Chicago  – In search of its first 400 customers, which Oi Furniture is calling its “Oi’vangeists”, the brand is launching an integrated campaign and promotion highlighting the product’s newest features and price starting at $399 per cell. The campaign is called “Say Hello to Oi”, a fitting title as this is truly the first introduction many will have with the brand. Three new online videos highlight the product’s box as a character being introduced in a variety of scenarios where the product can be useful; at home, at a lounge and at the office.

The campaign focuses on Oi’s website where they have launched a 35-day promotion encouraging new customers to compete with one another to see who can be the brand’s top Oi’vangelist on Twitter. Essentially, until March 1st, 2012 whoever buys Oi then tweets the most about the brand using #Oivangelist will see themselves on Oi’s homepage leaderboard which rewards these customers based on their sharing the brand. The top tweeting Oi’vangelist will win a free Doublescape from Oi Furniture and will also win 400 trees for their hometown. The runners-up will each receive a discount on their order in relation to where they finished on the leaderboard.

Oi Furniture will also run a guerrilla marketing campaign in Chicago during the Say Hello to Oi run. This will include a tie-in with the product’s iconic box which has been made into a character for this campaign. Participants will be asked to complete a scavenger hunt with 5 of the boxes as points to find. Whoever finishes the hunt by Tweeting a picture of themselves with each box with #Oivangelist to Oi’s Twitter account will receive a free Doublescape from Oi Furniture. “Aside from Oi being the most versatile and creative furniture in the world, we're really excited that people can start to develop their 'cellscape' collections for as low as $399.” Said Jason Abbott, VP of Sales & Marketing for Oi Furniture.

The brand is also revealing a new line of coverings with new colors and finishes as well as indoor and outdoor options. Now with both indoor and outdoor coverings, Oi can be used in many areas where previously it was limited to indoor use. “The commercial testing proved very useful in terms of R & D. We learned that people really wanted covers ideal for their dorm room, living room, play room, and outdoor space. So for the first time Oi is now available in four new versatile fabrics (Standard, Authentic, Dazzling, and Outdoor) and seventeen colour choices. We also learned that people wanted a seat height of 16.5" and didn't want the hastle or safety concern with the old steel base. So for the first time we're introducing Oi with plastic one-peice base which is durable, recyclable, and child friendly.” Said Jason Abbott, VP of Sales & Marketing for Oi Furniture.

About Oi Furniture – Oi is a new brand of environmentally low-impact cellular furniture, developed by Winnipeg, Canada-based Oi Furniture. The first prototype – a modular loveseat – was unveiled as a concept piece at the 2006 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City to critical acclaim and has since been featured by The DieLine, TreeHugger, Core77, NotCot, Design Milk, Apartment Therapy, Elle Decor and other websites and publications worldwide. Oi also appeared on Canada’s CBC’s Dragons’ Den and was later chosen as a prominent product in WIRED’s 2010 holiday pop-up store in New York City.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION, TO REQUEST PRODUCT IMAGES OR INTERVIEW, PLEASE CONTACT:
 
Jason Abbott, Vice-President Sales & Marketing
204.997.5542 / jason@ilikeoi.com
 
For ongoing updates and more more information about Oi please visit www.iLikeOi.com

August 1-5, 2011

World Market Center Las Vegas 

495 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada

If you are going to be in Las Vegas, come see our newest base prototype. The new base was made just in time for Las Vegas Market 2011. It raises our standard seat height from 14" up to 16.5" to provide a more traditional seat height for North America.

We also have a selection of outdoor fabrics for the first time! A choice of Sunbrella colours offer the ability to create anything with Oi, outdoors.

We've moved from our original booth to an area more suited to new design!

Come visit us in Building C - 4th Floor, Booth 0457-4

That's right, we're going to be featured on the March 9, 2011 episode of CBC's popular television program Dragons' Den.
 
Our co-founder, Jason Abbott, made a 35 minute pitch on behalf of Oi back in April 2010. After 10 months of keeping the outcome under wraps the wait is finally over. Tomorrow, an edit of the pitch will air and 2.1 million viewers from across Canada will discover what happened in the den. 

 

We are huge fans of the show and love what it’s done for promoting entrepreneurship in Canada, how it’s demystified the ‘behind the scenes’ of private equity investments and what it really takes to turn an idea into a successful business. 

In hindsight, pitching in front of the Dragons was a once in a lifetime experience and Jason explains that "it’s intense" - pressure like he's never faced before - and that will come across in the broadcast. But he says "he would definitely do it again" and recommends the experience to anyone with a great idea. It takes that idea and puts it through the fire... "You have to be smart, and you have to be on your toes. The Dragons are sophisticated investors. They’re going to ask the right questions, and use that information to analyze the merits of your business idea as it relates to them as an investment opportunity. That insight and expertise is why they’ve been so successful."

Join us for the show!

We'll be celebrating our national TV debut by watching the broadcast live at Earls Polo Park on March 9th at 6:30 PM (HD broadcast to air at 7 PM CST). Oi's cellular furniture will be there and after the broadcast Jason and the Oi team will be available to speak freely about the outcome of the Dragons' Den appearance.

If you can't make it in person, feel free to follow us on twitter twitter.com/ilikeoi

We also encourage you to tweet about the segment and be sure to include the hashtags we'll be be using: #Oi Furniture #Dragons Den #Jason Abbott and feel free to send direct messages to Jason Abbott @jabbs7, Dragons Den @cbcdragon, Arlene Dickinson @ArleneDickinson, Kevin O'Leary @kevinolearytv, Robert Herjavec @robertherjavec, Brett Wilson @WbrettWilson.

Lastly, check back towards the end of the week where Jason will give you a play-by-play of the pitch.

The ease of imagining infinite configurations is demonstrated at the WIRED Store in New York.

Oi Furniture at the WIRED Store, set-up and launch party held on Thursday night, November 18, 2010. It was a great party surrounded by all of the coolest products and design, a great kick-off to the store opening. If you're in New York between Nov 19 - Dec 26, you have to check out the store at 692 Broadway at 4th St – before it's gone for another year. Oi is featured in the store, find it, sit on it, and lift off any of the seating pieces and discover how you can reconfigure Oi infinitely to create anything.

Four seating cells in three different colours combined to demonstrate the re-configurability of Oi cells. Choose your own colour or custom combination of colours to create anything.

Oi Furniture was honoured to be a part of CentrePlace Manitoba, the province's pavilion in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Thanks to WoodAnchor for providing a couple of the photos.