Early in 2018, McKim was asked by YES! Winnipeg to meet with an established global tech company that was considering a move to Winnipeg. Their client was looking for a local agency to assist with media relations, a launch announcement and an event. Two conditions of getting the meeting — we had to sign an NDA and we weren’t allowed to know who the client was. Naturally, we thought “it’s gotta be Uber” as they were all over local news at the time.
We jumped at the chance to meet this mystery client. The NDA was signed, a meeting was set, and we brushed up on our ride-sharing current affairs.
Some really terrific and smart people arrived at McKim for the meeting. During the course of the discussion they revealed very little about their business, but it was enough for us to know two things: that we wouldn’t be getting paid in Uber credits, and that the client’s needs fit perfectly with McKim’s experience and capabilities in PR, media relations and event planning. In the last few years, we’ve handled many successful national and global brand launches in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, including Save-On-Foods, Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, the Hilton Garden Inn, and all the major phases of Ivanhoé Cambridge’s Outlet Collection Winnipeg mall.
After the competitive process was over and we’d won the account, we learned that we actually had correctly guessed the first two letters of the client’s name: U and b, to get — Ubisoft. Then we got right down to event strategy and planning, and implemented a successful PR, media relations and VIP relations program to help launch the Ubisoft Winnipeg studio on April 6, 2018.
In close consultation with the communications team at Ubisoft and other involved stakeholders, our team managed all aspects the event — and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome: a room full of dignitaries; all major media outlets in attendance; extensive coverage in all media; and a happy client. All this on a day when the story of the year was the Jets making the Stanley Cup Playoffs! (We were excited about that, too.)
Everyone involved with the launch was a pleasure to work with. Many thanks to Ubisoft’s exceptional team, Economic Development Winnipeg, YES! Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba, and the City of Winnipeg.
At McKim, media relations is part of our DNA. If your company requires top-calibre media relations, event management or issues management assistance, contact us here. We’d be happy to provide a free consultation to help assess your needs.
