Project Description
Case Studies
A Comprehensive Media Plan & Strategic Press Relationships Secure National Spotlight for Non-Profit Event
Overview:
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients, providing personalized patient services, creating a community of supporters and volunteers, and funding life-saving research with an investment of $30 million this year alone.
As part of their bold awareness and fundraising efforts, the organization holds multiple events across the country every year; their largest and most prominent being the annual charity walk, PurpleStride, which is hosted in 60 different cities across the United States. Over 70,000 people were expected to attend the walk nationally with a goal of raising $19 million towards fighting the disease.
Challenge:
Smithhouse has been PanCAN’s partner for all their non-profit PR for a variety of events and initiatives over the last few years, including PurpleStride. And this was the second year the organization restructured its roll out in efforts to further unify the national movement by hosting the walk in every location on one single day: April 29, 2023. PanCAN also relied on SMITHHOUSE’s expertise as both an entertainment and health and wellness PR firm to spearhead these efforts in some of the event’s most high-profile cities: Los Angeles, New York, DC, and Atlanta.
As the country’s 3rd most deadly cancer, the disease has impacted the lives of many families over the years. But in addition to harmonizing the efforts across very diverse locations, the team was also challenged with generating interest and enthusiasm for an event without being able to rely on a new treatment or breaking patient story to amplify the messaging. As a result, the SMITHHOUSE team faced the natural set of inherent challenges that come with publicizing consumer events meant for the public versus those planned for media
Solution:
Utilizing their extensive connections and experiences in the TV/Film industries, the SMITHHOUSE team first focused their efforts on a local approach. In each city, we worked closely with their press connections to secure specific crews and provide the information and resources they needed to amplify their stories. We leveraged the celebrities participating in the walk, pitching their stories to the most purposeful media outlets, while obtaining local press for survivors and major volunteers, as well as PanCAN’s President & CEO, Julie Fleshman. SMITHHOUSE strategically used their critical storytelling skills and expansive press network to craft a comprehensive media plan that put the right messaging in the right hands before and during the event.
Results:
SMITTHHOUSE secured a strong media spotlight on participating celebrities across event locations. At PurpleStride LA, this included Eric Idle, British comedian, actor and author, and a four-year pancreatic cancer survivor, who spoke at LA’s opening ceremony, Star Trek actors Kitty Swink, a 19-year pancreatic cancer survivor, Armin Shimerman, and John Billingsley, who lost his mom to the disease, and Jean and Emily Trebek, wife and daughter of the late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who spoke to a crowd of over 2,000 participants.
In New York, we featured Franke Previte, singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning composer, and Ruschell Boone, Spectrum NY1 News Anchor and a pancreatic cancer survivor. But most notably, our team secured a Today Show interview for Lisa Swayze, writer, director, actress/dancer, and wife of the late Patrick Swayze, who passed from the disease in 2009, giving her voice a national platform to spread awareness for the event just days before participating.
At each event site on event day, the team also secured several press crews for multiple hours of live coverage, covering pre-event interviews to post-event recaps. Through our network of press contacts, as well as extensive media training and event management expertise, we intentionally staffed every team and provided them with all the information and timing for important interviews and hits throughout the event to maintain control over the message and ensure the best coverage the event has ever had.
