CASE STUDY
MLK Memorial
The Challenge
A memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr. (link) was first proposed by members of the historically black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, of which Dr. King is an honorary member. Their perseverance led to the U.S. Congress gifting land on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to the Memorial Foundation to enshrine Dr. King’s legacy and special role in American history. The Foundation’s goal was raise $120M for the monument and place a “King among Kings” and make Dr. King the first African American to be memorialized on the National Mall next to Presidents Lincoln and Jefferson.
Our Strategy
The TASC Group was hired by Tommy Hilfiger, Russell Simmons and the Memorial Foundation to generate national public awareness for the project and organize “The Dream Concert” at Radio City Music Hall in New York City with the goal of raising $5 million.
Results
The concert was headlined by Stevie Wonder, Santana, Aretha Franklin, Garth Brooks, John Legend, Joss Stone, Ludacris, and Wyclyef Jean. Celebrity participants included Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons, Whoopi Goldberg, Al Roker, Usher and the King family. The concert was sold out, exceeded all fundraising goals, generated front page news around the world and launched the first sustained national public relations exposure for the memorial project. TASC garnered media attention from over 100 outlets on the red carpet and included coverage with NBC’s The Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and MTV. The memorial was completed and officially opened to the public, becoming a United States national park.
100
MEDIA OUTLETS
MEDIA COVERAGE
