In early 2002, most media were focusing on the war on terror, not the war on pests. The National Pest Management Association was getting little play in the media, and members
of the nonprofit organization were unhappy with the lack of attention. Professional pest management didn't garner a whole lot of respect, and when it did get press, it often
tended to be critical of an industry that revolves around pesticides.
"My first day on the job in January, the client told me, 'We have to get a homerun or we won't be around next year,'" says Kim Mitchell, account executive with FCF Schmidt PR.
FCF decided the best approach to winning coverage - and a better image for the pest control industry and the NPMA - was to position pest control as a means for preventing human
disease. The team leveraged medical research conducted on the topic, and Mitchell immediately put tried and true media relations practices to work. She crafted a pitch letter with
a catchy one-sentence headline and compelling research on the aggravating effects of mice and cockroaches on people who suffer from allergies. She focused especially on the impact
of cockroach and mice allergens on children suffering from asthma. Mitchell also suggested touring a local home as a visual element for a broadcast hit.
She sent the pitch letter to the morning shows, but came up empty at "Good Morning America" and "The Early Show." But her savvy media relations and a little luck got her foot
in the door at the "Today" show. "The producer had a personal interest in the topic," Mitchell explains. "She suffered from allergies she attributed to cockroach and mice
allergens."
The NPMA was featured on "Today" on June 28, including a discussion of the medical research showing how cockroaches and mice exacerbate asthma in kids.
Not only was the pitch successful, but the media relations win has paid off for the association: Revenues have reached the $1 million mark in 2002, about double what they were
this time last year.
(Mitchell, [email protected])