Case Studies
Great PR takes imagination, creativity, strategy, organization and solid communication skills. The case studies listed below are some of the campaigns that have stood out over the years - not just because of great results, but because we overcame challenges, worked in partnership with the client and developed a campaign that was effective.
These case studies are a range of our work and highlight some of the more dramatic, lively and interesting projects we have had the opportunity to develop.
Mystique Films — Healing With Animals
Healing with Animals was a great documentary series produced by Mystique Films. Our objective was to get high ratings for the series, but as it was set to run on a digital cable channel — for many people that meant that they would have to sign up for the digital channel.
At that time, the Vicki Gabereau Show was on the air and produced in Vancouver. We knew that Vicki had a soft spot for animals and that she ran a weekly "dog spot." We approached the producers with the pitch of switching out one of the "dog spots" into a llama spot for the week prior to the launch of the series.
We had Wallace, the llama that was featured on the show (he visited homes for the aged and was especially talented in working with those suffering from dementia), come to Vancouver from Vancouver Island. Wallace stood on the corner of Robson and Burrard Streets for a photo shoot (he loves people!) and we generated community, local and national coverage for his downtown appearance.
Wallace and producer Mary Bissell were guests on the Vicki Gabereau Show. Vicki liked the segment so much that she had us bring in another animal from the show. For this spot, we brought a pot-bellied pig named Nelly from Washington State. Nelly assisted her "person" by sensing panic attacks and seizures before they occurred.
Now, this was during some of the Mad Cow challenges that North America was facing and we had quite a challenge getting Nelly across the border. It took a late Friday night phone call to the home of the Head of Agriculture Canada to get special written permission for a farm animal to be allowed to cross the Canada/U.S. border — even for a TV appearance! We had to sign a document promising that we would escort Nelly to the studio and back to the border — no stops for photo opps!!! We did just that — and Nelly was a hit on the Gabereau show.
The film production house and filmmakers went on to win Leo Awards for Best Documentary Series, Best Writer and Best Director — they have often graciously shared credit for these wins to the awareness raised through our efforts. The show is now in reruns and can be seen on several channels!
Studio B Productions Inc. — Being Ian
Studio B Productions Inc., one of Canada's hottest animation studios, develops a great children's cartoon called Being Ian. The series is aimed at nine to 12 year-old children and follows the adventures of Ian Kelley — his incredible imagination, fascination for films, quirky family and epic adventures. Being Ian mixes slapstick silliness with the wry humour of everyday life and Ian's far-out, off-the-wall fantasies that regularly turn a typical day at the beach into Castaway and an ordinary camping trip into the Blair Witch Project. The series airs on YTV.
As season one's airdate got closer, we worked to create an audience for the show. To engage an audience, we:
- Distributed copies of the show, great images and good story ideas in the hands of the media — interesting them in the idea of the show and giving them the tools they needed to do their jobs.
- Approached the Mayor of Burnaby (in the show the family lives in Burnaby) and requested a "Being Ian Day" be proclaimed.
- Held a sneak preview of the show at the animation studio for grade 3 & 4 classes complete with popcorn, juice and a chance to ask the director and producers questions about creating a cartoon and had media come out too.
- During the production of Being Ian, we also publicized some of the interesting and famous guest "voices" that were on the show, including Vancouver Canucks' Trevor Linden, punk-rock band GOB and Global TV's beloved news anchor Tony Parsons.
If you total the three years of editorial coverage that we generated and put it into advertising dollars, it is valued at more than $1,000,000. The series has won four Leo Awards, three ELAN Awards, the $50,000 Shaw Rocket Prize and received a Gemini Award nomination - it also has a large, loyal audience of kids.
Envision Financial — Redfrog
For the launch of Envision Financial Credit Union's new mortgage product called Redfrog, we developed a guerilla PR and publicity campaign that included 30 "Redfroggers." They were dressed in Refrog outfits leapfrogging around the Lower Mainland and throughout the Fraser Valley with www.redfrog.ca on their sweatshirts and on large signs that they carried. Without disrupting traffic, we engaged commuters providing an unexpected morning smile (imagine a bunch of smiling people dressed all in red waving at you in the morning).
We also planted Redfrog signs in specific high traffic areas throughout the Fraser Valley. Upon turning a corner, pedestrians and motorists saw 30 to 40 Redfrog signs grouped together. This was set to support the Redfrog branding campaign.
Our goal was to raise the profile of this new financial services product through community media and by a direct outreach to potential clients. Every community that we had Redfrogs leap in, we received media coverage in. We also inspired more than 1000 hits a day on the website. The program exceeded all sales targets set.
Columbia National Investments — New Developments
Columbia National Investments (CNI) is a land development company with integrity and a commitment to the environment. We were brought on to work with the CNI team to raise their profile as they expanded their work outside of the Fraser Valley.
Much of our work with CNI is media relations, working with the team to identify the stories about their projects and effectively pitching those ideas to the media. Developers often have a bad reputation and are perceived negatively by the public. We knew that the owners and team at CNI didn't fit that stereotype. We worked to highlight their approach to building communities, which includes respect for the environment, developing the right infrastructure to support the community, building quality residential and commercial structures, and giving back through their extensive charity work.
CNI was covered in community newspapers and local daily media (newspapers and radio) and the coverage was balanced and positive. One article about their acquisition of lands and the proposals for the properties on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast even made it to the front page of The Vancouver Sun — above the fold. (Usually the front page is reserved for tragedy, mayhem and destruction.) This article was a great profile on CNI, its founders and their plans to build communities that respect the environment and provide well built homes.