As summer vacation draws to a close, it's goodbye Mom and Dad and off to school for many incoming college freshmen, and the transition from bedroom to dorm room can be a rocky one. But one company, Linens 'n Things, launched a media relations campaign this past summer and fall that not only eased that transition for students and parents but netted a 9.4 percent sales spike for its 150 stores in 32 states.
Linens 'n Things retail stores, headquartered in Clifton, N.J., and MWW/Strategic Communications, Inc. (MWW), in East Rutherford, N.J., coupled their efforts to come up with a marketing campaign centered around students heading to college. The duo created the "Sleeping in Your Clothes" marketing/media relations campaign to provide students being packed up, shipped off or going back to school with stylish bedding touted to be just as comfortable and familiar as the clothes they wear.
The campaign, which began July 15 and ran about six weeks, introduced Linens' new line of bedding along with other items --like storage crates, popcorn poppers and toaster ovens -- deemed important by college students. Bedding included sheets, comforters and pillows in assorte fabrics, from corduroy and denim to fleece and flannel.
And because organization and space-saving techniques are key to sharing a small dorm room, those working on the campaign had a special hook: convince parents of the convenience of turning to Linens 'n Things for one-stop shopping.
Linens 'n Things and MWW began planning the campaign, which called for a $60,000 budget, in early June. The firm conducted phone surveys to see what kind of information reporters at top newspapers in major cities liked to receive. They also searched major bookstores and tapped professional agencies, which find spokespeople for companies, to locate an expert to be featured in a video news release (VNR) for college students.
The New York-metropolitan area, Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles and Dallas were the five targeted markets. The objectives were multifaceted:
- To position Linens 'n Things as a back-to-campus merchandise resource;
- To drive traffic into the "Campus Bound" shops; and
- To garner an additional layer of broadcast coverage, via the video release, in areas not reached by advertising.
The campaign combined both consumer and PR strategies, with MWW handling the PR side. The firm sent out a media kit, which included a press release, photos of Linens' merchandise and tips for college-bound student.
It also offered parents purchasing ideas for items needed to set up a college student's dorm room. And to top if off, the kit and a pitch letter were sent to home/lifestyle editors at the top 100 newspapers.
In addition to print advertising, MWW turned to SOS Productions production company in Columbus, Ohio, to come up with a two-and-a-half minute release featuring commentary and advice for parents and students from Ohio State University's family relations expert, Dr. Barbra Newman.
MWW selected Newman because she wrote a book, When Kids Go To College, on the student/parent stress involved when kids move away from home, and because one of her children would be attending Ohio State. The video was shot on OSU's campus and included quotes from the residence life director in a Linens 'n Things-decorated dorm room.
"We successfully combined the needs of the client and the media, which was very important. The most successful part of the campaign was that the print and broadcast worked very well together," said Correen Winters, account supervisor at MWW.
Michael Kempner, president and CEO of MWW, added: "It was fun and whimsical, but, most importantly, it is very topical and to the point...that's what made it work."
The consumer advertising side of the campaign, which also concentrated on the five key markets, was carried out by Linens' in-house staff, which ran 15-and 30-second national TV spots in conjunction with national newspaper advertisements and the distribution of direct-mail coupons.
"If we had not done both the consumer (advertising) and the PR communications, we wouldn't have been as successful," said Mark Stuart, vice president of marketing at Linens. Stuart, however, added that their best tool was the VNR -- "the catalyst for creating the above-normal public response," including media attention.
The VNR was picked up by 25 stations in cities such as Houston, Miami and San Francisco, and was aired 45 times. Good Morning America featured Linens in a national piece that it created, using the VNR as a model.
Print media coverage included more than 20 placements in newspapers such as The Washington Times, Newark Star Ledger and Asbury Park Press. The placements included photos, quotes and trend information taken from the kit.
(Linens 'n Things, 201/778-1300; MWW/Strategic Communications, Inc., 201/507-9500)