Situation
The ice cream that made Cincinnati famous has been featured on
Oprah!, The Travel Channel and hundreds of other food, culinary
and mainstream media outlets throughout the Greater Cincinnati
region and the nation. Graeter’s had never engaged in a
formal public relations program prior to 2003. The PR team at
Justice & Young, Inc. created and implemented a strategic
program to reach the upscale audience targeted by the super premium
ice cream manufacturer.
The Graeter’s/Cincinnati Opera Program
In 2004, Cincinnati Opera added a fourth production, Carmen,
to its season and sought ways to promote the popular French opera
and increase tickets sales. Because of the shared target audience
for Graeter’s and Cincinnati Opera, each decided to take
advantage of the situation by developing a co-promotion program
that would increase shared exposure.
Tactics
The program took the form of an interactive contest in which
Graeter’s and Cincinnati Opera fans could vote for the
Graeter’s ice cream flavor that was as irresistible as
Carmen, the lead character in the opera of the same name. Voting
took place online at www.graeters.com and www.cincinnatiopera.org.
Voters could also win one of five prize packages with Carmen
paraphernalia and a year’s worth of Graeter’s ice
cream. The contest was announced by Richard Graeter, EVP, at
a Cincinnati Opera subscriber’s event in April and concluded
on the opera’s opening night in July.
Results
Graeter’s ice cream was sold during Cincinnati Opera shows
throughout the season with the proceeds generating additional
monies for the opera. More than 1,000 votes were cast and black
raspberry chip ice cream was declared the winner. Two local TV
stations covered the contest as well as The Cincinnati Enquirer
and 25 community papers. A national public relations trade publication
also covered the program. Cincinnati Opera executives also credited
the program with helping to fill the additional seats. |
