By the numbers
1.48B+
earned media impressions
$18
million in publicity value
1,561
media placements
Client background
Discovery Green is a 12-acre park in downtown Houston. It opened in 2008 and quickly became a fixture of the city’s urban core. Its 10th anniversary season was a chance to do more than celebrate. CKP served as Discovery Green’s agency of record. The milestone became an opportunity to deepen the park’s connection with its visitors and build new relationships that supported its broader marketing and business goals.
The challenge
CKP was charged with building and running an integrated communications plan for the anniversary season. The plan had to spotlight the full range of anniversary programming. It also had to drive more foot traffic and create more direct touch points between the park and its patrons.
The campaign carried four measurable goals:
- Increase year-over-year park attendance by 50%.
- Double the number of earned media placements from the previous year.
- Double organic social media impressions from the previous year.
- Generate at least 3.5 million highly-targeted paid impressions on a digital advertising budget capped at $35,000.
The CKP approach
CKP built a media relations plan designed to extend the reach of an already well-known Houston institution. The team developed anniversary- and event-specific digital press kits. It built a detailed editorial timeline layered with segmented outlet lists. It hosted press days for key reporters.
CKP paired this with a content marketing strategy built on a clear message hierarchy, supported by micro-influencer engagement. A blended advertising strategy then extended the reach of both the content marketing and media relations work.
Creative services tied the strategy together. Original photography and videography, produced specifically for earned media, advertising, and social channels, gave the brand story a consistent visual identity across every platform.
What we delivered
- Integrated communications strategy and planning
- Media relations planning, execution, and engagement
- Advertising strategy, execution, and management
- Creative services, including new lifestyle photography and a new content video series
- Branding, including new brand voice guidelines
- Content marketing, including a new editorial plan with engagement protocols
Results
The anniversary season set attendance records across many of its events and activities. Park attendance grew 101% year-over-year, 102% above the original goal.
Earned media placements came in at 2.5 times the previous year’s total, or 143% of the goal. Organic social media impressions grew 3.5 times year-over-year, reaching 263% of the goal. That added up to 44.4 million organic social media impressions and 380,000 engagements. Paid media delivered 7,890,236 highly-targeted impressions (more than double the target) while spending less than 70% of the allocated budget.
The campaign also won the PRSA Grand Excalibur Best-in-Show Award, the top honor from the Public Relations Society of America’s Houston chapter, along with recognition from the American Marketing Association Houston.
