NEW YORK: Event producer Feld Entertainment has selected DiGennaro Communications as its agency partner for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus in the New York metro and tri-state areas.
The agency was chosen after an RFP with five finalists for its creativity and live entertainment experience, said Steve Yaros, VP of event marketing and sales at the company. He declined to name the other agencies in the review, but said they ranged from “very small shops to the larger shops” so the company could look at the “different ranges and assets they could provide.”
In addition to the RFP for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Feld conducted reviews for its Disney Live, Disney on Ice, and Motor Sports businesses, added Yaros. The company had worked with a small firm on all of the properties for 20 years, and while the incumbent was a “great agency,” he said Feld “needed to grow beyond the services [the firm] could provide.”
Yaros declined to name the incumbent, but he said Feld hired Shea Communications for the company's Disney Live and Disney on Ice businesses and tapped BML Public Relations for Motor Sports.
The company has also worked with Rubenstein Communications and McNeely, Pigott, & Fox on assignments. In June 2010, it canceled an agency review and pulled its communications in-house after working with Hill & Knowlton for five years as national AOR.
Feld, which will launch a circus tour in March, has tasked DiGennaro with breaking through media clutter and engaging a wide range of press, including traditional TV, print, and radio, as well as digital media. The firm will also conduct blogger outreach, explained Yaros.
“We are going to be executing a multifaceted campaign across publicity and social media with a real eye on hyper-local strategies to sell tickets,” said Howard Schacter, DiGennaro president and head of its consumer practice.
With a team of three staffers on the account, Schacter said DiGennaro's goal is to generate buzz for events so Feld can exceed its sales goals.
Yaros said Feld is working with DiGennaro to educate its team on the circus business since it's not “traditional entertainment, like film or TV.”
Schacter said the addition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey to DiGennaro's client roster signifies how the firm is moving into the consumer PR space. It launched its consumer practice a year ago.
“Working with clients like Feld Entertainment is a testament to how quickly we're getting traction [in the consumer space],” he said.
