Project: Bringing the Eagle back to Calgary

Client: Travel Alberta

Date: 2008

Task: To raise the profile of the 20th anniversary of the Calgary Winter Olympics

Implementation: We brought Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards back to Calgary to take part in high profile media events around the anniversary celebrations.

Results: Coverage highlights included a 7 min interview on Chris Evans’ Radio 2 drivetime show (listenership of 12 million), BBC Inside Out (audience of 1.2 m), 1 hour Special Desert Islands Discs feature, Mail on Sunday travel feature and 19 regional radio interviews.

Working with a celebrity to support an anniversary event

Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards became an overnight success and household name when he competed in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics at Canada Olympic Park.  Eddie become a national hero and Calgary was known across the globe.

2008 marked the 20th anniversary of the Calgary Winter Olympics and KBC PR suggested returning the Eagle to Calgary to lead the celebrations.  Negotiations were carried out by Tanya Hillman direct with Eddie and an excellent deal was struck.  This included Eddie’s full involvement at the celebration including a press conference and zipline competition with fellow Olympian, Jamaican Bobsleigh athlete, Devon Harris.

More than fifteen TV and press interviews took place in Calgary, mostly with Canadian media, and following the celebration Eddie toured the Rockies for an exclusive feature in the Mail on Sunday, secured by KBC.

Eddie’s return to Calgary generated coverage above and beyond our expectations as we sought to place the story in as many outlets as possible. Coverage highlights included: 7 minute interview on BBC Radio 2, with Chris Evans, the most listened to drive-time show in the UK (audience of 12 million), BBC Inside Out television programme, reaching and audience of 1.2 million, BBC Radio Devon, 1 hour Special Desert Islands Discs feature, Spotlight Radio Campaign – achieving 19 regional interviews, on-line daily “Eddie”  blog during his trip on www.TravelAlberta.com and Mail on Sunday – Travel feature on the Rockies.

With the 2010 Olympics looming KBC PR felt following the success with Eddie, it would be  a great strategy to begin highlighting Alberta and our world-class winter product.  UK Bob Skeleton champion Shelley Rudman won the silver medal in Turin 2006 and is going for gold in Vancouver in 2010.

KBC approached Shelley to attend our UK Ski Media event and arranged a trip to Alberta during the World Cup Competition in 2009.  This resulted in a BBC Radio 2 interview direct from the Banff Springs and a major feature in the Weekend Section of the Telegraph and on-line at www.telegraph.com.  This coverage reached 8 million readers and generated an equivalent advertising value of £42,000.

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