Hope Beckham Inc.

Belk Inc.

Situation
Belk Inc. is the largest privately owned department store in the United States, with more than 300 stores across the South. The company has a rich 121-year history and is run by third generation Belk brothers. Belk has made a significant investment in the Atlanta market, which is now its largest market with 21 stores. The company enlisted Hope-Beckham Inc. to raise awareness and change brand perception within the Atlanta community. The agency was charged with positioning Belk as a “fashion-forward and up-to-date brand.”

Approach
Hope-Beckham created an aggressive campaign to raise awareness of the Belk brand in the Atlanta market. The agency proactively contacts the media and key influencers in support of Belk special projects, events and community initiatives. Hope-Beckham also conducts local pitching and story generation for store announcements. HBI has also facilitated partnerships with local organizations, including The Atlanta Ballet, the Junior League of Atlanta, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola and the East Lake Foundation, among others.

Belk now solicits the agency’s help on a variety of projects for The Belk Foundation and Belk special events outside the Atlanta market. In addition, Hope-Beckham has become trusted counsel to Belk executives regarding communications about store closings and other crisis communications for the company.

Results
In the two years since Hope-Beckham began working with Belk, the agency has helped build media relationships and partnerships. The agency secured numerous print and electronic media hits which have a calculated publicity value of more than $2.25M.