Phoenix Motorcars Media Relations Campaign
Introduction
In January 2007, Phoenix Motorcars hired Wilkin Guge Marketing to develop and raise awareness of the Phoenix Motorcars brand through an integrated campaign including marketing, creative development, public relations and paid media.
Phoenix Motorcars is a California-based manufacturing company specializing in all-electric, zero-emission, freeway-speed vehicles. The aggressive six-month media relations campaign was to raise awareness of Phoenix Motorcars’ all-electric vehicles to fleet operators, early adopter consumers, potential investors and key influencers with the goals of helping the company achieve pre-sales order and obtain mezzanine level funding..
Research & Planning
In order to develop a successful media relations campaign, the Wilkin Guge Marketing P.R. team researched the alternative vehicle industry through past media coverage, case studies, trade associations and Phoenix Motorcars’ competitors. It was crucial to understand what was being said in the industry as well as how the media was reporting and reacting to alternative fuel vehicles.
The media relations strategy was to target fleet, early-adopter consumers, investors and key influencers to create and build brand acceptance within California, with overflow on the national level. In order to reach the appropriate readership, Wilkin Guge’s P.R. Team developed media lists of print, broadcast and Internet outlets with an editorial focus on alternative fuel, automotive, business and environment. In addition, the agency needed to plan a press release and pitching calendar, which was thoroughly researched for accuracy and updated monthly. Press kits also needed to be developed to send to media reporters and for distribution at conferences/special events.
To build credibility with the media, we made personal phone calls to reporters and editors to introduce ourselves and our client, Phoenix Motorcars. This approach allowed us to find out the types of stories the media was seeking and to serve as a resource to them when they needed facts or quotes.
Objectives
- Aggressively manage media relations to maximize benefits and minimize impact on senior executive’s time.
- Cultivate senior executive as an industry spokesperson for electric vehicles and have Phoenix Motorcars represented in least six industry events, conferences and expos.
- Develop relationships with automotive, environment, alternative fuel and business reporters.
- Serve as a resource to media seeking information about commercial electric vehicles.
- Drive the fleet managers to Phoenix Motorcars' Web site to inquire about purchasing a vehicle for fleet use.
- Generate a brand and brand awareness for Phoenix Motorcars through print and broadcast coverage.
Target Audience
- Geo: California and National
- Primary: Fleet Buyers; Investors; Early Adopter Consumers; Government; and Industry Influencers
Execution
Media relations efforts for Phoenix Motorcars supported the overall marketing objective of supporting sales efforts, generating awareness amongst target audience and to increase brand awareness. Press releases were distributed to media lists and over news wire services to drive Web traffic and to maximize online visibility.
Tactical execution included:
- Develop, pitch and place press releases about product, sales, production and manufacturing updates, as well as event participation.
- Pitch and issue stories to target media outlets and reporters who cover environment, alternative energy and automotive-related beats
- Identify and secure television and radio opportunities related to alternative fuel and electric vehicle
- Media training for senior executives
- Schedule onsite media tour of the manufacturing facility
- Identify and communicate to each targeted stakeholder group
- Identify and coordinate participation at consumer and industry events
- Measure and demonstrate public relations efforts through monthly analytic reports
Evaluation
The 2007 media relations campaign was a key component in increasing awareness of Phoenix Motorcars. During the six month period, we were aggressive about securing feature stories in trade magazine such as Fleet Magazine, Electrifying Times, Fleets and Fuels, Green Car Journal and Auto Week. Because of our efforts in the trades and online community, we received media inquires from the consumer/business market including Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, LA Times and Yahoo! Auto.
Phoenix Motorcars was present at more than a dozen trade shows, and due to our P.R. efforts, the company was invited to meet President George W. Bush to showcase their car and represent the electric vehicle industry. The media relations campaign was measured during the six-month interval:
Media Relations (January 2007-June 2007) |
|
| Positive News Stories | 1,607 |
| Press Releases Distributed | 16 |
| Average News Story/Press Release | 100 |
| Expert Interviews Conducted | 17 |
| Number of Impressions | 1,039,140,455 |
| Key Message Factor | 94.5% |
“All you need is an outlet.”
