The Case: A Sticky Situation
What editor would want to cover Scotch tape? That would be like reporting on tap water or rocks: it's already a fact of life. Yet 3M Corp. hoped for coverage - not just for its
venerable tape brand, but specifically for its pop-up tape strip dispenser, a wrist-worn item that facilitates one-handed gift wrapping. A 1997 "Most Gifted Wrapper" contest drew
media attention, but by 1999 the idea was getting stale. Time to try something new.
Amateur Appeal
The PR team at Hunter & Associates, 3M's agency of record, had learned a few things during the first two contests. For example, they had already improved the visual quality
of the set in New York's Penn Station where the contest finalists would compete, and they had tightened up their own behind-the-scenes operations in order to make events flow more
smoothly. What they needed in 1999 was a fresh news hook. And they found it in the form of amateur appeal. As in previous years, Hunter & Associates promoted the contest
among professional gift-wrappers, sending a call for entries to some 5,000 human resource and PR personnel at major department stores, specialty stores and shopping malls. Each
contestant was asked to pen 100 words on his or her qualifications as the best gift wrapper in America.
The twist in 1999: a call for entries also went out to the top 100 newspapers in the country. About a dozen papers ran stories based on the press release, and that coverage
drew enough applications to allow the PR team to field an even slate of four professional and four amateur gift wrappers in the final competition. Now the competition housed a
rivalry, with amateurs facing off against pros. "We felt it built in an element of fun, an element of surprise and suspense as to whether the amateurs or the pros were better,"
said Jason Winocour, associate senior VP at Hunter. "Can someone at home walk in the door and do the job as well as the pros? That kind of question always raises the level of
excitement."
Package Deals
It took four Hunter staffers to arrange the myriad details surrounding the culminating event - a "wrap-off" to be held at Penn Station. In addition to handling media contacts,
there were issues of set design, and logistics such as arranging hotel and air travel for the contestants. The team also had its hands full trying to satisfy all the morning TV
shows. Having granted Regis and Kathie Lee the right to the first chat with the winner, it had to offer something special to "Good Morning America" and the Saturday "Early Show."
The former got dibs on a contest preview and live coverage of the event, with the understanding that it would cut away before the winner was chosen. The latter got to recreate
the event using two runners-up and the show's meteorologist. Press releases went out two weeks before the Nov. 19 event, and a media advisory went out by fax on Nov. 15 and again
on Nov. 18. The PR team angled for local appeal, including names and cities of all the contestants on each release. On the big day, contestants wore contest-logo sweatshirts, and
banners on the set pushed the Scotch brand. The march toward the $10,000 grand prize unfolded in three rounds. Contestants first wrapped hatboxes, then pogo sticks, then oversized
rocking horses. In addition to providing colorful visuals, these hard-to-wrap gifts contributed to what Winocour called the overall "quirkiness" appeal of the contest.
In all, the campaign's $230,000 budget went largely to pay for contest travel, set design and prize money. The PR team also spent $6,000 for the use of Penn Station.
Pay Off
In the end, the amateur camp won: Marilyn Comer of Alexandria, Va., took top honors in the contest. The event scored 175 media placements, including 88 TV and 70 newspaper
hits. That's more than 101 million impressions, better than double those received the year before. It drew broadcast coverage on "The Tonight Show," the morning shows, and on a
number of network affiliates in New York. It also scored coverage in nine of the top 10 media markets.
Did the effort boost sales of the tape dispenser? Tough to say, since ads and other PR efforts were running at the same time. In any case, the client continues to profess
delight with an event that has helped reinforce in consumers' minds a fundamental brand equation - Scotch tape equals presents equals fun - at a time of year when wrapping is a
national preoccupation."The event continues to be an integral part of our marketing efforts because it successfully links the Scotch brand, as well as the Scotch pop-up tape strip
dispenser, with the holiday gift-wrapping season - the peak season for sales and usage of transparent tape," says Alan Rames, manager of marketing communications, 3M Stationery
Products Division. Hunter will repeat the campaign in 2000, with a roster of new quirky gifts to wrap and an ongoing effort to sell the human-interest aspect of contestants'
stories to media in their local markets.
-- Adam Katz-Sone (3M, 651/733-8805; Hunter PR, 212/679-6600)
Getting Around The Exclusive
What do you do when you give the exclusive to one media outlet but still want to keep the buzz going?
Hunter & Associates had granted Regis and Kathie Lee the right to the first chat with the contest winner. But so as to not leave out some heavy hitters, it offered
something special to other media outlets:
1. "Good Morning America" got dibs on a contest preview and live coverage of the event, with the understanding that it would cut away before the winner was chosen.
2. The Saturday "Early Show" recreated the event using two runners-up and the show's meteorologist.
Hunter & Associates Inc.
Founded: 1989
HQ: New York
Clients: 3M, Craft Foods, McIlhenny Co., Discover Card Billings (1999):
$3.7 million Employees: 30
Staff on 3M account: Senior VP Jason Winocour, Account Supervisor Dawn
Desposito and two others who are no longer with the agency.
Campaign time frame: Oct.-Dec. 1999
Budget: $230,000
On the Web: http://www.hunterpr.com
Decisions, Decisions
Should you ditch your agency to go with a one-stop, all-inclusive measurement and research firm like InsightFarm? That depends on a few variables. If you enjoy a full-service
relationship with your PR agency, you may not want to add more strategic counselors to the mix (that gets pricey). On the other hand, if you're interested in procuring an analysis
of a finite campaign or vertical strategy, delegating to a research firm might be your best bet. One caveat: research ain't cheap. InsightFarm founders declined to talk hard
dollars this early in the game. But in general, measurement studies (depending on their scope) can run anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000 and up.
PR Measurement Event Nov. 14
Interested in securing some extra measurement counsel at no cost? Email your response to the question below and you'll be in the running for a free pass to the PR NEWS "Best
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Topics at the Nov. 14 event include:
- Measuring Brand, Reputation and Shareholder Value
- Employee Communications: Measuring for Inside-Out Success
- Why & How Good Corporate Citizenship Means Higher ROI
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- Online Measurement: Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave
For seminar info. visit http://www.PrandMarketing.com or call 888/707-5814