Switch Designs Ugly Holiday Sweater Tees to Benefit Missouri APA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Jennifer Beidle

314-607-9459

jennifer@beidlepr.com

@beidlepr

 

Switch and The APA Team Up Again:
Ugly Holiday Sweater T-Shirts for Charity

100% of sales to benefit Animal Protective Association of Missouri

 

(St. Louis, MO, Nov. 26, 2012) – Each year during the holidays, local marketing agency Switch: Liberate Your Brand hosts “Switchmas,” a company-wide initiative designed to support local charitable organizations. In planning last year’s initiative, the Switchmas committee took note of two key cultural phenomena: t-shirts for every occasion and ugly holiday sweater parties. The team thought, “How can we combine these two factors into a win for our cause while helping the sweater-less guarantee style success at their holiday events?”

 

That’s how Ugly Holiday Sweater Tees was born. With over $10,000 raised for the Animal Protective Association of Missouri (APA) in 2011 and a complete sell-out of Ugly Holiday Sweater Tees, it was a unanimous decision to link Switchmas to the APA with new designs for the 2012 holiday season.    

 

Sweatertee.com will offer six screen-printed ugly holiday sweater designs, and 100% of the proceeds —$22 for every shirt sold — goes directly to the APA. The APA (www.apamo.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing people and pets together, advancing humane education and creating programs beneficial to the human/animal bond. Through the support of the community, the APA is able to provide the following services: shelter and care for homeless dogs and cats; adoption services; veterinary clinic; lost and found assistance; and education and outreach.

 

Each shirt order includes free FedEx 2-day shipping to any U.S. location. Five of the t-shirt designs are the creations of Switch art directors.  The sixth design is by Karl Kinder, a local contributor who won Switch’s Ugly Holiday Sweater Tee design contest.  Each design plays off the uniquely colorful and festive nature of holiday sweaters with themes like Cheers to Christmas, Fra-Gee-Lay, 8-Bit Christmas and Meowy Christmas.  All of the Ugly Holiday Sweater Tees will be available in supersoft men’s and women’s styles, sizes S-XL.

 

“We thrive on using design to create something good for people — or animals — who really need our help. These shirts represent that intersection, and make you look totally rad, too.” - Brent Coder, Creative Director, Switch

 

“Now you too can look as cute and cuddly as the adoptable animals that the APA supports. Good design breeds good vibes. This one’s for our friends on four legs.”  – Annie Castellano, Chief Creative Officer, Switch

 

Steve Kaufman, Executive Director at the APA of Missouri said Switch’s donation will be used to help care for the 4,000 stray and surrendered pets that come to the APA each year.  “As a non-profit organization, we rely on support from the community to help bring people and pets together,” says Kaufman. 

 

For the past four years, the “Switchmas” holiday charity initiative has benefitted a variety of local charities. Last year’s Ugly Holiday Sweater Tees promo raised just over $10,000 for the APA.  In 2010, Switch donated $16,382 to Independence Center of St. Louis and in 2009 gave away nearly $10,000 worth of gifts and charitable contributions to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

 

About Animal Protective Association of Missouri

 

The Animal Protective Association of Missouri is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing people and pets together, advancing humane education and creating programs beneficial to the human/animal bond. For more information, visit www.apamo.org.

 

 

About Switch

 

Switch is an independently-held, experiential marketing agency working with companies and brands who share the belief in the power of engagement to drive behavior-changing results.  Switch specializes in brand and sponsorship activation programs, field marketing, digital media, consumer and corporate events. For more information, visit www.liberateyourbrand.com or @liberate.

 

 

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