Challenge
To generate media interest in and coverage of the inauguration of President Alecia DeCoudreaux, the first new president of Mills College in 20 years, in a region with substantial competition for academic media share.
Strategy
LCI’s campaign was a multi-pronged effort. The initial announcement of DeCoudreaux’s appointment was a first volley, especially to seed the interest with priority regional newspapers such as the Contra Costa Times and the Oakland Tribune. Next, LCI scheduled several important desksides with key influential reporters in the region. Subsequently, LCI used DeCoudreaux’s inauguration as a primary focus to leverage awareness both of her qualifications and of the college’s credentials.
LCI also positioned President DeCoudreaux as a model example of her own vision for Mills College – as a college that prepares women for success in their professional lives. Additionally, to create relevance against a backdrop of diminishing single-gender colleges in the U.S., LCI recommended DeCoudreaux announce her commitment to maintain the school’s status as a women-only undergraduate college. Additionally, LCI recommended the pursuit of op-ed placements, and the leveraging of Mills College’s ranking as a top-5 regional school by U.S News & World Report for currency.
Execution
LCI managed its key media contacts to secure coverage of the inauguration that extended beyond the event itself and included personal profiles and in depth interviews with President DeCoudreaux. By developing relationships on behalf of the college, LCI secured desksides and one-on-one interviews for President DeCoudreaux. LCI leveraged current trends in higher education, as well as DeCoudreaux’s unique personal background, to develop newsworthy pitches that bridged specifically to Mills College and the inauguration.
Results
LCI secured media coverage of the Mills College inauguration in highly targeted outlets, including a front-page exclusive interview in Mills College’s local daily paper of record, the Contra Costa Times. President DeCoudreaux was also featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, and in a profile interview in the San Francisco Business Times. LCI also secured an in-depth on-air interview on the Bay Area’s NPR affiliate station, KQED. The news received pick up on 335 news sites, including Yahoo! Finance, InsideBayArea, KGO-TV, KCBS and more.