a case study presented by hallmark and fleishman-hillard october 24, 2004
TRANSCRIPT
A Case StudyPresented by Hallmark and Fleishman-Hillard
October 24, 2004
The Business ProblemSlow growth of greeting card sales Almost 90 percent of U.S. households
already use them
Consumer understands their value, she just forgets
Minimal voice in the marketplace for the category
The marketing solution: card-based advertising campaign
The Public Relations Problem
PR could help But cards are not “news” Typical card news (e.g., holidays) offers
some exposure opportunities, but is season-based, not ongoing
For this challenge, needed a different, creative idea!
The Public Relations Solution Hallmark Writers
on Tour A public relations program to help grow the greeting card category
An opportunity to express to consumers directly and through news stories the emotional benefit of greeting cards
One of the most comprehensive, multifaceted, and rewarding PR programs any of us have completed
Public Relations Objectives Remind consumers, directly and through
news media, of the emotional benefit of greeting cards
Reinforce to consumers and internal audiences that Hallmark best delivers these benefits
Use the assets developed through the program to feed other publicity efforts
PR Strategy Elicit consumer testimonials to express
the emotional benefit of greeting cards with activities that: – Personalize Hallmark– Engage consumers directly– Generate news in themselves– Feed stories that can generate more news
Tactical Plan Take writers on the road Solicit consumer memories through events,
media relations Add ongoing touchpoints (Hallmark Visitors
Center, Hallmark.com) Leverage consumer stories for additional
news Bring consumers’ experiences back to
Hallmark to inspire employees
Making It Happen: The Markets
Markets were selected by:– Media receptivity– Propensity of local consumers to buy lots of
Hallmark cards – Connection between the writers and the
market– Location of Fleishman-Hillard offices or
community organizers
How did we generate attendance?
Invitations to Hallmark Gold Crown members
Advance media relations Fliers in Hallmark Gold Crown stores Fliers at event venues Affinity group outreach
Where Did We Go? Pilot events
– Lawrence, Kan.– Leavenworth, Kan.– Leawood, Kan.– Topeka, Kan.– Kansas City, Mo.
Official tour stops– Kansas City– San Diego– South Florida– Cincinnati– Des Moines– Philadelphia– Omaha– Phoenix– St. Louis– Nashville– Minneapolis/St. Paul– Baltimore/Washington, D.C.– Salt Lake City– Las Vegas
Making It Happen: The Venues
Sought smaller, casual venues with engaged proprietors
Not Hallmark stores — to be seen as less commercial
Allowed audience to feel comfortable enough to tell very touching personal stories in public– Coffeehouses– Tea shops – Day spas– Libraries – Bookstores– Community centers – Cafés
The Schedule Three days, two nights in market Media interviews, especially during
drive time Four-five event appearances Retailer interaction and store visits
Event Format Host + two writers Introductory video Writer presentations
– Background– Sources of inspiration
Question/answer session Story sharing Informational packets
– Card samples, story forms, bookmarks, gift cards
Introductory video here
Event Format Host + two writers Introductory video Writer presentations
– Background– Sources of inspiration
Question/answer session Story sharing Informational packets
– Card samples, story forms, bookmarks, gift cards
The External Picture We made 77 appearances in 15 markets over
19 months We were interviewed for radio, TV, print, and
online stories We laughed, we cried, and sometimes we
scratched our heads … but mostly we marveled at the way greeting cards touch people in strange and wonderful ways
We traveled by plane, taxi, shuttle bus, van, and town car
We got up early and stayed up late, drinking lots of coffee along the way
We were “Introverts on Parade”
Engaging Employees
Employee Communication Tools
Writer profiles, consumer stories in employee newsletter
Solicited employee stories (including the CEO’s!) Intranet site, closed-circuit TV Weekly e-mail to writing staff and internal partners
to play back stories, maintain enthusiasm, and subtly market results to senior management
Presentation to writers and editors to celebrate success and recruit additional writers, hosts
All-employee meeting recapping the program and its success
Internal Partners Required cross-functional participation and
support Greetings marketing group Creative division, writing managers Writers themselves! Hallmark.com CRM group Hallmark Visitors Center Internal communications group
Results Writers talked face-to-face with more than
2,500 employees and members of the public
Collected approximately 500 written consumer stories from events, Visitors Center, Web site, by mail
Hallmark.com/meaningfulmoments had more than 24,000 visitors since its launch
Results Media helped tell the story More than 131 million media impressions
– Major print and online clips included The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Kansas City Star, Cincinnati Inquirer, to name a few; articles in Salt Lake City and Nashville were syndicated
– 21 radio interviews reaching 5.5 million• Radio media tour hit 10 stations and networks nationwide
– 17 television interviews reaching 8 million
Writers on Tour messages fed other campaigns yielding an additional 143 million impressions
Val Day VNR here
Results Best of all, 90 percent of the media
stories carried our key message:
This tour is not only about sharing how we work at Hallmark, but also about listening to real people talk about how cards have made a difference in their lives.
Results Consumer stories, media-trained writers
have fed other initiatives — Valentine’s Day, Shoebox
Sixty-second interstitials derived from shared stories airing on the Hallmark Channel, reaching additional audiences, generating more consumer stories
Major groups (AARP, IAAP) heard about it and invited us to bring the program to them!
Interstitital video here
Results Consumer stories, media-trained writers
have fed other initiatives — Valentine’s Day, Shoebox
Sixty-second interstitials derived from shared stories airing on the Hallmark Channel, reaching additional audiences, generating more consumer stories
Major groups (AARP, IAAP) heard about it and invited us to bring the program to them!
Results Attendees loved it and learned! Of those surveyed after the events
– 83.5 percent strongly agreed the presentation helped them realize how important cards are to people
– 95 percent strongly agreed they have increased respect for what goes into the creation of a greeting card
– 88 percent now think about Hallmark or greeting cards differently than they did before the event
– 50 percent purchased or used more greeting cards than normal in the week following the event
Why Was It Successful? The campaign was built around our DNA
– Did not portray us as something other than what we are– As a result, audiences had no problem embracing the
concept– Reinforced our brand promise
Every campaign element focused on delivering our primary message– Media outreach and coverage– Invitations, other attendance-generating activities– Events themselves
Timing
Why Was It Successful? Internal audiences embraced the
campaign; it became a part of corporate culture– Card-planning teams ask for relevant
consumer stories when assigning new projects to writers
– Chairman referred to the program in his annual Thanksgiving letter to employees
– Writers and hosts volunteered for year two
Why Was It Successful? Corporate culture embraced the campaign
– Stories were shared throughout Hallmark, reinforcing the importance of each job and improving morale
– WOT was highlighted at a retail creative summit
– WOT videos shared at board of director meetings
– Members of Hall family’s fourth generation were briefed on the campaign’s success
Why Was It Successful? Strong first year, and successful “selling” of results
led to second-year funding– Momentum continued into year two and led to even
greater media placements in national outlets and media inquiries
– Stories filtered to the advertising agency who shared stories with larger audiences via Hallmark Channel
Integrated into other Hallmark campaigns – Writers on Tour became the underpinning of other
Hallmark campaigns– Media training writers was an asset to all future PR efforts– Valentine’s Day outreach focused on a shared story– Shoebox campaign focused on humor writers
Don Hall video here
A Case StudyPresented by Hallmark and Fleishman-
Hillard