MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Heroes Among Us
Overview
The Leukemia Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization that funds the research of aspiring and innovative blood cancer researchers and physicians around the world. Despite the prevalence of blood cancer in the U.S., awareness of the organization is limited. We were approached to help the Foundation with visibility during September, which is Blood Cancer Awareness Month.
Strategy
With just two months of lead-time, we rebuilt the Foundation’s campaign based on a “heroes” concept. At the core of “The Heroes Among Us” was the notion that heroes are everyday people doing extraordinary things. We executed tactics designed for maximum visibility, such as encouraging Chicago skyscrapers to light up their buildings orange, encouraging companies to hold awareness events during the month of September, and promoting local heroes to print and broadcast media.
Results
Ten Chicago skyscrapers lit up orange and used posters, digital ads, and display ad panels to alert residents and companies about their participation. Several organizations, such the Alden Network of nursing homes, distributed orange ribbons to residents and workers. Leading promoter Gopromoters.com posted PSA ads on their site, reaching over 100,000 subscribers. Outreach to media led to 223 media pickups in the Chicago area, and an on-air interview with an ABC affiliate news station. Traffic to the client’s site increased significantly compared to previous campaigns, and so did retention and engagement.
Our Work
Strategic Plan
We developed three strategic pillars, each of which contained tactics designed to produce sharable, memorable, and newsworthy content.
Campaign Execution
We interviewed heroes connected to blood cancer and supported their stories with activation events and high-visibility placements.
Amplified Reach
The campaign resulted in more than 220 media pickups, major print coverage, and an ABC7 on-air interview.