THE FUTURE RE-WRITTEN:
CASE STUDY IN MEDIA
RELATIONS
Presented by:
Rebecca Rose Markarian, APR
Managing Partner
the Social Method
@rebecca_rose OR @thesocialmethod

THE BACKGROUND.
“Jaguar is a point where it seriously needs to rethink its strategy, starting
with its willingness to take calculated but ‘smart’ risks….”
“If it cannot redefine itself while still maintaining that proverbial brand
DNA, it is in danger of withering away.”
-Paul Eisenstein – The Car Connection, 2005

THE GOAL.
Company Goal:
Revitalize the brand and introduce the new era of
Jaguar design with the all-new 2007 XK and the
introduction of the new ‘Gorgeous’ marketing
strategy.
One car and one plan
to save a company.

THE CREATION OF A
PLAN.

THE HOMEWORK.
• Media advisory group
• Informal interviews
• Field reports
• Competitor program review
• MPG PR Study analysis
• Coverage analysis
• Media outlet analysis

THE LEARNINGS.
• „Key influencer publications‟ heavily
influence other automotive and lifestyle
media
• Targeted selection of media ensures
coverage of dealer needs as well as reaching
the right consumers
• Media site was inadequate would need
something better

THE AUDIENCES.
External:
• Early adopters and tastemakers
• Automotive enthusiasts
• General consumers
Internal:
• North American Jaguar dealers
• Jaguar employees
• Jaguar management

THE OBJECTIVES.
• Obtain favorable feature stories in key influencer
publications
• Minimize the number of negative product or
corporate comments
• Stagger media coverage to bolster sales activities

THE KEY MESSAGES.
• The all-new XK continues the Jaguar tradition of
beautiful, powerful, groundbreaking sports cars.
• Behind the all-new XK‟s stunning looks it bristles
with practical, intuitive, modern technology, clearly
focused on enhancing the driving experience.
• The all-new XK delivers significant improvements in
dynamics, safety, exterior and interior design and
equipment and product quality.

THE STRATEGY:
MAKING AN IMPRESSION.
Introduce vehicle with series of Jaguar-hosted events
• Tactic: Long Lead One-on-one Preview Program
• Tactic: Global Reveal & Technical Deep Dive Program
• Tactic: VVIP One-on-one Program – Scottsdale
• Tactic: Long Lead Program – South Africa
• Tactic: Short Lead Program – Mexico

THE STRATEGY:
CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION.
Consistently reach larger media audience
Tactic: Early VIP opportunities
Tactic: VNR/B-roll distribution
Tactic: Press kit distribution
Tactic: Regular press release distributions
Tactic: Dedicated media site
Tactic: JaguarInsider refocus on XK
Tactic: Auto show co-op SMTs

THE STRATEGY:
DEALER COMMUNICATION
Inform and energize dealers about the XK:
Tactic: Press kit distribution
Tactic: Monthly newsletter refocus on XK
Tactic: Dealer launch kit
Tactic: Program update and PR 101 seminar at NADA
annual meeting
Tactic: Weekly XK clip report distribution

THE STRATEGY:
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Inform and energize employees about the XK
• Tactic: Press kit distribution
• Tactic: Monthly newsletter refocus on XK
• Tactic: Internal launch kit
• Tactic: Weekly XK clip report distribution

THE EVALUATION.

THE COMMENTS.
“Thank you so much for the most amazing week of my life…I will never
ever forget this trip or that fabulous fabulous car!” -Celeste Atkinson, Hollywood Life
“The event was fabulous and the new Jaguar even more so...” -Ken Gross,
Edmunds.com
“Just wanted to drop you a note congratulating you on what I think may be
the best press launch I‟ve ever been on – first, from a writer‟s perspective
because we had plenty of time in the cars on good roads, lots of executive
access with engineers and Ian to get individualized stories, and third for
the functionality – can‟t believe you arranged for a whole media suite in the
middle of Africa.” -Marty Padgett, TheCarConnection.com
“To say it was an incredible experience would be a somewhat
underwhelming description. Incredible location, amazing group of people,
and a spectacular car-I couldn't have asked for more.” - Karl Funke, European Car

THE COVERAGE.
Coverage Analysis: Qualitative and quantitative
evaluation of coverage
Advertising cost equivalency = $13,217,896.
Return on investment = approx. $8 million
****(Ad Equiv – Program Cost = ROI)

OBJECTIVE #1
Obtained feature stories in
each of the key influencer
publications with key
messaging included.

“Even without driving the car, we’re sure it is deserving
of that adjective [badassed] based on appearance and a
few fast laps riding shotgun in an XK prototype.”

“…an edgier shape, an interior that offers a no-wood alternative and a new aluminum
construction that provides for a stiffer body and no-compromise handling.”

“Inside, the XK8
is a typical
modern Jaguar,
but with the
accent on
aluminum
rather than
wood.”

“It’s drop-dead gorgeous…all aggressive
haunches and beautifully surfaced
sheetmetal pulled drum-tight over the
mechanicals.”
“So here’s the bottom line on the new XK: Pay
half as much as you would for a new Asgon
Martin DB9, and drive away in a car that’ll turn
heads just as fast.”

OBJECTIVE #2
Minimized the number of negative product or
corporate comments, keeping them to less than 5% of
overall messaging.
Positive/negative/neutral ratio for all toned XK
statements from January – October 2006:
– Positive - 53.77%
– Neutral - 41.48%
– Negative - 4.76%

OBJECTIVE #3
Staggered media coverage to
coincide with important sales
actions to bolster sales
activities, achieving peaks in
media coverage at four key
points.

Impact of Jaguar and Land Rover Product Coverge by Month
August 2005 to October 2006
Media Influence Index
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
05 05 t0
5 5
c0
5 6 6 06 06 06 06 6 06 06 6
g p v0 n0 b0 r r y n l0 g p t0
Au Se Oc No De Ja Fe Ma Ap Ma Ju Ju Au Se Oc
Jaguar Product Land Rov er Product
11 3/ 6
/1 200
Source: Millward Brown Precis

THE CONCLUSION:
XK PROGRAM DEEMED
‘RECIPE FOR SUCCESS’

THE ADVICE.
• Do your homework. Research every journalist – know their last couple
of stories and a little about their role at the media outlet BEFORE you
call.
• Role play. Put yourself in the shoes of your journalist and their
publication. What do they need to be successful with their
editor/readers/publisher/etc.
• Give them an angle. It doesn‟t have to be exclusive, but give them an
angle to work with that will make their story different (Note: this is
where that homework comes in handy!)
• Be human. When you do call/email/tweet a journalist, be respectful,
courteous and professional.
• Make their job easy. Do as much as you can to make their life simple
and create the best environment for them to create a great story.
• Don’t take it personal. If they choose not to bite on your pitch, don‟t
take it personal. Ask if they would still like to receive pitches and if they
say yes, try again.
• Use tools to stay in touch. Become their friend or a fan on Facebook.
Follow them and their publication on twitter. Share their information,
particularly when they write about YOU!

THE END.