social | digital | pr
CHALLENGE
For the second year in a row, MWWPR continued to establish the Kentucky Derby as a premier national entertainment event, working to expand the relevancy of Derby beyond its traditional media window and attract new, younger audiences to engage with race as a lifestyle event and cultural moment.
ACTION
• Researched and identified non-sports verticals that capture the essence of the Kentucky Derby, including food and drink, fashion, entertainment, and betting – and leveraged key Churchill Downs spokespeople to tell the stories authentically
• Determined top-tier national outlets across all media types that would amplify the lifestyle narrative within each vertical
• Leveraged major announcements leading up to 143, working closely with key national publications to share the news, including People magazine and The Daily Meal for the Official Derby Menu and AP for The National Anthem singer
• Created unique branded video content that brought to life the Kentucky Derby fashion narrative and piqued media attention ahead of the event
RESULTS
• Outreach resulted in lifestyle coverage beginning three months ahead of the Derby and continuing throughout the event
• Exceeded media awareness and engagement goals by 65 percent and generated more than1 billion monthly impressions
• Delivered a total of 318 earned media placements, including 41 original stories in top-tier outlets such as USA Today, Refinery29, Forbes, Maxim, TODAY.com and InTouch, all with positive sentiment and inclusion of key messaging
• Leveraged branded video content to secure feature stories in The Huffington Post and Parade
• Always Dreaming‘s win, which peaked with 19.1 million viewers during the race, delivered the second-largest Kentucky Derby TV audience since 1989
