case studies
Each client has a different story to tell, in working to meet a business goal. Our approach is to understand that goal – then create the right strategy to get them there. Take a look at how we have delivered for a cross-section of our clients.
AMF Bowling
Opportunity: AMF Bowling was launching an upscale bowling center franchise under the brand name 300, creating a way to tap into a new market segment.
Our Strategy: We focused on generating local media interest, in part by hosting specialty events. At AMF’s flagship location in
New York City, we leveraged “Strike Out Colon Cancer,” a thank you event hosted at 300 New York by CBS News anchor Katie Couric for donors to the charity she co-founded, the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance. That event attracted comedienne Whoopi Goldberg and actors from “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Sopranos.”
Results:The first six centers re-branded as 300 saw up to triple-digit percentage growth in year-over-year revenues. Specifically for the New York event, we generated entertainment buzz and national media coverage for 300 New York and “Strike Out Colon Cancer,” featured on “Entertainment Tonight,” “Access Hollywood,” “Extra” and other national outlets.
Hayes Foundation
Opportunity:The Hayes Foundation sought to raise awareness of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Its strategy was to distribute onesies – infant T-shirts – with instructions printed on them that advise caregivers that having babies sleep on theirs back could reduce the risk of SIDS.
Our Strategy:We launched the “This Side Up” campaign in March 2006, telling the story about what one mother and her foundation are doing to prevent further SIDS losses. We also worked with foundation members to persuade hospitals to distribute the specialty onesies to new parents, as well as on continuing outreach to bring on supplier, distribution and social services partners. We backed that with local, regional and national media relations efforts.
Results: Today, more than 50,000 onesies have been distributed or are in the pipeline for distribution at more than 20 hospitals in Virginia and Tennessee and through Smart Beginnings, an initiative of Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. In addition, placements in Parents magazine and U.S. News & World Report have helped lead to partnerships in California and Florida, where This Side Up campaigns will being in Spring, 2009. These programs – and expansions in Virginia and Tennessee – expect to result in another 30,000 onesies in the coming months.
Heinz Awards
Opportunity: The Heinz Awards celebrate the extraordinary achievement of individuals in the areas of greatest importance to the late U.S. Sen. John Heinz. His widow, Teresa Heinz, founded the awards in 1993 – but they were not receiving the desired national exposure.
Our Strategy: We approached publicizing the awards by focusing on the local markets of each year’s winners – then building toward national coverage. We also explored each recipient’s specialty field to capture targeted coverage in niche media as well as leverage their educational affiliations to expand our reach. We also targeted opportunities with national papers of influence to promote the winners’ contributions, along with online news sources related to each recipient’s discipline.
Results: Each year, we have grown Heinz Award coverage at
the local, regional, national and specialty levels. A key breakthrough was generating repeat interest from national wire services, which results in placements in hundreds of media outlets from coast to coast.
SnagAJob.com
Opportunity: SnagAJob.com, launched in 2000, fills a niche: a Web site specifically for hourly jobs. As one of our first clients, helping to grow SnagAJob.com’s brand in 2003 meant increasing awareness of the site as a resource for hourly job seekers and employers.
Our Strategy: We established SnagAJob.com CEO Shawn Boyer as a national authority on hourly jobs. We initially leveraged SnagAJob.com’s expertise in summer jobs. Today, SnagAJob.com is an ongoing resource for media looking for any perspective on the hourly workforce – nearly 60 percent of working Americans – thanks in part to regular, third-party surveys on summer jobs, holiday hiring, workplace happiness, etc.
Results: In the first year, we earned coverage for SnagAJob.com
in Time, in the Wall Street Journal
and on the “Today”
show. In 2008, SnagAJob.com was featured on
network morning shows, Today, Good Morning
America and The Early Show, as well as cable
outlets CNN, Fox Business News and CNBC.
Earned 2008 consumer media impressions
exceeded 100 million.
