SITUATION: HMH’s classic book character Curious George was celebrating its 75th birthday and HMH hoped to reinvigorate to brand to spur sales with this new milestone. The company was releasing a special collectable books series and a new book about the character’s authors. CGPR tapped CGPR because of its creative approach to reintroducing iconic brands.

TACTICS: CGPR developed a strategy that included media relations, working closely with a selection of Boston’s most iconic sports and government officials, as well as a social media campaign to support this milestone. CGPR conducted interviews with Curious George authors to dig deeper into the character and history in order to make the brand more relevant. CGPR crafted unique storylines to target both local and national media to make Curious George relevant in today’s news cycle.

CGPR worked with professional Boston sports teams and government officials to create a Happy Birthday video to be shared on social media. Finally, CGPR worked with a well-Kane’s Donuts, a well-known local donut aficionado to create special Curious George donuts to deliver to local media and news stations to garner on air shout outs and social media content. 

RESULTS: The story was covered in key national and local media. It was featured nationally in the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and the New Yorker among others. Good Morning America wished George a happy birthday and donned the iconic yellow hat during their Facebook Live morning stream. CGPR secured coverage in local outlets including the Boston area news stations and the Boston Globe, helping to drive sales.