Community Relations Case Studies

The North Face – Dean Karnazes Italian Book Tour

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Situation:

The North Face is the world’s leader supplier of technically innovative outdoor apparel and equipment. The North Face has a team of more than 60 professional global athletes from around the world which includes snowboarders, skiers, rock climbers, mountaineers and endurance runners. Among the latter, Dean Karnazes stands out as the Ultramarathon runner par excellence, having completed several endurance events, most notably the Endurance 50: 50 marathons in the 50 American states on 50 consecutive days.

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NIRAS, nuclear waste agency

Situation

NIRAS is the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile materials. This federal agency by law is responsible for the management of nuclear waste. Its mission is to draw up the inventory, to handle, treat and stock radioactive waste and to propose solutions for its long term depository and management.

In 2006 the Belgian government decided to dispose of the low and medium active short-lived waste in a surface disposal installation; NIRAS now needs a decision in principle for the high active long-lived nuclear waste so as to steer its further research and development in the right direction. The decision is relatively urgent as the agency will need another three to four decennia on R&D to work out any type of solution.

Such a decision is highly subject to pressure and influences from political, industrial en environmental groups.

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Landis Communications Inc./Old Navy Case History

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Situation

LCI’s challenge was to position and promote Old Navy’s affordability, value and style while not cannibalizing its sister divisions, Gap and Banana Republic.

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Genzyme

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Introduction

Genzyme, one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, hired The Castle Group to create a strategic communications plan and promote their ortheoarthritis treatment Synvisc and procedure Carticel.

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Fantail Communications “Get’s Cracking”

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Introduction

The Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (CEMA) wanted to increase the consumption of eggs. The ad campaign of the time communicated the message of how nutritious, tasty eggs are and how easy it is to prepare them, so why not eat them outside of breakfast occasions. CEMA wanted more bang for their marketing buck and hired Fantail to provide their first ever PR/event marketing program to take this message to the grassroots level.

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Steelback Brewery: From Ruin to Respectibility

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Introduction

Steelback Brewery, the beer brand with little respect in the Ontario market, got a new lease on life when a new owner took the reins of the organization. The unfavourable reputation, and poor business decisions, of the previous owner, reflected poorly on the beer’s brand and the new incarnation recognized the road to overcome this history would be steep.

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This is a Test Case Study

Background

The UCLA Anderson School of Management is building its reputation as a leading institution for international business management graduate students.� Dean Judy Olian is traveling to select countries to meet with media and business leaders to highlight the school’s capabilities.

Assignment

UCLA contracted Valencia, Perez & Echeveste Public Relations (VPE) in Los Angeles to arrange a media tour for Dean Olian with key business and media leaders in Monterrey and Mexico City in early November 2007.� VPE utilized PRGN partner agency Guerra Castellanos & Asociados (GC&A) in Mexico City to handle on-site logistics.�

Strategy

VPE and GC&A developed a strategy that included the following key elements:

  • A series of one-on-one interview sessions with leading business reporters and columnists at top-ranking media outlets in Mexico City and Monterrey
  • Scheduling a live, 15-minute business radio broadcast with Dean Olian and prominent Mexican business leaders who are UCLA graduates
  • Inviting key editorial writers and columnist to attend a round-table meeting with top-level Mexican business leaders

Amorim

Introduction

Portuguese group, Amorim, the largest cork producer in the world, is described by Forbes Magazine as “number one, two, three, four and five in the cork industry”. Seventy percent of this material is used to make cork stoppers for wine. PRGN France consultancy, Greenwich, has been working with Amorim since the company established a French presence in 1992.

Project

In recent year’s plastic and aluminium wine closures have been progressively taking market share from Amorim. Citing the absence of “wine taint”, the plastic and aluminium industries have mounted a successful proactive PR campaign while the cork industry’s response has, in the main, been defensive.

Greenwich recommended that Amorim tackle this issue head on by staging three round table “conference of consensus” events, utilising independent experts, on the topic “Cork, Aluminium, Plastic : Impact of the Closure on the Consumer, the Environment & Wine Development”.

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