Company: Port Authority
Agency: Port Authority's communications team and Korey Kay & Partners
Timeframe: 2006
For over 75 years, the George Washington Bridge has acted as a connecting link for millions of motorists, spanning the gulf between Fort Lee, New Jersey, and upper Manhattan's
Washington Heights. Like the Empire State Building, the George Washington Bridge is an eminent and ubiquitous staple of New York City living. But where the Empire State Building
stands proudly like a colossus in midtown Manhattan, the George Washington Bridge rules over the Hudson River uptown. It's no surprise, then, that when the Bridge turned 75 last
year, the Port Authority (which has operated and maintained it throughout its existence) would want to honor that milestone with a special commemorative celebration. As is the
case with any large-scale anniversary celebration, the logistics were ambitious but maddening in scope. How was Port Authority able to master this effectively?
"The George Washington Bridge 75th Anniversary celebration was a complex project with a myriad of components and involved staff from various departments [such as marketing,
government and community relations, media relations and graphics]," says Audrey Mancher, manager of marketing communications for Port Authority. "We worked closely together for
weeks on end, under very tight deadlines, to ensure all the program elements came together successfully under the required timeframe. There were late nights and careful reviews
and a common sense of purpose and excitement about this historic event."
Mancher also notes that her team's efforts were further fueled by the outpouring of interest from outside organizations and media such as CBS, the National Geographic Channel,
Fort Lee Film Society, historical societies and cultural institutions, all of whom wanted to cover the historic milestone.
The objectives of the George Washington Bridge 75th anniversary celebration were inextricably tied to its history, as well as to Port Authority's role in maintaining the
structure and mourning the losses it suffered, both in manpower and in real estate, as a result of 9/11. Planning for the anniversary began four months before the October event,
during the summer of 2006. Though Port Authority did hire an advertising agency, the Manhattan-based Korey Kay & Partners, most of the planning was executed by Port Authority.
Team players involved in the celebration felt the Bridge needed to be publicly venerated for the following reasons:
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Its longstanding service as a key transit linking point for motorists who use it daily;
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Its importance as a pre-eminent landmark; and
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Its vibrant omnipresence for residents who live in the adjoining communities of Fort Lee, New Jersey and Washington Heights in upper Manhattan.
But, to throw the planning team a curve ball, communications managers also had to incorporate another, more somber element into the mix: honoring Port Authority and filling the
void in its archives left by 9/11, when its headquarters was decimated, resulting in the deaths of 74 employees. Strategizing a celebration for such a significant structure, along
with an honorary event, was critical to Port Authority. To further complicate matters, the team had to consider how to pay tribute to multiple audiences and touchpoints, both
tangible and intangible, including:
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The bridge's engineers and builders;
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The bridge's economic and cultural significance;
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Those lost during its construction, and in the Port Authority's destruction on 9/11; and,
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An enduring addition to the agency's institutional archives.
Bridging Multiple Audiences
Because the bridge's "birth" dates back to a generation that, for the most part, has passed away, the team decided to tap living relatives of Othmar H. Ammann, designer of the
bridge; cultural institutions such as the Swiss Society; the Fort Lee Historical Society and the Film Commission; elected officials; the media; and community groups and schools
based in areas located on both sides of the Bridge--Fort Lee and Washington Heights.
"We worked with our government and community relations department to choose one school closest to the George Washington Bridge on both sides of the river," explains Mancher.
"We wanted to involve children who live in the vicinity of the bridge and have a personal connection to it. We then worked closely with teachers and principals to outline the
parameters of the program and in the logistics of bringing the children to and from the celebratory event on October 25, 2006."
The involvement of the children enhanced the event. One 4th grade class in a Fort Lee elementary school and another in Washington Heights were asked to create birthday cards
for the bridge. Ten students from each class were also invited to be part of the anniversary gala, and their birthday cards were on display both at the event and in exhibit cases
at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.
Other materials developed for the anniversary bash proved to both demanding and exhaustively detailed. A book entitled George Washington Bridge -- A Timeless Marvel,
which the Port Authority created in collaboration with renowned bridge historian Darl Rastorfer, was dedicated to those whose lives were lost on 9/11 and on February 26, 1993,
when the World Trade Center was bombed. Then, in cooperation with the Fort Lee Film Festival, Port Authority produced a 60-second video about the George Washington Bridge that
aired on airport CNN monitors and at the Fort Lee Film Festival. And, a Web site including historical photos, facts and other points of interest related to the construction, was
also created, for the edification of visitors.
Bridge Over Troubled Waters?
The chief challenges of this project were its sheer breadth and scope, as well as the complexity in detail and resources involved. Plus, having the same team work
simultaneously on another similar project also created a few problems.
"We were designing and producing multiple creative pieces and working with different printers; coordinating with two schools to create a birthday card project; working with a
production company to produce a video, and with an ad agency to produce print ads," says Mancher. "At the same time, we were collaborating with an author and providing design
direction, manuscript review and archival photo research for this publication."
The teams resources were stretched even further because the same people working on the event were also responsible for preparing a similar program for the Bayonne Bridge, which
celebrated its 75th anniversary three weeks after the George Washington Bridge. The Bayonne Bridge plan was in similar scope and magnitude, and also included a collaboration on a
commemorative book.
If Mancher learned anything from her involvement in this project, it is the necessity of planning early and ahead. But, she adds, the commitment, dedication, teamwork displayed
by project players helped fulfill a common goal on a very tight deadline.
The return on investment was positive. Elected officials offered feedback while community groups, schools and cultural institutions, expressed appreciation toward the program.
The Web site had a high number of hits. All in all, the anniversary achieved its objectives, as it gave communities, schools and cultural institutions a role in the festivities
while lending resonance to the history and significance of the George Washington Bridge. The budget for the print and production of the event was $49,600, which included video as
well.
The event attracted wide press coverage. Most major networks and publications as well as local TV stations covered the event. Because there was already such a strong interest
in the milestone anniversary of the George Washington Bridge, many media outlets, according to Mancher, did not need that much prodding from Port Authority. They were "already
interested in covering it on their own."
CONTACT:
Audrey Mancher; [email protected]
Party Time: Making An Anniversary A Unique Celebration
Birthdays come but once a year, and milestone birthdays - or anniversaries, for the inanimate objects among us - are, of course, cause for serious celebration. However, no
bash comes off without intense planning. Even if you're not a professional party planner, these tips can make any anniversary memorable:
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The more, the merrier. "Try to be as inclusive as possible in your approach to the celebration, involving the broadest range of interests that share in its legacy --
customers, communities, schools, cultural institutions," says Audrey Mancher, manager of marketing communications of Port Authority. Yahoo! took the concept one step further for
its 10th anniversary celebration in 2006. The PR team orchestrated a global, integrated campaign that targeted employees and users. The company partnered with Baskin-Robbins to
give away a free scoop of ice cream to all users, who were invited to partake via an e-mail campaign.
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By invitation only. Invite all your friends, but make sure there is some means of connecting with relevant audiences in a meaningful way. Digital platforms make this more
feasible than ever before; take Yahoo!'s strategy of coupling the e-mail ice cream coupon campaign with a "Netrospective" Web site to reflect on 100 turning-point moments in the
history of the Web. These tactics allowed for measurable results in terms of site visits, hits and users registering for coupons.