Eagles Kick-Off Renewable Energy Effort
December 06, 2010, 3:32pm posted by Kathleen Reynolds | 9 comments
Posted in: Environment, Sustainability, Client News, Philadelphia Eagles, Solar Blue, Kathleen Reynolds
[From left to right: Honorable Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, Mr. Ron Jaworski (emcee), Mr. Jeffrey Lurie (owner and CEO of the Philadelphia Eagles), Mr. Lee Maher (chairman and CEO of Solar Blue), Mrs. Christina Lurie (owner, Philadelphia Eagles), Mr. Roger Goodell (NFL Comissioner)]
CooperKatz clients the Philadelphia Eagles, in partnership with Solar Blue, recently announced plans to power Lincoln Financial Field with onsite wind, solar and dual-fuel generated electricity, making it the world’s first major sports stadium to convert to self-generated, renewable energy.
After sharing these plans at an on-field press conference against a backdrop of majestic trees, team owners Jeffrey and Christina Lurie – along with Lee Mayer, Chairman and CEO, Solar Blue, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell – signed a “Declaration of Energy Independence.” Its key tenets include reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Media received press materials on an Eagles-branded USB drive to reduce paper use.
[Jason Wallace, Kathleen Reynolds, Andy Cooper, Camille Priselac on-field at Lincoln Financial Field (Ralph Katz was in the production booth)!]
CK collaborated with the Eagles’ production and public relations offices and Solar Blue executives to map out the strategic vision for the announcement / press event, conduct extensive media relations, develop a social media campaign, draft the event presentation and script, lead executive media training and manage production logistics.
An integral part of the media relations campaign was a “dual print / online exclusive” with The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer. These newspapers received pre-briefings and developed comprehensive stories timed to hit the morning of the press event. On the broadcast side, ABC Philadelphia and ABC’s “Good Morning America” covered the news immediately. CBS Radio’s interview with Jeffrey Lurie ran on stations across the country. Following the press event, hundreds of additional stories appeared, culminating in a segment featuring footage of the announcement during the Eagles’ nationally-televised “Sunday Night Football” game. In all, the announcement resulted in more than 60 million television media impressions and well over 100 print / online placements.
The visibility of this initiative will help underscore how energy-saving environmental initiatives can also align with smart business practices.
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