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Top Case Studies in PR
Published by PR News Press
Volume 6
prnewsonline.com
Published by PR News Press
prnewsonline.com
Top Case Studies in PR
Volume 6
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Top Case Studies in PR ● Volume 6
prnewsonline.com Publisher’s Letter
ForewordValuable Lessons for Successful Communications InitiativesJohann Wolfgang Von Goethe once said, “In the end we retain from our studies only that which we practically apply.” It is that spirit in which we offer this edition of PR News’ Top Case Studies in PR. Each case study presented in this guidebook illustrates the lessons learned through actual application—and each details those lessons so that you can leverage them to help you deliver the best PR initiatives for your clients.
Each case study in this guidebook offers a wide variety of tactics and strategies from which to learn and apply to your own initiatives. Through interviews with PR team members and key executives, our case study editors give you first-hand accounts of how a campaign was executed—soup to nuts.
There’s plenty of excellent advice. Consider what The Ritz-Carlton learned as it embarked on a campaign to create its own branded, digital concierge on the social media platform Foursquare. Ritz-Carlton and its agency Pandemic Labs decided early on that the digital concierge wouldn’t be transaction-driven—like the typical Foursquare space—focused on getting people to stay at a Ritz-Carlton hotel.
Instead, it would extend the expertise of all the Ritz-Carlton concierges to the cultural attractions, landmarks and other key places in each of their destinations, creating a “World Concierge” that provided excellent travel information and also promoted the Ritz-Carlton brand. The most impor-tant takeaway? Educating and training its employees was tantamount to the campaign’s success.
For Diversified Information Technologies, it was the king of social media—Facebook—that proved invaluable in rallying employees and unifying the company’s brand and vision. Work-ing with Capstrat, DIT created a private, company-only Facebook Group aimed at opening up lines of communication across the company so an identity could emerge and the team unify around a common vision. There was some hesitation, and plenty of naysayers, but the campaign succeeded, thanks to a well-thought and well-executed plan.
There are plenty of other great examples in this edition of PR News’ Top Case Studies in PR. Family-owned Jack Link’s Jerky went from a successful, but relatively quiet brand to the No. 1 snack brand sold in convenience stores. The cornerstone of its efforts? Jack Link’s “Feed Your Wild Side” campaign and an annual media relations program designed to shift percep-tions, build stronger consumer relationships and drive sales.
Then there’s the Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers, whose donations were already down because of the sluggish economy. Just as efforts began for its annual Christmas Program, which distributes gifts and clothing to financially disadvantaged children through-out the state, Superstorm Sandy hit. The organization immediately went to work with Nancy Marshall Communications, and through a focused campaign that leveraged social media and old-fashioned yet powerful public and media relations, the Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers total donations exceeded $54,000, far surpassing the original goal of $20,000.
In this edition of the PR News’ Top Case Studies in PR, we have recruited a stellar set of authors who have shared their real-world perspectives, insight, lessons learned and practical advice—all of which can and should be put to good use in your organization.
Best Regards,Beth BacheldorEditor, Top Case Studies in PR
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4 Table of Contents
Top Case Studies in PR ● Volume 6
© PR News
Table of ContentsForword .................................................................................................3
Index of Companies & Organizations ......................................................7
All case studies written by PR News editors, unless otherwise indicated in the book.
