Appliance manufacturer Viking Range Corp. joined forces with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to auction a Viking Range Professional Series oven to benefit the foundation.
The final bid on the pink Viking Professional Series range with a matching hood was $3,300. In addition to the auction, Viking has donated more than $61,000 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation in the past few years.
“This year we wanted to increase our involvement and, in partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, we decided to auction a custom-made Viking range in pink,” said Jane Crump, manager of public relations at Viking, Greenwood, MS. “This is a way for Viking to continue to give back to the community and to be involved with a charity that we’ve worked with for many years.
“By partnering with one of the leading breast cancer organizations in world, we are able to support their mission, which is to save lives through early detection and to provide mammograms for those in need, which in turn helps our community at large,” she said.
Range of donations
The Viking Professional Series oven has features such as a SureSpark ignition system, VariSimmer to allow control of ultra-low cooking temperatures, VSH Pro Sealed burner system for patented burner and surface design and cleanability, porcelain cooking surface, infrared broiler and a convection baffle system.
Consumers were able to bid on eBay for the oven that was originally retailed at $7,000.
Auction page on eBay
Viking offered delivery and installation with the purchase.
The brand tapped multiple mediums to get word out including social networks and Web sites.
Viking's promotion on Facebook
“Through retweets and shared posts of our followers and fans, we were able to increase the reach of our message and campaign,” Ms. Crump said.
The Viking social media network has 424,331 Facebook fans and 17,429 Twitter followers, as of press deadline.
The promotion was also featured on the Viking Web site at http://www.vikingrange.com and the National Breast Cancer Foundation Web site at http://www.nbcf.com.
This auction was just the latest piece of Viking Range’s partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Since 2005, the brand’s Viking Cooking Schools have donated $5 for every participant who signed up for the Girls Night Out cooking class at the schools.
Because of this move, Viking Cooking Schools have donated more than $61,000 to the foundation.
The brand hopes to significantly increase this because of the auction, per Ms. Crump.
Think pink
Viking’s demographic is likely skewed toward women, so its partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation is probably a reflection of that.
Nonetheless, breast cancer awareness is a topic that is important to all consumers and many luxury brands seem to realize this.
For example, department store chain Bloomingdale's took its Breast Cancer Awareness campaign above and beyond with a variety of in-store events, a themed catalog, discounts and limited-edition products last month (see story).
Additionally, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. did its bit for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a new program at its spas that will benefit the Look Good … Feel Better organization (see story).
Furthermore, jeweler David Yurman created a special-edition pink-tinted pearl bracelet that will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Fund. It is donating 15 percent of the bracelet sales to the fund.
David Yurman's bracelet for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Viking contributes leadership, volunteer hours, Viking product and dollars to regional, state and local charities including the National Breast Cancer Foundation in support of its communities, employees and customers, per Ms. Crump.
“Viking is headquartered in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, a region of the nation notorious for unemployment and poverty,” Ms. Crump said. “As a community leader in Mississippi, Viking is a firm believer in community improvement and involvement.
“We will continue to remain active in charity involvement and contributions because we believe it’s the right thing to do,” she said.
Final Take
Rachel Lamb, associate reporter on Luxury Daily, New York