Events that didn’t feel like commercials but made me feel better about products

Last month my family drove up to Snoqualmie Pass and we joked that with all our shiny cars parked in the parking lot it totally looked like a car commercial and it’s a little eye-opening to think about how much of our lives really ARE a commercial, from the things we see on instagram or facebook to the product-placement in movies and tv.  And I can’t say that I really mind it.  I’m a big fan of shopping EVERYWHERE as long as things aren’t too pushy or contrived and I love creative ways to get me thinking about the things I actually buy.

So a few weeks ago, I went to an event my friend Jamie put on because she won a contest from a podcast called “Manic Mommies.” (I haven’t really ever listened to a podcast, but apparently I really need to and I will now because I’m curious.  This one is supposed to be pretty good!) Jamie was going to show us new Chevy cars at a winery and it was a great excuse to leave the kids as home and chat and drink with some other fabulous ladies.  The coolest thing was that it was definitely a no-pressure shopping party-we were there to hang out, try Lady Yum macarons (they were delicious)and look at cars and we didn’t have to buy anything which is a lot different than the typical jewellery/mascara/lunch container/kids book parties geared for women that I’ve attended.  I came away with a better sense of the Chevy car brand because it was such a great time and I liked that they actually supported something like this.

I also went to a neat event put on by a local design and entertaining expert named Alexandra Hedin who has written a great book on entertaining called Entertaining at Home.

I bought tickets because it was a reasonably priced event, the activities looked fun and another friend was free that day to go there and hang out with her kids too.  The kids had a blast making their own apple cider and apple bird-feeders and my friend and I got to catch up with each other and eat some really neat apple-themed treats.  The event was definitely about Treetop apple juice, but because it was so fun and relevant to the season (apples = fall), it didn’t feel like I was being advertised to and the samples we brought home were perfect in lunches the next day so I was happy and I’ll probably buy them the next time I go to the grocery store.

I hope more brands do things like this.  It’s great when people get a chance to connect while trying out new things and it’s lovely when it’s removed from a place where you actually have to buy something.  If the product is good enough, I’ll still think of it the next time I’m shopping for a car, or buying groceries at the supermarket and the positive experience I had with the brand will influence what I buy.  I’m thankful that I attended these two events because of the experiences they added to my life and both the ladies who put them on definitely did an excellent job!

(PS. The winery event took place at Northwest Cellars and I saw that they had bottles of 12th man wine but didn’t buy any that day but when I saw the bottles the other day at Metropolitan Market, I made the connection and picked one up because of its fun label and because I had fun at the winery.)

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)