Academy Sports + Outdoors

Academy Sports + Outdoors, one of the nation's largest retailers of sporting goods and athletic apparel, operates more than 80 stores throughout the southeast. When they decided to offer low-cost public school uniforms in the Houston market, they had to overcome consumers’ perception of Academy being strictly sporting goods stores. They hired us to handle the public relations. We helped build awareness by launching a media relations campaign during the back-to-school season and successfully securing a high level of coverage. We publicized initiatives that included a school uniform giveaway and a shopping spree for disadvantaged children. The Texas Tax Holiday weekend also provided a strong vehicle for raising awareness of the retailer's school uniform campaign. The effort was so successful that Academy enlisted us to launch similar promotions in nearly 20 additional markets throughout the southeast.