Case Studies

Client: The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy

Conservancy engages ethnic audiences through strategic media outreach

Situation
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (DRFC) was celebrating the opening of its RiverWalk with its first annual festival, the Detroit International River Days.  The DRFC wanted to ensure that the event was well attended and that all ethnic communities in the region participated in the festivities.

Strategy
Berg Muirhead devised a strategy to reach African American, Arabic and Hispanic communities and other ethnic enclaves through earned media and by engaging community groups and influencers. Berg Muirhead wrote press releases and editorials, which were then translated into Spanish and Arabic.  We also scheduled meetings with the DRFC president and the editors of influential minority and ethnic media outlets.  Berg Muirhead engaged the community influencers with a letter to community groups and faith-based organizations asking them to post and/or distribute information about River Days and the new RiverWalk. Then, each recipient received a follow-up call.

Results
The editorial appeared in every targeted ethnic publication and the DRFC president formed a personal relationship with members of the minority media, which resulted in additional media coverage.  The DRFC also scheduled briefings about River Days with a variety of community groups and faith-based organizations.  The DRFC achieved the broad-based participation in Detroit International River Days that it was seeking.