The Philadelphia Eagles, one of the most environmentally progressive teams in the National Football League, engaged CooperKatz to announce a major sustainability initiative.
The Eagles have a longstanding commitment to their community and the environment. The comprehensive Go Green! program includes energy and water conservation, waste reduction, recycling, composting, toxic chemical avoidance, reforestation and incentive programs to encourage employees to purchase renewable energy.
To build on this environmental leadership, the team partnered with SolarBlue, a renewable energy company, to develop plans to power Lincoln Financial Field with a combination of onsite wind, solar and dual-fuel generated electricity. CooperKatz conceived and executed a comprehensive media strategy that ensured the story reached journalists who covered a wide range of beats, including the environment, business, architecture, engineering and sports facilities.
A key part of the launch strategy was arranging a “dual-exclusive” print strategy with The New York Times from a national perspective, as well as the hometown Philadelphia Inquirer. On announcement day, both newspapers posted major front-page stories including dramatic renderings of the stadium adorned with wind turbines and solar panels. On the broadcast side, Sam Champion who was at the time with “Good Morning America,” enthusiastically reported the stadium news and displayed the visual plans. Other media assembled at the stadium for an inspiring on-field announcement orchestrated by CooperKatz. To create a stunning visual effect, dozens of trees were positioned in a section of the stadium’s seats to represent the team’s commitment to reforestation, and the giant video scoreboard showed visuals cued to the keynote speakers’ remarks. Three days later, NBC featured footage from the announcement during the Eagles vs. Giants nationally-televised “Sunday Night Football” game.
In all, the announcement resulted in more than 68 million television media impressions, well over 150 print / online placements and social media outreach that generated more than 1,400 “likes” and 300 comments on the Eagles’ Facebook page. The campaign’s success culminated in a personal phone call from President Obama to the Eagles’ owners commending them on their environmental leadership.
Our work with The Philadelphia Eagles won both a SABRE Award and a PRGN Best Practice Award for Green PR.