Check out MM2's creativity, strategic discipline, and media relations expertise in action. Here are a few examples of our work with communications and marketing campaigns.
Smooth Operator.
The Ending. The “Commute Uninterrupted” campaign drove significant media coverage and website visits for The Hartford, contributing to a triple-digit increase in auto insurance business in key test markets.
How It All Began. The Hartford wanted to bring its “Life Uninterrupted” brand positioning to life, translating the intangible to the tangible as a way to build awareness of its reinvigorated auto insurance business.
What We Did. The campaign kicked off with new research to rank the “drivability” of American cities. Drivers everywhere overwhelmingly said they’d rather sit in stop-and-go traffic than have a road full of potholes all to themselves. So MM2 and The Hartford visited key markets and launched the Pothole Patrol, a public-private partnership to fan out across the city and repair this interruption to a smooth commute.
How We Did It. An interactive website served as the hub of the campaign, inviting local residents to vote on the city’s worst potholes. Local print and broadcast media coverage emphasized The Hartford’s commitment to drivers and the uniqueness of the public-private partnership.
Hot Stuff.
The Ending. Over a two-year period, the MM2 team achieved more than 40 million consumer impressions for HVAC leader Lennox Industries in major lifestyle magazines ranging from Parents to Cooking Light to Coastal Living.
How It All Began. Consumers rarely give much thought to their heating or A/C systems, and unfortunately, neither do editors. Lennox asked us to find a way to make inroads to major magazines targeting a female audience, since research showed that women are the primary influencers of the HVAC purchase decision.
What We Did. MM2 recommended a relationship-building approach to help Lennox break into this category, based on in-person deskside briefings with key editors twice each year.
How We Did It. Accompanied by a Certified Indoor Environmentalist, the team leveraged the twice yearly media visits to provide industry updates and suggest story ideas related to Lennox’s home comfort positioning – including advice for making homes more energy efficient and how to save money on energy costs. Based on the relationships established, media now routinely contact Lennox for information and support for various stories in development.
Scram, Scam!
The Ending. MM2 helped MoneyGram create a proactive campaign to educate consumers about how to avoid money transfer fraud, resulting in more than 3,800 news stories in its first year, and a tenfold increase in visits to the company’s anti-fraud website.
How It All Began. While MoneyGram uses highly sophisticated technology and detection techniques to stop potential fraud at the point of sale, consumer education is equally important. By promoting anti-fraud awareness among a global consumer audience, MoneyGram could reduce incidents of fraud even further and demonstrate to government officials that it was taking all possible steps to comply with industry regulation.
What We Did. MM2 directed the development of interactive websites in English and Spanish, along with the launch of complementary digital channels for greater integration. For the ongoing education campaign, we enlisted a retired NYPD detective and fraud prevention expert as a third-party spokesperson, and launched print and broadcast media tours at key points during the year.
How We Did It. Each month, MM2 focused the spotlight on a single scam that historically spiked at that time of year. We also packaged traditional and digital assets for use by MoneyGram’s representatives in global markets. The MM2 rapid response team monitored for news coverage of all types of wire transfer fraud, and responded with educational information for follow-up and online coverage. At the end of the first year, MoneyGram was lauded by federal regulators for its positive stance in consumer education, and the company had achieved a share of voice that was four times greater than its largest competitor.
Get Outta Town!
The Ending. With MM2’s “Save Our Summer (SOS) Vacation” campaign, HomeAway attracted more than 65,000 new visitors to its website and maintained a steady vacation-rental business, all at a time when economic factors led to a conversely sharp drop in hotel occupancy.
How It All Began. With 2009 shaping up to be one of the worst years ever for the travel industry, HomeAway – the worldwide leader in rentals of vacation homes – asked MM2 to create a campaign that would highlight the value message of this emerging lodging alternative.
What We Did. The campaign set out to increase brand awareness and drive consumers to the HomeAway website, where they could experience the breadth and depth of HomeAway’s vacation rental offerings. The program extended throughout the summer vacation period, and provided a way for consumers to carry the HomeAway message to their friends and families.
How We Did It. With a syndicated family-travel columnist as a spokesperson, and a creative micro-site offering promotions and interactivity for consumers, HomeAway launched the campaign with a New York media tour and satellite broadcast from a beach-front vacation rental. The momentum was carried through the summer with an ongoing “Search for the Person Most in Need of a Summer Vacation,” including tools to invite friends and contacts to vote for individual entries. The campaign continued with a petition to Congress to declare a National Vacation Day for all Americans, and media outreach focusing on travel tips and human-interest stories. By the end of the summer, more than 146 million consumers had heard the HomeAway message, with 98 percent of all media coverage delivering the “value” message.