U.S. Cellular, the 6th largest carrier in the U.S., charged SJ Public relations to help drive national awareness of its services in a saturated digital communications market.
OPPORTUNITY
Competitive category & cluttered environment
- 6th largest cellular carrier in the U.S. (super-regional vs. national)
- Significantly outspent in paid media and charitable contributions
Emerging Hispanic markets
- Largest DMA (Chicago) the most cluttered in cellular carrier SOV.
- Remaining DMA's all smaller tier Hispanic markets with few blockbuster media outlets.
Smaller player, relatively less technological innovation
- Trail in innovation behind Big 3 (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint/Nextel)
- Powerful field/local associate involvement (Hometown Player)
- Unconventional corporate culture
SJPR focused on Multicultural segment/covering 26 states
STRATEGY
Draw from SJPR's long-standing relationships with Hispanic media and community influencers to out-localize the competition
- More meaningful visibility
- Greater agility
- Deeper cultural relevance
Strategies
Community Relations
- Engaging local leaders as brand ambassadors in all markets
- Redefining the local check presentation
Media Relations
- Generating meaningful news coverage
- Localizing the pitch
Event Enhancement
- Blowing out impact and reach of existing calendar of sponsorships events
RESULTS
SJPR garnished results were measured across 10 markets in USC Service Territories over a ten year span.
- In-depth feature stories in all major markets (print and broadcast)
- 95% of story placements published verbatim
- Coverage integrated across multiple business units (stores, small business, products, HR/recruiting, etc.)
- 9 MM average annual gross impressions
- $700K average annual non-paid media value
- 50% increase in media placements over the previous year
- Highest in customer satisfaction ratings in industry