News
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR
Arkansas PR Firm Brokers Relationship
Between Cellular Provider, National Youth-Voter Group
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (August 20, 2008) – Thanks to the strategic insight of Arkansas public relations firm Mangan Holcomb Partners, longtime agency client Cricket Communications has aligned with Declare Yourself as the presenting sponsor of the national nonpartisan, nonprofit youth-voter initiative’s Declaration of Independence tour.
“Small firms in small markets have big ideas,” said Mangan Holcomb Partners CEO Steve Holcomb. “We helped Cricket garner a ton of positive publicity and also helped them further their dedication to corporate responsibility through voter awareness and registration activities. Cricket wanted to make a difference in the U.S. and with their customers, and this is how we helped them do it.”
Recognizing that Cricket’s core customer base and Declare Yourself’s target audience are nearly identical, the Arkansas-based marketing, advertising and public relations firm facilitated an introduction between representatives of the two national brands. The Declare Yourself campaign targets African Americans and Latinos, both of which are core Cricket customer segments, in addition to all young people who are coming of voting age. In September 2007, Declare Yourself announced Cricket as its presenting sponsor of the 2007-08 young voter registration campaign.
In addition to the voter registration campaign, the Cricket Wireless Declaration Tour 2008 is visiting cities around the country to offer people the opportunity to see one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, owned by Declare Yourself founder Norman Lear. Mangan Holcomb was instrumental in the development and logistical planning of the national tour.
At each Cricket Wireless Declaration Tour stop, visitors can explore multimedia exhibits and register to vote on-site. The relationship between Cricket and Declare Yourself allows young Americans to interact with history. Cricket has taken the historical significance of the Declaration of Independence and made it accessible to a new generation of voters by blending history with technology and, hopefully, inspiring them to be engaged in the American political process by voting.
“The success of the Cricket-Declare Yourself partnership is a testament to well-developed strategy and market knowledge,” said Sharon Tallach Vogelpohl, principal of Mangan Holcomb Partners and Cricket’s account executive. “We capitalized on a politically charged moment in history to provide our client with a public relations platform and voice that spans all markets and attracts the attention of the targeted audiences.”
Cricket joins an already-impressive list of Declare Yourself partners including as Yahoo!® (Premier Online Information Partner), MySpace™ (Premier Social Networking Partner), YouTube™, Google™, Evite®, GoodSearch™, Clear Channel, Comedy Central™, HarperCollins Publishers and American Eagle Outfitters™.
Cricket has created unique mobile and online content and wireless applications that make the voter initiative more accessible to young people. To date, Declare Yourself has registered about 500,000 voters for the 2008 election, with a goal of 2 million, according to their website. Voters under 30 turned out in record numbers for the 2008 presidential primaries. The 6 million voters more than doubled the number of young voters who participated in the 2004 primaries. Declare Yourself registered more than 1.2 million voters ages 18-29 in the 2004 and 2006 elections.
“Mobile and Internet technology will play an increasingly vital role in reaching and engaging young voters,” said Marc Morgenstern, executive director of Declare Yourself, in a press release on the Declare Yourself website. “We are extremely pleased that Cricket has joined Declare Yourself in getting young people to register to vote, discuss the issues that are most important to them, and ultimately go to the polls.”
The relationship between Mangan Holcomb Partners and Cricket Communications was established in 2000 when the agency helped successfully launch the Cricket brand in Arkansas. The agency also assisted in subsequent launches in Memphis, Tenn., Tulsa, Okla., Wichita, Kan., Omaha, Neb., and Lincoln, Neb. Mangan Holcomb has since conducted numerous highly effective promotional campaigns for Cricket in Arkansas, making Cricket’s Arkansas markets some of the most productive in the nation.
About Cricket Communications
Cricket is a simple, affordable wireless service offering consumers and local businesses a flat-rate unlimited service over the latest technology, high-quality, all-digital wireless network. Designed for customers whose basic and advanced wireless needs have not been met by traditional communications companies, Cricket is the pioneer of unlimited services with no long-term commitments or credit checks required. Cricket offers customers access to a variety of the latest devices and feature-rich mobile applications, such as unlimited text, instant and picture messaging, Mobile Web, popular games, ringtones and wallpapers. For more information about Cricket, visit MyCricket.com. Cricket services are offered by Leap Wireless International Inc., headquartered in San Diego, Calif. For more information about Leap, visit LeapWireless.com.
About Declare Yourself
Declare Yourself is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign that energizes and empowers every eligible 18- to 29-year-old in America to register and vote in the 2008 presidential election. Partnering with leaders in education, the entertainment industry, popular online destinations and media outlets, the fashion industry and retailers, Declare Yourself registered more than 1.2 million people in the 2004 and 2006 elections at www.DeclareYourself.com. The nonprofit, founded by Norman Lear, was launched in 2003 as the culmination of the Declaration of Independence Road Trip, a nationwide multimedia exhibit and tour of an original copy of the Declaration of Independence.
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