DENVER (Nov. 8, 2016) – Avocet Communications, one of Colorado’s leading integrated marketing communications agencies, had many successes in 2016, including working with two clients to capitalize on their appearance on ABC’s hit reality show, Shark Tank.
Every year, 40,000 people apply to appear on Shark Tank, but only about 120 will actually see airtime. Two of Avocet’s clients, TekDry and Jack’s Stands & Marketplace, appeared on the show and, with Avocet’s help, garnered additional media and social attention before, during, and after the airing of the show.
Avocet was the agency of record for both companies, charged with implementing integrated marketing campaigns aimed at creating top-of-mind awareness and driving customer count. The campaigns included local and national PR/media relations, social media engagement, and digital advertising.
“Our goal with both TekDry and Jack’s was to maximize and amplify this spotlight, to stretch that 15 minutes of fame into something bigger,” said Lori Jones, president and CEO of Avocet. “That meant truly integrating every strategy and approach we had in place. Our tactics included national and local media relations, a social and digital campaign that included Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and a plan for how we prepared for increased traffic to their retail locations.”
It also involved planning and managing viewing parties for both clients attended by media, investors, and family and friends.
As with any reality TV show, Shark Tank has very strict non-disclosure policies with significant consequences if they are violated. “Our clients and the senior management at Avocet had to sit on a BIG secret for weeks!” Jones said. “We couldn’t leverage this information until the show aired, but we still had to plan and coordinate. And, even then, there were still no guarantees that our clients would actually see airtime. The show typically films approximately twice the number of segments that there are slots for and you will only have about two weeks’ notice that your pitch was selected.”
Shark Tank results by the numbers for TekDry*
- Number of national media stories leading up to the show airing = 359
- Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE)** = $1.58 million
- Potential audience reach from media coverage = 288.6 million
- Increase in website traffic by 3,367 percent
- Increase in social media mentions during show airing = 1,778 percent
Shark Tank results by the numbers for Jack’s Stands & Marketplace:
- Jack’s appearance generated the 3rd highest social engagement of the show’s history.
- 7,014 social mentions generated leading up to and during the show.
- Number of local and national news stories before and after Jack’s appearance on Shark Tank = 168
- Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) = approximately ~$2,820,300
- Increase in social media mentions during show airing = 205 percent
About Avocet Communications: Founded in 1980, Avocet Communications has earned a national reputation for helping its clients increase customer count through integrated marketing communications solutions. The agency represents B2B, B2C, retail, social enterprises, nonprofits, and entrepreneurial start-ups from around the country. Its strategic team of marketing, creative, media, PR, and online professionals build campaigns and top of mind awareness for its clients through innovative, ROI-based branding, marketing, advertising, media relations, social, and digital strategies.
In 2016 Lori Jones was selected to become a member of the Forbes Agency Council. Jones was asked to join this prestigious group based on her long career, leadership in the industry, and the agency’s success and innovation producing strategic integrated marketing campaigns for clients across the country.
Avocet has been named one of Colorado’s Top 100 Women-Owned Businesses by ColoradoBiz magazine several years in a row, and in 2016 was named “one of the state’s top 20 ad agencies” by BizWest. The Denver Business Journal ranked Avocet in its list of Top 25 Advertising Agencies in the state.
Visit the website at www.avocetcommunications.com. And, listen to Avocet’s Integrate & Ignite podcast here.
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