A small pond lands a big fish

From a modest office on Terminal Way in Reno, two public relations professionals took on some of the country's biggest firms in competition for a national account and won.

How did they do it? Mostly by turning the small size of their office into an asset.

Julie Rowe and Tierra Griffiths, the staff of the Mass Media/Vanguard office in Reno, won the public relations account of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, Inc.

of Greenwich, Conn., and they acknowledge they initially felt intimidated when their office was invited to bid on the association's contract.

They knew that nine other firms across the country had been invited to bid for the work and the list included some of the biggest firms in the nation.

One of them, for instance, was Euro RSCG, whose clients range from Air France to Nestle to Pfizer.

But, Griffiths said as she recounted the story the other day, she and Rowe decided their pitch to the association would emphasize the small size of their operation.

"We knew they were looking to be a big fish," she said.

And the association certainly is a big fish at the Reno office.

It's by far the biggest account landed by Griffiths and Rowe.

Although the public relations agency is based in Las Vegas, the Reno office won and will handle the association's work on its own.

Mass Media/Vanguard was invited to bid for the work because the firm's Reno office had impressed Robert L.

Vetere, the nonprofit group's executive vice president, when it handled public relations in the latter stages of the dispute over a proposed mine by Oil-Dri Corp.

in Washoe County.

At the time, Vetere was senior vice president and general counsel of Oil- Dri.

Although the company lost its fight in Washoe County, he was impressed enough by Mass Media/Vanguard to seek them out after he moved to the association.

Personal contacts and the knowledge that the association wanted to be a big fish at its public relations agency, however, weren't enough by themselves to land the work.

Rowe and Griffiths spent long hours researching the pet products industry and interviewing members of the association, which seeks to encourage more Americans to own pets so that members of the association can sell more holiday gifts for Fido and Fluffy.

The cornerstone of the strategy they developed is a program to encourage local broadcast stations to undertake regular segments on pet ownership.

In addition, Mass Media/Vanguard suggested that the association take on a schedule of special events around the country to generate more publicity.

At the same time, the agency will be handling nationwide publicity for two major events the association's annual trade show in New Orleans in March and a comprehensive survey of pet ownership.

The trade show is expected to draw some 600 exhibitors who represent about 90 percent of the pet products sold in the country.

From earlier surveys, meanwhile, the association has developed press releases telling the world that college-bound pet owners score higher on their SAT tests and that pet owners these days are expressing greater interest in all-natural products for their companions.

For all the late nights that Rowe and Griffiths put into winning the job, Mass Media/Vanguard initially came away with only a one-year contract.

"We're hoping to have it a lot longer than that," Griffiths said.