Krispy Kreme Baltimore

THE GOAL

Krispy Kreme utilizes local public relations and marketing agencies throughout the United States. Krispy Kreme's objectives are as follows:

Increase awareness
Increase brand loyalty

THE APPROACH

The agency works closely with the Krispy Kreme marketing department and marketing representatives from across the nation to develop promotions and share ideas to increase awareness of the brand on a local and national level.
Develop trade relationships with local media to gain airtime for Krispy Kreme.
Develop sponsorship opportunities with local entities and events to increase Krispy Kreme's visibility in the Baltimore market.
Reach out to local schools to promote fundraising and partnership opportunities.
Position Krispy Kreme as a community partner by initiating outreach to the local tourism council, chamber of commerce and other agencies as appropriate.

THE RESULTS

Increased brand awareness in the Baltimore metropolitan market.
Developed partnerships with many Baltimore-area community groups and charities including the March of Dimes, the American Red Cross, the Ronald McDonald House, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Maryland SPCA and more.
Successfully opened a new store in Columbia, Maryland in February 2004.

AMC Theatres

THE GOAL:

AMC Theatres planned to open a new theatre at The Mall in Columbia in Columbia, Maryland and Potomac Mills in Woodbridge, Virginia. In Columbia, AMC sought to create awareness of the signature AMC Theatres experience in a new market. In Potomac Mills, the objective was to gain new patrons as well as retain those who frequently visited the existing theatre.

THE APPROACH

The agency worked to plan a Welcome Breakfast on the first day of operations for local government officials, VIPS, friends of AMC Theatres and the general public. The breakfast showcases AMC's unique amenities to visitors.
Negotiated trade partnerships with other local retailers to provide food and beverages for the breakfast, as well as entertainment throughout opening weekend.
Created value-added promotions for radio advertising partners including contests and live remotes.
Developed and executed a comprehensive media relations plan.

THE RESULTS

Generated more than 3,274,932 impressions in local press including The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post.
Each theatre recorded exceptional attendance during grand opening weekends.
Developed local relationships expanded into regional partnership opportunities.

The Classic Catering People

THE GOAL

In setting a standard of excellence that is not based on the competition, but rather on a history of perfection, The Classic Catering People (Classic) and its sister company, Classic Restaurant Management, LLC, were in a quandary on how-to:

Grow the business for the next generation without compromising the measure of what has made Classic a successful company.
Support the efforts of the sales team via news of exclusivity contracts and publicity of premier events.
Improve communications to current customers and create tools to entice new accounts.
Maximize current sponsorship opportunities and forge new partnerships with citywide attractions/agencies therefore creating awareness of the continued commitment to the community.
Drive traffic to the restaurants of Classic Restaurant Management via the creation of in-store point-of-purchase materials, press relations and broadcast cross-promotion opportunities.

THE APPROACH

Created a regional media relations program, aimed at increasing non-paid media exposure via the development of Classic food experts.
Develop a quarterly newsletter and launch a website that provides the latest developments to the current constituency of clients as well as potential customers.
Maximize mutually-beneficial sponsorship and concessions opportunities with a variety of audiences.
Target the restaurant's predisposed clientele via direct mail and articles in neighborhood newsletters.

THE RESULTS

For the past seven years, WHA has consistently kept the names of The Classic Catering People, Alonso's and Loco Hombre on the lips of the general public through an aggressive media relations program that includes the regular radio feature "Entertaining Eddie" with Principal Eddie Dopkin offering his vast knowledge with call-in segments, appearances on affiliate television cooking segments two to three times a month, as well as interviews with regional food and lifestyle publications.
The incidents of calls for reservations at the restaurants and immediate responses for recipes and menus have continued to incrementally increase annually.
Cumulatively, The Classic Catering People has garnered more than $1 million in non-paid media in seven years.

American Craft Council

THE GOAL

Since 1976, the American Craft Council Craft Show in Baltimore has enjoyed consistent attendance and supplemental increases in consumer spending. However, beginning in 2000, the event team and artists perceived a decreased interest from the City of Baltimore and its hospitality industry and feeder travel markets (Philadelphia, Wilmington and New York). The show's February dates offer an opportunity for downtown area tourism-driven businesses to flourish during a time that is typically flat, as well as position the city as the host to the only juried craft event of its kind on the East coast.

THE APPROACH

Weinberg Harris & Associates identified the following objectives:

To maximize local and regional opportunities for hotel/restaurant bookings and attraction attendance.
Increase international exposure using the show as a catalyst.
To better inform the local hotel concierge, restaurant staff and tourism professionals about the magnitude and economic impact of the event.
To include the American Craft Council Baltimore Winter Craft Show in all local, regional, national and international outreach efforts.
To create cross-promotional opportunities.

THE RESULTS

All of these efforts must translate to the vision of the American Craft Council as a whole to redesign the public information about craft. Action items include media relations opportunities targeted specifically to regional newspapers, television and radio, as well as winter feeder/travel markets including Delaware, Southern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

In addition to general press materials, WHA also included information about various artists' participation to their hometown markets and created a "Winter Travel Advisory" to inform potential visitors of other events happening in Baltimore during the same timeframe.

The results include:

The Winter Show added 150 artists to answer the demands of new audiences for work in additional categories such as fiber and sculpture.
Based upon increased attendance, the American Craft Council added public days to the show's formerly trade-only Summer Show, hosted every July. This show, featuring more than 200 juried craftspeople, brought new audiences via the "exclusivity" billing generated by media relations.
The Winter and Summer Shows combined for more than $100,000 in non-paid media exposure, an increase of 15% from the years.