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FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Nov 8, 2009) - Dickies®, the innovative work and lifestyle apparel brand, awarded Michael McGee $1,000,000 for randomly selecting the Dickies 500 champion, part of his prize package as the winner of the 17th annual Dickies American Worker of the Year® contest.
McGee, an agricultural teacher and horse training business owner from Broken Bow, Okla., has had a whirlwind week since being named Dickies American Worker of the Year on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Finals in Las Vegas. He was awarded a hefty paycheck in Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday by Kurt Busch, after he randomly selected the driver to win the race. As part of the Dickies American Worker of the Year grand prize package, McGee received $50,000 and an all-access, VIP trip for two to the Dickies 500, with a chance to upgrade his $50,000 for $1,000,000. McGee was given the opportunity to randomly select one of the top 12 Race for the Chase drivers to win the Dickies 500 at a press conference in his honor. McGee made the lucky driver choice and now he's going home with $1,000,000.
"I can't believe this is happening. It was amazing to win the title of American Worker of the Year, and now this! At my age, it's truly an honor to be recognized for my hard work and achievements from a respected company like Dickies," said Michael McGee. "I hope I can inspire other people to work hard and never give up."
On Saturday, McGee randomly chose Kurt Busch as the potential winner of the Dickies 500 and he's $1 million richer because of it. Kurt Busch personally handed McGee his check in Victory Lane, but McGee wasn't the only one who walked away with a large paycheck. Kurt Busch took home the largest purse in the 10-race chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ and the third largest of the NASCAR season.
"We are excited and honored to award $1,000,000 to our American Worker of the Year for the first time in the promotion's history," said Misty Otto, public relations director for Dickies. "We hope Michael's winnings will help him continue to achieve his dreams and inspire others, and we know we'll continue to see great accomplishments from him."
At the young age of 25, McGee has accomplished quite a lot. The high school valedictorian put himself through college, and at the young age of 23, McGee purchased his first home and a 41-acre farm. He is a full-time agricultural teacher for 200 students, where he spends many nights, weekends and summers supporting the school's agricultural program. McGee also owns a successful horse training business. He is a passionate outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast full of drive and ambition. He loves teaching because it allows him to help his students realize their full potential and achieve their dreams.
World class practice will propel the iconic American brand's image into 2010.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (October 13, 2009) - Dickies, the innovative work and lifestyle apparel brand, today announced legendary firm Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) as its first ever full-service advertising agency of record. The agency will work collaboratively with Dickies to develop distinctive, lasting marketing campaigns beginning in 2010. The announcement is a hallmark in the brand's 87-year history, marking the first time the company will utilize an agency to provide expert creative guidance. GS&P will also provide strategic media planning, production, digital marketing, e-commerce and account management support.
After an extensive ten-month search process, GS&P was selected from more than 50 leading agencies because of their keen grasp of the Dickies brand and the importance of its esteemed heritage. The award-winning agency, known for such classic works as the Got Milk? and Budweiser Frogs campaigns, previously developed work for Nike and also represents Hewlett-Packard, Frito-Lay, Sprint, Nintendo Wii, Häagen-Dazs, Quaker, and the NBA, among other renowned brands. Initial Dickies brand work from GS&P is expected to run in the second half of 2010. Omnicom sister agency BBDO will support the brand's international advertising efforts.
The Dickies brand has moved beyond its workwear heritage to appeal to individuals with an independent spirit and uncomplicated sense of style," said Tad Uchtman, senior vice president of marketing, merchandising and licensing for Dickies. We are confident that GS&P will help bring our brand vision to life as we continue to build a world class consumer-focused organization."
Dickies has conducted thorough consumer research over the past several years in order to better understand the brand's reach across the apparel and accessories industry. Findings have demonstrated that the Dickies brand is sought out by a broad spectrum of consumers because of the durability, quality, value and innovation inherent in each piece of Dickies apparel. The breadth of product offerings plus the company's no-nonsense, unpretentious image appeals to customers from the typical American working hero to cubicle workers and fashion trendsetters. As a result, demand for Dickies crosses generational and socio-economic boundaries, whether found in the closet of a musician, construction worker, nurse, college student or weekend warrior, to name a few.
Historically, Dickies has managed creative advertising in-house, developing memorable and targeted efforts like the long-running "Legend In Work" and current "Wear With Purpose" brand campaigns. The announcement allows Dickies' in-house creative art department to focus more strategically on the company's retail marketing goals for the future.
Dickies chose to align with one of the strongest, industry-leading advertising agencies in order to best communicate their unparalleled position within the marketplace as the brand expands globally to reach a broadening consumer base ranging from work to after work apparel customers.
"We could not be more excited to work with Dickies," said Rich Silverstein, co-chairman of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. "It's not very often that you are provided the opportunity to work with an 87-year-old company. Dickies' values of hard work, toughness and pride sync nicely with our own."
In addition to their new partnership with GS&P, Dickies also works with several other industry-leading agencies for their various marketing needs. Edelman serves as the company's public relations agency of record; Norm Marshall & Associates supports the brand's product placement and celebrity seeding efforts; Hornall Anderson provides brand strategy and guidelines; Landor develops package design; and Millward Brown supplies strategic market research.
Terms of the new agreement were not disclosed. Jones Lundin Beals, Inc. consulted with Dickies on the agency search process. Dickies previously worked with Mullen for media planning and buying.
Dickies® is bringing its no-nonsense attitude and authenticity to a variety of board sports events and music festivals through its newly unveiled mobile interactive unit. Unleash the real you and stop by Dickies airbrush tattoo parlor, pose in front of the green screen as a crowd-surfing superstar or try your hand at the gaming stations. Before you duck out, visit Dickies Hall of Fame which includes gear signed by artists who have played stages all over the world and rocked out with the best of them. The interactive unit will be onsite this summer at the Dew Tour, at several Vans Warped Tour locations, Wakarusa, All Good Fest, Brews and Blues Fest and more.
See some of the action below!