1 800 Contacts – Case Study
A PRescription for Change
Marketing for contact lens distributor becomes a large-scale, multi-level educational campaign
Mail order contact lens industry leader 1-800 CONTACTS asked for Media Relations Agency’s (MRA) help to make consumers more aware of their right to fill their contact lens prescription at some place other than their optometrist’s office.
To earn media coverage, we first had to convince skeptical reporters that there was an issue. Our persistence and education resulted in 52 million impressions over the first 2-1/2 years of the campaign.
Ultimately, our work did more than raise nationwide awareness of illegal practices. It also helped facilitate nationwide legislative change.
If you are serious about using PR as part of your marketing program, then I absolutely recommend working with Media Relations, Inc.
This company simply offers a much better way to do PR because what you pay is based on the results you receive. And this is a firm that will work tirelessly on your behalf.
The Challenge
1-800 CONTACTS was facing formidable obstacles to growth. At the time, most consumers were not aware of their right to fill their contact lens prescription at some place other than their optometrist’s office.
More troubling, an overwhelming number of optometrists were refusing to release the prescriptions, illegally forcing customers to buy contact lenses from their offices at inflated prices.
When MRA’s PR team began pitching the story to the media, the surprising response was from reporters who refused to believe that an awareness problem existed.
This project’s success hinged on our ability to ensure that each reporter understood the magnitude of the story.
Our Approach
The amount of preparation that Media Relations does with the interviewer is significant. We spent a great deal of time educating reporters, convincing them that the public was having problems, and that they were in the position to help by getting this information out to their audiences.
Once they understood the problem, we then had to encourage reporters to tell their audiences how to counter the resistance they were getting at optometrists’ offices, as well as positively position 1-800 CONTACTS as the best alternative for ordering contact lenses.
MRA began by positioning 1-800 CONTACTS as a clearinghouse for information about the issues. The initial campaign explained how contact lens wearers often paid too much for their lenses because they didn’t know they had options. It also focused heavily on consumers’ legal rights to their prescriptions. To bring the 1-800 CONTACTS name into the interviews, we leveraged the fact that the company’s website listed each state’s contact lens prescription laws.
The Campaign Took Another Positive Turn
- The media campaign was coupled with a tremendous amount of work by 1-800 CONTACTS and other concerned consumer groups to bring about legislative changes. Those changes soon began to snowball. Individual states and national groups began to lobby for changes.
- MRA’s role shifted to maintaining this momentum in the media. By then, most reporters were aware of the issues and had run at least one story. But when we went back to them with legislative and FTC updates, they didn’t immediately understand the significance. For other reporters, this was fantastic news because it gave them a reason to report on the situation again.
The Results
With true persistence, good information, and by building a solid rapport with the media, phase one of the campaign resulted in an estimated 20 million impressions, and 52 million over the first 2-½ years.
There have been numerous placements in regional newspapers and on local radio stations, as well as on local TV news in such prominent markets as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. Larger placements have included ABC World News Tonight, several nationally syndicated radio shows, as well as the Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press.
When we first started working with 1-800 CONTACTS, they were doing very little PR and a lot of advertising. After the success of our campaign, the company began relying heavily on PR, understanding that the audience is most receptive to the messages reported as news by the media and that PR is an effective forum for educating the public.
20M
Consumer impressions Phase 1
51M
Total People Reached (2-½ years)
The Results
With true persistence, good information, and by building a solid rapport with the media, phase one of the campaign resulted in an estimated 20 million impressions, and 52 million over the first 2-½ years.
There have been numerous placements in regional newspapers and on local radio stations, as well as on local TV news in such prominent markets as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. Larger placements have included ABC World News Tonight, several nationally syndicated radio shows, as well as the Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press.
When we first started working with 1-800 CONTACTS, they were doing very little PR and a lot of advertising. After the success of our campaign, the company began relying heavily on PR, understanding that the audience is most receptive to the messages reported as news by the media and that PR is an effective forum for educating the public.
20M
Consumer impressions Phase 1
51M
Total People Reached (2-½ years)
If you are serious about using PR as part of your marketing program, then I absolutely recommend working with Media Relations. This company simply offers a much better way to do PR because what you pay is based on the results you receive. And this is a firm that will work tirelessly on your behalf.
Kevin McCallum – Vice President, Marketing, 1-800 CONTACTS