 |
Case Studies / Thomas & Betts
Thomas & Betts Wins National Media Attention For AutoZone Park Involvement
THE SITUATION
Thomas & Betts Corporation, a leading manufacturer of connectors and components for the worldwide electrical market, wanted to get Memphis-area and national coverage for its extensive involvement in AutoZone Park, the new downtown home of the Memphis Redbirds AAA baseball team. While T&B is well known in the national electrical industry trades, coverage is most often product-oriented and limited in scope. Additionally, the company's awareness within the Memphis market is generally restricted to customers (electrical distributors) and end users of its products (electrical contractors).
THE SOLUTION
As part of an ongoing media relations program created by Thompson & Berry, we advised Thomas & Betts to place special emphasis on the AutoZone Park project as a unique opportunity to create awareness locally and to bolster its position as an industry leader nationwide. To that end, Thompson & Berry leveraged our solid relationships with the local media and with editors in the electrical industry to generate interest and pursue specific story opportunities.
THE RESULT
Through a series of press releases and media alerts issued at key points during construction of the ballpark, we were able to garner local print and television coverage of the state-of-the-art field lighting system that was designed, manufactured and supplied by Thomas & Betts. Additionally, Thompson & Berry orchestrated photography throughout construction of the ballpark for use in selling the story to the national trades. Ultimately, our involvement in the project received significant coverage in three of the electrical industry's five major publications, including the July 2000 cover story in Electrical Contractor magazine.
A national cover story is often reward enough, but this piece also caught the eye of the project engineer for a new 12-field softball complex in Beaumont, Texas. Thomas & Betts' initial layouts for the project were rejected because its lighting solutions were not considered an "approved equal." After reading the story, the engineer upgraded T&B's status, allowing the manufacturer to bid on the job. Now, our client is the front-runner for this lucrative contract.
