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Sandal company gives students trip to Brazil


Havaianas, a sandal company touring the west coast, gave students the chance to compete Thursday and Friday in a marketing event called Color War on Hayden Lawn.

Over 50 teams and 300 students participated for the grand prize of a four-day vacation in Brazil.

To compete, teams of six registered by selecting one of 60 Havaianas colors from a wheel of sandals. The color they selected became their team name. The teams then competed in four events for a trip to Brazil.

"Havaianas is a company based in Brazil that we’re trying to promote in America,” event worker Josh Puritz said. “This is our second school. We go to USC and Boulder next.”

Relevent, a marketing company in charge of the Havaianas tour, recruited 25 ASU students to help.

The students were part of internships and street teams sent out to talk to people and pass out flyers. The Programming and Activities Board also promoted the event.

“A lot of people don’t realize there’s no catch,” Puritz said. “You really win a trip.”

Event coordinator Ina Simmel said, “Havaianas is about joy, the element of surprise, and color. It’s what Havaianas prides itself on.”

The four challenges — Twister, sliders, limbo and balloon darts — had a Havianas twist, Simmel said.

“They’re the games that were fun as a kid… and Havaianas Incorporated sandals into all the elements of the games,” she said.

Sandals were used for the color spots on the Twister board and mounted on two columns to hold the limbo bar at different levels.

Pairs of sandals marked where team members should stand for the balloon darts.

The sliders involved large pieces of a puzzle forming a Brazilian flag.

Biological science sophomore and winning team captain Adam Gottlieb said the events were tough but possible.

“We pulled through and won,” he said.

Gottlieb heard about the competition from a friend and was excited to join.

“I took the initiative to be team captain, contacted friends and put together my team,” he said.

Gottlieb said the most challenging event was the sliders puzzle, which his team completed in about thirty seconds.

“We had a prodigy team,” he said.

The tour began Thursday with the Havaianas Pop Up Shop, a stall where students could buy a $15 pair of sandals.

Customers could design their own sandals by picking which colors they wanted on them.

The free competition took place Friday. Teams were able to walk up and participate in the event until the tour ended that evening.

Landscape and architecture junior Brad Gerard thought the tour was a great way to promote the sandals.

“It was good marketing, socializing and it worked around student schedules,” he said.

STA Travel partnered with Havaianas to give the winning team, team “Slim Metallic Golden Sun,” a trip to Brazil. The winning team also took home free pairs of sandals.

The participants were given vouchers and can take the trip whenever they want.

“It’s the coolest thing that ever happened to me, and I never win anything,” Gottlieb said.


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