Oregon Environmental Council Case Study
Maximizing Visibility for the Oregon Environmental Council
Client and Challenge:
The Oregon Environmental Council safeguards what Oregonians love about the state -- clean air and water, an unpolluted landscape and healthy food produced by local farmers. From green living tips to lobbying for eco-friendly policy, OEC plays an integral part in keeping Oregon healthy and beautiful.
The OEC wanted to leverage its upcoming 40th Anniversary celebration to increase brand awareness and encourage membership growth. It turned to Nereus for strategic counsel. Nereus concluded that communicating through key media channels would increase attendance and awareness.
Solution:
To help OEC carry out the promotional strategy, Nereus supported local outreach and print advertising and drove online advertising and national publicity outreach. Nereus held weekly phone conference meetings with council representatives and served as a strategic partner.
Nereus determined the best online advertising options for OEC. Its detailed recommendations included online advertising in local blogs such as BlueOregon.com, national blogs like Treehugger.com and electronic versions of print outlets, including Oregonlive.com.
Concurrently, Nereus compiled a targeted media contact list that focused on green and environmental beats. By determining matches between OEC's expertise and the reporters' coverage, Nereus provided touchpoints for OEC's national public relations efforts.
Results:
Nereus worked with Portland's progressive talk station KPOJ AM, which resulted in a series of OEC anniversary event mentions. The event was mentioned 35 times per week for the two weeks leading up to the event. During the week of the event, KPOJ conducted daily giveaways of two event tickets. Nereus also secured an interview with KINK FM by radio host Inessa, who spoke with Andrea Durbin, OEC executive director. The interview was later posted to the radio station's Web site, the Green Team.
The anniversary event was a huge hit. It attracted more than 400 people, 50 more than expected, maxing out the meeting space in a recently opened LEED Certified green building on the Portland waterfront. The anniversary celebration was the first exposure to OEC for many attendees. The event made a great first impression, increased OEC awareness and even surpassed the evening's fundraising goal.
