Rodeo Scottsdale

Campaign: Amplifying Visibility Through Strategic PR

Goal

Rodeo Scottsdale wanted to significantly expand awareness and attendance for its annual Fall rodeo. The event aimed not only to celebrate Western heritage but also to broaden community appeal through inclusive programming and culturally relevant storytelling.

Challenges

In previous years, media exposure was limited, with fewer than 20 media mentions and a modest earned media value of $29,000. The rodeo needed a bigger media footprint to reach new audiences and stand out in a crowded local events calendar.

Insight

Knoodle PR identified two critical opportunities:

  1. Consistent media visibility drives attendance—building strong press relationships across print, broadcast, and digital outlets would multiply  exposure.
  2. Cultural inclusivity resonates—highlighting Hispanic Western Heritage Day would broaden appeal and create a compelling new storyline for media coverage.

Solution

Knoodle PR designed a strategic communications campaign focused on expanding reach and diversifying coverage. The approach centered on:

  1. Proactive media outreach across print, broadcast, and digital channels.
  2. Crafting unique story angles to showcase both the rodeo tradition and new inclusive programming.
  3. Leveraging Hispanic Western Heritage Day as a cultural highlight to attract wider audiences.

Execution

Media Relations: Knoodle secured coverage with top-tier local outlets across multiple platforms: print features, broadcast segments, and online articles; This included Spanish language media.

Story Development: Pitched narratives that connected the rodeo’s history with its evolution, emphasizing the new cultural programming.

Community Engagement: Elevated Hispanic Western Heritage Day through targeted messaging, highlighting its significance and drawing diverse audiences. In addition, Knoodle had a bilingual PR rep on site for Spanish media.

Takeaway

Through Knoodle PR’s strategic storytelling and media engagement, Rodeo Scottsdale achieved record-breaking earned media results elevating the rodeo’s profile, expanding its reach, and reinforcing its role as a vibrant cultural event

Results

2X Ticket sales overnight
Doubled Ticket Sales Overnight: Following the media blitz, ticket sales jumped from $35,000 to over $70,000 in a single night.

50 Media stories
50 Media Stories Across Platforms: Knoodle secured 4x the coverage of the previous year, with segments and articles on major outlets including ABC15 and Telemundo.

2 million+ people reached
News media efforts expanded visibility, with stories reaching 2.6M people and an estimated 379k actively viewing the coverage.

$177,000 Earned Media
A dramatic increase compared to $29,000 the year before.

323k TikTok views
Social Media Buzz: Content sparked strong engagement, including 323k TikTok views and thousands of user interactions that amplified the conversation online.

Stronger Cultural Appeal:
Hispanic Western Heritage Day emerged as a key draw, resonating with media  and audiences alike.

100 direct leads
Lead Generation: Media and social activity translated into over 100 direct leads.

Year-Over-year Growth
Compared to last year’s under-20 mentions, the results represented a transformative leap in awareness and visibility.