Media Relations
We are excellent at earned media—at ensuring that our clients are the news. We know not only the who but also the how (and the why) for getting our clients’ names in print and on the small screen: national, local and the trades that matter. And we like to help create stories that are worth telling.
Our news bureaus, Newsengine and Social Newsengine, fire on all pistons. Which is to be expected, given that media relations is one of our core strengths. A key phrase we ascribe to our dedicated media relations department is “being in and of newsmaking” (i.e., we not only use our vast experience to connect with key global, national, regional and local outlets to deliver exposure for clients, but we also generate news based on research, trendspotting and other analysis we’re doing at @havaspr). Plus, we monitor news in real time so that we’re always on top of breaking stories, trends or competitor updates that will help keep clients informed and future-focused for their work and their own newsmaking. We’re relentless in our mission to provide superior results, which we achieve, in part, through our personal relationships with target media.
Our specialty is building, guiding and sustaining momentum. We’ve mastered momentum because we don’t simply understand buzz; some of us are the people who popularized the concept. Our trendspotting effort is led by our CEO, Marian Salzman, who is an internationally noted trendspotter. She inserted the term “metrosexual” into the pop culture zeitgeist and wrote the book (literally) on Buzz. She doesn’t ask “What’s next?” because she’s more interested in what comes after that.
Some of our recent greatest hits:
Amtrak’s Martina McBride Eleven Across America Tour. We scored more than 71 broadcast placements covering all 11 stops along the cross-country journey to launch Martina McBride’s newest album (the first tour of its kind for Amtrak). We boarded the train for the trip so that we could provide on-the-tracks media support en route. Along the way, we garnered more than 6.5 million media impressions, increased Amtrak’s Facebook “likes” by nearly 4,000 users in just one week and directed more than 3,000 users to our customized Martina McBride tab. We got the word out to local markets so that more than 2,100 lucky fans were treated to an intimate performance from one of country music’s biggest stars.
Ford’s Warriors in Pink. We broke through a cluttered “pinkwashed” landscape for Ford and its courageous Warriors in Pink collection and earned nearly 64 million media impressions in six months. We conducted expertly targeted local media outreach around Mother’s Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), Veterans Day and holiday gifting to secure product placement. We landed A-list media outlets, including “Today,” and a groundbreaking “Rachael Ray” exclusive that included product integration at no cost (Ford appreciated the value of that amazing coup). We enlisted journalist-activist Lee Woodruff to write profiles of breast cancer survivors to introduce the Ford story into new conversations. And the Jennifer Aniston–designed “Man on the Moon” T-shirt, which was promoted only through public relations, sold out and went on back order on the Warriors in Pink website.
The French Will Never Forget. We undertook aggressive media outreach around the 10th anniversary of 9/11 to deliver the message for this grassroots organization striving to improve U.S.-Franco relations. We secured in-person, international interviews for a former NYC fire commissioner; distributed early photos of the replica World Trade towers built by the group in order to generate advance buzz; and developed press releases and an op-ed to breathe life into the story. We coordinated a media brunch in Paris with the four co-founders of TFWNF sitting for interviews. Coverage of the event spanned the globe, for more than 231 million media impressions in the first three days alone, with 68 print/online placements and 45 broadcast segments. Outlets included CNN, BBC, The New York Times, USA Today, The Independent, the Daily Mail, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Europe 1 and France 3. We helped spark a Facebook conversation, and the timeline was flooded with touching messages from both sides of the Atlantic. We tallied more than 17,300 “tweet-pressions,” including retweets and mentions from CNN France and the U.S. Embassy; more than 9,534 Facebook impressions and 490 likes in one month; 367 new fans and 275 wall posts and comments in the first 11 days of September.
Sanofi Lantus Diabetes Co-Stars. To grow brand awareness for Lantus SoloSTAR in a crowded diabetes market and develop a sustainable PR campaign that would continue to make noise over time, we engaged Lantus user Paul Sorvino and his Oscar-winning daughter, Mira, for an original campaign focusing on the need for a diabetes support team. We kicked off a national media blitz in New York City with press release distribution and media outreach to top-tier NYC-based broadcast/print outlets, conducted an SMT/RMT to reach local markets, and organized West Coast media days in L.A. in October and additional media days in November, timed for the holidays and Diabetes Awareness Month. In the digital/social media space, we launched the interactive site DiabetesCoStars.com and managed the Sanofi Diabetes Division Facebook and Twitter pages. Our work paid off, big-time—with an audience reach of more than 239 million; 51 interviews resulting in 1,193 placements, including top-tier media such as “Today,” “The Nate Berkus Show,” “Fox & Friends,” “Extra,” “Sunday Today in New York,” “Good Day L.A.,” “WPIX Morning News,” “Wake Up with Al,” USA Today, Parade, New York Post, Redbook, Los Angeles Times and Diabetes Health; 2,240 online MNR views; 175 SMT/RMT interview airings; and more than 29K unique visitors to DiabetesCoStars.com.
Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. We generated more than 800 million media impressions for the Toyota brand across print, broadcast, radio and online mediums, and secured more than 1,900 media placements mentioning the race. Feature coverage included People, USA Today, “Extra,” “Access Hollywood,” Fuel TV, Soap Opera Weekly, Mun2, Motor Trend, “E! News” and “Entertainment Tonight Canada,” plus coverage on more than 75 national and local broadcasts. We crafted and distributed six press releases, drafted a matte release that garnered 866 placements, wrote bios for all drivers and a photo tip sheet, and developed satellite coordinates for B-roll material. We secured a live, onsite Web chat viewed by more than 18,000 fans. And talk about media relations: Trackside, we credentialed more than 295 reporters, photographers and crew members on press practice day and race weekend.
