MEC: National Media Campaign - Diversity Initiative
As the AOR for Mountain Equipment Co-op, NKPR was tasked with driving a national media campaign to shine a light on the under-representation of diversity and inclusivity in the outdoor recreation marketing space as demonstrated by a revelatory Environics study commissioned by MEC. The robust media relations strategy led by NKPR would underscore MEC’s pledge to increase diversity across all areas of the organization, while challenging industry partners to do the same.
Opportunity
To Leverage data findings revealed from an MEC-commissioned national survey to shine a light on the false picture of participation and underrepresentation of people of colour in outdoor industry marketing. At the same time, create national awareness for MEC’s commitment to becoming more inclusive and culturally diverse at all levels of the organization, from advertising imagery to executive leadership, and how the company is challenging industry partners to do the same.
What We Did
- Developed and deployed a press release to reveal findings, leveraging access to key MEC spokespeople to reflect diverse perspectives (CEO David Labistour, Chief of People Experience Officer Nahal Yousefian and Outdoor Nation Ambassador Judith Kasiama)
- Negotiated an embargoed story and interview to break the story with The Globe and Mail
- Contributed to the copy and release timing of CEO David Labistour’s public letter of commitment
- Secured a second wave of media relations once CEO letter went live to the public
- Amplified MEC’s presence at diverse film screenings at the Banff Film Festival to create a follow-up positive brand story
Results
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- 105,000,000 media impressions across over 325 individual hits
- Feature coverage highlights include The Globe and Mail, CBC, BNN, Strategy Magazine, Global News, National Post, Toronto Star, Daily Hive, CTV News, City News, MSN, Huffington Post, Yahoo, and many more