Chapter 1—Branding & Product Launch .................................................10‘Greatest Mustache Campaign in History’ Provides A Solid Return for H&R Block ............................................... 12
Bounty’s Valentine to Teachers Results in Improved Learning Environments.......................................................... 15
Hilton Hotels Runs Offbeat Campaign to Cure Vacationitis and Spur Travel ........................................................... 18
LucidWorks Repositions and Rebrands Innovation to Gain New Markets ................................................................ 21
Drug Maker Builds Awareness of New Therapy with Interactive Portal ..................................................................... 23
Tebow Mania Fuels Launch of Jockey’s Staycool Underwear Collection ................................................................... 25
Old and New PR Tactics Are Blended For Hardware Chain’s Rebranding ............................................................... 27
Promoting New Zoo Exhibit, With a Research-Driven Media Campaign .................................................................. 30
Chapter 2—Community Relations ..........................................................34Cable Company PR Campaign Gives Communities 10 Million Reasons to Subscribe .............................................. 36
Money School Leads Rebranding Overhaul For Catholic Charities Fort Worth ....................................................... 39
Strategic Outreach, Grassroots Efforts, Turn Tide in Support of Copper Mine........................................................ 43
How a Capital Campaign at Low-Profile Ohio University Became a Rebranding ..................................................... 46
Amex Foundation, National Trust for Historic Preservation Use PR to ‘Repair’ America ....................................... 49
How the Airline Industry Avoided a New Tax Through a Lobbying and Media Campaign ..................................... 52
Arlington National Cemetery Wreath Campaign Flourishes with Media Relations .................................................. 55
Nonprofit Lures Anglers to Advocacy Platform Through Integrated Marketing ...................................................... 58
Chapter 3—Crisis Management .............................................................62Social Media Helps Royal Caribbean Stay in Front of a Severe Crisis ....................................................................... 64
MassMutual Insurance Expertly Navigates a Tornado’s Impact in it’s Own Community .......................................... 67
Old-School Media Relations Helps City Recover from Devastating Gas Explosion ................................................. 70
Why American Airlines Flew High with a Masterful Response to Alec Baldwin’s Rant ............................................. 73
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Chapter 4—Digital PR ............................................................................76Academy of Country Music Generates New Buzz With Twitter PR Campaign ........................................................ 78
American Traffic Solutions Invests in Facebook Ads to Promote Highway Safety ..................................................... 80
Calling on a New Voice: How Leaders Can Use Social Media to Build Relationships .............................................. 82
Clorox, Ketchum Use Online Influencers, Social Media to Make a Healthy Difference .......................................... 84
Nikon 1 Expands Market with Celebrity Facebook Photo-Sharing Campaign .......................................................... 87
Nonprofit Harnesses Research and Expertise for Successful Twitter Chat ................................................................ 90
Nonprofit Uses Social Media to Promote National Day of Unplugging ................................................................... 93
SELF Taps Gaming to Boost Brand, Enlist New Customers and Generate Revenue ................................................ 95
Ritz-Carlton Leverages Brand Perception With Content-Focused Platform on Foursquare .................................... 98
Nestle Waters North America Looks to Reinvent Recycling and Gets Results ......................................................... 101
Proving PR’s Worth in Spurring Action During Medicare/Medicaid Enrollment .................................................. 104
Chapter 5—Employee Communications ................................................108Facebook Helps Tech Company Overcome Fragmented Internal Communications ........................................... 110
FedEx Overhauls its Diversity Communications, Putting PR in Charge ................................................................ 113
B2B Blog Becomes a Powerful Tool in Showing Apriso’s Manufacturing Expertise ............................................... 116
Establishing a Unified Brand for Philips with Well-Planned Marketing and Teamwork ........................................ 119
Nipro Diagnostics Manufactures a ‘Sweet’ Community Relations Plan ................................................................... 122
Software Firm Employs Digital PR to Help Grow Revenue and Build Brand .......................................................... 125
Chapter 6—Events ...............................................................................128Breeders’ Cup Sets Records with Enchanting Equine Story and Crossover Appeal ............................................... 130
Company Taps Celebs, Media to Remember 9/11 and Raise Millions for Charities .............................................. 133
Melding PR and New York Museums Drives Awareness of Conan’s Big Apple Comeback ..................................... 136
PR and Marketing Team Up to Earn Buzz Around Century 21’s Super Bowl XLVII Ads ....................................... 139
Restaurateur Uses Mayan Calendar’s End to Rally Customers to Enjoy TGI Friday’s ............................................. 142
Ronald McDonald House Charities Net Donations Via Ice Hockey Exhibition Game ........................................... 145
Chapter 7—Media Relations ................................................................148From Man Snack to Mainstream, Via National Media Relations Campaign ............................................................ 150
LinkedIn Raises Its Profile with Global Media Relations Effort................................................................................ 153
Musical Education Nonprofit Tunes Into PR to Amplify Charitable Efforts ............................................................ 156
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MWW Has Celebrities to Spare in Campaign to Make Bowling Roll with the Young ............................................. 159
How Children’s Home for Little Wanderers Adapted Fundraising Following Storm ............................................. 162
Scholastic Gets an ‘A’ for Building Awareness of Writing Awards Program............................................................. 165
Grocery Chain Uses Targeted Media To Forge Image as Oasis in Food Desert ...................................................... 168
Tech Brand Relies on Infographics to Best Communicate its New Thought Leadership ....................................... 171
TerraCycle Teams with Tobacco Co. to Stamp Out Cigarette Waste ....................................................................... 174
Uncle Ben’s, Porter Novelli Stir up Campaign to Teach Kids Healthy Cooking .................................................... 177
Chapter 8—Social Responsibility ..........................................................180Allstate Foundation Puts Focus on Domestic Violence to Fundraise for Survivors ................................................. 182
Celebrity Snowboarders, Skiers and Nonprofit Team Up to Protect Winter ........................................................... 185
DoSomething.org Works with Aéropostale to Help Clothe Homeless Teens .......................................................... 188
Nonprofit Uses the Power of Opinion Research to Fight Childhood Hunger ........................................................ 190
Psychological Association’s Campaign Prescribes and Promotes Therapy .............................................................. 193
The UN Foundation’s Shot@Life Mobilizes U.S. Moms to Fight Childhood Diseases ........................................... 196
Wine Maker Shows Its Heart and Sole in Beach-Protection Partnership Efforts..................................................... 199
7 Company Index
Top Case Studies in PR ● Volume 6
© PR News
Index of Companies & OrganizationsCompany Name........................... Chapter
Academy of Country Music ............................................ 4
