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Why PR?

One great idea can produce a great deal of publicity. Public relations is truly one of the last great bargains in the marketplace. The fee for one full year of public relations services can be less than the cost of running a print ad for one month.

The key to marketing success is credibility, not just visibility. In addition to being cost effective, a well-managed public relations campaign, whether implemented on its own or in conjunction with a broader marketing campaign, establishes consistent long-term credibility among consumers – making it the most effective element of your overall marketing mix.

Public Relations Samples

Grand Opening of The Laundry, Scranton, PA

The Laundry in Scranton is a renovated 6-story mix of retail and living space, which includes three loft apartments, Marquis Art Gallery & Framing Studio, The Coffeehouse and Outrageous, a unique jewelry, furniture and home accessories shop. The building’s owner looked to Corcoran Communications to help achieve the goal of planning a large grand opening event that would make the building known to as many people as possible. Advance PR and a carefully planned Grand Opening event helped ensure the goal was met. Publicity leading up to the opening included feature articles and news releases that appeared in all area papers, magazines and on television program. Specially designed invitations and postcards, which illustrated the industrial chic look and feel of the building, were mailed to thousands. Nearly 1,000 people attended the Friday evening, invitation only, opening night celebration, touring the building while they enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The celebration, which continued through the weekend, was open to the public and drew thousands more. The Friday evening event received live coverage by the area’s three main television stations and several area newspapers. For weeks, The Laundry was the talk of the town.

“Stevie” movie premiere to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters

Local film maker, Robert May, wished to premiere his award-winning documentary at The Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre and raise $10,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters. He came to Corcoran Communications to enlist our help in publicizing the event, securing media sponsors and selling tickets. We immediately approached The Times Leader, WBRE TV and Times Shamrock radio stations for help. For several weeks leading up to the premiere, public service announcements on the film and a special Q & A with the producer and director ran in all of the above media outlets. A private, invitation only, dinner was planned at May’s home following the premier. Advance publicity in the form of feature articles and news releases were published in all papers. Leading up to the premiere, May was booked on television and radio programs. With all of the advance PR and exposure, “Stevie” quickly became a not-to-miss event. The evening premiere was covered live on WBRE TV and the event raised over $20,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Endless Echoes

When Paul Forte launched his web-based service for broadcasting personalized voice messages into space, he was looking for a cost effective way of marketing the new business. He came to Corcoran Communications for help in publicizing Endless Echoes. We wrote and mass distributed a press release introducing this exciting new service. The press release was picked up by the Associated Press and appeared in hundreds of papers across the country. It was also showcased on television newscasts and radio. This is an excellent example of the power of public relations. Some of the hits included:

  • Forbes.com
  • ABC Radio
  • WCCO TV, Minneapolis, MN
  • The Macon Telegraph, Macon, GA
  • WBAL TV, Baltimore, MD
  • CBS4, Denver, CO
  • KUTV, Salt Lake City, UT
  • Centre Daily Times, State College, PA
  • ABC 7 News, Arlington, VA
  • Star News, Wilmington, NC
  • Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA
  • Post Gazette, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Sun-Herald, Biloxi, MI
  • Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington, KY
  • San Francisco Chronicle, SF, CA
  • Casper Star Tribune, Casper, WY
  • Rapid City Journal, Rapid City, SD
  • Los Angeles Times, LA, CA
  • Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL
  • Newsday.com, NY
  • Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer, PA
  • Kansas City Star, KC, MD
  • The Mercury News, Bay Area, CA
  • The Philadelphia Daily News, PA
  • The Charlotte Observer, NC
  • ABC 13, KTRK-TV, Houston, TX
  • ABC 7 – KGO – TV, California
  • NBC30, New Haven, CT
  • NBC4 TV, Burbank, CA

SPCA Capital Campaign

In desperate need of updates and expansion to its 50-year-old facility, the SPCA of Luzerne County embarked on a capital campaign in an effort to raise $650,000 for improvements and upgrades to the shelter. Over a 6-month period, Corcoran Communications led the marketing and PR effort for the SPCA campaign, utilizing a mix of creative, public relations and special events coordination to publicize the shelter and gain public support for the campaign. This included feature articles in all papers and television coverage of the shelter and campaign events. The efforts, which culminated in a large benefit auction and dinner, were hugely successful, netting over $700,000 for the campaign. This enabled the SPCA to complete all renovations, becoming a more modern and efficient animal care facility and increasing capacity to shelter up to 25% more animals.

Grand Opening of Overlook Professional Center, Pittston

When the Kendrick family began renovating the old Pittston Hospital into a unique office building; they knew they would be competing with several new office buildings in the area. What they had was unique and they looked to Corcoran Communications to help brand and publicize Overlook and plan a Grand Opening. The old Pittston Hospital and the surrounding land were rich in history, and also the site of the Knox Mine Disaster. Corcoran played on this history in advance PR and feature articles that ran in all area news publications. The Grand Opening event was historically themed. Invitations invited guests to “take a step back in time and catch a glimpse of the future.” The beautifully remodeled lobby became a mini-museum for Pittston Hospital and Knox Mine memorabilia. Many were drawn to the opening to re-live old memories and see how the existing architecture of the hospital was kept intact as new office space was constructed. Guests received guided tours of the building that took them through the newly remodeled spaces to the older floors that had been left untouched. The finale of the tour was a trip to the roof, where guests experienced a stunning view of the entire valley. The theme carried through to the catering. The wait staff served in hospital scrubs while a chef dressed in surgeons garb carved freshly roasted turkey. It was truly an event to remember.