The Wild Turkey Bourbon brand, looking to boost its awareness among men 25-54, seized a humorous, but targeted, sponsorship opportunity recently through a non-profit conservation organization with a similar name. But the relationship has blossomed, creating benefits for both organizations.
Wild Turkey's sponsorship of the National Wild Turkey Federation's Turkey Calling Championships is propelling both organizations into the national spotlight, most recently garnering more than 24 million media impressions.
The event, which traditionally takes place February 1998 in Indianapolis, attracted 25,000 avid sportsmen and wild turkey enthusiasts this year - the right audience for Wild Turkey's "outdoor sports" branding message, says Lynda Fitzgerald, brand manager for Austin, Nichols & Company, Wild Turkey's parent company.
The event also aimed to dispel stereotypes about Wild Turkey being a "red neck" drink of choice and educated the public on the importance of conserving the American wild turkey.
"We took a tongue-in-cheek approach to the serious issue of wild life conservation," says Ann Higgins, president of Danlee Public Relations, the Red Bank, N.J.-based PR firm that launched the campaign. Media coverage included interviews with game officers and wildlife biologists explaining how calling devices are used to study wild turkeys.
The campaign earned top billing from the New Jersey chapter of the Public Relations Society of America in the categories of "Special Events" and "Video Communications" as well as an honorable mention in the "Brochures & Presentation/Media Kits" category.
Media Teasers Use Turkey Calls
This year's media hook involved a catchy promotional package that introduced the turkey calling competition with the tag line "Famous Wild Turkey Calls. Fly Down Cackle, Kee Kee Run and Hey Bartender!"
The media kit, which was sent to about 50 outdoor, sports and features journalists primarily in the Indiana market, featured an event tee-shirt and a turkey calling device with humorous instructions on how to make turkey calls.
For national media play, Danlee produced a VNR playing up the NWTF's 25th anniversary and conservation efforts. For radio coverage, an audio news release promoted competition winners with sound bite samples of calls.
These efforts resulted in the event generating more than 24 million media impressions that included high-profile network coverage from CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN International, according to Higgins. The campaign budget was $80,000 (VNR production drove most of the spending at $30,000).
Partnership Expands Beyond Event
Wild Turkey and NWTF's relationship, which started six years ago, is expanding beyond the sponsorship realm and into a full strategic partnership.
From an awareness-building perspective, both organizations have a lot to offer each other. NWTF's membership of 180,000 (primarily male) provides a captive audience for Wild Turkey's branding message and Wild Turkey is generating major national media exposure for NWTF and its causes.
NWTF's competitions also tend to be in the southern region of the country, also considered the "bourbon belt."
So far, the sponsorship has resulted in attendance soaring to 25,000 from 12,000. And Wild Turkey sales shot up 37% in Indianapolis after the event and resulted in 35 new bar accounts, according to Fitzgerald.
These mutually favorable results has led to Wild Turkey sponsoring NTWF's "Target 2000" project. The goal of the cooperative effort is to restore and expand wild turkey populations on 65 million acres of suitable but unoccupied land in the U.S. by the turn of the century. Wild Turkey is committing $100,000 to the effort over a three-year period.
In addition, Wild Turkey is looking to become more involved in holiday membership promotions, especially around Thanksgiving, that include bourbon tastings in various markets.
The biggest challenge is finding venues that can accommodate the attendance at the events and being creative with PR efforts in "controlled" states that don't allow on-site alcohol promotions.
Next year, for instance, the competition will be held in Charlotte, N.C. There, Wild Turkey will not be allowed to offer samples at bars. Instead, the company will rely on aggressive media relations and stronger relationship-building efforts with the local sales team, says Higgins.
(Danlee Public Relations, Ann Higgins, 732/450-9223; Austin, Nichols & Company, Lynda Fitgerald, 212/455-9508)
Danlee Public Relations
Headquarters: Red Bank, NJ
Founded: 1995
Billings: $1,360,000
No. of Employees: 9 FT, 4 PT
Other Clients: Aberlour Single Malt Scotch; Gossard Intimate Apparel