Integrated Strategy Boosts Disaster Response

THE CLIENT: The Salvation Army Texas Division

THEIR CHALLENGE: In September of 2008, immediately after Hurricane Ike made landfall along the Texas Gulf Coast, initial donations to The Salvation Army Texas Division for disaster relief efforts were disappointingly low — just $18,000. Grizzard Communications Group recommended and executed an integrated strategy, employing radio traffic sponsorship spots to support a disaster gram appeal. That changed everything!

THE STRATEGY: The primary objective was to increase donations for disaster relief, with a revenue goal of $500,000. Grizzard developed a compelling disaster gram appeal, but believed its impact would be maximized by running radio traffic sponsorship spots with the same key message in the days following the drop of the appeal:

Disaster Gram
218,642 pieces mailed

Traffic Sponsorships (10- & 15-sec.)
850 spots across 70+ stations in 23 markets

THE RESULTS: The response to this integrated, multi-channel strategy was tremendous, far exceeding The Salvation Army’s goals and expectations:

Response %  9.24%
Total # of Gifts 20,207
Average Gift $76

Campaign Goal: $500,000
Net Result: $1.5 million