Challenge
When Hard Rock Cafe International (HRC) contacted LHWH in early 1995, construction on its Myrtle Beach location was underway. Nevertheless, HRC asked our PR department to stage a “groundbreaking” event, and then sustain media interest in the emerging café over a three-month period culminating in the Grand Opening of the café. LHWH was also asked to assist in the creation and management of groundbreaking and Grand Opening parties, and to recruit local, regional, and national media to attend and cover the event. We were also charged with coordinating all on-site event media. As the Internet was not yet an available viral publicity machine, and Hard Rock Corporate (which considered Myrtle Beach a secondary market) provided no advertising support, LHWH was called upon to use its extensive nationwide media relationships to project Hard Rock Cafe Myrtle Beach into the spotlight through print, TV, and radio exposure.

CampaignBecause the Myrtle Beach Hard Rock Cafe building was shaped like a pyramid (their only such structure in their world-wide family of locations), LHWH developed a marketing strategy that leveraged commonly recognized images of ancient Egypt.

The Groundbreaking Press ConferenceThe “groundbreaking” event was staged in two parts. A morning “hard hat” press conference was held inside the partially finished café. To transform the construction site into a fun and festive environment, LHWH hired bodybuilders from a nearby Gold’s Gym to dress as Egyptian standard bearers. The men entered the press conference area bearing a life-sized sarcophagus on a litter while “Walk Like An Egyptian” played over loudspeakers.

The Groundbreaking PartyEach invitation to the evening VIP groundbreaking party was printed on parchment paper, then rolled, bound, and placed inside a 6-inch long sarcophagus which was then packed in a tiny traveler’s trunk stamped with worldwide travel destinations.

When the VIPs arrived at a nearby hotel for the party, the bodybuilders in Egyptian garb greeted them. The party was decorated with faux Egyptian artifacts and its centerpiece was a pyramid-shaped cake.

Leading Up To The Grand OpeningLHWH courted media throughout the East and Midwest in order to generate feature stories positioning the arrival of the pyramid-shaped Hard Rock as one of the Carolinas’ most anticipated events. Nationwide media were kept informed through regular “Media Advisories.” As media interest mounted, LHWH worked with HRC personnel to plan the Grand Opening event.

During this time, we built a mailing list of the top VIPs in the Grand Strand area. The list also included high-level state officials, sports celebrities such as Charles Barkley and Ric Flair, and entertainment celebrities filming in nearby Wilmington, N.C.

The Grand OpeningThanks to the massive publicity push, the event became the hottest ticket in town. More than 500 VIPs attended the party; only capacity restrictions prevented any more from attending. Thousands of onlookers lined the street outside.

Managing all media-related portions of the event, LHWH attracted more than 100 different media from across the US, Canada, and Mexico to cover the red-carpet Grand Opening. LHWH set up interviews with featured entertainers Joan Jett and Keanu Reeves, as well as with guests including Charles Barkley and Ric Flair.

LHWH invited the local TV stations and all fifteen regional radio stations to attend. We set up a media tent with a desk for each radio station, allowing simultaneous broadcast from the festivities.

Results

  • A steady stream of editorial about the HRC Myrtle Beach appeared in local media, as well as in national and regional travel publications.
  • Responding to coverage in group tour publications, tour operators began to contact HRC to book group business.
  • On the evening of the Grand Opening, eleven radio stations simulcast the opening and interviewed HRC management and celebrities.
  • The PR effort generated 4.2 million impressions and a ROI of 5-to-1.
  • Throughout the HRC’s first summer, lines of people waited up to two hours to get into HRC. HRC had to install a freestanding awning around two sides of the building to shade the crowds from the blazing summer sun.
  • By the end of 1995, HRC Myrtle Beach had achieved the distinction of being the second highest grossing Hard Rock Cafe.
  • When HRC Corporate decided to make booking meetings a priority for its cafés nationwide, they hired LHWH to promote their meetings business.

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