"You get instant controversy when you do anything in the name of God. Add Jesus Christ and it doubles. Add Israel and the meter goes off the scale," observes Greg Halteman,
director of marketing and communications for Zion's Hope, a non-denominational Christian ministry based in Orlando, Fla.
Zion's Hope raised Cain last February when it opened "The Holy Land Experience," a religious theme park that raised critics' hackles. "We got more ink opening this park than
Disney did opening California Adventure," says Halteman. "And we certainly didn't have their budget." The 15-acre park, without rides or grandiose attractions, seems a small David
in a town dominated by Goliaths like Disney and Universal Studios, yet it made virtually every paper, newscast, and magazine from here to Goshen.
"We could never have predicted this project would be so phenomenally successful," says Ryan Julison, VP, Public Relations, Gilbert & Manjura Marketing, Orlando. His four-
person team was recruited last fall to handle PR for the HLE. The "controversy," he adds, was the kind PR people relish: just enough to pique the interest of the media, not enough
to turn off the public.
In the Beginning...
When Zion's Hope founder, President Marvin J. Rosenthal, went public two years ago with plans to build a park recreating ancient biblical sites like Herod's temple and the tomb
of Christ, many Jewish community leaders expressed concern about the park's intent. Rosenthal, born a Jew, serves as a Baptist minister who many identify as a proselytizer who
targets Jews. Says Mark Pinsky, religion reporter for The Orlando Sentinel, "...local rabbis were concerned about the alleged appropriation of Jewish symbolism to further
Christian evangelism. There was a feeling that people might be lured to this park under false pretenses, thinking it's about Israel."
Pinsky also says that during the park's construction, the National Conference on Community and Justice, an ecumenical group dedicated to fighting racism and bigotry nationwide,
contacted local public school boards to make sure teachers didn't plan field trips there. According to Pinsky, speakers from the organization "Jews for Judaism" spoke at area
synagogues about how to ward-off would-be converters. Irv Rubin, head of the Jewish Defense League, announced he would assemble several hundred protestors at the park's opening on
February 5, 2001.
Heavenly Silence
Zion's Hope remained largely silent as the uproar ensued. "We kept the lid on the story for a purpose," says Halteman, "because it's very difficult to explain what this
facility is." Misconceptions had been reported in various papers, he says. Rather than risk communicating the wrong message before the park opened, they opted not to communicate
at all.
Meanwhile, Ryan Julison was negotiating an exclusive deal with the Sentinel to break the story when the park was unveiled to the media on January 11. Julison also
worked with Zion's Hope staff to prepare for a multitude of scenarios, that could plague the park's opening.
Adds Halteman, "We did not want to feed to the media the image the world has about things Christian, which is amateur," he says. "We weren't putting on a church pageant."
Rather, they planned the launch with exhaustive detail and professionalism, "just like any [area] attraction would have done."
Onward, PR Soldiers
Fifteen local and area news crews covered the park's unveiling. The Sentinel's exclusive was picked up by Knight Ridder and ran in 1,600 newspapers. The Associated
Press and The Washington Post also ran it. Yet the park wasn't officially opening for three weeks--and Irv Rubin was still planning a protest.
The story grew to biblical proportions via newswires. "There was no competing national or international story around that time...Who wouldn't want to come to Orlando in
February?" he says. "Plus, when you add a possible protest, it's easier to sell your editor on the trip."
When the park finally opened, Rosenthal preached to the media nonstop, starting with a 6 a.m. CNN appearance and closing with a late night MSNBC debate opposite rabbis. All
three national networks and CNN ran the story and it even made its way into Jay Leno's Tonight Show monologue. Coverage followed in top tier publications like The
New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Rosenthal did nearly 400 interviews in the next two weeks, embracing Julison's strategy to field even the most obstreperous of questions with a smile. Julison and his staff
handled dozens more calls, talking to outlets as far away as Europe and Australia.
Rubin, who showed up with three protestors on opening day, picketed, got on camera and then left.
After the Storm
Since HLE's grand opening, it has hit its 1,000-limit capacity every day, sometimes turning away as many as 1,000 cars on weekends (the parking lot holds 260 cars.) Halteman
continues to press the flesh at area chambers of commerce and travel associations. "We want people to know we're not a bunch of weirdoes preparing electric Kool-Aid for visitors,"
he says.
Small Budget, Divine Results
Zion's Hope spent roughly $100,000 for Gilbert & Manjura's services, a budget that Halteman calls "peanuts." Granted, much of the success of the park originated from the
initial controversy, but both Halteman and Pinsky praise Julison's tireless communications efforts as a big reason the story took off like it did.
Some 60 million people saw the story in print. Broadcast coverage was triple that; the story made news in every major market nationwide. Julison's clipping service was
overwhelmed. As of press time, Travel & Leisure was reporting an article and European TV network RTL had a crew on site.
"Ryan made it clear from the outset that he was an outside pro and that lowered the temperature immediately," says Pinsky. "I can't take credit for this story because it had
written itself before I got it. And Ryan was on the money the whole time."
Campaign Stats:
Client: Zion's Hope Inc.
HQ: Orlando, Fl.
Agency: Gilbert & Manjura Marketing
PR Budget: $100,000
Key Client Players: Marvin J. Rosenthal, president; Greg Halteman, director of marketing and communications
Key Agency Player: Ryan Julison, VP Public Relations, Gilbert & Manjura
(Contacts: Greg Halteman, 407/872-2272; Ryan Julison, 407/261-1542; Mark Pinsky, 407/420-5589.)