The Situation: Our client, a company that provides online professional development to preK-12 educators, sought to enhance its visibility in the K-12 marketplace through publicizing a partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas Educational Television Network.
The Results: Through targeted media outreach and strategic event planning, CB&A hosted nearly 100 individuals at a press event that generated more than 20 articles in print publications, eight mentions in broadcast news segments and 53 mentions in online and e-newsletter articles.
Spotlighting Partnerships and Enhancing K-12 Visibility
Responding to the federal No Child Left Behind legislation, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADOE) sought to enhance teachers’ skills and knowledge through professional development, with the goal of improving students’ academic performance. A new mandate in the state required teachers to obtain 60 hours of professional development annually.
The ADOE teamed up with the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) and our client to launch Internet Delivered Education for Arkansas Schools (IDEAS), an online portal for teachers offering access to professional development and instructional resources. Our client’s suite of online professional development courses was a critical component of IDEAS.
The program offered the perfect opportunity to highlight the partnership, enhance our client’s visibility on the national K-12 education stage and secure its position as the premier provide of online professional development for teachers.
Our client wanted to promote the strategic partnership with Arkansas to build goodwill and customer loyalty among key constituents, including state and federal government officials, education leaders and influential educational organizations, and to inspire other states to emulate the program.
Sharing Success Through a Powerful Event
CB&A worked in concert with our client, the ADOE, and then-Governor Mike Huckabee to announce the launch of the IDEAS program.
Hosted at the state Department of Education offices in Little Rock, Ark., the event brought together Huckabee, three state legislators, the assistant commissioner of education for learning services, and one of our client’s executives to discuss the partnership’s successes.
Several influential national and regional education leaders attended the event, along with the governor’s education policy advisor, key members of the Arkansas Education Association and several other state education department officials.
Campaign Visibility
Nearly 100 people attended the event, including all major television network news outlets in Little Rock. Also attending: the local National Public Radio affiliate, the largest daily newspaper in the state, the Arkansas News Bureau, and Arkansas Educator, the magazine published by the Arkansas Education Association.
The organized announcement generated:
- 20 articles in print publications
- Eight mentions in broadcast news segments
- 53 mentions in online and e-newsletter articles
- Coverage that reached a combined audience of 4.9 million people
Media coverage increased awareness of the client’s services, and its work with state-level officials, among educators, potential customers and key supporters of the organization. The event provided a platform to reach a larger audience, positioning the client as the leading online professional development provider, and demonstrating the benefits of online professional development courses. Our client also strengthened its relationship with AETN and the ADOE.
In the year following the launch event, enrollment in the client’s courses in the state of Arkansas jumped from fewer than 50 to nearly 200 teachers, and enrollment nationwide increased 15 percent.