Winner Public Affairs
Whipping the American public into a frenzy about football is an uncomplicated feat. But getting government and the public to rubber stamp construction of a stadium is entirely another game.
The latter was the scenario Cashman & Katz, a PR firm in Glastonbury, Conn., faced when it rolled out a heightened public affairs project to build support for the construction of the New England Patriots Stadium in Hartford.
And all on a mere $4,500 budget, a tough road when one considers the background surrounding the campaign. Owner Robert Kraft wasn't satisfied with the current stadium in Foxboro, Mass., but he had been unable to sway Massachusetts legislators to build a new stadium.
Kraft wanted a new home for his football team and eyeing Hartford as the coveted venue, building public buy-in was key. Kraft and C&K knew that Americans may love sports, but they're not always fond of dipping into their pockets to support multi-million-dollar projects.
On Nov. 30, 1998, Gaffney, Bennett & Associates, Kraft's lobbying firm, hired Cashman & Katz to spearhead a public affairs campaign to drum up legislative and public support for a Dec. 15 vote to okay the stadium project.
Anyone who has encountered a groundswell of grassroots support - or condemnation - knows a project like this can trigger a need for warp-speed, exacting communication. In the case of the Hartford project, pointed PR was a must. Funded by tax incremental financing (TIF) bonds, the project had a guaranteed layer of drama since the initiative had to clear both the Connecticut State House and Senate.
But it's not enough to push the blast-fax button and hope that someone out there embraces your message.
The Power Play
Cashman & Katz relied on some high-style profiling, including a public pep rally and a $15,000 donation by the Krafts to sports organizations serving Connecticut youth. The media blitz won ink from The New York Times and coverage by WTIC-AM, a leading Hartford news/public affairs radio station.
Although the focal point of the campaign was introducing Kraft and his executive team (including son Jonathan) to a new hometown, building synergy with the public and officials was crucial. To set the groundwork for positive PR, the boutique firm first wanted to promote the benefits to those living in and around Connecticut. Recall, however, it only had two weeks to court favor.
Early on, access to the public meant setting up meetings with editorial boards, including with leading newspaper The Hartford Courant, to build understanding and awareness. Preparation for those meetings included brainstorming possible "confrontational" questions and making sure that the Krafts were prepped and up to speed with positive messages. Firm principal Tony Cashman even accompanied the Krafts on their mini-media tour.
The message they hammered home over and over: the stadium was slated to be financed by a 10 percent admission tax on general admission, club seats and luxury boxes - an atypical formula to fund stadiums.. A 30-year lease meant admission tax revenue would jump to $30 million by 2030, with total profits of $500 million.
While the Krafts brought their message to the masses, C&K began to focus on broadcast publicity as well. One coup was play on WTIC-AM's "Ray Dunaway Show," a leading talk show in the Connecticut market. Another was an appearance by the Kraft duo on WFSB-TV/Channel 13 (coverage was positive) that not only took place just hours shy of the legislative vote but also ran in advance of "Monday Night Football."
By earning support from both the media and policymakers, Cashman & Katz turned an idea that at first seemed conceptually intriguing into something that also seemed smart. The effort's ROI was clear when the Connecticut General Assembly passed legislation to fund the project only a few weeks after C&K launched its public affairs gameplan.
The strategy also included promoting the money the Krafts were devoting personally to build the stadium. Cashman & Katz highlighted that the Krafts were backing their commitment with $70 million of their own money.
That kind of statement speaks volumes to Americans, who tend to be skeptical about projects that help the rich get richer while John Doe foots the bill, even if it is football.