The Case
Teenagers often think that no one in the world cares about what they have to say. But a satellite media tour conducted by Seventeen magazine in July proved otherwise.
Nearly 1.9 million television viewers tuned in to find out how teens felt about a broad range of issues, ranging from fashion and celebrities to designer drugs to racial
violence.
What made this SMT particularly successful was its exclusively regional focus - along with an online bonus offered to select participating stations. Seventeen put a
twist on the old standby practice of using survey statistics to pique journalists' interest by giving four major market television stations the opportunity to submit their
own questions ahead of time for an online poll of the magazine's readers. This shrewd move helped bolster interest in the SMT; participating stations received the answers
to their unique survey questions as part of the SMT package and were given the opportunity to break the news locally.
Taking the Fall
Back-to-school season is a popular news peg for brands that cater to the teen set (duh). Hoping to rise above the din, Seventeen scheduled an SMT to coincide with the
launch of its meaty fall issue. "We saw this as an opportunity to effectively send a multi-layered message about Seventeen to regional news outlets we couldn't otherwise
reach [due to sheer staffing limitations]," says Laura Brounstein, director of PR for Seventeen and Seventeen.com. "We always have to prioritize the activities of the
national PR staff. It's not so easy for me to set up an interview in, say, Scranton."
Seventeen hired Medialink to manage and facilitate the technical aspects of the satellite feed, and to pitch local TV stations on an opportunity to interview executive
editor Roberta Caploe. The goal of the campaign: to give Seventeen's readers a voice in local media markets, thereby positioning the magazine as an authority not only on
teen fashion and trends, but also on teens' collective feelings about weightier socioeconomic and political issues.
Hot This Season: Angles and More Angles
First impressions are everything when it comes to snagging the attention of swamped assignment managers. Actress Jennifer Aniston (who appeared on the cover of
Seventeen's fall issue) was a natural hook for an advisory notice faxed to local TV stations. "She is a strong role model for teens - she's not only beautiful, but also has
a strong work ethic, she volunteers, and she answers a lot of her own fan mail," says Irene Minett, VP of media relations and monitoring at Medialink.
The advisory went on to specify that Caploe also was prepared to gab, on air, about other hot topics from the fall issue, including teen boredom, binge drinking, fall fashions
for all shapes and sizes and "trauma-rama" (a round-up of the situations teens find most embarrassing). Pitching several different angles helped increase the SMT's chances at
pick-up, Minett says.
Additionally, Seventeen floated an exclusive offer to a handful of local TV stations, inviting them to submit questions for an online poll of thousands of the magazine's
readers. The only caveat was that questions had to be answerable via multiple choice. Among the questions stations submitted:
- Chicago (WMAQ): How do you feel about so-called "designer" drugs?
- Houston (KTRK): How serious do you think the problem of race relations is for you in the 21st century?
- Denver (KUSA): Do you have any interest in volunteerism or community service?
Accessories and All
One week out, the Medialink team sent a package to the stations that had signed on for the SMT. In the mix: b-roll footage of the hottest fall fashions for teens, a copy of the
magazine's back-to-school issue, Caploe's bio, press releases touting Seventeen's fall editorial coverage and a confirmation sheet with technical instructions for satellite
hook-up. Stations that had submitted questions for the online poll also received the survey responses to their questions in advance.
On July 7, Caploe headed over to Medialink's studio and conducted 16 media interviews in about three hours, by satellite.
Highlights
The SMT resulted in 16 total broadcast usages (14 of which were in the top 20 television markets in the U.S.). Key markets included New York, Chicago, Philly, DC, Detroit,
Atlanta, Houston, Denver and Sacramento.
Brounstein says site traffic at Seventeen.com spiked in the weeks following the SMT, although she's hesitant to attribute the jump solely to the campaign, as a redesigned
version of the site was posted during the same timeframe. While SMT costs can often run as high as $25,000, Brounstein estimates that the price tag on this one fell between
$10,000 and $15,000.
(Brounstein, Seventeen, 212/407-9700; Minett, Medialink, 212/682-8300)
e-Survey Says...
The online polling strategy deployed in this case was not new for Seventeen. The magazine routinely posts online reader surveys as a means of keeping its finger on the
pulse of teen sentiment - and as a way of shoring up extra PR for the magazine brand. A Seventeen.com poll conducted on the day of the Columbineshootings last year gauged teens'
fears about returning to school. The magazine's editor-in-chief, Patrice Adcroft, shared the results the next morning on "Good Morning America" and CNN. Seventeen also used
its online connection with readers to harvest qualitative feedback for Newsweek's special teen issue last spring. Message boards posted on Seventeen.com asked teens to
share their feelings about stress, religion, and family.
About Seventeen
Founded: 1944
HQ: New York
Parent: Primedia, Inc.
Readership: With pass-along, 14 million teenagers (including 87% of girls
ages 12-19 in the U.S.)
Key Player: Laura Brounstein, Director of PR
About Medialink
Founded: 1986
HQ: New York (offices in LA; DC; Chicago; Boston; Dallas; Atlanta; San
Francisco; Portsmouth, N.H. and Norwalk, Conn.)
Services: Video/audio production, Webcasting, press release distribution,
still photography, research/analysis
Key Players: Alexander Petti, director
of media relations; Irene Minett, VP media relations and monitoring; Tracey
Doull, account manager