Hearing & Speech Agency
Ailment
After 80 years of providing non-profit services, The Hearing and Speech Agency (HASA) was ready to launch its first major fundraising event, dubbed Vibe! Funds raised from Vibe! would support the programs and services of HASA, which help children and adults with speech, language and hearing needs. With a date set for the fundraiser, HASA had less than four months to develop an actionable marketing strategy. Everything from the event identity and invitations to the media relations and speechwriting needed to become a reality. Ultimately, the event's success or failure would dictate whether HASA's board of directors would approve Vibe! to become the agency's signature annual fundraiser. The pressure was on and the clock was ticking.
- Promptly develop a sound marketing strategy and plan to:
- Brand Vibe! and announce the event's launch
- Generate a buzz among prospective sponsors and attendees
- Develop intense public relations and advertising strategies to promote Vibe! to local media before and after the event for the purpose of:
- Aggressively seeking out donations for ad space
- Garnering as much media exposure as possible
- Collaborate closely with HASA's executive director, Vibe!'s master of ceremonies (Bob Turk, weathercaster for WJZ-TV, who has a cochlear implant), and other event speakers in order to synchronize key messaging.
Cure
A strategic branding, PR and marketing plan was quickly developed and put into action. The result: 300 guests attended Vibe!, 30 cash and in-kind sponsorships were sealed, and more than $75,000 was raised for HASA. Ultimately, the inaugural Vibe! event was such a success that HASA's board gave it a glowing green light—planning for the second annual fundraiser was underway within two months. With pressure building and time diminishing, Vitamin exceeded expectations and over-delivered once again.
Additional details follow:
- Vitamin created a one-of-a-kind identity for Vibe!, which complemented the emotional experience HASA wanted people to feel when they entered the event. The identity set the foundation for all marketing materials used for critical outreach to sponsors and media outlets.
- Through highly targeted media relations, Vitamin ensured pre- and post-event media exposure by securing nearly 20 event calendar listings (with print, online and broadcast media), and solidifying media coverage with outlets including the Baltimore Business Journal, Baltimore magazine, The Baltimore Sun, Comcast television, and WJZ-TV. As a result of overall media outreach, HASA's message about Vibe! reached more than one million regional viewers and readers.
- Vitamin handled HASA's advertising initiatives with the goal of maximizing exposure while minimizing the overall media spend. As a result, Vitamin negotiated a regional media buy with nearly $95,000 of donated ad space.
- Prepared compelling remarks for Susan Glasgow, Bob Turk, and other event presenters to ensure the accurate delivery of HASA's messages and to reinforce the importance of contributing to the agency's cause.
- Vitamin continues working with HASA on annual Vibe! events, as well as other cause-related marketing initiatives to help the agency strengthen awareness of its diverse offering of programs and services among children and adults with speech, language and hearing needs.