SALT LAKE CITY, UT: Overstock.com hired Shift Communications as its US PR agency, following a competitive review.
The review is indicative of its growth and recent additions of verticals such as O.biz and Mainstreet Revolution, said Stormy Simon, SVP of marketing and customer care at the company.
“We've gotten big. We have all these verticals, and it started to become a lot to handle in-house or to offer to boutique agencies,” she said. “We have Main Street Revolution and Worldstock Fair Trade, They're socially good departments, and we're organically grown, but we've never had someone go out and tell the story so that'll be new for us."
The company began an informal search a few months ago, looking at a handful of agencies that its gotten to know over the years, she said. It had only ever invested in PR through its in-house team and with the support of a number of boutique agencies.
She added that the company chose Shift in part because it resonated with its mom and pop culture.
The agency will focus on building awareness of the Overstock.com brand and its verticals, via traditional PR and social media. It will focus on reaching the company's core 25-54-year-old target, but also a younger generation that grew up with online shopping.
“There's no shortage of stories. It's a matter of prioritizing to see how we can build [the verticals] up so the entire brand benefits,” said Todd Defren, principal at Shift.
Of its impact on the agency, he said, “It's another signal to the industry that we're not just a tech shop anymore. Tech will always be a big part of our business, but consumer is an important growth area for us, and it's a nice feather in our cap.”
The company will continue to work with Powers Media in New York for consumer-driven product placement.
