MEDIA RELATIONS

Business Consulting Firm

What they wanted to do
The newly formed Life Sciences division of a Chicago-based business consulting firm wanted visibility at the 2004 CRO Partnership Conference, a gathering of contract research organizations (CROs). This event was the initial step in building greater awareness for a major life sciences conference later in the year.

The collaboration
The client and Element-R Partners faced multiple challenges: Market awareness for this firm among prospects and key trade media was minimal; it was the firm's first time at this conference; it had never conducted trade show media relations before; and there was less than three weeks until the event. No pressure there.

With no announcements and no new services to introduce, Element-R dug for angles that might interest the media in meeting with the company during the show. The discovery: both CROs and pharmaceutical manufacturers find internal communication and project coordination to be common difficulties that can inhibit drug trials. The media pitch: "10 ideas that can help promote better drug trials."

The result
Interviews were secured with trade reporters representing six leading U.S. and European pharmaceutical-related publications, including PharmaVoice, Scrip, Good Clinical Practices, Drug and Market Development, and FDA Insider. Upon follow-up with the editors the company was invited to contribute two feature articles.

Commercial Real Estate Services Firm

What they wanted to do
Without ever having undertaking a professional marketing program, this little-known, seven-year-old company wanted to attract attention at an important trade show.

Our collaboration
The client and Element-R Partners faced the challenges of having a small exhibit and a product that was available through several far larger competitors. Instead of appealing to all registered attendees with a typical pre-show letter or post card, the team took a two-pronged approach. An activity was planned for the exhibit, and a related, dimensional mailing was sent to a targeted portion of the attendee list.

The result
Of the 200 booth visitors whose badges were scanned, half were attracted directly through the pre-show mailer.

INTEGRATED MARKETING

Our collaboration
Through a new partnership with a major hardware maker, the company's tailored offer helped community banks automate their paperwork. Tapping the reach of a leading community bankers association in Illinois, the client and Element-R Partners embarked on a tightly focused six-month campaign culminating in a regional trade show. The campaign included:

• Display advertising in the association's journal;
• An introductory direct mail campaign to association members; and
• A pre-show direct mail campaign targeted to 160 decision-makers who planned to attend the trade show.

The result
The show mailing produced a 10 percent response rate among bank executives, who scheduled meetings at the booth to discuss the client's new product offering.

SALES COLLATERAL

Professional Services Firm

What they wanted to do
This 16-year-old project management firm wanted to present a more professional image through its sales collateral.

The collaboration
Producing materials in-house was the client's previous solution; its central sales piece was a simple folder with multiple single sheets of text-heavy copy. In discussing an approach, the client agreed with Element-R's philosophy that the new collateral should strongly emphasize the value the company produces for its clients (rather than the traditional litany of describing who the company is, what the company does, etc.). Design was also a factor. The 11 x 11 wire bound booklet - another departure - artfully presented the client's results and methodology.

The result
The brochure turned out to be a winner. It was enthusiastically received for its atypical content and format, winning a 2002 Silver Trumpet Award from the Publicity Club of Chicago in the brochures, booklets or books category. The brochure was then used to introduce the company to the media, resulting in multiple article placements and an invitation for the company founder to become a quarterly columnist for a global industry magazine.