SEARCH FOR ATLANTA’S FUNNIEST ACCOUNTANT
Challenge:
Accounting recruiting firm Accountants One, really takes the time to get to know their clients and candidates in the course of building long-term relationships. That's how they discovered that accountants are funnier than you think. Determined to turn this realization into a positive point of difference, company management decided to create the Search for Atlanta's Funniest Accountant in 2005. The challenges were significant - nothing like this had ever been created before in our city or region, naysayers scoffed at the thought that accountants could be humorous and attracting people to auditions seemed be a difficult undertaking. Accountants One recognized that they needed a communications resource with the strategic understanding to hone marketing messages and position the event in the most favorable light possible, while flawlessly executing all of the planning details year after year. So, they turned to Shira Miller Communications (SMC) for help.
Solution:
Our first step was elevating the messaging, and then making it intriguing year after year as the comedy search became an annual event. We positioned the search as a noble attempt to dispel negative perceptions of accountants while emphasizing how all proceeds would benefit TECH CORPS Georgia and later Junior Achievement as the event expanded to a regional audience. SMC created comprehensive marketing and public relations materials, including the funny www.accountantsarefunnytoo.com website, to encourage accountants to participate. We worked with the Georgia Society of CPAs, placing ads and editorial content in their publications and creating a fun, interactive trade show booth that featured "karaoke comedy." Simultaneously, our team focused on planning a meaningful, fun experience for the amateur comedians and audience members. We selected a terrific local comedian to create a comedy boot camp to help participants hone their routines, promote the event and emcee the night of the show. As a result, the show was a huge success immediately and has been every year since. Audition attendance grew exponentially and exceeded our expectations. Held the first year at The Punchline comedy club, the event sold out in four days and more than 100 people were on the waiting list. In 2006 and 2007, the event was held at the famous Coca-Cola Roxy where we doubled the number of attendees. Since its inception, more than $20,000 has been raised for charity. SMC has generated coverage with the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, including two front page stories, Wall Street Journal, Journal of Accountancy, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Georgia CPA Association's Current Accounts, Atlanta Magazine, Dunwoody Crier, Good Day Atlanta and Gwinnett Daily Post that reached a combined audience of nearly 4,000,000 readers - and 9,500,000 media impressions! If we had paid for this editorial coverage, the total equivalent advertising cost would have exceeded $110,000. Our efforts have been recognized with several awards from the Georgia Chapter of PRSA, including Certificates of Excellence for Special Events, Press Kits and News Releases. Best of all, Accountants One significantly raised their visibility before new clients and candidates in a way that emphasized their key strengths.
"From start to finish, Shira Miller and her team were extraordinary. The Search for Atlanta's Funniest Accountant was the largest PR program we have ever undertaken. Shira has a remarkable ability to listen. Her efforts to create an event that matched our vision was simply uncanny. Through her care, and the care of her staff, Shira Miller Communications exceeded our greatest expectations. Along the way, everything they touched turned to gold -- the buzz before the event, the press, and the event itself. All were wildly successful!""
-Dan Erling
Vice President, Accountants One, Inc.
