Plan It PR

American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago, Smoke-Free Chicago Campaign

Summary:
A behind-the-scenes look at strategies and programs resulting in passage of Chicago’s 2005 Smoke-free Ordinance.

Background:
From picketing the Virginia Slims Tennis Tournament in the 1960’s to testifying for creation of non-smoking restaurant areas in the 1988, the American Lung Association has led the campaign to protect Chicago residents from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Our work in behalf of smoke-free ordinances in Skokie and Wilmette set the stage for the Chicago ordinance.
Chicago represented a unique challenge: Mayor Daley didn’t want a smoke-free ordinance, in part, because of his close relationships with Chicago restaurateurs. Historically, if the mayor opposes legislation, it doesn’t pass.
Furthermore, the restaurant industry and spokesperson Mike Ditka had convinced many aldermen that a smoke-free ordinance would hurt the City financially. We’d been unable to change their minds.

Strategy:
The American Lung Association developed the five-point strategy outlined below.

Forge partnerships with community organizations and volunteers
Lobby key officials through meetings, letters, faxes and telephone calls
Build public support through earned media coverage
Communicate key messages through paid, mainstream advertising
Develop niche marketing programs with a special emphasis on restaurants and twenty-something’s
This submission focuses on the niche marketing efforts that proved decisive.

Forging partnerships: With the American Cancer Society, we formed the Campaign For a Smoke-free Chicago, a group of 350 non-profits designed to demonstrate citywide support, provide a database of community activists and apply pressure to key aldermen. Each was given a uniform set of health, economic and legislative talking points.

Lobbying: Working with Chairman Ed Smith, we identified supporters and opponents on the Health Committee and City Council, then mounted an aggressive campaign to arrange thousands of meetings and telephone conversations with key aldermen to present facts and insight into public opinion.

Earned media: We fueled media interest with an intense earned media campaign of press releases, news conferences, column items and community events designed to advance our position and stimulate phone calls to aldermen. ALAMC CEO Joel Africk became a familiar face on newscasts, panels and dozens of TV programs.

Paid media: ALAMC published print ads that outlined our health argument underscored public support for the issue and urged telephone calls. The print ads complemented American Cancer Society TV spots featuring former bartender and ALA employee, Mary Rondoni.

Niche marketing: ALAMC identified several constituencies which would carry weight in passing an ordinance: twenty-something’s, medical professionals, religious organizations, Latino groups and, especially, restaurant owners. We supported each with advertising, PR and community activities.

To reach the twenty-somethings, we created Don’t Choke, Chicago, an edgy multi-media campaign with a website, t-shirts, ads and lapel buttons. We put inserts in Red Eye which readers were urged to fax their aldermen. Materials were distributed in high traffic areas and ad trucks bearing the headline Tip well, chemo ain’t cheap wove through Rush St, Wrigleyville, Bucktown and other hot spots.
We also worked with African-American churches, Latino organizations and medical schools to create local events such as prayer vigils outside City Hall, doctor and nurse rallies outside Stroger and Northwestern Hospitals, press conferences at the Mexican Consulate and town hall meetings in key neighborhoods.

Creativity:
We introduced a restaurant red card program. The cards, placed in restaurants around town, invited patrons to offer their thoughts on the smoke-free ordinance. We collected hundreds of cards each month and presented them to local aldermen. Participants also joined our e-mail advocacy program.

With pressure mounting, City Council members agreed to pass a smoke-free ordinance.
The proposed ordinance said that smoking would be allowed if restaurants built a separate, ventilated room around the bar area. It was clear that only wealthy restaurateurs or those with bars on the perimeter would find it economically feasible to enclose the area. This provision created an uneven playing field and pitted restaurants against one another.
When our restaurant friends saw this, they became outraged and quickly recruited more colleagues. We called a second press conference and ran another round of ads touting the support of 144 restaurants with annual revenues of $345 million. Virtually every major restaurant including the Lettuce Entertain You chain signed on for a uniform ordinance. Their calls and meetings with aldermen were enough to convince the Mayor and the City Council to drop the exclusion provision and adopt a strong, uniform ordinance. In a nod to the hospitality industry, the Council gave stand-alone bars and restaurants with bars, up to 29 months to make the transition.

Result:
Saying they had never been lobbied so hard on an issue, aldermen passed by 46-1 the ordinance on December 7. Mayor Daley grudgingly acknowledged that smoke-free restaurants were the wave of the future.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago restaurants that chose to go smoke-free voluntarily after the vote have seen an 18% increase in business.

Dog-A-Holics, grand opening and ongoing public relations campaign

Summary:
Our goal is an ongoing public relations campaign to help make Dog-A-Holics a household name

In less than two months we have accomplished several media placements such as,

Results:
Local television personality emceed grand opening fundraiser
Grand opening fundraiser photos were covered in a local pet magazine

Local newspapers covered the grand opening weekend celebration
Websites, local television and magazines covered the grand opening evening and weekend celebration

Other television and print coverage includes:

NBC5 morning television segment featuring Halloween costumes and safety,
WGN-TV in studio guest segment
WGN-TV Around Town live television shoot in Dog-A-Holics store with more than 10 hits-two of them were two and a half minutes each-highlighting key products and the store overall.
Dog-A-Holics was featured on a series called “Best of Chicago Shopping” on ABC7, Chicago’s number one morning program.
Dog-A-Holics featured on ABC7’s 10 o’clock news (part of a reporters story on the Chicago Bears)
A Chicago cable program has had the owner of Dog-A-Holics on two times featuring items sold at the store
Chicago Tribune At Play section highlighting Dog-A-Holics products with photos and information written about the store

Additional results:

National magazines are in the process of being pitched and we will update this information as it becomes available
Talking to a pet specific radio program

Grand Opening Campaign for Salon U

Summary:
Our goal was to highlight the salon, celebrate the grand opening and raise money for Y-ME of Illinois.

Sent two press releases out targeting specific media:

Press release talking about the grand opening fundraiser and the event
Press release focusing on the salon and what makes it unique

Generated donations for raffle prizes
Sent invitations out to targeted media outlets
Listed the grand opening fundraiser on several websites
The grand opening fundraiser information was listed on the web and placed in several local papers prior to the event

Results:

More than 150 people attended the event
Chicago television-ABC7 came and covered the fundraiser on the 10 o’clock evening news
Metromix featured the event as the highlight of the day
Time Out Magazine featured the event
Chicago Skyline published a photo and caption from the event and we raised nearly 2,000 for Y-ME of Illinois.