Aéropostale...................................................................... 8
Agent-cy Online Marketing ............................................ 5
Airlines for America ........................................................ 2
Alliance for Young Artists & Writers .............................. 7
Allstate Foundation ......................................................... 8
American Airlines ........................................................... 3
American Express Foundation ....................................... 2
American Psychological Association .............................. 8
American Sportfishing Association ................................ 2
American Traffic Solutions ............................................. 4
APCO Insight .................................................................. 8
APCO Worldwide ........................................................ 2, 8
Apriso Corp. .................................................................... 5
Austin Peay State University ........................................... 4
Barefoot Wine & Bubbly ................................................. 8
BGC Partners ................................................................... 6
Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America................ 7
Cadient Group ................................................................ 1
Cantor Fitzgerald ............................................................ 6
Capstrat ............................................................................ 5
Carmichael Lynch Spong ............................................... 7
Catholic Charities Fort Worth ........................................ 2
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid .............................. 4
Century21 ........................................................................ 6
Children’s Health Fund .................................................. 4
Cone Communications ............................................... 1, 4
Conover Tuttle Pace ........................................................ 6
Davies Public Affairs ....................................................... 2
Diversified Information Technologies ........................... 5
DoSomething.org............................................................ 8
Eastwick ........................................................................... 1
Elasticity ........................................................................... 1
FedEx ............................................................................... 5
First Degree ..................................................................... 2
Global Experience Specialists ........................................ 5
H&R Block....................................................................... 1
Henson Consulting ......................................................... 6
Hilton Hotels & Resorts .................................................. 1
Hunter Public Relations ................................................. 8
Interactive Edge .............................................................. 5
Jack Link’s Jerky .............................................................. 7
Jockey International Inc. ................................................ 1
Kemp Goldberg Partners ................................................ 2
Ketchum .......................................................................... 4
LeadDog Marketing Group ............................................ 6
Lewis PR........................................................................... 7
LinkedIn .......................................................................... 7
Little Kids Rock ............................................................... 7
LucidWorks ...................................................................... 1
Lymphoma Research Foundation ................................. 4
M Booth ........................................................................... 2
MassMutual...................................................................... 3
MSL Group ...................................................................... 1
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prnewsonline.com Company Index
Murphy O’Brien Public Relations.................................. 1
MWW Group ............................................................... 4, 7
Nancy Marshall Communications .................................. 7
National Day of Unplugging .......................................... 4
National Resources Defense Council ............................ 8
Nestlé Waters North America ......................................... 4
Nikon ............................................................................... 4
Nipro Diagnostics............................................................ 5
Ohio University ............................................................... 2
Orchard Supply Hardware ............................................. 1
Peppercomm ................................................................... 6
PG&E ............................................................................... 3
Philips .............................................................................. 5
Porter Novelli .............................................................. 4, 7
PRIME Research ............................................................. 4
Procter & Gamble ........................................................... 1
Protect Our Winters ........................................................ 8
PRx Digital ....................................................................... 1
PurplePurse ..................................................................... 8
Reboot ............................................................................. 4
Red Tettemer + Partners ................................................. 6
Ronald McDonald House Charities ............................... 6
Rosemont Copper Company .......................................... 2
Royal Caribbean .............................................................. 3
Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. ........................................ 7
Scholastic, Inc. ................................................................ 7
Share Our Strength ........................................................ 8
Singer Associates ............................................................. 3
Super Bowl XLVII ........................................................... 6
SUPERVALU Inc. ............................................................ 7
Surfrider Foundation ..................................................... 8
T.G.I. Friday’s .................................................................. 6
TBS................................................................................... 6
Team Coco ....................................................................... 6
Telus ................................................................................. 2
TerraCycle........................................................................ 7
The Breeders’ Cup .......................................................... 6
The City of San Bruno, Calif. ......................................... 3
The Clorox Company ..................................................... 4
The Harbour Group ....................................................... 2
The Hastings Group ....................................................... 8
The Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers ...... 7
The Marcus Group .......................................................... 7
The National Trust for Historic Preservation ................ 2
The NHL ......................................................................... 6
The Ritz-Carlton .............................................................. 4
The Santa Barbara Zoo ................................................... 1
The United Nations Foundation ................................... 8
The Zeno Group ............................................................. 8
Uncle Ben’s ..................................................................... 7
Unisys ............................................................................... 7
Vanguard Communications............................................ 8
Weber Shandwick ........................................................ 3, 4
Worcester Wreath Company ........................................... 2
Wreaths Across America ................................................. 2
YWCA ............................................................................... 8
10 Chapter 1: Branding & Product Launch
Top Case Studies in PR ● Volume 6
© PR News
Knowing who you are is the first step in getting others to understand your value proposition. Telling just a slightly different story can shift momentum and business results.
