Challenge
Texas’ most beloved grocery store, H-E-B, was turning 100, and they wanted to make sure to celebrate with an effort as big as the Lone Star State. The cherished retailer turned to us to support its milestone anniversary as a way to thank its partners, customers and communities for their commitment to the company for its first 100 years of success, to build awareness of its products and services, and to drive traffic and increase sales.
Solution
Over an 18-month assignment, Apron creatively and strategically supported all earned media and community relations initiatives throughout Texas. Highlights from the Centennial celebration include:
- Launched the celebration with a donation of more than one million pounds of food to 18 Texas food banks in 24 hours using 30 H-E-B trailers and a Southwest Airlines plane that traveled to six markets in one day.
- Planted 100 trees in 10 cities that were once saplings from the historic Treaty Oak.
- Donated hundreds of H-E-Bear stuffed animals to children at local children’s hospitals in partnership with local college and professional sports players.
- Launched H-E-B’s customer and celebrity cookbook, generating more than 60 stories.
- Gained media attention for H-E-B’s branding campaign launched during the 2005 Super Bowl.
- Secured media to participate in preview events to introduce H-E-B’s 100-second shopping spree and to help judge the company’s Born in Texas baby photo contest to launch a new line of baby products, raising more than $30,000 donated to local charities.
- Garnered feature stories about H-E-B’s Centennial, its innovations and its community commitment in newspapers across the state.
- Introduced Central Market Organics own-brand products to H-E-B customers through extensive earned media outreach.
Results
After six months of in-depth planning and a full year of extraordinary activities, Apron supported more than 25 initiatives under the Centennial banner, including six customer contests. Each initiative was a resounding success in terms of media coverage.
- Generating nearly 600 news hits regarding H-E-B’s Centennial, including more than 5,800 column inches of press and more than 100 minutes of broadcast coverage
- Coverage totaling more than $4.9 million in publicity value.
- H-E-B surpassed its incremental sales goal by $5 million.