The Philadelphia Eagles, one of the most environmentally sensitive teams in the National Football League, engaged CooperKatz to announce a major sustainability initiative.

The Eagles have a longstanding commitment to the environment.  Their Go Green! program includes energy and water conservation, waste reduction, recycling, composting, toxic chemical avoidance, reforestation and incentive programs to encourage employees to purchase renewable energy.

To build on this environmental leadership, the team partnered with SolarBlue, a renewable energy company, and developed plans to power Lincoln Financial Field with a combination of onsite wind, solar and duel-fuel generated electricity. CooperKatz developed and executed a comprehensive media strategy that ensured the story reached journalists who covered a wide range of beats, including the environment, business, architecture, engineering and sports facilities.

A key part of the launch strategy was arranging three media exclusives, one with the New York Times, a second with the Philadelphia Inquirer and a third with “Good Morning America.” On announcement day, both newspapers posted major stories that included dramatic renderings of the stadium adorned with wind turbines and solar panels. GMA’s weatherman, Sam Champion, enthusiastically reported the news and also displayed the renderings. Other media assembled at the stadium for a dramatic on-field announcement orchestrated by CooperKatz in partnership with the Eagles’ logistics / production crew. To create a stunning visual effect, dozens of trees were positioned in a section of the stadium’s seats, and the giant video scoreboard was programmed to display visuals cued to the keynote speakers’ remarks. Three days later, NBC featured footage from the announcement during the Eagles-Giants nationally-televised “Sunday Night Football” game.

In all, the announcement resulted in more than 68 million television media impressions, well over 150 print / online placements and social media outreach that generated more than 1,400 “likes” and 300 comments on the Eagles’ Facebook page.  The campaign’s success culminated in a personal phone call from President Obama to the Eagles’ owners commending them on their environmental leadership.