2009 World Winter Games PDL: MEDIA RELATIONS

1. 2009 World Winter Games PDL: MEDIA RELATIONS "From start to finish, the World Winter Games were a thrilling and inspirational event that provided an emotional lift at a time when our community truly needed one. That great feeling is going to be with us for a long time to come.“ – David H. Bieter, Mayor of Boise • Functional Area Lead Team Members: • Heather Hill, VP Marketing & Communications • Justine Sgalio, Manager, Media Relations • Local Agency Support: Susan Rowe, Oliver Russell I. Plan II. Do III. Learn • Overview/Purpose: • Ensure Games message be delivered consistently, accurately, effectively and in a timely manner to all media outlets (registered and non-registered). • Facilitate constant flow of information to generate excitement about the World Winter Games through media coverage on a local, state, national and international level. • Goals & Objectives: • Provide media with positive, accurate and unique messaging about the 2009 World Winter Games, its athletes and the movement. • Generate global awareness about and anticipation of the Games. • Educate the media about the abilities and capabilities of SO athletes. • Educate the media bout proper language and terminology associated with the movement. • Recruit media representatives to cover the Games by pitching stories and distributing information to the media. • Key Responsibilities: • Pre-Games Media Relations • GOC Media Relations Manager served as point-of-contact for local media to provide information, answer questions and feed story ideas on a local and state level. • SOI and SONA served as point-of-contact for national and international media. • Coordinated effort between GOC and SOI to develop Fact Sheets and other standardized communications. • Pre-Games Story Pitches & Media Planning • GOC Media Relations Manager worked with local agency to draft pre-Games pitches and Media Plan including timeline, key story pitches and targeted media. • GOC Media Relations Manager worked with GOC functional area leaders to develop story pitches complementing each respective functional area. • Pre-Games News Releases & Media Advisories • GOC Media Relations Manager outlined story ideas and worked with local agency partner on drafting, editing and distributing news releases and media advisories. • VP Mktg & Communications approved all news releases and media advisories for consistency in messaging. • GOC Media Relations Manager maintained media contacts and relationships with local media. • Develop and Implement a PSA Campaign • GOC Media Relations Manager worked with VP Mktg & Communications to develop, produce and place PSAs with consistent messaging and calls to action. • Games Time Media Relations • Responsibilities shifted to serving media on-site, pitching story ideas, arranging interviews, distributing releases and assisting with media operations. • Legacy: • Increase awareness, participation and support for Special Olympics Idaho through a sustained media relations effort on a local level. • External Resources: • Oliver Russell & Associates – Contracted for key initiative media relations support (Education Initiative primarily). • Nelson Communications – Contracted for clipping services and final media impressions reporting post-Games. • Schedules/Timelines: • See Press Release Distribution Calendar • See Print Media Clips • See Television Media Clips • See Radio Media Clips • Events: • Wal-Mart $1.1 Million Donation/Greening the Games Press Conference – Participation by First Lady Lori Otter, Mayor Bieter of Boise, Wal-Mart executive, World Winter Games staff, SO athletes. • Coca-Cola Check Presentation – Participation by Muhtar Kent, Tim Shriver and Chip Fisher. • KTVB Noon Show – Regular appearances by World Winter Games representatives highlighted Games news and ways to get involved. • Successes: • Official Television Media Partner enabled strong local coverage to generate community awareness and support. • Official Newspaper Media Partner enabled strong Games-time coverage with production and distribution of the “Games Daily”. • Official Radio Media Partner enabled strong on-air interview opportunities, DJ chatter about the Games and additional promotion of Games events and ways for people to get involved. • More than 400 journalists registered to cover the World Games representing all seven regions of the world. • Media Center pushed up-to-date information through state-of-the-art mass alert system to disseminate competition start times, start lists and daily event highlights. • Media Guides were provided on USB drives saving thousands of dollars in printing costs and supported the overall “green” initiative. • With the support of SOI, more than 200 videographers, photographers and journalists from universities around the world focused on delivering daily video and photo highlights via specialolympicslive.org. • Media coverage crossed all mediums including television, print, radio and the Internet. • Media crews from Versus television, Idaho Public Television and Canadian, Hungarian and Croatian documentary film teams developing full features on the Games and the SO movement. • Estimated 13,759,700 Local/Regional Print Media Impressions (September 2008 – February 2009). • Estimated 127 Print Articles • Coverage in Local/Regional weekly newspapers • Estimated 12,298,638 Local/Regional Television, Radio, News Package and Special Affairs Program Impressions (September 2008 – February 2009). • Estimated 139 TV Packages in Boise area on Channels 7, 2, 6 and 12 plus regional network affiliates in Idaho. • National Public Radio interviews • Challenges: • Pitching territories proved challenging between SOI, SONA, SO Idaho and GOC and hindered most effective outreach. • Lack of national media attending and covering the Games became a question of the GOC Media Relations Department’s abilities to bring national media to the event. • Lack of clarity on pre-determined responsibilities between SOI, SONA and GOC Media Relations Staff at Games time caused some confusion on-site and with pre-established GOC and local media relationships. • Lack of timely support by the Business Development Team to acquire Sponsor assets so that Media Relations Team could most effectively promote Sponsor support. • Independent sources providing inaccurate and/or undesirable information to the media led to distracting stories not relevant to the efforts of Special Olympics and the World Winter Games. • Official Newspaper Media Partner did not take advantage of several opportunities to highlight and/or promote the World Winter Games (e.g. 100 Days to Go, etc.) • Limited access to athlete and/or team stories from National and International SO Programs, to pitch prior to and during the Games, frustrated our media partners and potentially reduced the opportunity for maximum coverage and interest in feature stories. • Key Learnings: • Working with various media outlets on exclusive story ideas relevant to their area of interest or geographically relevant proved more successful than blanket-style pitching of a specific theme. • Media Relations and Press Operations need to be be more closely integrated and not be seen as two separate entities between an operational and a marketing function – to ensure a more collaborative effort leading up to, during and after the Games. • Scheduled Daily Press Conferences (no matter the topic) were of little interest to registered or local media, as the media were focused on covering respective delegations or pre-planned events that day. • A collective clipping service and agreed upon reporting method between SOI and GOC would help post-Games for reporting details. • Recommendations: • Revisit regional and national media relations and pitching territories and strategies to encourage more national media coverage. • SOI to commit a designated timeframe pre-Games to focus internal media relations and promotional efforts on current World Games, versus disseminating mixed messaging through various campaign launches and other events and promotional efforts initiated by SOI. • Adequately budget for an online-hosted Media Summit (e.g. distributed via channel such as Brainshark) to more effectively pre-train a broader media audience on appropriate language, terminology, Games facts, story pitches, asset availability, etc. • Create incentives for media to register early for most effective planning in support services for registered media. • Plan for a more robust Media Center on the Games website to continuously provide registered media with story ideas, leads, creative assets, etc. in the months leading up to and during the Games.