Anti-smoking youth activist Pamela McColl, based in Canada, self-published a book that has been in the public domain, ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. The same story was published by no less than 15 publishers in 2012. But what made her edition different was the removal of three lines from the nation's most famous poem that referenced Santa smoking a pipe. She also had new illustrations created, free of the pipe smoke that had previously come from the jolly Christmas icon. She utilized Media Connect to create an awareness campaign that children today can grow up enjoying smoke-free images in their books, films, games, and TV shows.
Media Connect created a huge buzz by initiating a firestorm over twin controversies: Should a classic text ever be edited? How do we get the entertainment industry to stop marketing cigarettes to our youth?
The media coverage not only helped to ignite a healthy dialogue about preventing children from smoking, but it also put McColl's book, ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas: Edited by Santa Claus, on Amazon's best-seller lists for children's books and poetry.
SVP Brian Feinblum managed the PR campaign and Heather Mangal was the primary publicist.
Here are links to some of the many media placements generated:
Colbert Report
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/421161/november-12-2012/blitzkrieg-on-grinchitude---santa-s-pipe
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-santa-smoking-new-night-before-christmas-20121018,0,495035.story
The TODAY Show
http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49415806#49415806
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/st_nickotine_patch_y27vCEdZZJXS4ikYyVh2xO
Associated Press
http://m.thedailynewsonline.com/search/?q=%22pamela%20mccoll%22&t=&l=25&d=&d1=&d2=&f=html&s=&sd=desc&s=start_time
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323501404578161533382882510.html?mod=wsj_valettop_email
The View
http://abc.go.com/watch/the-view/SH559080/VD55239343/the-view-1015
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2012/12/23/smokingsanta-twas-the-night-before-christmas/1787601/
LIVE with Kelly and Michael http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1691028013?bctid=1902415183001
National Review
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/331199/rehabilitating-santa-claus-charles-c-w-cooke
Vanity Fair
TESTIMONIALS
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone at PTA for handling David Champion's Satellite TV Tour in a professional, results-oriented way. Everything went like clockwork in the studio yesterday. We hit 20 TV stations in three hours—including numerous major markets. There were no problems.
— DOUGLAS LOVE, Communications Counsel, Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports
