It's no secret that it's difficult to get attention in New York, but Maytag hit the jackpot when its Chicago PR house Leo Burnett Co. rented a movie theater at the Lincoln Center in New York to host a March 20 event during which four famous TV moms told tales about washing clothes.
The event was hosted so Maytag could show off one of its new washing machines. Appearing were TV moms June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley), Lassie's mom (June Lockhart), Carol Brady (Florence Henderson) and Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford).
In short, PR NEWS loved this campaign. Considering the deluge of press releases and materials we receive on a daily basis, it's campaigns like this that really stand out. Even though we see the PR ploy for all its worth, it's the fact that it was a fun and lighthearted event that makes it noteworthy.
Allison Altman, an account exec who worked on the campaign, said Leo Burnett Co. came up with the idea during a brainstorming session about 18 months ago.
"We wanted to do it in New York because that's where most of our product launches are," Altman said. "But we wanted it to be something that was revolutionary and would reach beyond our typical target markets and the trade press." (Leo Burnett, Allison Altman, 312/220-5959)