Challenge
California State Automobile Association saw an opportunity to expand travel services to a specific market sector: namely, the gay and lesbian community. The challenge was that CSAA wanted to get the word out to the appropriate target audience without alienating its existing audience. LCI was charged with promoting the service in order to grow that sector without hurting the existing CSAA travel audience.
Strategy
Central to the success of this campaign was the creation of appropriate key messages that would resonate positively within the gay/lesbian community – and targeting media specifically for those audiences. LCI strove to make the announcement not as a general mass media audience announcement, but as a specific announcement to a specific audience. Also key to the success of this announcement was the message that CSAA cares about the lesbian/gay community and therefore is offering specialized travel packages that meet their needs. LCI targeted both gay/lesbian media as well as specific geographic markets, like the San Francisco Bay area, with high populations of gay men/lesbians.
Results
Following a comprehensive messaging program and media training session, LCI achieved broad regional and market-by-market coverage specific to the lesbian/gay community for the new program, including: LA Times.com, Frontiers Magazine, Travel Weekly, Travel Age West, San Francisco Business Times, Bay Area Reporter, San Jose Mercury News and more.
Testimonial
“In my 35 years in the media and publicity business, I can honestly say that LCI and its team are the best.” –Jeannine Yeomans, California State Automobile Association