Case Studies

Theatrical Film Releases

Eastern Promises
Directed by David Cronenberg starring Viggo Mortenson and Naomi Watts

Situation Analysis
David Cronenberg's follow up to History of Violence starring Viggo Mortenson and Naomi Watts was sure to be an eagerly anticipated film warranting close attention by the media. The star power of the cast was sure to increase the press wattage inherent in the film. Focus Features was looking to carefully create anticipation with a world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival followed by strategically timed Fall release.

Public Relations Strategy
MURPHY PR quickly surveyed the press that flowed out of Cronenberg's last film and identified the champions of this talented auteur. With that information in hand the firm laid out a media campaign that maximized his cult status while creating individual celebrity campaigns for Mortenson and Watts. Additionally, the firm researched current relevant cinematic trends that would help lift the campaign beyond critical support and celebrity profiles.

Results
Eastern Promises enjoyed strong critical support which flowed out of the Toronto Film Festival and surged right up until the film was released. These critical pieces were supplemented by trend stories on topics in the film and celebrity profiles on the film stars. As a result, Eastern Promises enjoyed a strong premiere and is sure to figure prominently in the 2007 Oscar campaign.

Darfur Now
Directed by Ted Braun and featuring Don Cheadle

Situation Analysis
Ted Braun's incredible documentary focuses on six people and their involvement in Darfur during one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time. The film enjoys the support of Don Cheadle, who is one of the subjects of the film but who only had limited availability. Additionally, the film was slated to come out during one of the busiest times of the year with a record number of theatrical releases competing with the documentary. Too, the film followed The Devil Came in on Horseback which focused on the region as well and enjoyed strong press when it opened.

Public Relations Strategy
The firm maximized the availability of Don Cheadle by focusing on several high profile press targets. From there, MURPHY PR focused on the other subjects of the film which resulted in a wide spread of profiles and articles in both film pages and news sections of major newspapers and magazines. The firm took advantage of several high profile screenings including several screenings at the United Nations while the General Assembly was is session.

Results
Darfur Now enjoyed the support of most of the major daily newspapers and key entertainment shows. The entertainment press penned profiles on the celebrity element of the film while news reporters focused on the activism showcased in the documentary.

Hot Fuzz
Directed by Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

Situation Analysis
The follow up to Shaun of the Dead was sure to get strong attention by the rabid fans of Edgar Wright eager to see a re-teaming of Simon Peg and Nick Frost. However, there was some concern that mainstream audiences would be hesitant to embrace the film -- and English accents -- and chalk it up as too niche for general tastes.

Public Relations Strategy
MURPHY PR took advantage of the online support for the filmmaker by launching an intense campaign focusing on that community who were sure to be first in line to buy tickets. Additionally, the firm reached out to the college student community through targeted efforts including a press conference at the Police Museum downtown as part of a larger press day. With that foundation laid, the firm reached out to additional and traditional press who took notice of the rabid support.

Results
Hot Fuzz enjoyed strong mainstream support both through the strong critical praise and feature pieces positioning the team as the new faces of comedy. The film went on to perform extremely well at the box office.

Occupation Dreamland
Directed by Ian Olds and Garrett Scott

Situation Analysis
This intimate look at a squad of soldiers stationed in Falluja was sure to be controversial as it explored their conflicting feelings about U.S. intervention in Iraq. The distribution company was looking to release the film in an atypical strategy with the first presentation in North Carolina near Fort Bragg. Following that, the film would roll out to other major markets before premiering in New York and Los Angeles/San Francisco.

Public Relations Strategy
MURPHY PR surveyed the media in North Carolina and contacted local major press covering events in the Chapel Hill area. In each market we did an extensive online search to see who was following developing news out of Iraq. In conjunction with this we hand picked major national writers who covered the war in Iraq and reached out to them. We also identified members from the squad who would be best suited for interviews.

Results
New York Magazine completed a piece on one of the soldiers who is now a student at Parsons. CNN also completed an interview based on the Fort Bragg screening and several other national and local outlets completed interviews and filed stories.

Television Campaigns

Save Our History/The History Channel
We worked with The History Channel on a Save Our History program which focused on the restoration of a classic Victorian home in North Carolina. As such, the agency liaised with the network, the local preservation society and Lowes, who were underwriting the restoration. We reached out to design, architecture and style editors regarding the piece.

Rehab
Steven Okasaki's documentary focused on teens facing the struggle of drug/alcohol rehab at a small facility in Santa Clara, California. MURPHY PR worked closely with the facility to reach out the Northern California outlets that covered the issue of teens with alcohol/chemical dependencies. The campaign yielded a number of stories in key publications.

Yellow Brick Road
We worked with Cinemax on this documentary which focused on a group from ANCHOR -- a community based organization on Long Island dedicated to improving the lives of physically and mentally challenged people. The film chronicled their efforts as they mounted a staged production of The Wizard of OZ. MURPHY PR reached out to health and science editors at the major national broadcast outlets in addition to local New York area health, science and community reporters.

United Nations Initiatives
On two separate feature film projects, Innocent Voices and The Syrian Bride, MURPHY PR coordinated special UN screenings as part of the release campaign for the films. Innocent Voices focuses on the plight of child soldiers in El Salvador so the company teamed up with the United Nations Programme on Youth, UNICEF and Amnesty International USA to coordinate and publicize the event. The screening was hosted by Jennifer Connelly and was covered by The New York Times and The New York Daily News as well as all major New York broadcast outlets. The Syrian Bride, which is the story of a woman who lives in the Israeli controlled Golan Heights who is to be married to a Syrian man, was presented by the Israeli Ambassador to the United States. MURPHY PR coordinated the press outreach for the event.

Corporate

The Betty Ford Center

Situation Analysis
Susan Ford, the daughter of President and Mrs. Ford, was to be elevated to the Chair of the Board of the world famous rehab center founded by Betty Ford. While Mrs. Ford will be taking on a lesser role, the center wanted to create a seamless transition and shift the focus from Betty Ford to her daughter. Mrs. Ford would not be involved in interviews regarding the transition.

Public Relations Strategy
MURPHY PR worked closely with The Betty Ford Center to develop a media strategy and develop talking points and press materials focusing on the issues close to the Center. The agency reached out to health and women's editors at local newspapers, radio and top tier media outlets. In addition to national media outlets, the efforts focused on southwest and southern regions from which most of the client base emanates from. None of the efforts focused on the North East region.

The agency created talking points, and press materials and reached out to health and women's editors at local newspapers, radio and television stations in those markets.

Results
Agency efforts resulted in major pieces on the Today Show, a cover story in Parade Magazine and a major feature in the Los Angeles Times. Additionally, Susan Ford and the Betty Ford Center were featured in major feature stories in markets such as Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston and Denver.