get was to reach this audience. The event
was to take place in Washington, DC, be-
cause it was the hometown of Katie Couric
and also because political efforts could be
pushed to coincide with the event.
Event organizers coordinated advertis-
ing promotional support from the Washing-
ton Postand WRQX-FM, an adult contem-
porary radio station. The paper agreed to
give them free space-available ads to sup-
port the event. The first ads appeared two
months prior to the event with a push on
getting people to register to walk and to so-
licit pledges. Then two weeks prior to the
event, the ads in the paper started to re-
flect the entertainment side of the event.
The Washington Post contributed over
$100,000 in advertising support. The radio
station ran ads and public service an-
nouncements for a two-month period, total-
ing over $30,000 in value.
Four major sponsors were brought on
board, each receiving signage at the event,
Chapter Challenge 169logo placement in print ads, and VIP hospi-
tality at the event as well as announcements
during the event. Sponsors were also inter-
viewed and reported on by the media. While
ads were reaching the papers and radio,
Katie Couric, TV star Dennis Franz, and
baseball star Eric Davis were doing inter-
views with the Washington Postand numer-
ous radio stations. To elicit excitement about
the event, there were registration parties at
Bloomingdales, one of the event sponsors.
Because of Ms. Couric’s connections, Den-
nis Franz from NYPD Blue;Eric Davis from
the St. Louis Cardinals, who had recovered
from colon cancer; and the singer Paul Si-
mon were brought on board. This helped to
make this event a high-profile occasion, as
well as a major musical extravaganza. Be-
cause of the success of the first year—over
25,000 walkers and over 100,000 concert-
goers—preparations are now going forward
to continue this event in Washington, DC,
and possibly in other cities.Chapter Challenge
1.Describe how you would use the media
and the value-added promotions tied in
with the media to promote a new His-
panic circus in the community.
2.List three promotions that you would use
to promote a corporate golf
tournament/classical music concert.