patrick’s Day parade attendees. 

To continue the stunt's awareness beyond the Windy City, True Value activated its social channels by posting photos and sharing updates through the hashtag #GiantPaintStick.

Although this campaign celebrated True Value's hometown heritage, it was also designed to promote its newly enhanced Easy Care and EasyCare Platinum interior paint lines.   

True Value Company, headquartered in Chicago, is one of the world’s largest retailer-owned wholesale hardware cooperatives with revenue of $1.5 billion in 2014. 

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