CASE STUDIES
CLIENTS
AmericaSpeaks
AGENCIES INVOLVED
PROI USA - Washington DC: Widmeyer Communications (lead)
PROI USA - Chicago: Cushman/Amberg Communications, Inc.
PROI USA - Seattle: Frause
PROI USA - Atlanta: Jackson Spalding
Job
AmericaSpeaks, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with the mission to reinvigorate American democracy, convened a National Town Meeting that brought together thousands of people in 60 cities across the country to find common ground on the choices necessary to address the nation’s growing deficit and national debt.
Widmeyer Communications, the AOR, was responsible for designing, developing and implementing the broadcast and print communications strategy for the AmericaSpeaks: Our Budget, Our Economy national discussion.
Widmeyer Communications, the AOR, was responsible for designing, developing and implementing the broadcast and print communications strategy for the AmericaSpeaks: Our Budget, Our Economy national discussion.
Objectives
Widmeyer was tasked with securing advance, day-of and post-event media coverage at the local, state and national levels. Pre-event coverage was designed to raise awareness of the citizen engagement effort and drive attendance; post-event was to focus on the outcomes of the deliberation and share the findings with policymakers.
Activities
To maximize media outreach and results, Widmeyer Communications, based in DC, partnered with local PR firms in the six primary meeting sites, including three PROI partners: Cushman/Amberg in Chicago, IL; Frause in Portland, OR and Jackson Spalding in Dallas, TX.
Widmeyer’s activities included development of registration flyer for six primary sites and 13 webcast sites (English and Spanish); creation of media materials: press releases, fact sheets, FAQs, advisories and message points; targeted media outreach to top-tier national outlets; development and implementation of strategy for the on-the-ground media outreach, which was conducted by the local firms; and working closely with local teams to identify participants for media to follow to create compelling, real-world stories.
Under Widmeyer’s direction, tactics by PROI partners, Cushman/Amberg, Frause and Jackson Spalding, included driving event registration, leveraging relationships and knowledge of local political and social climate to reach diverse audiences and securing ongoing media coverage.
Widmeyer’s activities included development of registration flyer for six primary sites and 13 webcast sites (English and Spanish); creation of media materials: press releases, fact sheets, FAQs, advisories and message points; targeted media outreach to top-tier national outlets; development and implementation of strategy for the on-the-ground media outreach, which was conducted by the local firms; and working closely with local teams to identify participants for media to follow to create compelling, real-world stories.
Under Widmeyer’s direction, tactics by PROI partners, Cushman/Amberg, Frause and Jackson Spalding, included driving event registration, leveraging relationships and knowledge of local political and social climate to reach diverse audiences and securing ongoing media coverage.
Results
Approximately 3,500 Americans reflecting the nation’s diversity, across 60 cities, participated in the National Discussion.
As a result of the Widmeyer team’s efforts and our on-the-ground partners, over 200 broadcast and print outlets covered AmericaSpeaks: Our Budget, Our Economy, including The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, National Journal, Associated Press, NPR, CNNMoney.com, Forbes.com, Your World With Neil Cavuto on Fox News and The Huffington Post, among others.
As a result of the Widmeyer team’s efforts and our on-the-ground partners, over 200 broadcast and print outlets covered AmericaSpeaks: Our Budget, Our Economy, including The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, National Journal, Associated Press, NPR, CNNMoney.com, Forbes.com, Your World With Neil Cavuto on Fox News and The Huffington Post, among others.
