Media hungry for a positive story. Check.

Conducting a groundbreaking for media and VIPs during a global pandemic. Not so fast.

This was the scenario when White Castle hired our team in the fall of 2020 to announce the construction of its Orlando Castle near Walt Disney World Resort — the world’s largest free-standing location for the fast-food leader.

A little background: White Castle, home of The Original Slider, is America’s first fast-food hamburger chain founded in 1921 as a family-owned business satisfying cravings for 101 years. The opening of the Orlando Castle marked the iconic brand’s return to Florida since operating four Castles in Miami in the 1960s. The pent-up demand among the brand’s fans — known as “Cravers” — was enormous; a Facebook page created by a local Craver, “Bring White Castle to Florida,” had more than 11,000 followers.

With just two months to plan a groundbreaking while the global pandemic was peaking in Central Florida, our team faced numerous seemingly insurmountable hurdles, including a chaotic, unpredictable news environment combined with shifting-by-the-minute COVID-19 rules and regulations. Was safely hosting an in-person event while also extending the reach of our announcement beyond Central Florida even feasible?

Read the full story published in PRSA Strategies & Tactics:

https://www.prsa.org/article/white-castle-breaks-new-pr-ground-during-the-pandemic