Media Relations
Grove Park Inn Resort
What can you do with $7,288? Take a cruise around the world, add a deck onto your home?
Launch a successful media relations campaign?
We tip our hats to The Grove Park Inn Resort in Asheville, N.C., for turning a gingerbread house building contest into a PR Taj Mahal. Gingerbread villages have traditionally been a part of the Grove Park Inn's holiday celebration, but marketers for the hotel devised a plan to recruit local bakers to build the village, saving the time in-house chefs were spending on the project.
The resort, however, hadn't a clue that its PR would yield such sweet results. Media coverage included:
- A segment on "Good Morning America"
- A full-page feature in USA Today
- A full-page in Southern Living's "Presents Home for the Holidays" edition.
Community Relations
AFC Enterprises, Inc.
How many companies would have the courage to start a major community relations initiative when, in its own words, it was "just out of bankruptcy, with angry franchisees, fed-up suppliers and disgruntled employees."
Five years ago, this was the state of AFC.
As the company restructured, it sought to rebuild relationships with stakeholders and the community. To that end, the company selected Habitat for Humanity to help it build its philanthropic face, and committed to building 200 new homes. Over a course of five years, AFC rallied its employees and franchise allies to be part of the program, netting 80 percent participation from franchisees and 87 percent from employees, raised and donated $7 million for the cause and built 204 homes.
Internal Communications
NewsEdge Corp.
Created by the merger of three competing companies, NewsEdge Corp. found itself battling high employee turnover because its corporate culture and other employee issues were in disarray. The company undertook research to stem the tide and retain its 400-plus employees. It discovered, for instance, that the Massachusetts Software Council had a 20 percent turnover rate, while its rate was as high as 40 percent. Surveys also pointed to salary discrepancies.
Using e-mail, an open communications policy, strong executive leadership and a direct-mail campaign, the company refocused existing resources to intentionally stop the brain drain. A cutting-edge "Diary of a Roadie" reiterated key messages and served to build employee loyalty.
And it worked. Post campaign turnover has dropped to 6 percent.
Marcom
Golin/Harris International
Anyone who knows brands knows the Pillsbury Doughboy - he's a figure that seems to appeal to any demographic. Apart from his belly, its the giggle, right?
Seizing on that, Golin/Harris crafted the "Pillsbury Doughboy Giggle-Off," a lighthearted campaign through which people could call a toll-free number to test their giggles against other laugh enthusiasts. In September 1998, 10 finalists, selected from a pool of more than 100,000, competed for the grand title.
The contest winner was a 7-year-old girl from Morgan Hill, Calif., who received a $50,000 check for her tee-hee. But the most impressive number was the 196 million media impressions the campaign delivered.
Public Affairs
Golin/Harris and the Illinois Department of Public Health
With HIV and AIDS cases on the rise among teens, the IDPH decided not to wait until it was burying children to drill home safety messages. As of June 1998, 5,406 cases of HIV infection had been reported in Illinois among residents ages 20 to 29 - patients who likely contracted the virus in their adolescence.
With the help of Golin/Harris, the health department developed "Respect Your Mind, Protect Your Body" to reinforce responsibility and safety messages. Campaign partners employed a range of tools, from radio ads and PSAs to educational brochures.
Though it may be years before these messages pay off, a change in attitude is likely on its way: focus groups, increased hotline calls and 140-plus requests for audio news releases underscore the project's success.