Navy Pier
Relieving some PR pressure at “The People’s Pier”
the situation
Despite its place among the nation’s most historically significant travel destinations, Navy Pier had developed a reputation, particularly among locals, as an expensive “tourist trap.” So they made Motion their PR Agency of Record to tackle this perception head-on.
the acceleration
The Motion PR team immediately set out to reaffirm architect Daniel Burnham’s vision of Navy Pier as “The People’s Pier” – a source of pride for all Chicagoans, and common ground for fostering a sense of community among the city’s diverse population.
In positioning it as “The People’s Pier,” we worked to establish the destination as a uniquely rewarding place to come for art and music lovers, recreation enthusiasts, savvy diners, after-work revelers, history buffs, and fun-seeking families from near and far.
Media outreach efforts focused (and continue to focus) on the Pier’s robust schedule of free arts, culture, and engagement programming…all of which are designed to showcase Chicago’s unique and vibrant cultural scene, providing enjoyment for both the local population and out-of-town visitors year-round.
Drawing from our extensive network of Chicago-based, regional, and national media connections, we elevated Navy Pier’s PR game from a “spray and pray” media relations strategy to a more thoughtful and deliberate cadence of meaningful storytelling, specifically targeting those outlets and contacts most relevant to each of the Pier’s unique offerings.
the results
Over the course of our first full year as Navy Pier’s AOR, we generated more than 4,000 earned media placements, totaling upwards of 34 billion impressions across a breadth of high-profile national media outlets including USA Today, Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes, Parade, ABC World News Tonight, MSN, and Yahoo News, with heavy-up coverage in regional travel and lifestyle media and saturation of every major Chicago print/online and broadcast outlet.
This reach represented an increase in earned media impressions of 95% over their previous fiscal year and an increase of 73% over their pre-pandemic FY 2018-19. These impressions translated to foot traffic as well, with visitors at the Pier during the peak May through September months increasing nearly 30% year over year.
4,000+ earned media placements
34 billion+ impressions
95% increase in earned media impressions YOY
~30% increase in visitors YOY