By: Cole Buergi, Vice President of Business Development, Leonard & Finco Public Relations
Planning included:
- Creating a targeted media list – being sure to include specific reporters that cover hunting or the outdoors.
- Developing key messages to convey the Cabela’s brand.
- Identifying key store features for the media to focus on.
- Developing and distributing news releases highlighting events and activities.
- Hosting a media pre-view day prior to the opening.
- Hosting VIP nights for various groups to generate additional buzz.
- Preparing the team for media interviews.
- Arranging media interview schedules and learning what each outlet has an interest in covering.
- Seeking opportunities for the media to get involved in setting their story’s atmosphere.
As for the grand opening media activities, we had to ensure
enough Cabela’s staff was available to do the interviews as we had multiple
media outlets seeking interviews at the same time. It was vital to have several
team members prepared and available to accommodate the media’s live shot
time frames. Equally important was having a detailed schedule of when each reporter’s
live shots took place so everyone on the Cabela’s was aware of the timing.
We also planned for what areas of the store we wanted to
highlight and encouraged the reporters to focus on these areas. Of course,
reporters all want their own angles, but being able to provide them with ideas
helped us highlight parts of the store the media may have not thought about.
In addition, we worked with the reporters to help set the
mood. One radio reporter captured the sound of a bow being shot; two others
wore outdoor attire to help set the atmosphere for their stories. Another great
visual was one reporter feeding the fish in the trout tank. The trout swarmed
on queue as the reporter tossed in fish food while reporting live. (No, we
didn’t train the trout in advance.:))
The end result was Cabela’s received incredible media
coverage that went smoothly because of the advance planning.
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