CCCS

When faced with the challenge of differentiating CCCS in the consumer credit counseling industry, HCK2 Partners and CCCS orchestrated what was to become one of their most successful media strategies.

To begin, HCK2 created monthly news releases, media alerts and media pitches to announce agency news or respond to a current trend, build relationships with targeted reporters and establish CCCS Dallas as a credible source for personal finance information. A January 2006 media pitch gave journalists the opportunity to kick off the New Year with a story on budgeting. A list of tips and a local expert to interview meant little work was required for the reporters. To create an effective plan of distribution, HCK2 Partners took extra time to identify journalists who had specifically covered credit card debt in the recent past.

The pitch was distributed on a Tuesday morning. By that evening, HCK2 was contacted by Associated Press Reporter Eileen Alt Powell. Subsequent interviews with CCCS’ Gail Cunningham and CCCS client Lea Anne Cozart resulted in an Associated Press story that was picked up by 69 newspapers and/or media outlets across the country, reaching millions of consumers.

The estimated advertising value totaled more than $2 million—a return of 400 times CCCS' retainer investment for the month of January 2006.