Furia Rubel employed public relations and targeted outreach to garner impactful media coverage of GlaxoSmithKline’s annual IMPACT Awards — a corporate social responsibility campaign in Philadelphia.
In addition to being one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical research companies, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is committed to doing well in the community, and recognizing those whose work improves the health of their neighborhoods and communities. The pharmaceutical company hired Furia Rubel to assist with community relations and media relations surrounding its corporate social responsibility PR campaign in Philadelphia.
This desire to “do well by doing good” goes beyond GSK’s work; the company is keenly interested in recognizing those who make a difference in public health. To that end, the company has, since 1996, presented annual GSK IMPACT Awards. The acronym stands for Innovation, Management, Partnership, Achievement, Community focus, and Targeting need.
The challenge with promoting an annual event is to continuously tell a story within a regional market and still amass valuable media coverage. Rather than take a formulaic approach, Furia Rubel decided to be proactive by engaging the nonprofit recipients in the outreach.
Mayor Michael Anthony Nutter Special Guest at GSK Awards Ceremony
$40,000 +
Worth of media coverage
45 Million +
Media impressions
11 Interviews
With broadcast media
70+
Pieces of coverage in trade publications, print news publications, and online
Furia Rubel deployed a detailed, targeted promotional effort to build and sustain awareness of the GSK IMPACT Awards corporate social responsibility PR campaign in Philadelphia. Our deliverables included:
Once winners were selected, Furia Rubel executed the publicity campaign with a focus on local, regional, and trade media coverage as well as individualized pitching to media interested in the spheres of influence in which the award winners operate, including Amish, homeless, 50-plus, African American, LGBT, and philanthropy/nonprofit. That labor-intensive, targeted campaign generated attention for both the winners and GSK.
GSK IMPACT Award Recipients – 10 Executive Directors
Overall media coverage valued at tens of thousands of dollars appeared in print, online, and on television and radio shows. In the first year alone, Furia Rubel’s tactics garnered more than 45 million impressions nationwide via nine interviews with broadcast media, stories in more than 30 print news and trade publications, and coverage on at least 150 websites. The Furia Rubel team was honored by the Public Relations Society of America’s Philadelphia Chapter with a Pepperpot Ladle for its exemplary public relations efforts surrounding the 11th-annual GSK IMPACT Awards corporate social responsibility PR campaign in Philadelphia.
The best measurement, however, is the sheer number of qualified community groups that eagerly applied for grants from GSK, as well as the enormous amount of awareness created about the company’s unwavering commitment to supporting the good work of organizations that help the people of the greater Philadelphia region live healthier lives.
