Pleasant Company, makers of the American Girl dolls, enlisted SJ Public Relations to assist with the product launch of Josefina Montoya- the first Hispanic character of The American Girls Collection.
OPPORTUNITY
Pleasant Company Publications, a leading manufacturer/publisher of educational books, dolls, and accessories was seeking to introduce Josefina Montoya, the first Hispanic character of their renown American Girls Collection®.
However, their product line and overall awareness/exposure of American Girls Collection among Hispanic audiences was virtually non existant.
SJPR was brought in to culturally attune the first ever Hispanic character from the South West, and to develop and amplify positive awareness of Josefina’s launch in the U.S.
Our secondary objective was to pave the way for future sales of all Josefina merchandise.
STRATEGY
SJPR developed an integrated marketing public relations program that highlighted the educational value and the authenticity of the product. The campaign positioned Josefina as pioneer character that represented a unique time period to instill pride in the Hispanic heritage and culture.
- SJPR custom-tailored and reprioritized all contents of the press kit, developed speaking points, and provided media training to American Girls Collection spokespersons.
- We explored and negotiated sponsorship opportunities with the National Council of La Raza and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
- Leveraged media and interview opportunities for Pleasant Company’s fundraising events called “Welcome Josefina” In multiple markets throughout the country.
To support our PR efforts, we developed a national print ad campaign that included placement in both Hispanic and general market media. The ads were designed to drive traffic into bookstores and to motivate the consumer to call the toll-free number for a free Pleasant Company catalogue.
RESULTS
SJPR generated over 12.6 million gross impressions in media coverage which translated into over $975,000 in media value.
In addition, Pleasant Company reported that sales of the Josefina product line had far exceeded all other character launches in the history of the American Girls Collection™.
