Results
Challenge:
The American Craft Exposition hosts one hundred and fifty diverse artists for a major juried sale every year. The show has been a city staple for twenty-five years and proceeds are donated to breast and ovarian cancer research at NorthShore University HealthSystem’s dedicated Auxiliary. Winger was charged with maximizing a minimal ad buy for this long-standing client.
Our Solution:
Winger chose to partner with WGN AM Radio, one the city’s highest rated stations which would reach our target market of educated, affluent females who are passionate about the arts. Our minimal ad buy resulted in over a dozen pro-bono on-air mentions of the American Craft Exposition. How did we do it? First, Winger met in person with well-loved WGN radio hosts Kathy and Judy to share information about the show and its cause. Together, we strategized on how they could participate. We proposed they co-host an innovative online auction, selling pieces of craft that Kathy and Judy created with the help of local artists from the show. They proudly promoted their work on-air and the station’s website. Radio stations in particular are looking for creative ways to move online – an online auction was a first for them and they were motivated to support a creative draw to their website.
Results:
Winger won the 2007 Bronze Bulldog Award for Best Arts and Entertainment Campaign, a prestigious industry award judged exclusively by top journalists, for our innovative campaign. With a sixty-second paid ad on the show costing $900, ROI for the pro-bono mentions totals approximately $12,000, more than the original ad buy. The American Craft Exposition’s donation proceeds ultimately totaled $400,000. Despite six devastating tornadoes the weekend of the show, gate attendance held steady. Booth artists earned over $1.5 million. Our greatest success was bringing a fresh and creative online opportunity to the table to help our client grow.