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Top Case Studies in PR ● Volume 6
12 Chapter 1: Branding & Product Launch © PR News
‘Greatest Mustache Campaign in History’ Provides A Solid Return for H&R BlockBy PR News Editors
The tax preparation company H&R Block had estab-lished itself as a major player in the business, having been around for 57 years. But in the eyes of the all-important 21-35 male demographic, it was associ-
ated with words like “stodgy,” “staid” and “venerable.” When trying to connect with young consumers who would use the company’s online tax preparation services, those are not exactly the words needed to describe your brand.
So H&R Block needed to come up with a way to reach young males, and fast. Faced with the challenge of changing the target’s perception of its brand between the moment tax information is sent on Feb. 1 to the day taxes are due on April 17, H&R Block decided to launch a campaign featuring the best tool to reach its target audience: humor.
To make it work H&R Block teamed up with agency Elas-ticity to launch The ’Stache Act. The idea was to create a proposed legislative bill (the ’Stache Act) that would pro-vide a $250 tax cut to anyone sporting a mustache. From the notion that mustaches can generate laughs, creating a movement to request a tax break for facial hair would be the perfect mix of politics, humor and W2s.
The tactics for the campaign included:
Introduce the issue into politics, as candidates were • campaigning in the presidential primaries.
Employ tactics for consumers to participate.•
Create an engaging application for H&R Block’s • Facebook fans.
Use all messaging to direct traffic to H&R Block’s • social properties.
Hold “The Million Mustache March” a culminating • event in which mustached Americans would deliver the message to the White House and national media.
Funny PR
The staff at St. Louis-based Elasticity believes that the most impactful campaigns are the ones with the best ideas. In 2007, the agency created the faux facial hair think tank, the American Mustache Institute (AMI). According to Aaron Perlut, managing partner and chief nuclear mustache grooming specialist, the agency spent five years developing a community and following for the AMI. It provided a test kitchen and the opportu-nity to get an understanding of what resonates with the media and target demographic.
Perlut had the ’Stache Act idea sitting in his head for years. He had a prior business relationship established with Scott Gulbransen, director, social business strategy at H&R Block. So when Gulbransen approached Elastic-ity soliciting its help, it was suggested that they give the idea a shot as a way to reach younger demographics.
“It was not a layup,” Perlut says. “There were a lot of concerns at H&R Block, being a fairly conservative company, about doing things differently.”
Great PR campaigns happen all the time, of course. But the effective use of humor is a rarity, as it’s not in the DNA of most corporate cultures, Perlut says. However, when it’s done correctly, it can really provide a wow factor.
“We knew we had to be relevant to our target audiences outside of tax expertise. This was a fun way to use humor to start to change perceptions around our brand.”
– Scott Gulbransen, director, social business strategy at H&R Block
Top Case Studies in PR ● Volume 6
13prnewsonline.com Chapter 1: Branding & Product Launch
H&R Block was willing to go out on a limb. What Elas-ticity had to prove to H&R Block was that the idea was in line with the overall plan of establishing relevancy among the target demographic. Once it was proven that this was a social engagement and content market-ing program, the brass was on board.
“Working on the ’Stache Act was a very unique expe-rience for everyone involved,” says Brad Fitzgerald, PR coordinator and director at Elasticity. “Everything about the campaign was off-the-wall. It cut through the clutter and far exceeded expectations, which made it exciting to work on.”
