Pumpkin Soup & Sea Moss Punch

Having problems conceiving?

Go on vacation to a resort where you can dine on pumpkin soup and drink a sea moss punch three times a day. Relax, enjoy a romantic dinner for two, get a massage and then let nature do its thing.

That was the key message in a wildly successful PR campaign for Starwood Hotels and its resorts worldwide.

Quinn & Co., its PR firm, discovered that the locals in the Bahamas had been using pumpkin soup and sea moss for generations to help make babies. Certain spa treatments and lots of relaxation also helped. So the PR firm came up with the idea of “The Procreation Vacation.”

Here’s where it gets really interesting.

The agency knew freelance writer Lucinda Hughes and had heard her talk about how she and her husband wanted to have a baby. So it invited the couple to try the Procreation Vacation. It didn’t take long for the media to find out.

A staffer at “Inside Edition” read about the vacation package in Travel and Romance and asked to follow the Hugheses on their quest. “Good Morning America” featured the recipes for pumpkin soup and sea moss elixir.

Other media picked up the story. It was featured in USA Today, The Washington Post, Delta Sky inflight magazine, Travel & Leisure magazine, Prevention, Conceive and American Baby.  Broadcast coverage included CNN, “Live with Regis and Kelly,” “The View,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.”

Amid all the hoopla and as if on queue, Lucinda found out she was pregnant. That has sparked reviewed interest by the media.

The PR campaign was brilliant, but the most important element was that the freelancer experienced the story. She didn’t just write about it. By the way, Lucinda says that if it’s a girl, she and her husband will name the baby Lucaya, after the resort where they stayed.

The next time you try to interest the media in your story, ask yourself if there’s a way to invite a reporter to go along for the ride.

– Joan