Sometimes the most powerful PR comes from the simplest premise.
In the mid-1990s, for example, Fairmont Hotels' Canadian properties
came up with a very simple solution to a problem every hotel chain
faces: what to do with gently-used linens, extra toiletries,
outdated furniture, towels that naughty guests haven't snatched.
Fairmont decided to give the items to local women's shelters, whose
inhabitants could really use them. What began as a simple donation
blossomed into a community relations program that spans the entire
organization.
In 2001, the Fairmont corporate communications team of five,
along with local PR directors at many of the 70 hotels across North
America, teamed to officially launch the Adopt- a-Shelter program
chain-wide. The launch date was slated for Mother's Day.
The Adoption Process
The team followed the model of the original Canadian
Adopt-a-Shelter program, in which each hotel aligned itself with a
particular shelter in the local community. The hotels create a
minimum three-year-long relationship with their shelters of choice
and make ongoing donations. Beyond those guidelines, however, the
national chain allowed different locales jurisdiction over their
relationships with the shelters and their launch events, making for
the best fit for each location. "It was very different from one
hotel to another," says Genevieve Parent, manager of PR for
Fairmont.
The local autonomy made for unique events to draw community and
media attention. The Fairmont San Francisco, for example, sponsored
a food and clothing drive for La Casa de Las Madres, the city's
largest shelter for battered women and their children. The
employees also volunteered to mentor residents on topics from
cooking on a budget to résumé writing.
The Fairmont Chicago donated enough comforters for every shelter
in Chicago. The hotel chose two shelters to be its "adoptees," and
representatives from both were present for a Mother's Day kick-off
luncheon. At the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, the hotel not
only donated its various goods to Casa Myrna Vasquez, but also
provided a new gift basket to each resident of the shelter,
including bathrobes and amenities. The hotel hosted a poetry
reading on Mother's Day.
The local PR teams:
- Rallied employees behind the program and organized their
efforts, coordinating items that could be donated and developing
unique partnerships that would best benefit their adopted
shelter; - Planned launch luncheons and other events surrounding their
"adoptions" for the Mother's Day kick-off. Key media as well as
representatives from the shelters were on the guest lists; - Pitched local media on the events and on the concept;
- Assisted hotel staffers in bringing together the many items for
donation in a central location. This created visuals that would be
sure to grab the attention of camera crews; - Brought together representatives from the shelters to be
present at launch events;
The corporate team supported the many local efforts with a
national outreach including a VNR, b-roll, press releases, media
kits, T-shirts and posters for use at local events, and advance
notification of media.
Results
The campaign that began as a community-friendly way of disposing
of luxury items became the impetus for a program that encompasses
every Fairmont location in North America, including its sister
Delta hotel chain.
Media coverage for the Mother's Day kick-off included hits on
CNN and the CBS "Early Show," in The Chicago Tribune, The San
Francisco Chronicle and Marie Claire, in addition to substantial
coverage in local television and newspapers. Media coverage
continues to crop up occasionally as the chain adds new hotels
which join the Adopt-a-Shelter program.
Fairmont currently does not measure the impact of the campaign
on sales or other business metrics. More important, staffers say,
is the connection hotels have established with their communities.
Employees rally around their individual location's shelter,
volunteering their help to the shelter residents.
The campaign also sparked a new focus on what has become a core
philanthropy for Fairmont at the national level. "We have the local
component," says Parent. "But on a corporate level, Fairmont Hotels
now donates to the Canadian Women's Foundation and V-Day in the
United States" in support of the crusade to end violence against
women.
Campaign Stats
Launch Date: Mother's Day, 2001
Budget: The corporate PR budget for the 2001 launch totaled
about $12,000. The breakdown:
- Press Kits - $1,275
- Posters - $1,275
- Invitations - $650
- T-shirts - $3,200
- VNR - $5,100
- Miscellaneous Expenses: $500
Individual hotels spent on average between $500 and $1,000 on
their local launch events.
The campaign's media coverage has reached an audience of more
than 17 million to date, proving the value of a simple program that
takes advantage of a company's strengths and resources and makes
them available to the community.
The Adopt-a-Shelter program is based on charitable donations,
but the PR team and other hotel employees have taken it far beyond
material support, making deep connections with the women, the
shelters and establishing the Fairmont as a key member of the
community.
Contact: Genevieve Parent, 416/874-2410, [email protected]
Fairmont received a PR NEWS CSR Award in the Community Relations
category for this campaign.