Action
Actions speak volumes when they are a logical extension of the strategy guiding your campaign. These steps, when part of an overall plan, are the means through which we reach customers, guide employees, inform the media, generate engagement and prepare for a crisis.
Actions could be:
Developing a communication plan
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Pitching stories to the media
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Creating a direct mail campaign
Conducting media training
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Writing, practicing a crisis communication plan
Obtaining speaking engagements
Refining key messaging
Case Study: Cat Fanciers Association
Situation:
The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA), the largest registry of pedigreed cats, held its largest cat show in the Western Hemisphere in Houston. The CFA wanted to kick its attendance up a notch over the previous year. The organization approached Ben to develop a proactive media relations campaign to build greater awareness for the show and boost its attendance.
Objectives:
Increase attendance by 10 percent above the 8,500 people who attended the previous show
Generate at least four local print news stories/calendar announcements and two stories each for both local television and radio
Solution:
While especially targeting women (the primary owners of cats in the U.S.), we concentrated on generating Houston print and broadcast stories that would attract cat lovers, general animal lovers and the public who might be interested in learning more about cats and cat shows. In addition to local print and broadcast media, we targeted online media, as well as national print media. To combat the notion that CFA was designed for “cat fanatics” and lure a larger audience, we communicated the diverse range of activities offered at the show, such as trained cats, cat care and cat breed information, cat-related care products and adoptable cats from various animal shelters. We encouraged print and broadcast media to follow Houston show exhibitors as they groomed and showed their cats in the competition.
Results:
We boosted attendance by 15 percent to nearly 10,000. Additionally, we secured five calendar announcements and two feature articles in the Houston Chronicle. In broadcast, we generated three radio stories and nine different television stories. In short, every local television station included the show in their news broadcasts. Distributing post-show results also resulted in several national stories, which generated much greater exposure for the CFA.