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
As a first time author of my Children's book, Anzard, Media Connect has done an amazing job to promote me on a national level as if I were a best seller. Their efforts were tireless in getting me air time with radio interviewers in many states, they got me me a small army of enthusiastic 'Mommy Bloggers' to promote my book and they even got me registered in many gift guides for the holidays. It's not just the professionalism that I appreciate it's how they never give up, they stay in touch and they treat you with the utmost respect. I'm on my second Children's book and when it's done I'm calling Media Connect, and its great team, to do the marketing and promotion.
— CHRISTOPHER CONROY, Self-published author of Anzard
