First-Stop.org is an online showcase where photographers and illustrators can exhibit and promote their work to advertising creatives. The only requirement is that the artists who join pledge to significantly reduce the number of paper promos they mail out.Artists submit their work to First-Stop.org via an online system. Accepted work is linked directly to the artist’s contact information. For creatives, searching through websites, photo and illustration annuals can be a time-consuming process. First-Stop.org offers a simple, visual directory of some of the best artists in the world. The site is searchable by category or keyword, and images can be saved to a virtual “FILING CABINET” for future reference.

To promote the site, sticker sheets with peel-off “RETURN TO SENDER” stickers were posted in agencies around the world. Supportive creatives affixed stickers directly to promos and mailed them back to the artists, encouraging them to use first-stop.org instead.

With an advertising budget of less than $2000, between 1/25/2011 and 4/15/2011, First-Stop.org has generated the following results:• Over 600 of the industry’s leading artists have registered and agreed to reduce the amount of paper promos they send out.• Over 30,000 visitors.

• Over 11,000 unique visitors.

• Active conversations about First-Stop.org on blogs and social media.• An estimated 1,400+ kg of paper saved (calculation based on number of images viewed X average weight of a paper promo).