Hertz Corporation
The Situation
With all eyes and ears on the “greening of America,” The Hertz Corporation, the world’s largest car company, was well-poised to focus attention on a significant expansion of its Green Collection. Hertz chose to announce its expanded “Green Collection” of environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, family-sized vehicles by purchasing 3,400 new Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles, a $68 million investment. The new vehicles complemented the 105,000 EPA Smart Way™ certified cars in the Hertz fleet. The agency conceived and developed a comprehensive media outreach plan to launch Hertz’s Green Collection.
The Strategy
The agency developed a comprehensive Hertz Green Collection campaign plan, including a series of compelling key messages and tailored media materials. While working closely with Hertz, MMG Mardiks isolated environmentally focused organizations with like-minded goals and ultimately partnered with the National Parks Foundation and made a $1 million donation. A “green” press packet was conceptualized and produced from recycled materials made complete with a self-starter “plant your own tree kit.”To showcase the introduction of the Toyota Prius vehicles into the New York Green Collection fleet, the agency conducted outreach to New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s office and offered to support the Mayor’s recently announced environmental initiatives in exchange for his support and attendance at the Hertz Green Collection launch press conference.
The Results
More than 150 media members, from a broad cross-section of magazines, newspapers, online media, newswires and television news stations attended and covered the Green Collection launch, including The Chicago Sun-Times, The Dallas Morning News, The New York Post, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and dozens of newspapers nationwide through Associated Press syndication. Print, online, and broadcast coverage generated more than 136 million media impressions in just a one-month period.