Tiffany & Co.
High-End Retail Marketing Program
Summary
In every city in which it has a store, Tiffany & Co. strives to develop and maintain a strong community presence. Tiffany was planning to enter San Diego County with the opening of a store in downtown San Diego. As part of a public relations team, Ms. McRae orchestrated numerous activities on Tiffany’s behalf in the areas of special events, publicity, media relations and community relations.
The objectives that drove the public relations program included, laying groundwork for the company’s introduction to San Diego, pulling off a major grand opening, entrenching Tiffany in the high-end social community and garnering publicity year-round, with an emphasis on holidays.
Execution
We immediately aligned Tiffany with heavy-hitting social organizations, such Las Patronas, the San Diego Museum of Art, the Old Globe Theatre and the San Diego Opera. We pledged Tiffany’s support to each off these organizations over the first year, with an emphasis on events held in the store.
We opted to precede the grand opening with a founding ceremony, which was held at the store’s site (still under construction). Key public officials, socialites and news media were invited to the very first “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and given the chance to preview the store and hear about the company’s plans to support the San Diego community. A time capsule was placed in the building with items memorializing San Diego and the store.
The grand opening was a lavish affair with lots of pre-publicity. We deliberately made the guest list exclusive so that we would create demand for visiting the store. Tiffany always allowed us to do things first class, so we retained the best caterer, had elaborate decoration, beautiful invitations, etc., as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the mayor and other dignitaries.
In addition to parlaying every imaginable holiday into publicity (gift ideas were suggested for everything from graduation to Secretary’s Day), we were constantly challenged with creating newsworthy angles on the store and its contents. For example, we uncovered information that a stone, kunzanite, was discovered in San Diego and that Tiffany had created several pieces with the unique mineral. We held a mini-exhibit of the pieces and secured a full feature in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
We held a number of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” events at the store, many with unique twists, like a manners workshop for teenagers. Tiffany’s clientele and the society press never seemed to tire of this theme. We also secured a number of high-profile sponsorships for the company, including title sponsor of the Jewel Ball, the preeminent gala held annually at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.
We also helped facilitate relationships between Tiffany’s general manager and key news media, most notably the society press throughout San Diego County. We continually corresponded with the press through a variety of vehicles, including personnel announcements, media advisories, news releases, event invitations, unique story pitches, etc.
Results
We were able to establish Tiffany’s in the community as the preeminent high-end jewelry and gift retailer. Sales exceeded expectations the first year and continued to increase each year during our program. Thousands of gross impressions were created in print and broadcast media, with particular emphasis on society press, which most directly targeted the store’s desired clientele.
The store’s general manager, Mary Swanby, became a community leader and widely recognized because of our community relations program and Tiffany’s contribution to charitable organizations. We also secured Ms. Swanby a profile in San Diego Magazine’s “People to Watch” issue, which enjoys wide readership.
The Public Relations Club awarded it “Best Print News Story” and “Best Special Event.”
The Public Relations Society of America awarded the campaign “Best Community Relations Program” and “Best Special Event.”
Applicability Publicity, media relations, community relations and special events.