Bar method
October 2012 // 2013
When CF PR launched the Bar Method DC-Bethesda’s public relations campaign, the owner Kate Arnold, had received very limited public relations exposure. With its corporate base in San Francisco, Arnold did work with a New York-based public relations campaign when she launched Washington’s first Bar Method studio in June 2011. Arnold decided to work with CF PR to launch a public relations campaign to promote the current success of the Chinatown studio, the launch of the new Bethesda studio in February 2013, and as a pre-emptive campaign to dilute some of the media exposure that Arnold was expecting as The Bar Method’s main competitor prepared to open a studio in DuPont Circle.
Fall 2012 &
Winter 2013
By October 2012 The Bar Method DC-Bethesda’s flagship location in Chinatown offered over 60 classes and about 1500 clients attend classes each week. However, Kate Arnold had never been on local TV and had only been in the fitness column in The Washington Post Express once. Our task was to introduce Kate and The Bar Method to the midday television audience and establish a relationship with Vicky Hallett, the go-to reporter for all fitness related stories at The Post Express.
Spring 2013
With a high-end clientele it was important for our public relations strategy to successfully introduce The Bar Method to Washington’s magazine community. One of our priorities was to be included in Washingtonian magazine and its popular website. The Bar Method’s first appearance was a feature on the new Bethesda studio complete with a photo shoot on Washingtonian’s Well+Being blog. Since our original outreach to Washingtonian, the studio has hosted four of the publication’s writers and editors for classes, we have pitched The Bar Method to be included in the magazine’s Best Of list, and Kate Arnold is now an almost weekly source for quotes for the Well+Being blog.
Next Steps
We achieved our preliminary goals for The Bar Method and now we are looking to broaden the studio’s exposure in feature articles with more of a focus on Kate Arnold and some individual clients and success stories.