Winner: Shakespeare Dallas and Carter Public Relations
Campaign: Taking Center Stage: Shakespeare Dallas Benefits from PR
All the world may very well be a stage, but the Shakespeare Dallas theater company was facing both meager attendance and dire financial straits as 2003 got under way. In fact,
the numbers had dropped so far that the center was contemplating closure. In 2000-2001, attendance had bottomed out, dropping from a previous average of 900 playgoers per night in
1999-2000, to 400.
But a multi-year turnaround plan and debt-relief campaign changed the outlook for this cultural staple of Southwestern life.
The company had a miniscule budget, which covered marketing and promotions, but not public relations or media relations. Carter PR came to the rescue with a pro bono campaign
that sought to increase attendance and sales, expand the demographics of the center's clients, and secure additional cultural partnerships and funding for the 2006 season.
The team developed customized media announcements and plotted a focused, hands-on approach to leverage media relationships to pitch exclusive stories that promoted both the
performances and the center as a business-savvy arts organization. Target media included regional publications, monthly and weekly magazines, minority publications and local TV
and radio stations. Press releases went out, and media were invited to dress rehearsals to take fresh photos of current productions.
Shakespeare Dallas received approximately 100 local media hits within a six-month period, all of them touting the company as one of the top attractions of the summer.
Following the company's 2005 summer season of theatrical productions, it received a number of grants, including a three-year matching grant of $224,000 from the Meadows
Foundation and an NEA contribution of $25,000.
In addition, income and money raised for the company's debt-relief campaign brought in $92,000 more in 2005 than in 2004, and performance attendance rose by 6 percent.
And for its pro bono effort, Carter PR was named an overall winner in the Volunteer Center of North Texas' "Hearts of Hope" program, which recognizes outstanding corporate
contributions to the arts and community. Later, the firm received a Summit Award, which recognizes the effectiveness of the overall campaign, and Shakespeare Dallas Executive
Director Sandra Greenway declared the company's exposure had never been higher in its 35-year history.
A spokesperson at Carter PR says the company expects to continue the relationship with the center. In fact, Carter is already handling PR and media relations for Shakespeare
Dallas' fall season 2006, which began earlier this month.
Honorable Mentions
24 Hours to Keeping the Doors of the Tennyson Center Open: Ground Floor Media After the National Benevolent Association went bankrupt, the Tennyson Center, a home for
abused/neglected children 5 to 15, was suddenly up for grabs and targeted by a buyer who wanted to turn the property into a for-profit senior center. The center turned to
GroundFloor Media, which had been providing PR services to TC for a year, and the agency launched a three-part campaign that stopped the sale and allowed a friendly bidder to buy
the property.
A Forum for Social Change: Voce Communications Girls For A Change, an organization created to encourage professional women to support urban middle and high school girls to
become social change makers and innovators, called on Voce Communications to establish their influence beyond Silicon Valley, generate online awareness and organize an event for
their "Site 2" launch. The InHer City blog gained national exposure for the group, which is now planning the launch of GFC Site #3.
Every Child Needs a Family: Premisa Foster parenting in Croatia remains limited, despite a 1991 Convention on the Right of the Child. Premisa set out to increase the number of
potential foster families to at least 200, raise $330,000, and mobilize the business community to help. A powerful campaign tapped influential media, partnered with UNICEF,
encouraged citizens to donate, staged a charity concert, and arranged a benefit soccer match. The campaign raised $460,000 from 60,000 individual donors and corporate
partners.