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CASE STUDY:
COMMUNITY FOODBANK OF NEW JERSEY WE CAN’T LET THIS BANK FAIL ISSUE: A perfect storm combining the country’s financial crisis, massive layoffs and rising food prices led to a dire situation across the nation: America’s food banks were literally running out of food and unable to meet the needs of the increasing number of hungry men, women and children who relied on them for help. This was no more true than at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), the state’s largest food bank. Experiencing nearly a 30 percent increase in demand for food, but a major decrease in food and financial donations, the CFBNJ was running on fumes. The food bank turned to Coyne PR to help them raise awareness of the severity of the situation and motivate individuals to donate. IDEA: Motivation came in the form of one of the world’s biggest rock icons: Bruce Springsteen. A supporter of the CFBNJ for over two decades, Springsteen agreed to lend his image for an ad campaign developed by Coyne PR entitled, “We Can’t Let This Bank Fail!” Coyne PR’s graphics team designed the ad for placement in the region’s major newspapers, calling on people to donate to the food bank. Meanwhile, the agency’s PR team focused on aggressively promoting the dire state of the CFBNJ, using the forthcoming Springsteen ad as the news peg. Two more campaigns followed, including the social media initiative “Blogging Out Hunger,” which brought together 120 N.J. bloggers on a single day to use the power of their posts to encourage people to lend a hand to the CFBNJ; and “Photographers Against Hunger,” a collaboration of world-renowned photographers who had documented Springsteen over his career and donated their most famous prints for an auction, with all proceeds benefiting the CFBNJ. IMPACT: The three phases of the Springsteen campaign resulted in more than 650 print and online placements, generating 75 million media impressions. Highlights included: the Associated Press (two stories), USA Today, Daily News, Reuters, Star-Ledger (six stories), Sports Illustrated “Monday Morning Quarterback,” Perez Hilton, 22 television segments – including five in New York City alone (WCBS, WABC, WNBC, My 9 and FOX 5) – and multiple radio placements, including a 10-minute segment on SIRIUS/XM, E Street Radio. Best of all, as a result of the combined initiatives, the CFBNJ collected more than $330,000 in donations, which goes directly toward replenishing the food supply to feed New Jersey’s hungry. |
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Cause Marketing Case Studies