By linking Elasticity’s facial hair think tank with a national tax break H&R Block could at the time poke fun at the two biggest political movements in the country, the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street, while avoiding sides in a political debate. The results could engage consumers with H&R Block’s social properties during tax season, which would ultimately boost awareness.
“We knew we had to be relevant to our target audiences outside of tax expertise,” Gulbransen says. “This was a fun way to use humor to start to change perceptions around our brand.”
Making it Work
With a mix of staged events, social media blasts, media outreach and a charity tie-in, H&R Block kicked off the campaign with a President’s Day 2012 announcement, from the steps of the United States Capitol. As the official spokesman, Perlut introduced the ’Stache Act to the world, announcing it was ready for primetime.
Buzz around the story, initially picked up by 17 national media outlets, grew exponentially when a long segment featuring Perlut aired on Neil Cavuto’s Fox TV broad-cast. Within two days, the ‘Stache Act white paper was linked to the Drudge Report.
The timing of the ’Stache Act launch in relation to the Republican presidential candidates being on the campaign trail couldn’t have been better. With one objective to introduce the issue into politics, the ’Stache Act movement was able to go on the road, showing up on the campaign trails of Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, and getting unofficial “en-dorsements” on video.
Hairy Moments
The campaign wasn’t without controversy. In February it was announced that Congressman Roscoe Bartlett would take the bill to the House Ways and Means Committee. Al-though that move created a crisis for Bartlett, it benefited H&R Block, as more media outlets jumped on the story.
On the American Mustache Institute’s blog, updates about the campaign were posted, keeping readers up to speed on the progress of the movement.
With more than 30 videos posted on YouTube through-out the campaign, H&R Block and Elasticity ensured that there were plenty of opportunities for consumers to participate in the movement. A Facebook app was created to encourage fans to not only visit H&R Block’s Facebook page, but to ‘stache themselves and their friends, which could be used in their profile pictures.
Aaron Perlut is managing partner of PR agency Elasticity and the mastermind behind the Ameri-can Moustache Institute and the ‘Stache Act. He believes that the drastic alteration of the media landscape during the past two decades and the ever-shortening attention span of consumers make it incumbent upon PR practitioners to go above and beyond communications expectations.
Here are some tips from Perlut on how to exceed those expectations while succeeding for your brand:
Success is not predicated upon personal opin-• ions. Instead, it’s how your messages resonate with the target audiences. “This is rarely com-prehended in the boardroom,” he says.
Don’t rely solely on the media. Cut the chord and • take responsibility for delivering your own message directly to the target audience in fresh ways.
Think past block-and-tackle PR tactics. “They • are sometimes seen as burdensome by the re-porters you’re aiming to influence,” Perlut says.
Don’t think out of the box—crush the box. • Leverage ideas (like humor, when appropriate) that burst through today’s cluttered landscape and grab attention in meaningful ways.
Rise Above the PR Clutter: Be Smart. Think Different.
Top Case Studies in PR ● Volume 6
14 Chapter 1: Branding & Product Launch © PR News
“It was a digital campaign first. That’s where it starts,” Perlut says. “You first try and create a discussion and then take that discussion to traditional media.”
Power of The ‘Stache
The promotion culminated with Million Mustache March, which took place on April Fool’s Day in Wash-ington, D.C. For every Million Mustache March partici-pant, H&R Block made contributions to Millions From One, a nonprofit that delivers clean drinking water to those who cannot obtain it themselves.
While it fell short of a million men in Washington, the campaign itself was far from a failure.
With the main objective being to boost visibility among young males as tax season approached, H&R Block tracked the campaign’s success through one central metric: How well it would play from the moment it was launched to the time taxes were due.
The ultimate numbers were impressive:
Reach = 255 million total impressions ▶
National media stories = 91 ▶
App views = 43,700 ▶
Earned Facebook reach = 9 million impressions. ▶
Intuit, its main rival in the online tax preparation space, told Wall Street analysts that it would have less revenue as a result of H&R Block’s 2012 tax sea-son success. The most important number, though, could be seen on the bottom line. H&R Block re-ported a record number of tax returns for the 2012 tax season.
What’s Next?
The risk H&R Block took with the humorous campaign paid off. According to Gulbransen, it opened the door for future bold efforts to develop engaging content that customers enjoy. “We’re unafraid to break new ground and reach out to folks in a humorous or unusual way,” Gulbransen says.
Perlut adds that if it were up to him Elasticity would conduct humor campaigns all year round. “I’d love if this campaign inspired other agencies to think differ-ently,” he says. For Perlut, laughter is truly the best PR campaign medicine. PRN