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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
17. Public Relations,
Publicity, and Corporate
Advertising
store merchandising also paid off, as sales rose by 13 percent. The Web presence produced
600,000 new catalog requests, 1.1 million registrations for e-mail updates, and
orders from 136 nations. The company has now increased its television budget, as well
as its spending in magazines like Elle and Vogue, to broaden its integrated approach. 9
Additional successful implementations of MPRs are shown in Figure 17-1.
Harris notes that there are a number of advantages of using MPR: 10
• It is a cost-effective way to reach the market.
• It is a highly targeted way to conduct public relations.
• It benefits from the endorsement of independent and objective third parties who
have no association with the product.
• It achieves credibility.
• It supports advertising programs by making messages more credible.
• It breaks through the clutter.
• It circumvents consumer resistance to sales efforts.
He also notes that there are disadvantages, including the following:
• There is a lack of control over the media.
• It is difficult to tie in slogans and other advertising devices.
• Media time and space are not guaranteed.
• There are no standard effectiveness measures.
One of the major threats expressed by Harris is that MPRs may lead to public relations’
becoming subservient to marketing—a concern expressed by many opponents
of MPR. However, if employed properly and used in conjunction with other traditional
public relations practices as well as IMC elements, MPR can continue to be used
effectively.
• Segway. The strange-looking motorized transport device was introduced with no
advertising, yet it generated an estimated 758 million impressions valued at $70 million
to $80 million through free publicity. The company did not plan to advertise until
over a year after the introduction. 11 (Exhibit 17-1.)
• Wonderbra. With almost no advertising support beyond billboards in major markets,
Wonderbra created anticipation for the launch of the first Wonderbra in 1994.
Already behind two major competitors, the company relied heavily on public relations
coverage and media hype to create awareness and gain attention for the product
launch. The same strategy has continued over the years, and Wonderbra has become
the number-one push-up bra in the United States.
• Rockport. Just another shoe company in the 1980s, Rockport was convinced by its
public relations agency to promote the concept of “fitness walking” through a series
of MPR initiatives. Rockport became known as the “Walking Shoe Company,” achieving
a tenfold increase in sales.
• Arbor Mist Wine. After several years of researching consumer trends and brand preferences
for wine, Canandaigua found that younger women (among others) were dissatisfied
with the choices of alcoholic beverages available to them. Positioning the
product as “Snapple with an attitude,” and as a fun wine, Arbor Mist used wine festivals
and wine tastings for local media to achieve its success. By building one-on-one
relationships with the media, Arbor Mist’s PR team was able to generate significant
publicity in New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles. The company became the
first wine ever to ship 1 million cases in less than 100 days.
• California Kiwifruit Commission. While the commission has been around since 1935,
its public relations efforts have primarily focused on disseminating health and
nutritional information about kiwis. Through a more marketing-oriented public
relations campaign, the commission was able to increase sales by as much as 300
percent in stores and achieved a 12 percent increase in new users.
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Figure 17-1 MPR adds
value to the marketing
program
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Chapter Seventeen Public Relations, Publicity, and Corporate Advertising