"Shabbat Across America" would have been a tough media sell
under any circumstance: a one-day nationwide event targeting only 3
percent of the population (Jews) and encouraging them to take part
in a religious observance (the Jewish Sabbath, or Shabbat) that
many no longer consider a priority. The only thing harder than
persuading mainstream media to cover this campaign is persuading
them to cover it year after year after year.
But Warschawski Public Relations has done just that, winning
consistent coverage for the campaign for the National Jewish
Outreach Program (NJOP) since it was launched in 1997. As the years
have rolled by, the PR team seems to have hit on a winning formula
for keeping the concept fresh in the media. (Editor's Note: In
fact, their formula has worked twice with PR NEWS. We've honored
the campaign twice in our Platinum PR Awards, once in 2000 and
again in 2002.)
Go Broad
The campaign is intended to promote the Sabbath observance
program (which invites non-affiliated Jews to take part in a
traditional Shabbat service and a meal), and also on a more general
level to call attention to the crisis of waning Jewish cultural and
religious affiliation in America.
Why not just talk to Jews instead of reaching out to national
media? It's because the American Jewish population is disparate,
spread out over a broad geography, living at various socio-economic
levels, watching different channels and reading different
magazines. This necessitates a campaign that targets the mainstream
media that will reach the largest percentage of the Jewish
population.
"How do you do it in a way that appeals to The Los Angeles Times
and The Baltimore Jewish Times?" asks David Warschawski, president
of Warschawski PR. You do it, the PR team decided, by crafting a
campaign that resonates with larger public concerns.
Working Too Hard?
In 2001, in the fifth year since the program's inception, the
Warschawski team decided to link the central theme of the program
(a "day of rest") with an ongoing contemporary concern:
exhaustion.
"In today's world, when everything is so hectic and people are
so stressed out, there is a growing realization that there is an
important need for a day of rest. What better model could there be
than Shabbat?" Warschawski says.
It so happened that former labor secretary Robert Reich had at
that time come out with a book all about Americans being
overworked. Reich was on a national book tour just then, "so we got
in touch with his office, told them we had something that dovetails
beautifully with what he was talking about, and asked if he would
be willing to endorse this concept of a day of rest as it applies
to 'Shabbat Across America,'" Warschawski says.
With Reich as a key spokesperson, the PR team had the angle it
needed to take the story beyond the religion pages and into the
realm of mainstream feature stories. To round out the story, the PR
team:
- Pulled up a host of statistics on overwork and its impact
- Lined up national experts to endorse the campaign.
- Developed press-kit materials that included a profile of Alec
Ellison, co-president of global investment bank Broadview
International, to illustrate the positive impact that a weekly day
of rest has on the life of one high-profile executive. - Five weeks before the launch, the media team started calling
editors. - About a week before the event, a second round of phone calls
went out, telling editors where the event would be held in their
areas and how many participants there would be.
The Numbers
The formula came through for the team again. In 1999 (the last
year that the NJOP ran a full-fledged media campaign), the event
drew more than 75,000 participants to the programs. Two years later
the results were strong as well: 70,000 participants, 340 positive
articles including stories in The Los Angeles Times, New York Daily
News and Newsday, plus TV coverage on ABC, NBC and FOX.
Still, Warschawski says even the current-events hook has its
limits. This is intended as an "intro-to-Judaism" type program, and
is aimed at the uninvolved. Thus, people typically would not do it
twice. Moreover, the intended audience would by definition get
smaller from one year to the next. Warschawski says he sees the
2001 turnout as an "incredible victory," notwithstanding the
decline from year to year.
Campaign Stats
The Team: Senior Associate Shana Harris led the 2001 team which
included various Warschawski associates
Timeframe: January to April 2001; Shabbat event took place March
23, 2001
Budget: $35,000
Challenges
Ironically, one of the main challenges of the campaign is the
core element of its success. The news hook is always difficult to
uncover, and in some years, the Warschawski team has been more
challenged than in others. For example, in 2001, in the midst of a
Palestinian uprising, they briefly considered having participants
hold hands and pray for peace in the Middle East. But, they decided
in the end that it was slightly too political and one step removed
from the "Shabbat Across America" mission.
Contact: David. [email protected],
410/367-2700