Annual public relations, social media campaigns for the Freihofer's Run for Women 5K in Albany, NY

1. A LONG RUNNING SUCCESS
For almost two decades, Rueckert Advertising
& Public Relations has provided public relations
and advertising support for the Freihofer’s Run
for Women, one of the world’s largest and
most prestigious all-female 5K road races.
Each year the agency raises the bar by
exceeding attendance and predetermined
earned media goals.
Our approach varies each year but relies
heavily on proactive public relations strategies
— press releases, public affairs interviews,
feature story pitches and a pre-race press
conference — coupled with modest print
advertising and promotional spots aired on
partner TV and radio stations. We also
incorporate a strategic social media component
featuring Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a
blog to target potential runners.
Another recently introduced strategy to
draw new participants is a 10-week Training
Challenge program. Modeled around the
popular Couch to 5K Running Plan, it includes
media celebrities who head teams of women
on weekly training runs, as well as injury
prevention experts and a nutritionist dispensing
advice. This comprehensive program has not
only helped prepare novice runners to tackle
their first 5K, but also fostered long-lasting
friendships.
In addition to our PR/social media role,
the agency designs all of the graphics associated
with the Run for Women and its companion
events — the Freihofer’s Community Walk,
Freihofer’s Kids’ Run, Freihofer’s Junior 3K and
CapitalCare Health & Fitness Expo. These
eye-catching visuals are displayed everywhere
from newspaper ads and entry brochures to
t-shirts and the press conference backdrops.
Rueckert Advertising’s results have been
extremely successful. Since taking over the
event’s marketing, the agency has boosted
event participation by more than 30%, while
consistently bettering annual earned media
coverage. In 2012, more than 362 million
impressions were generated from 643 pre-
and post-event print and electronic stories.
The value of the print/electronic/Web
coverage was $14.6 million — a staggering
return on the baking company’s $20,000
marketing investment.