Franco is the long-time public relations agency of record for The Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division, a subset of the international, faith-based organization. As part of our work supporting the Salvation Army’s social services work, we annually support the Salvation Army PR effort to promote nonprofit’s 84-day Red Kettle campaign.
Each year, Franco earns a substantial amount of media coverage partially due to our efforts to keep the campaign fresh and new. We try to introduce new elements into the Salvation Army PR campaign mix to keep things new and interesting. Some examples include “Celebrity Bell Ringer Day” – where local celebrities serve as bell ringers promoting their participation through the #RingingInTheD hashtag – which recently raised nearly $6,000 in just two hours and “Red Wings for Kettles” – where Detroit Red Wings players, staff and alumni ring bells and compete with one another on who can raise the most money for the cause – which generated $16,000 in just two hours.
For the 2017 Red Kettle season, Franco secured 456 print, broadcast and online placements for The Salvation Army PR campaign via a comprehensive media relations program, reaching a potential daily audience of more than 46 million. Having also spearheaded the campaign’s robust advertising plan, Franco is proud that our promotional contribution to The Salvation Army PR effort The Salvation Army raised more than $7.85 million.
The annual results are a great illustration of our ability to brainstorm compelling stories and quickly mobilize around newsworthy opportunities to generate extensive media coverage in a short timeframe.
