“We partner with organizations that support our
values, and it is great to be able to come
together to make this event special for this
inspirational young man.” Leo Kaufmann,
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Phillips 66
STRONG MARKETING PARTNERSHIPS HELP GIVE AN IDAHO TEENAGER A TRIP HE’LL
NEVER FORGET
It takes drive, determination and a strong team to get to
the big game. Nobody knows this better than 16-year-old
Austin Lange, who was in the crowd watching the Seattle
Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos 43-8. At 16, most boys
are carefree high school students who love football and
think anything and everything is possible. Austin is no
different; there’s just one caveat: he is suffering from
stage-IV lymphoma. Though this obstacle might seem
insurmountable to many, it hasn’t held Austin back. Last
summer, when Austin’s football coach told him he may not
be able to play because of his cancer treatment, Austin
tackled the challenge and earned a varsity spot, inspiring
his
team
and
community.
Among
those
inspired was a
woman from a
neighboring Idaho
town. She had been
collecting
points
with
KickBack
Points, a program
that Phillips 66
Marketing partners
with, and won their
KickBack Points Fantasy Football contest. That meant two
tickets to MetLife Stadium to see the game in person.
Having seen Austin’s story, she asked if she could donate
the prize to the young man. When Austin heard about it, he
almost couldn’t believe it. "When I got the phone call
telling me what was happening, I was speechless. I
couldn't believe I would actually get the opportunity to go
to the Super Bowl and visit New York,” he said.
Once Phillips 66 heard Austin’s story, Marketing kicked
things into high gear to make this the event truly
memorable. The company provided an additional
contribution for expenses, limo service and passes to the
DirecTV Beach Bowl Bash.
But that isn’t the end of it.
Phillips 66 Marketing and their strategic partners called in
favors to help take Austin’s trip a step further Austin has
loved football his entire life, and his favorite team is the
San Diego Chargers. Enter Leo Kaufmann, Phillips 66’s
director of strategic partnerships. When Kaufmann learned
this detail, he reached out to his contacts with the Los
Angeles Dodgers organization, which in-turn reached out to
their
NFL
connections and
scored
some
autographed
Chargers
memorabilia for
Austin.
“When
we
heard
Austin’s story, it
became
our
mission to make
this the best
experience
possible,” said Kaufmann. “We partner with organizations
that support our values, and it is great to be able to come
together to make this event special for this inspirational
young man.” As the game approached, doctors weren’t
sure Austin would
be able make the
trip;
scans
showed
the
cancer may be
spreading
and
Austin
was
running a fever.
But the fever
broke, and he
and his mother,
Beth Ann, set out
from Idaho for
MetLife Stadium
in New Jersey.
The day before
the game, Austin attended several star-studded events
including a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at the Barclays
Center, meeting the band along the way. The next day
Austin and his mom joined the boisterous crowd of 82,529,
cheering the Seahawks to their first championship in
franchise history. "There have been so many ups and
downs for Austin since he was first diagnosed last
February," Beth Ann said. "But this opportunity came to us
at the right time and thanks to this generous woman, the
KickBack team, and Phillips 66, we are able to give Austin
an experience he’ll never forget."