Building Reputation: The Power Of Celebrity

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Building ReputationThe Power Of Celebrity
Tracy Holmes, Head of Corporate Communications
and Marketing Steve Pearson, Communications
Manager, Children and Young Peoples Services
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Things You Thought YoudNever See
And people told me working for Rotherham Council
would be boring.
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Best National Story

• 2008 first entry into Reputation awards
• Rotherham team integrated approach
• Central press officers
• Directorate communications staff
• Internal communications officer
• Marketing and event management
• Editor, Community newspaper

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The Partners

• The Dollywood Foundation
• looking to launch in the UK
• Rotherham Borough Council
• looking to raise literacy levels
• Rotherham Chamber
• looking towards the future
• workforce
• Our mission to support their business
  objectives through a successful launch of the UK
  arm of the Imagination Library

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In 2008, Celebrity Means

• No real substance all spin
• All about the image
• Lightweight
• Without credibility
• Unlikely to have a long-term impact or
  contribution
• Easily disposable

The right way to launch and build a reputation
for pre-school reading scheme?????
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Why Did We Do It?

• Nothing to do with a love of country music!
• Links through Athena International Womens
  Leadership Programme and the Chamber
• Clear benefits for children of Rotherham and
  family learning
• Communication, language and literacy have been
  identified as issues for all children from 0 to
  19
• Supports Rotherhams communication, language,
  literacy and lifelong learning strategies

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Why Did We Do It?

• Rotherham has 64,500 children and young people
  under 19
• 91 of children and young people are White
  British, 8.2 from a Black Minority Ethnic
  background
• Increased number of asylum seekers and migrant
  workers
• People without qualifications higher than
  national average 36.8 against 29.1 (2001
  Census)
• 44 of Rotherhams children live in the 20 most
  deprived areas nationally
• Attainment at the end of Foundation Stage
  reflects this, with most children working at or
  below
• early learning goals

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How Did We Do It?

• Links to national launch Rotherham lunch for
  350 assorted media opps and interviews
• In-house, in six weeks, alongside the day job!
• In partnership across public and private sectors
• United by the benefits for Rotherham
• Not just a celebrity launch substance not spin
• Focusing on achievement of our business
  objectives

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Launch Objectives

• Promote understanding/awareness of Imagination
  Library
• Encourage families to register
• Attract more sponsors and donations
• Broaden the Imagination Librarys reach in the UK
• Create an event that with the pzazz appropriate
  for an international performance icon
• Demonstrate to Dollywood that Rotherham was a
  worthy partner and would safeguard its reputation
• Ensure the time and effort invested in bringing
  the scheme to Rotherham was reflected in take-up
  and interest

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The Event

• 12,000 budget including lunch, venue hire,
  photography
• We invited-
• Elected members, teachers, childrens centre
  staff, council staff Rotherham champions for
  the scheme
• Other authorities across the region
• Businesses sponsor or spread the word
• Partners who would promote eg NHS
• The great and the good/ambassadors High
  Sheriff, Lord Lieutenant, Earl of Scarborough
• The media influencing as well as reporting on
  the event

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What Did DollysPeople Want?

• Respect her tight schedule limited time to stop
  and chat
• Avoid the cold and wet
• Space to park the tour bus
• Selected interviews only no press conference
  with some access all areas
• Questions from the audience
• A microphone, a guitar stand and a stool

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Managing The Media

• Worked alongside Live Nation
• Very different to our usual challenges, ie
• - good news story
• - send out advance teasers
• - provide as much info as we can
• - pull out all the stops to tempt national,
  regional and broadcast media

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Managing The Media

• On this occasion
• - Keep it tight, no leaks
• - Story broke with invitations
• - Dont steal the London thunder
• - Limited access to Dolly excluded our local
  weekly paper
• - Not a public visit though some
• people managed to get there!

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Managing The Media

• BBC Politics Show gave gravitas
• Strong links built with the Dollywood Foundation
• Heavy investment in filming in USA
• Live broadcast from a local library and school
• The One Show access all areas
• Documentary film crew
• Vacuum of info created 9 to 6 story
• Global coverage and Dolly joined in

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The Coverage

• Saturation local/regional coverage
• National broadcast ITN, Channel 4
• Times, Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, The
  Sun
• Times Educational Supplement
• MJ and LGC
• PR Week Hit and Miss
• Nashville Business Journal, Sydney Herald
• Chatrooms and discussion forums
• Awards shortlisting Commended in Good
  Communication Awards

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Lest We Become Complacent

• When Dolly did arrive, there was no shortage of
  TV, radio and newspaper journalists on hand to
  record how she charmed her audience, but most of
  the resulting coverage centred on Dolly herself,
  with barely lip service paid to the purpose of
  her visit.
• While Dollys flying visit made headlines around
  the world, it would be over-generous to suggest
  that the Borough Councils press office had
  masterminded a PR sensation.
• Good luck to the proud winners and enjoy the
  moment, but one has to wonder about the standard
  of entries for the Reputation Awards if the
  judges consider the policy of keeping your mouth
  shut until the last minute an example of best
  practice.
• Rotherham Advertiser, 13th June 2008

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The Power of Celebrity?Personal Conclusions

• Dolly isnt a celebrity shes a superstar
• About ownership not endorsement
• Not a figurehead or patron she lives and
  breathes it
• She supported our business objectives, not just a
  PR opportunity
• Rotherham and Dolly a steely combination
• Her universal appeal enabled us to get people
  thinking differently about what Councils can
  achieve