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Sep 24 2013

Superberries

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Challenge:

To cultivate awareness of the latest superfood, Aronia, while driving consumer acceptance of the Superberries product line.

Strategy and Objectives:

Superberries enlisted Avalon’s help to promote the health benefits of the Aronia berry and increase awareness of their Aronia-based product line. The initial campaign was put in place to announce the company’s participation at the Expo East trade show in order to generate meetings with influential trade and consumer media attending the show. The six week program resulted in trade coverage in Grocery Headquarters, Nutritional Outlook, Progressive Grocer, Vitamin Retailer, Prepared Foods and Energy Times.

Subsequently, Superberries partnered with Avalon for a long-term PR program to support regional retailers by driving local exposure while promoting the product line throughout the national consumer media. Avalon also continued to educate the consumer and health media on the existence and benefits of the Aronia berry.

Results:

In a relatively short program to date (9 months), Avalon’s efforts have resulted in key coverage in Woman’s World, Marie Claire, Men’s Journal, Organic Spa, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Shelby Report, Chicago Daily Herald and others. Most impressively to date, the Aronia and Superberries were featured on the front cover of the Wall Street Journal as “America’s Next Top Super Berry”. The company has also been featured on an online article that ran on the home page of Yahoo and generated over 1,000 sales for the company in a matter of days.

Avalon continues to represent Superberries and is actively working towards establishing the Aronia and the Superberries product line as a household name.

Sep 24 2013

Pure & Co.

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Challenge:

Pure & Co. is the parent company of two women’s fashion brands, Pure Handknit and Neon Buddha, that is based outside of Toronto, Canada with solid U.S., Canadian and UK distribution. Pure & Co. came to Avalon for help to increase overall consumer awareness by driving coverage throughout the mainstream press.

Avalon was also tasked with supporting the sales team in the promotion of local events held at North American retailers. Lastly, Avalon’s challenge was to promote awareness of Pure & Co.’s fair trade and eco-friendly initiatives in the company’s manufacturing facility in Thailand.

Strategy:

After developing solid messaging to communicate Pure & Co.’s mission to produce high quality, unique, fair trade women’s clothing, Avalon implemented aggressive targeting in the competitive fashion, women’s interest and business media.

With targeting of the consumer and business media underway, Avalon began working with the company’s sales reps throughout the continent to organize and promote fashion trunk shows at local retailers.

In order to promote the company’s fair trade and eco-conscious initiatives, Avalon promoted, planned and worked with company executives to execute an editor tour to the Pure & Co. headquarters in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Results:

By promoting several trunk shows each month, Avalon cultivated regional media coverage of the brands and their retailers, which in turn drove sales and support of the sales team. The media tour to the company’s headquarter resulted in increased awareness of the brand and its operations and culminated with an 8 page global fashion spread in Elle Canada.

Avalon’s national and regional media outreach resulted in a significant increase of coverage and awareness of the Pure & Co. brand throughout North America. National coverage highlights include placements in Calgary Herald, Globe & Mail, National Post, Women’s Wear Daily, Epoch Times, Organic Spa, Extra! TV, Cityline TV, US Magazine, Life & Style Weekly, Woman’s World, Fashion Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, People Stylewatch, Pilates Style, Elle and others.

Sep 24 2013

ThermaCELL

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Challenge:

To engage the women’s interest consumer media in an already populated industry of trusted brands

Strategy and Objectives:

ThermaCELL and Avalon Communications began working together to increase brand recognition and overall consumer awareness within a different audience than the already established consumer. Avalon’s Communications challenge was to create recognition of the ThermaCELL Mosquito Repelling brand within the women’s interest audience.

When ThermaCELL came to Avalon Communications, the brand had, for the most part, successfully achieved brand awareness within the target verticals of hunting, fishing, and beyond. However, ThermaCELL had recently launched their Patio Lantern product that was geared at not only the outdoorsy person but the outdoor entertainer with an eye for décor. Developed with a more sleek design for women in mind, the Patio Lantern launched with a traditional public relations campaign. Avalon Communications and the ThermaCELL team successfully pursued a daunting task of introducing a new mosquito repellant into an already saturated market. The following year, ThermaCELL launched another lantern, at a lower price point yet just as aesthetically appealing for the women’s interest audience.

For the launches of both lanterns, Avalon Communications objective was to establish brand relevance among women, moms, and families in both the US and Canadian Markets. Secondary objectives have been to also keep in mind the Outdoor lantern for relevant stories along with the handheld appliance.

Results:

Avalon Communications succeeded in securing impressions in national magazines including: Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, GQ, All You, Better Homes and Gardens, Handy, Men’s Journal, HEALTH, Shape, Today’s Parent, Jet, Popular Science, and many others. National newspaper coverage secured as a result of the PR program has included the Miami Herald, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Boston Globe, Denver Post, Globe & Mail, Seattle Times, The Week, and others.

Avalon’s efforts also established the ThermaCELL media presence throughout the Canadian market place thereby actively supporting the brand’s prominent retailers in that market, Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire.

Avalon’s public relations support and counsel has successfully reinforced the brand awareness of ThermaCELL’s Mosquito Repellant Options and the firm continues to promote the ThermaCELL product line with an all-inclusive public relations campaign.

Sep 24 2013

MS Run the US

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Challenge

MS Run the US was preparing for their first annual cross-country endurance relay, in which runners would run a series of back to back marathons across the nation. Avalon was hired to attract and secure runners, secure financial and product sponsorships and promote the event throughout the course of the 6 month relay.

Strategy

A comprehensive communication and outreach strategy was developed for MS Run to raise awareness of the fight against multiple sclerosis while partnering with media throughout the country to attract runners and sponsors in their area to join the cause. Once runners and sponsors were secured, the overall promotion of the event began.

A core element of the campaign was to secure endurance runners across the nation to participate in the event. Avalon created a “Call to Runners” which, in part, helped the organization to secure the 14 runners who participated in the 2013 relay.

A second element of the campaign was to help strengthen the existing partnership between MS Run the US and its main financial contributor, Money Mutual and to secure product donations for the relay participants. Avalon created a “Call to Sponsors” and reached out to several companies who donated product throughout the relay and aided MS Run the Us’ efforts to strengthen their relationship with Money Mutual by securing interviews with journalists and broadcast engagements across the country for both the founder, Ashley Kumlien, as well as Money Mutual’s celebrity endorser, Montel Williams, renowned syndicated talk show host. Through a collaborated effort with Montel’s publicist and president of his foundation, Montel agreed to be a spokesperson for the organization and met with Ashley Kumlien at several segments during the relay where they promoted and discussed the relay with journalists and on broadcast segments.

The final element of the campaign was to secure media exposure for the organization as well as the runners. Press collateral was created and distributed to the media across the country while ongoing discussions and interaction with regional and national media drove a consistent flow of awareness throughout the country.

Impact

In addition to securing athletes to run the race and sponsors to fund it, Avalon’s efforts generated over 150 articles and televised segments throughout the course of the cross country relay. From its start in Santa Monica, CA to its finish in New York, NY, coverage and awareness of the MS Run athletes and cause culminated to a lasting impact on the communities through which it passed and all who watched in amazement as these runners fought daily to run unbelievable distances to support their great cause. Existing sponsorship relationships were strengthened and new sponsors were secured for future relays. Due to the overall success of the event and communications program, a second annual MS Run the US is now in the works.

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