919 Marketing

Keeping Media Relations “SIMPLE” Can Help You Reach Millions

When Kerr Drug, a community pharmacy chain with 104 retail locations across the Carolinas, teamed up with 919 Marketing to launch the second annual “Beat the Bug at Kerr Drug” program, more than 2 million Kerr Drug customers and potential customers heard the message loud and clear.

More than 25 major television network broadcasts and more than 40 newspapers featured stories about Kerr Drug’s flu vaccination clinics, including photographs and interviews with Kerr Drug pharmacists, customers and executives. Based on population estimates from the US Census Bureau, this is the equivalent of reaching everyone in the following North Carolina towns: Angier, Asheville, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Fayetteville, Fuquay-Varina, Greensboro, High Point, Hillsborough, Raleigh, Reidsville, Sanford, Southport, Wilmington and Zebulon.

In terms of the competition, Kerr Drug received significantly more coverage than Eckerds, CVS and Walgreens combined. Clearly Kerr Drug dominated the market.

How did we accomplish this? We kept our media relations strategy SIMPLE.

Streamlined Our Message
Identified Trends and Patterns in Past Media Coverage
Made Multiple, Varied Attempts
Personalized Our Communication
Listened to the Media
Executed on Promises

Streamlined Our Message
Our message was concise and clearly identified the relevance to the media’s target market. We provided a schedule of local flu clinics and encouraged media to share the information with their readers. More importantly, we encouraged media to attend to obtain useful and reliable flu safety information from seasoned Kerr Drug pharmacists. We invited the media to bring cameras into stores and to speak directly with Kerr Drug customers about their decision to get vaccinated. We offered sound editorial resources rather than self-servicing jargon.

Identified Trends and Patterns in Past Media Coverage
There are clear and predicable patterns in what the media covers. These patterns are based on myriad factors including historical trends, seasons, holidays, nature, etc. Identify and align with these patterns and your chances of getting coverage will greatly increase. Based on the mass attention given to the flu vaccine shortage in 2004, we were confident that the media would be anxious to cover the proliferation of the 2005 flu season. By aligning Kerr Drug with the media’s needs, and offering resources and information rather than self-promotion, we were able to secure high-profile placements while forging strong and lasting relationships with the media.

Made Multiple, Varied Attempts
It’s no secret that journalists and reporters are bombarded with information and requests. Complicating things even further, each member of the media has his/her own preferences for receiving information. Even when PR professionals honor that preferred method, it’s common for even the most relevant and worthy pitches to get lost in the crowd. We did much more than issue a press release to promote “Beat the Bug” to the media. We faxed personalized media alerts daily, sent email reminders daily and most importantly, picked up the phone and personally called every relevant media contact, in most cases several times. When a contact was not able to attend a clinic, we religiously and respectfully followed-up regarding future clinics. Not a single media contact was put off by our perseverance – quite the opposite. Media were thankful and complementary regarding our ability to effectively communicate with them, as witnessed by the breakthrough results.

Personalized Our Communication
We touched on this in the above section. Media is only interested in news that pertains directly to their audience and coverage area. Customized, personalized communication containing only the most relevant information is a must. A reporter in Charleston, SC has no interest in an event in Raleigh, NC. Do not waste valuable time and space by including irrelevant information. Also know that blanket, uniform pitches can be spotted a mile a way and have little hope of attracting the attention of a diverse media population.

Listened to the Media
When calling the media, do not jump into a long, rehearsed diatribe. Quickly and clearly state your purpose and see how they react. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what they are working on and how you can assist. It is just as important for you to hear what they have to say as it is for them to hear what you have to say. The ultimate goal should be a dialog and long-term mutual respect. Media interaction and information share were critical to the success of the “Beat the Bug” media relations efforts.

Executed on Promises
Any number of “to dos” could result from a successful media pitch. This could entail sending additional information, arranging interviews, finding answers to questions you didn’t know the answer to – you name it. “Beat the Bug” was no exception and required diligent and timely follow-up. One unfulfilled promise could kill the chance of any future stories to come. Never forget, the media are always working under deadline and there is always another story that could take your place if you don’t follow through.

OK. Is media relations challenging? Absolutely. Can it be intimidating, frustrating and time-consuming? No doubt. However, if executed correctly, it can be the most powerful tool for promoting your message and driving your bottom-line – if you keep it SIMPLE.