Welcome to WRITING MATTERS, celebrating the value of good writing in the business world.

 

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VOLUME 1, ISSUE 10 – JUNE 2008

 

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This Month’s Case Study – Allenford Center for the Performing Arts

 

The Allenford Center for the Performing Arts was a recently refurbished theater in the community of Allenford.  Long in disrepair, a generous endowment from a local resident gave new life to the once-proud facility.  After a two-year restoration, the Center had reopened three months ago to great fanfare and celebration.

 

Meredith Stevens was the Center’s Public Relations Director and supervised an enthusiastic support staff.  The theater featured mostly plays and musicals, with the occasional pop or jazz artist stopping by.  Although the calendar was booked for the first several weeks after the reopening, the novelty of the restoration was already wearing off.  Keenly aware of this, Meredith knew it was imperative to keep the Center in the forefront of the community and its residents.

 

With Meredith's staff mostly administrative in nature, she had relied on an ad agency to handle the bulk of the PR work leading up to the Center's reopening.  Although the agency did a decent job, Meredith felt the Center didn't get its money's worth and needed to go in a different direction.

 

Part of the problem was the ad agency hailed from an adjacent metropolitan area with few ties to Allenford; consequently, its “big city” style didn’t come across well in the promotional materials.  For the Center to thrive beyond its reopening, Meredith felt a local perspective was necessary.  She wanted to embrace the history of the old theater and position it as a first class performing arts center for years to come.

 

To achieve her goals, Meredith wanted local creative talent – nothing flashy, nothing fancy, no big agency headaches.  She looked to hire a writer and graphic designer to handle projects on an ongoing basis.  Meredith envisioned several promotional items, including a booklet highlighting the history of the center, a quarterly newsletter featuring coming attractions and reviews of recent performances, and a Web site incorporating the same elements in a classy, sophisticated design.

 

Meredith spoke with some of the Center's leading benefactors regarding writer/designer referrals.  One gentleman recommended a local writer he had used to help promote his business.  Although the writer no longer lived in Allenford, he had grown up there and maintained close ties to the area.

 

The next week, Meredith met with Charles, a freelance copywriter with experience in writing Web copy and other marketing collateral.  He had been in business for himself for only a short time, but had previous corporate writing experience and a solid portfolio.  Meredith was impressed not only with his writing skills, but also his marketing expertise.  He offered a fresh perspective regarding her ideas and made several good suggestions of his own.  Meredith soon realized Charles would be much more than a writer; he would also be a valued consultant.

 

Meredith asked Charles about graphic designers and he recommended someone he had worked with in the past.  He also knew a reliable printer who could assist with all facets of that area.  Meredith was thrilled with what Charles had to offer – experience, insight, and even a network of professionals to make her life easier.

 

As soon as all parties were available, work began on the first project.  Meredith wanted to start with the theater history booklet, which would be made available on-site at the Center and also through the new Web site.  Charles interviewed staff members and some longtime Allenford residents to learn more about the theater's rich history.  After putting together a first draft, Meredith was pleased with his work and had very few changes.  Rebecca, the graphic designer, came up with a simple yet classy look and feel, and the project progressed nicely.

 

As the theater history booklet took shape, Meredith, Charles and Rebecca began brainstorming about the newsletter.  In addition to a print copy, Charles suggested it also be distributed online to season subscribers and anyone who joined the Center’s mailing list.  The entire process ran smoothly because Charles and Rebecca worked so well together, and Meredith couldn’t be happier.

 

Within a few weeks, the theater history booklet and premiere issue of the quarterly newsletter were completed.  The history booklet was displayed prominently in the lobby and became a big hit among patrons.  It featured an engaging narrative and elegant design, along with several archival photographs of the theater throughout the years.  The first newsletter touted the publication of the history booklet and previewed the performance calendar for the coming months.  Next on Meredith's list was the Web site, which Charles and Rebecca looked forward to working on as well.  The site would feature an online version of the newsletter, as well as other common elements culled from the history booklet.

 

In a short period of time, Meredith had added several key elements to the Center's public relations repertoire, establishing a print and soon-to-be online presence that didn't exist previously.  Furthermore, she had established a great working relationship with a talented writer and graphic designer, both of whom she planned on using for years to come.

 

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The next issue of Writing Matters will be out July 1st .

 

Have a great month!

 

 

John Paul Tancredi, Copywriter/Consultant

Spectrum Copywriting Services

JPT@spectrumcopywriting.com

www.spectrumcopywriting.com

 

 

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