White Castle Breaks New PR Ground During the Pandemic

Pent-up consumer demand for a nationally recognized brand. Check.

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?

After quickly conducting primary and secondary research, we landed on a solution to produce a hybrid event, combining an in-person groundbreaking with a prerecorded video posted and distributed online after the ceremony. 

During these uncertain times with an ever-fragmenting media landscape, it has never been more challenging for professional communicators to break through the clutter of messages and achieve measurable results. 

Here’s a behind-the-castle-walls peek at how we accomplished a hybrid PR launch with tips to put into practice now.

Accept and adapt to the new realities of media relations. 

Traditional media outlets have been declining for years due to factors too numerous to mention here. News media are stretched thin with fewer reporters covering more stories. 

While planning our hybrid event, major national stories — social unrest, the U.S. presidential election and the pandemic — were dominating headlines. Orlando reporters were scrambling to localize that news. 

We factored this unprecedented competitive environment into our strategy to determine workarounds that could deliver quality content to the outlets and not expect them to come to us. Those new realities are here to stay.

Embrace new digital tools. 

Most PR pros are familiar with delivering b-roll video footage to TV stations. We planned for that, but also needed to move beyond traditional media and embrace new strategies to reach different audiences. 

By the fall of 2020, streaming live and pre-recorded events were replacing in-person events out of necessity — and gaining favor. Lightbulbs went off: We already had a socially distanced event. We could record it, then produce a look live-video package composed of groundbreaking footage and interviews conducted between a hired host and media-trained spokespersons. (Talent is plentiful in Orlando.)

We promoted the virtual groundbreaking in advance and posted the video to White Castle’s Facebook page, using the platform in an, ahem, groundbreaking way. (Side note: Editing and uploading video will always take more time than estimated. Plan accordingly.) We also included Instagram influencers in media previews and joined forces with White Castle’s social media team to amplify earned media coverage links.

Build relationships with communications contacts.

Staying in close contact with our peers in government before, during and after the in-person groundbreaking was instrumental to our success. They guided us through social-distancing policies and procedures to ensure the safety of attendees, and they were our allies when reporters began shifting interview questions away from White Castle to the pandemic.

Stay nimble and flexible. 

Evolving circumstances dictate strategic shifts and tactical adjustments, often at a moment’s notice. Expecting the unexpected became our mantra. Many shifts were par for the course and out of our control: delayed deliveries, uncertain attendance numbers and so on. Maintaining a flexible mindset is a valuable skill set for PR pros.

Integrate brand assets to make your event more memorable. 

White Castle has become a beloved brand because of its multigenerational appeal and faithful adherence to brand attributes (not to mention its tasty iconic Sliders). Infusing our in-person event with brand colors, branded masks, product samples and humorous stories made the event even more compelling for media and audiences. 

An example was “the sprinkling of cooked onions” around the groundbreaking site by a lively Town Crier, a time-honored White Castle tradition that brought a smile to everyone’s faces.

Take a people-first approach. 

The pandemic will forever reshape strategic communications. Whether in person, virtual or both, an attitude embedded in White Castle’s 101-year culture shaped our planning: People come first. When word spread about White Castle’s groundbreaking, several Cravers turned out for the private event. Our client was ready with bounce-back coupons to gently turn them away for event safety reasons. Cravers were delighted.

Our unified team’s hybrid event generated more than eight million impressions and set the stage for a successful campaign, culminating in a record-breaking grand opening for White Castle Orlando on May 3, 2021. Cravers waited for hours in cars circling the area — which continued for many months following the opening. 

On the Orlando Castle’s one-year anniversary in 2022, White Castle announced that its Central Florida location became the top performer among the brand’s more than 350 restaurants, selling five million Sliders in its first year.

Hopefully, these insights and tips will help inspire you to cook up a mix of traditional and new digital tools and techniques to “slide” into a successful launch of your own.