Since 2001 Verizon Wireless PR has donated nearly 40% of its
professional time to a cause marketing plan for abused women,
employing everything from sports endorsement to press conferences
to get the message out.
The program plays out on a number of fronts in different
regions. Some collect phones for use by women in shelters, while
others gather used phones and sell them, donating the proceeds in
support of battered women's programs.
One recent effort in Indiana showed particular ingenuity and PR
initiative. The object in this case was to maximize the reach of an
existing HopeLine effort to provide confidential voice mailboxes to
domestic violence shelters. Women use the voice mailboxes as a way
to achieve confidential communications with their families,
doctors, employers, landlords, childcare providers and other
critical contacts. The PR team hoped to reach out to domestic
violence shelters, survivors of domestic violence, the media and
the general public with news of an expanded program.
In order to gain for the effort both visibility and legitimacy,
Verizon Wireless and PR partner Hirons & Company forged two
vital partnerships: One with the Indiana Attorney General's office,
and another with the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The PR team was able to land the endorsement of the Attorney
General's Office since the AG's office has an existing relationship
with survivors of domestic violence via a confidential address
program in which women can register with the state to receive
critical mail without fear of being tracked by abusers. The
voicemail program could be positioned easily as a logical extension
to that program.
This synergy of the voicemail program and the confidential
address system is typical of the kinds of mutually beneficial
partnerships that made HopeLine a success over the years. "Some
partners will really need funds for facilities. Some just need the
phones, and others are really out in front in trying to reach the
community with a message," says Andrea Linskey, executive director
of corporate communications at Verizon. "You have to listen closely
to your partners, because their needs will vary."
Likewise, the Indiana effort had the virtue of being highly
localized, as are most HopeLine programs. "The issue of domestic
violence is very different for someone in Iowa than it is for
someone in Philadelphia. The resources for them are varied, the
economic situation of the victims is very different, and the
community leadership is very different," Linskey says. With this in
mind, the PR team set out to schedule seven news conferences in
targeted markets in Indiana.
While this is no small feat, planners took a highly methodical
approach to their effort. They chose sites based on a set of
criteria that included: The presence of Verizon Wireless retail
stores or mall kiosks; existing relationships with shelters and
state or association officials; the proximity of secondary markets
with multiple media outlets (to improve the company's profile) and
the travel logistics for an ambitious three-day schedule in
mid-September.
By applying these strategic criteria to the planning process,
the PR team was able to turn a potential crapshoot into a highly
tactical effort. Once the schedule was set, the PR team worked with
shelters in the target areas to identify survivors of domestic
violence who would be willing to share their stories.
Eventually, victims were found who would go public, and they
appeared with Attorney General Steve Carter throughout a three-day,
seven-stop tour. Due to Carter's presence, the media were ready and
waiting to cover the events, with local TV and print media in all
locations giving the story airtime and ink.
It helps that Verizon Wireless CEO Denny Strigl backs up that
message with public talks three or four times a year on the subject
of domestic violence. He's even been invited to the White House to
address the issue.
While the CEO is out speaking to the head of state, the PR shop
is frying smaller -- though no less substantive -- fish. In
addition to political partnerships such as the tie- in with the
attorney general in Indiana, HopeLine has forged a range of other
affiliations. The program has collected old cell phones through
Publix supermarkets in Florida; sponsored events and collected
donations through the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks sports
franchises. It has also teamed up with the University of Alabama to
collect backpacks to benefit children living in domestic violence
shelters.
These events typically unfold at the regional level; everyone in
the company's PR shop soon hears about them. "We share best
practices among ourselves all the time," Linskey says. "We share
the great ideas that have helped the most victims or generated the
most coverage."
Contact: Andrea Linskey, 908.306.7845, [email protected]
Calling On an Important Issue
Domestic violence presents tough challenges in cause marketing
plans. Here's what Verizon Wireless Executive Director of Corporate
Communications Andrea Linskey has learned in her time working in
this area of cause marketing:
- People still don't want to talk about it. Her solution:
Repetition. Keep drumming the message home until people acknowledge
the issue. - Competing causes vie for attention. Her solution: Spotlight
high-profile cases and crimes to demonstrate the seriousness of the
subject matter. - Skeptical or lethargic media? Her solution: Team with political
leaders who can bring legitimacy and energy to the issue.