Changing the
CONVERSATION
CITY OF RACINE
[Reputation Management, Digital Strategy & Media Relations]
Faced with vocal public opposition and an unsupportive local press in trying to enlist support for a proposed hotel and event center in a large Wisconsin municipality, prominent city economic development officials engaged Branigan to help raise awareness among the general public of the project’s potential positive impact.
We mobilized quickly to build a foundation of communications that would begin to build communitywide momentum for the hotel and event center through traditional media, digital media and political and public touch points.
After conducting initial research among stakeholders, we developed strong social media and branding campaigns to educate the public and positively influence opinions and behaviors. Branigan created a consistent and positive voice through the city’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, including key messages about the center and bolstering other favorable aspects of living and working in the city.
Additional components of the campaign included hosting a public workshop to seek input on programming for the event center and connecting with other Racine organizations focused on economic growth to engage local businesses and centers of influence to leverage support on an ongoing basis.
The result of the tactical campaign helped educate the wider community about the proposal, instill trust in city leadership through transparency and positive messaging and neutralize the effects of the negative viewpoints that initially dominated the press coverage.
