James B Nutter & Company
Objective
INK's primary objective was to dramatically increase awareness of the company on a national level through an aggressive media relations campaign.
Strategy / Tactics
INK's strategy was two-fold:
1-Position James Nutter, Jr., the company's CEO, as one of the key experts in the mortgage industry; a national figure who could address a wide variety of industry issues for various national media outlets.
INK conducted extensive research to find out which topics relating to the mortgage industry were most frequently covered by the media. The research revealed that three sets of economic indicators are reported monthly: new housing starts, existing home sales and new home sales. These monthly reports provided a constant source of news hook for broadcast and national newspapers. and positioned Nutter as a nationally known mortgage industry expert, with regular guest appearances on CNBC and commentary in Reuters and USA Today, among others.
2-INK conducted a campaign aimed at educating consumers about the proliferation of "junk" fees - inflated fees that some mortgage lenders tack on to the closing costs of a loan to consumers. Junk fees had become common in the mortgage industry; however, James B. Nutter & Company refused to charge them and was willing to expose the practice to the public.
INK offered James Nutter, Jr. to national media outlets as an insider who understood the complicated process of getting a mortgage, explaining why junk fees are a bad deal for the consumers and how they could avoid paying them.
In addition to interviews, INK developed a list of "Eight Tips for Avoiding Junk Fees" that could be used as a sidebar to an overall story on mortgage rates.
1-Position James Nutter, Jr., the company's CEO, as one of the key experts in the mortgage industry; a national figure who could address a wide variety of industry issues for various national media outlets.
INK conducted extensive research to find out which topics relating to the mortgage industry were most frequently covered by the media. The research revealed that three sets of economic indicators are reported monthly: new housing starts, existing home sales and new home sales. These monthly reports provided a constant source of news hook for broadcast and national newspapers. and positioned Nutter as a nationally known mortgage industry expert, with regular guest appearances on CNBC and commentary in Reuters and USA Today, among others.
2-INK conducted a campaign aimed at educating consumers about the proliferation of "junk" fees - inflated fees that some mortgage lenders tack on to the closing costs of a loan to consumers. Junk fees had become common in the mortgage industry; however, James B. Nutter & Company refused to charge them and was willing to expose the practice to the public.
INK offered James Nutter, Jr. to national media outlets as an insider who understood the complicated process of getting a mortgage, explaining why junk fees are a bad deal for the consumers and how they could avoid paying them.
In addition to interviews, INK developed a list of "Eight Tips for Avoiding Junk Fees" that could be used as a sidebar to an overall story on mortgage rates.
Results
• Associated Press
• Chicago Tribune
• CNBC Business Center
• CNBC Labor Day Special
• CNBC Morning Call
• CNBC PowerLunch
• CNBC Squawk Box (multiple times)
• CNBC Strategy Session (multiple times)
• CNNfn
• CBS Marketwatch.com (multiple times)
• KNX (Los Angeles)
• Forbes.com
• Los Angeles Times
• MSNBC.com
• NBC Nightly News
• Reuters Newswire (multiple times)
• TIME magazine Special Report
• USA Today (multiple times)
• Wall Street Journal Report
• Chicago Tribune
• CNBC Business Center
• CNBC Labor Day Special
• CNBC Morning Call
• CNBC PowerLunch
• CNBC Squawk Box (multiple times)
• CNBC Strategy Session (multiple times)
• CNNfn
• CBS Marketwatch.com (multiple times)
• KNX (Los Angeles)
• Forbes.com
• Los Angeles Times
• MSNBC.com
• NBC Nightly News
• Reuters Newswire (multiple times)
• TIME magazine Special Report
• USA Today (multiple times)
• Wall Street Journal Report