The Chicano Federation of San Diego County has been a pillar in San Diego’s Latinx community for the last 50 years by providing affordable access to childcare, early childhood education and affordable housing. In March, Chicano Federation called on Mixte to launch a media relations campaign to support its COVID-19 response, supporting San Diego working families and youth who were at the highest risk of contracting the virus. We worked primarily on media relations and ultimately created a new approach to media pitching and press conferences to meet the moment.
A virtual approach to press briefings and press conferences during COVID
Our press briefings packaged quick stories that would have otherwise been overlooked in reporters’ flooded inboxes and our bi-weekly virtual press conferences established Chicano Federation as a leading and consistent voice throughout its immediate COVID response. Here are some quick stats:
- We placed more than 93 stories in local and national media, highlighting Chicano Federation’s response to COVID-19. Of those placements, 8 were in multicultural media outlets.
- We sent 14 multi-story press briefings to local media, and hosted 4 virtual press conferences, generating an average of 10 reporters at each one.
What we learned: Connect organizational news to timely, national headlines.
The media space during the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement was – and continues to be – highly competitive. When conducting media outreach for Chicano Federation, we learned that it was essential for us to plug organizational news into timely updates from San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Department, Governor Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 press conferences and other national headlines.
The 2020 Bernays recognized us in the following categories:
- 1 Bronze Bernays Award of Merit in “Media Relations – Nonprofit”
- 1 Silver Bernays Award of Merit in “Campaigns: Community Relations – Nonprofit/Association”
- 1 Silver Bernays Award of Excellence in “Issues Management”
- 1 Silver Bernays Award of Excellence in “Campaigns: Multicultural Public Relations”
Effective PR that brings results is crucial, especially now. If reading this sparked any ideas, or if you’re interested in connecting with us, reach out here.
