THE CHALLENGE
Amidst the gluttony of media, celebrities and tourists that descended upon Miami for Super Bowl XLI, MCZ/Centrum, developers of the Flamingo South Beach, challenged The Murry Agency to find a way to cut through the clutter and score big media coverage for the largest condo conversion in the country. The Sprint Style Villa, the largest celebrity swag suite of the Super Bowl weekend, promised to be a huge draw, and would align with the Flamingo’s trendy and upscale market positioning. But how can a real estate property make a splash in a gifting suite without giving away the entire property? Surrounded by designer jeans, perfumes and shoes, there had to be a way to fit in, but stand out. As the Flamingo’s public relations agency of record, TMA executed the following:
PUBLIC RELATIONS and MARKETING STRATEGIES & TACTICS
Working with the Flamingo’s marketing team, the Agency came up with an outside-the-box solution – literally. Each celebrity who entered the Flamingo’s Style Villa suite would have the chance to win a one-year lease on a beautiful bayfront three-bedroom condo by unlocking a huge acrylic “treasure chest” containing a replica of the Flamingo. As celebrities entered the Villa, they were given a golden key to try their luck at opening the chest, and the person with the unlocking key would win the condo lease. Not only would this add celebrity cache to the property, but also would provide the opportunity to reach out to innumerable media outlets and align South Beach’s most legendary residence with the VIPs, celebrities and sports stars in town for the Super Bowl. With the help of some strategic planning, quick thinking and a little bit of luck, “it” girl Scarlett Johansson became the Flamingo South Beach’s newest resident when she held the golden key that unlocked the condo prize.
- Media Relations – Although the Style Villa had hired two in-house photographers, the agency secured the services of an independent photographer who would be stationed in the suite at all times. Because of the nature of the promotion and without being able to plan in advance for the “winning moment,” additional preparations were crucial. The agency developed a comprehensive media strategy which allowed for immediate distribution of a photograph and targeted pitches to local and national media, encompassing everything from celebrity blogs to sports news broadcasts to national news publications.
- Events – Following a VIP party with Super Bowl legends in Scarlett’s new unit during Super Bowl weekend, the agency arranged an open house for the public to tour Scarlett Johansson’s new home for a small fee, which was donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
- Community Relations – Upon learning that Scarlett’s upcoming filming schedule would preclude her from taking advantage of the condo, the agency worked with her representatives to announce her donation of the condo lease to Miami Children’s Hospital. A second wave of publicity ensued surrounding the announcement of a partnership with Miami Children’s Hospital whereby Scarlett’s unit would be utilized by out-of-town families whose children were receiving treatment at the hospital. This partnership was further enhanced when the Flamingo’s developer decided to exchange Scarlett’s original three-bedroom unit for three, one-bedroom units, so that more families could benefit.
THE RESULTS
Print, broadcast and internet stories reached more than 700 million consumers, and included coverage by People, US Weekly, The Miami Herald, E! Entertainment News and numerous celeb-oriented websites and blogs.- The Style Villa suite established awareness of the Flamingo South Beach brand to the more than 300 celebrities who visited over Super Bowl weekend.
- The three-bedroom unit was sold six weeks after the Super Bowl to an Italian businessman who learned about the property through the publicity. The purchase price was, by far, the highest in the 1,688 residence community.