Situation: Algona, Iowa-based Hydrogen Engine Center, Inc. (HEC) designs, manufactures and distributes flex-fuel internal combustion engines for the industrial and power generation markets. The engines are capable of running on a multitude of fuels, including hydrogen, gasoline, propane, natural gas or ethanol. Publicly traded HEC produces engines that can fill the demand for cleaner burning power sources required by today’s industrial marketplace. HEC retained Hanser & Associates in March 2006 to focus upon media relations, tradeshow PR and raising overall awareness of the company among investors, customers and opinion leaders.

PR Action: The firm wrote, distributed and pitched news media materials about HEC’s products, sales, investor information and North American distributor network. When HEC held its annual meeting of stockholders in May 2006 and dedicated new manufacturing facilities in July 2006, we helped plan the events and encouraged media to attend and write feature stories. We arranged for one of the nation’s leading advocates of alternative energy, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack (appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in 2009), to speak at the dedication event. We also planned a non-traditional ribbon cutting; instead of cutting a ribbon, a gasoline hose attached to a gas pump was cut by execs to symbolize how HEC was reducing the need for foreign oil.

Results: Associated Press (AP) was among media that attended the annual meeting, and produced a story and photos for the AP wire. The story was picked up by thousands of media nationwide, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The New York Times , USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and newspapers in the top 100 U.S. markets. Total news coverage during the first year included approximately 30,000 placements worldwide and produced a ROI greater than 70:1.

Posted: January 20, 2009 at 3:37 pm by sarag