| George W. Bush |
| National Media
Announcement |
| |
| In the fall of
1997, George W. Bush scheduled a one-day, three-city stop
starting in Austin and traveling to Midland, Dallas and
San Antonio to announce his pursuit of reelection to the
Texas governorship. Lovell worked with his advance team
to plan the visit, which warranted national media interest
and heightened security given his potential run for the
presidency. Lovell developed a minute-by-minute schedule
for the Governor and arranged advance interviews with
the local and national media. |
| |
| Challenges |
 |
To communicate the governor’s
key platform messages amid media frenzy. |
|
To secure vendors and announcements in
secrecy prior to media clearance. |
|
To ensure security and plan for potential
protestors. |
| |
|
| Strategies/Tactics |
|
Secured a Dallas shopping mall as the
venue, which provided public appeal, accessibility and
security. |
|
Created an old-fashioned “town hall”
gathering in the mall that included high school bands.
|
|
Developed and distributed media materials
and arranged interviews. |
|
Invited key Republican leaders and Bush
supporters to the event. |
|
Created handouts for the crowd outlining
the governor’s key points. |
|
Developed a strategy to deal with potential
protestors and an overflow crowd. |
| |
|
| Results |
|
Created a safe environment for the announcement.
|
|
Secured a crowd filled with key Republican
leaders and Bush supporters. |
|
Secured coverage on Dallas’ TV affiliates,
top radio stations, local and suburban newspapers, and
major magazines including Texas Monthly and D Magazine. |
|
Positioned the governor for the presidential
nomination through national media coverage that included
The Wall Street Journal, USA Today,
CNN Live, Nightline- Special Edition
and ABC's Good Morning America. |
| |
|
