Relevant Case Studies

Xerox: The Xerox Corporation teamed up with the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team to sponsor a holiday card drive to send expressions of gratitude to the soldiers serving in Iraq during the December holidays. Entitled, “Let’s Say Thanks,” the event featured cards designed by family members of the Guard and printed on Xerox equipment. The event was staffed by volunteer Xerox employees and held at Atlantic Station, a newly opened retail development in midtown Atlanta during a weekend in December. More than 5,000 cards, enough for each 48th BCT soldier in Iraq, were signed by grateful shoppers and delivered by the Army National Guard. Media coverage was received in major markets in the Southeast. HCG developed the concept including the look and feel of the campaign and managed the art contest and event. View a video of the event.

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Savannah College of Art and Design: SCAD, the largest and No. 1 rated art and design school in the United States, opened its first Atlanta campus in March 2005. For six months prior to the first class, staff of Hudson Crane Group developed and implemented a plan to connect the leadership of SCAD with local business, community and political leadership to ensure a smooth transition, attract faculty and recruit students. We conducted a community and media audit to determine the awareness and receptivity of the school in the Atlanta area. The audit drove all messaging and positioning and identified important issues that needed to be addressed. In addition to extensive positive media coverage, we forged several important partnerships in the community, including the mayor’s office.

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IHG: Sustainability and corporate responsibility take center stage at IHG, the world’s largest hotelier. The lodging industry leader identifies and promotes initiatives that are good for business, the environment and the communities in which they operate. Led by the IHG corporate responsibility and community affairs teams, HCG provided project management, facilitation and communications services for the IHG re:serves program, focused diverting waste from landfills during property renovations. The pilot program included 55 Candlewood Suites properties and repurposed more than 3,200 mattresses and box springs and 4,000 linen sets. Donations were managed by affiliates of the National Furniture Bank, helping more than 4,300 families in local communities. Another important aspect of the project was collaboration among many disparate groups within the IHG corporation and the National Furniture Bank. HCG facilitated implementation, execution and training sessions and worked directly with property owners and operators to ensure the project was successful not only from a logistical perspective, but also resulted in positive financial returns as well. Overall, the project yielded more than $100,000 in savings for participating properties.

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BCD Travel: BCD Travel, formerly WorldTravel BTI, is the nation’s third-largest corporate travel management company in a highly competitive and dynamic industry. The Hudson Crane Group worked in three phases with the marketing and leadership teams at BCD to define market positioning, launch a new brand in the Americas and Europe and manage a comprehensive media relations strategy. After a series of workshops with top executives, HCG compiled a “playbook” of messaging statements, as well as competitive positioning for the BCD Travel products and services. These messages have been incorporated into the company’s sales proposals, marketing collateral and corporate communications ensuring consistency across the $14 billion global corporation. The messaging sessions provided an ample foundation for brand identity work with the BCD leadership team as they made significant acquisitions in Europe. HCG worked closely with the marketing and event teams to create multimedia for the brand launch and provided media relations support throughout every stage of the acquisitions and launch. As a trusted advisor to the BCD Travel team, HCG has had significant success raising the visibility of the company and its value proposition to the corporate market. Prior to our first media relations engagement, BCD had only secured on media placement at the industry’s premier trade show hosted by the National Business Travel Association. With support from HCG, five interviews were secured with seven reporters from targeted trade and top-tier publications. As a result, the company received nine placements during and after the conference, including two in The New York Times.

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