Off to a roaring start

Some relationships have very odd beginnings. Take the relationship between GLS and the Twin Cities office of Fleishman-Hillard, for example. It all started three years ago with cat food. And not just any ordinary cat food—cat food that helps prevent hairballs.

Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. is one of the leading public relations firms in the world. In 2000, an account representative in its Twin Cities office was looking for a press kit to cut through the clutter and introduce Eukanuba’s new hairball cat food to reporters. Jim Benedict, account executive at GLS, suggested a folder covered in white fur. Fleishman-Hillard leaped at the idea, and 5,000 yards of fabric later, the relationship was off to a purrfect start.

Over the last three years, that relationship has grown from a single press kit to the majority of Fleishman-Hillard’s print production business. “We started working with GLS because they helped us find better, more efficient and creative ways to do things for our clients,” said Curtis Smith, senior production coordinator, Fleishman-Hillard. “We continue to work with them because of the high-quality service and products they deliver—time after time.”

One of the examples that stands out for Smith is the Jennie-O Turkey Store press kit, which features a top flap made to look like a store awning and varnished pinstripes throughout the piece to maintain the Jennie-O Turkey Store brand positioning.

"We started working with GLS because they helped us find better, more efficient and creative ways to do things for our clients. we continue to work with them because of the high-quality service and products they deliver—time after time." – Curtis Smith, Senior Production Coordinator – Fleishman-Hillard

GLS not only printed the folders, but also copied, collated and stuffed all of the inside materials. This included various news releases, fact sheets and bios, as well as recipes and their accompanying slides. Additionally, GLS handled duplication for two computer disks that were included in the folder.

Once the press kits were printed and collated, Fleishman-Hillard took advantage of GLS’ mailing services and on-site post office to send them out. “Our clients expect the very best and FH delivers by working with high-quality partners such as GLS,” Smith said. “This level of reliability creates a very effective team and allows us to provide the best service possible for our clients.”

Fleishman-Hillard used GLS again when its client, Red Baron® pizza, needed a flexible press kit format to introduce three new products and a national consumer outreach program. According to Smith, this was a fairly complicated project. The result was a kit that provided the ability to differentiate all three product launches. In addition, GLS managed ongoing fulfillment needs for the national program element.

“One of the biggest problems I face as a production coordinator is keeping track of all the parties involved in a single project,” Smith said. “GLS makes my job easier because they can handle most, if not all, of the elements involved in any given project. This streamlines the communication process and substantially reduces the potential for error.”

Smith has been so impressed with GLS that he recently began working with its creative department to streamline his communication and production processes even further. “I am constantly impressed with how creative GLS is. Even with shrinking client budgets, they’ve been able to produce fun, creative, eye-catching materials at the same cost as most standard press kits,” Smith said. “And when they help us save money in production costs, it means more money can go back into our clients’ budgets to maximize their PR efforts even further.”