Capstrat, SRO Strategies form East-West partnership

Contact: Ken Eudy
919 882 1962

Alliance enhances firms' sports marketing and strategic communications services

Raleigh, N.C. - Capstrat, a Raleigh-based strategic communications firm, has formed a business alliance with SRO Strategies, a Portland, Ore., integrated marketing, sales and communications firm focused on the sports industry.

The partnership will enhance Capstrat's sports marketing capabilities for its clients, and SRO will call on Capstrat to work with clients on corporate communications, public affairs and creative communications.

The partnership evolved from work the two firms' leaders did together several years ago. Capstrat first collaborated with SRO Strategies' founder Doug Piper on the Carolina Hurricanes' 2001 "All-Star Crusade," a campaign that doubled the Hurricanes' season ticket-holder base from about 6,000 to 12,000. At the time, Piper was executive vice president of business operations for the Hurricanes, and Ken Eudy, Capstrat CEO, led Capstrat's work on behalf of the NHL franchise. The success of their work together was the inspiration for the East-West alliance between the two firms.

Eudy says that he and the Capstrat staff are looking forward to the partnership with SRO.

"I've known Doug Piper for five years, and I have been impressed with Doug's insight and commonsense approach to marketing, " Eudy said. "Doug faced huge challenges with the All-Star Crusade. But he understood what the Hurricanes' needs were, and he had a strategy to deal with each obstacle, one at a time. As a result, the All-Star Crusade was a highly successful communications campaign."

Piper said he modeled his Portland firm after Capstrat.

"I've worked with a lot of agencies, and none has a sounder approach to guiding clients through the turbulence of the marketplace," Piper said. "They take a research-based approach, they're students of the clients' stakeholders, and they're relentless in implementing communications strategies. While SRO has long experience in sports marketing, we think Capstrat will help translate SRO's strengths into the areas of corporate communications and public affairs."

SRO Strategies
SRO Strategies is an integrated marketing, sales and communications firm based in Portland, Ore. Originally founded in 1990 as SRO Partners with a focus on sports marketing, the company has evolved to provide its expertise and services in strategic planning, brand building and sales development to a broad-base of industry sectors.

Capstrat
Capstrat is a strategic communications firm based in Raleigh. The company's services include public relations, public affairs, marketing communications and design. Capstrat was recognized in 2003 by PRWeek, the public relations industry's leading trade publication, as one of the nation's best Mid-Sized Agencies. For more information about Capstrat, visit www.capstrat.com.