Here’s a look at both “start-up”
and “re-design” projects we've accomplished,
from the historic town of Summerville, South Carolina to large-scale
events on the far side of the globe.
All the World’s a Stage
Developed and administered
a full-scale public relations campaign for America’s hosting
of the 1997 WPA World 9-Ball Championships.
Project Highlights:
- Created logo Identity (shown here and designed by the brilliant
artist, Chicago-based Ken Simonsen of Psymonsen Illustration)
- Designed and implemented strategy for international, national
and Chicago area media
- Created poster promotions and handled distribution
- Arranged radio ticket giveaways, print and broadcast interviews
- Promoted players arriving in U.S. from five continents
- Satellite distribution of results with the use of VNR’s
(video news releases).
Results:
Record-breaking coverage
for a professional billiard event in mainstream media, both here
and abroad, with over 100 print and broadcast features
Fun and (World) Games 
By 2001, the World Confederation of Billiard
Sports obtained official recognition of billiards as a sport,
and the Internatioanl World Games Association (IWGA) provided
for billiards’ first ever inclusion in the World Games,
held in off-Olympic years for sports Olympic recognized but not
yet medal sports. As North American PR director, responsibilities were numerous for this inaugural occasion.
Project Highlights:
- Established industry and fan awareness of billiard’s
first inclusion in World Games
- Procured financial support to travel athletes from around
the world to Akita, Japan
- Arranged for athletes, coaches, managers and dignitaries
to have a positive
World Games experience through advance planning and equipment
provision/sponsorship
- Liaised with a variety of international media outlets and
associations to share ongoing
event news
 Results:
The WCBS profited from this event and
was able to put excess funds into promotion of other world competition
efforts. The Akita World Games were a great world promotion
for the cue sports. American Jeanette Lee brought home the gold
for the USA, and the 2005 World Games in Friesach, Austria again included billiards as a featured sport.
Chicks with Sticks! 
In 1993 the first-ever PR campaign was established
for the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, focusing on markets surrounding
tour stops on the culminating Classic Billiard Tour. In mid-2004,
we re-entered the WPBA PR scene, this time to establish a PR campaign
that would coordinat the abilities of local markets,
while focusing more concentrated efforts on individual players.
Project Highlights:
- Collected new player bio data for media guide, website, TV
commentators
- Developed increased accessibility to player photos, releases,
and stats via c.d. press kit
dissemination
- Created player press kits to empower players to facilitate
press in their own markets, complete with personalized bios, photos, industry statistics,
T.V. demographics and ratings of all WPBA programs, and advice on
how to create releases
and personal press kits
- Disseminated press releases and materials surrounding events,
players and sponsors/
licensees to targeted press contacts
- Established new, upscale media outlets to publicize WPBA
tour and players
- Designed and implemented media tracking to show potential
event and player sponsors
added value of positive media association, with over 200 new pieces tracked for 2005
Results:
In less than two years of the campaign,
expanded media reach including increased coverage and information
available to daily news media, regular women’s billiard
broadcasts on Chic Sports Radio, a women's billiards section at womensportsreport.com, article placements in Consumer Reports
and Cigar Aficionado along with several city/regional targeted
publications and local affiliate broadcast networks in Charlotte, Portland, NYC, Chicago, Houston, and more.
Writing Fever, Catch It! 
In 2003, we worked with the South Carolina Writer’s
Workshop (SCWW) to promote their annual writer’s conference.
With the help of fellow PR professional Brenda McClain of McClain Communications, we restructured the event,
to include a stronger base of national talent, increased programs for both the business and craft of writing, and a strategic plan to allow for national advertising and publicizing of the event.
Project Highlights:
- Created a full complement of new benefits for conference
attendees, from specialty workshops to online credit card registration,
to a conference workbook matched with seminar audiotaping to enhance the conference experience.
- Increased visibility through a planned program of national advertising,
mailings to targeted writer lists, and brochures and posters
to media outlets and libraries throughout South Carolina, North
Carolina and Georgia.
Results:
The 2004 conference broke all attendance and
income records, with a 45% increase in participation, taking
in nearly DOUBLE the revenue over previous years. In 2005 we took over membership administration, again increasing income for the non-profit organization.
A Sporting Good Time! 
The Sporting Gift Shoppe in historic downtown
Summerville, South Carolina opened
in the fall of 2004, featuring a full range of gifts for the sports enthusiast.
Project Highlights:
- Established name recognition in the community by reaching
out to community based organizations, including networking via
Summerville Rotary Club, Summerville Chamber of Commerce, Summerville’s
Downtown Historic Merchants Association and Summerville D.R.E.A.M.
- Increased public visibility via donations to Chamber of Commerce
and Rotary auction benefits.
Article placement in Charleston Post & Courier, openings
announcements on Chamber website and Charleston City Paper,
and upcoming mentions scheduled in Charleston Magazine and City Paper.
- Ongoing advertising campaigns via co-op merchants association
campaigns, local Summerville Journal Scene and TV ads on local Comcast
Cable.
- Established link with local APA league with over 4,000
pool league members and potential customers.
Results:
The Sporting
Gift Shoppe quickly became a well-known retail name in the historic
Summerville downtown and surrounding areas. In addition, SGS has
encouraged local merchants to expand weekend hours to make the
historic district an attractive destination shopping trip for
residents in the Tri-County area.
Contact us today to
explore how Shark Marketing can enhance your business!
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