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IKEA
Overview
IKEA, recognizing the power of the Massachusetts market, set out to establish a presence in Stoughton. After more than 20 years of searching for a foothold, the process had finally showed some progress. IKEA hired Denterlein Worldwide to develop a strategic community and public relations plan through the permitting process and the grand opening.
Objective
IKEA's plans in Stoughton called for a pro-active educational campaign aimed at residents, business leaders and the local media in Stoughton, as well as nearby communities concerned about traffic impacts. A previous attempt by IKEA in Somerville also meant that sensitive questions could arise. Denterlein Worldwide moved ahead on a comprehensive media and community relations plan, focusing on the benefits of the project and addressing resident concerns.
Strategy
Our partnership focused on three levels:
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Denterlein Worldwide became the face of IKEA in the community. From public meetings, to responding to neighborhood concerns on everything from traffic to the environment, we worked with all involved to reach amicable solutions in a timely manner. |
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We forged strong relationships between IKEA and the local and regional business community. We made regular appearances before business groups, and built one-on-one relationships with local and regional leaders. |
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We educated reporters, editors and editorial writers about the benefits of IKEA, as well as explained IKEA's proposed solutions to all neighborhood concerns. |
Results
Working with neighborhood business groups and other IKEA supporters, Denterlein Worldwide channeled a groundswell of public support for the IKEA project. The permitting process took just one year. During that time, our efforts with reporters and editors ensured fair and balanced coverage of all permitting issues. Stories appeared in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, WBZ-TV Ch. 4, Fox 25, WSBK-TV Ch. 38, Providence Journal, Boston Magazine, Boston Globe Magazine, among several local publications. IKEA's Stoughton store is now one of the highest volume locations in the country.
McLean Hospital Land Redevelopment
Overview/ Objective
One of the nation's premier psychiatric hospitals, McLean Hospital in Belmont hoped to sell a portion of its 220-acre campus to alleviate financial challenges. The proposal met considerable opposition from local residents concerned about traffic, stress on town services and quality of life impacts — despite the fact that the proposal included a significant open space donation to the town. McLean hired Denterlein Worldwide to support the hospital through the public process.
Strategy
Denterlein Worldwide developed, managed and implemented an intense 18-month communications campaign, designed to win approval Town Meeting approval of McLean's rezoning plan. In addition to regular press briefings and outreach to editorial writers at the Belmont Citizen Herald and Boston Globe, Denterlein Worldwide also wrote regular op-eds for the local paper, coordinated a letter to the editor campaign in support of the project, created weekly newspaper ads, developed direct mail pieces, and responded to numerous inaccurate statements made by the opposition. Denterlein Worldwide also designed a poll for town resident and town meeting members for use in key political and media outreach.
Results
As a result, the McLean redevelopment plan received positive endorsement by the editorial boards of both the Boston Globe and the Belmont Citizen Herald. The plan also earned the support of a majority of the town's selectmen, ultimately winning the necessary two-thirds vote at Belmont's Town Meeting.
Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints
Overview/ Objective
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints hired Denterlein Worldwide to provide communications support for its efforts to build a temple on its church in Belmont.
Strategy
Working closely with the lawyers on the permitting team, Denterlein Worldwide handled media relations in the local paper, broadcast outlets and the Boston Globe. We conducted a general communication campaign that educated the public on the basic tenets of the Mormon faith, corrected misinformation about the Church and provided a counterpoint to the local residents who opposed construction of the temple. Denterlein also trained local members of the Mormon Church to act as spokespeople in both public forums and the media.
While successful in earning all local permits necessary to build the temple, a small group of neighbors ultimately sued the Church, challenging its right to add a 200-foot steeple to the building. Denterlein Worldwide worked closely with the legal team to develop a communications strategy and timeline, as well as key messages, question and answer documents and media holding statements. We met regularly with the Church's spokesman in preparation for all media interviews and public outreach.
Results
In a case that received national media attention, including coverage in the New York Times, Denterlein successfully portrayed the lawsuit as a classic case of "not-in-my-backyard" syndrome. In 2001, the Church successfully won all of the lawsuits and added the steeple to the temple.
The Druker Company
Overview
Recognized as a leader in downtown revitalization, the Druker Company remains one of the oldest and most respected real estate development firms in Boston. In 2002, the firm announced two projects — Atelier/505, a mixed-use development in the South End, and the condominiums at the Colonnade Hotel on Huntington Avenue. As construction of Atelier/505 began, and the Colonnade project neared completion, the Druker Company sought increased media coverage to attract prospective buyers and tenants, as well as to emphasize the different residential components of each project.
Objective
The Druker Company needed a comprehensive media outreach plan and groundbreaking rollout to create an identity for each development, as well as initiatives designed to coordinate and integrate all marketing and advertising.
Strategy
Denterlein Worldwide developed a groundbreaking event and strategy as well as orchestrated all media outreach around each project. In addition to integrating all marketing and advertising efforts, we positioned the unique attributes of Atelier/505 and the Colonnade Hotel Residences to capture widespread media attention. We also partnered with Ronald Druker and senior leadership to position the company as a leading voice on luxury living.
Results
Both projects received an unprecedented amount of media coverage. The Boston Globe alone mentioned Atelier/505 more than 200 times. The project sold out within 18 months of the groundbreaking. The Colonnade Residences, through a series of articles, established itself as a full-service luxury catering to high-end business leaders and athletes, despite a challenging rental market.
The Home Builders Association of Massachusetts
Overview
The Home Builders Association of Massachusetts represents hundreds of real estate professionals focused on the residential market. From developers to construction companies to bankers and contractors, its members build a significant portion of Massachusetts' new homes each year. For the first time in its history, the Home Builders sought a systematic process for reaching out to the press.
Objective
When Denterlein Worldwide first began working with the Home Builders Association three years ago, stories frequently appeared in the local press highlighting the state's rapidly rising home costs. However, the media rarely mentioned local zoning regulations as a key source behind this growing trend. The organization had not established a clear process for media outreach on issues important to membership, and therefore lacked a single voice in the press coverage of these issues.
Strategy
Denterlein Worldwide worked with the Homebuilders to change the debate. We introduced the Home Builders to relevant reporters and editors, reached out to the media on major policy issues and responded to press coverage of related housing and development topics. Denterlein Worldwide also crafted a communications workshop to train the association's volunteer spokespeople in effective methods for tailoring the debate around housing costs. Quarterly issue briefings, companion editorials, continued media outreach and monitoring breaking news cultivated a greater awareness of the Home Builders Association overall.
Results
As a result, regardless of the spokesperson or the nature of the story, most media inquiries resulted in an opportunity to communicate the association's public policy message. The number of articles referencing skyrocketing home prices as a direct result of local regulations increased dramatically, and the association's leadership became regular media sources, op-ed writers and public forum panelists.
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