CASE STUDY
MEDIA RELATIONS & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: CATHERINE VIOLET HUBBARD ANIMAL SANCTUARY – SANDY HOOK ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN
The Challenge
The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary is a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization that promotes compassion and healing through human-animal connection. The foundation was established in 2013 to commemorate and honor the life of Catherine Violet Hubbard, a six-year-old victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy and passionate animal lover who dreamed of working with and caring for animals. CVH approached The TASC Group to promote the sanctuary’s work and
position Jennifer Hubbard, Catherine’s mother and the sanctuary’s president, as a thought leader. The goals were to establish the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary’s national presence and elevate Jennifer as a thought leader ahead of the 10- year anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy. The animal sanctuary also aimed to launch a capital campaign and break ground on its permanent facilities at the time of the anniversary.
The Challenge
The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary is a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization that promotes compassion and healing through human-animal connection. The foundation was established in 2013 to commemorate and honor the life of Catherine Violet Hubbard, a six-year-old victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy and passionate animal lover who dreamed of working with and caring for animals. CVH approached The TASC Group to promote the sanctuary’s work and
position Jennifer Hubbard, Catherine’s mother and the sanctuary’s president, as a thought leader. The goals were to establish the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary’s national presence and elevate Jennifer as a thought leader ahead of the 10- year anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy. The animal sanctuary also aimed to launch a capital campaign and break ground on its permanent facilities at the time of the anniversary.
The Strategy
TASC focused on promoting CVH’s signature program, which enables seniors to keep and care for their pets, as well as larger community events throughout the year. The strategy centered on building media momentum ahead of the anniversary and positioning CVH as a leading Connecticut nonprofit in the animal care space, emerging from the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. TASC worked to place op-eds by Jennifer in national publications and collaborated with her to refine messaging around her unique perspective on compassion. TASC conducted media outreach to ensure that the sanctuary, and Jennifer’s perspective on healing and grief, would be a leading story around the anniversary and unveiling of the Sandy Hook memorial. Additionally, TASC worked to promote the sanctuary’s groundbreaking event through national and local media.
The Results
TASC secured more than 760 media placements that generated more than 1.8 billion media impressions in one year, including hits in The Associated Press, TODAY.com, NPR, BBC, The Boston Globe and more. The Senior Paw Project received media coverage from both local and national news outlets focused on pets, mental health and wellness such as The Dogist Podcast, Generation Bold and Daily Paws. The sanctuary’s Butterfly Party, Monarch’s Meadows and More and The Race for Catherine received local media coverage and helped build rapport with local reporters, landing them hits in News 12 Connecticut, WSHU, The Newtown Bee and other outlets. Jennifer’s thought leadership was sought for commentary on tragedies like the Uvalde school shooting and the lawsuits against Alex Jones in notable news outlets, including multiple BBC programs and FOX 5 New York. Her letter to the editor about Alex Jones was featured in The New York Times.
To highlight the sanctuary during the 10-year anniversary of Sandy Hook, TASC secured appearances for Jennifer on NBC News NOW and ABC News Live as well as feature stories in local and national outlets like Yahoo News. TASC also placed an op-ed written by Jennifer about compassion in CNN. The sanctuary hosted a groundbreaking event on the anniversary to mark a new chapter in the sanctuary’s story, for which TASC secured coverage in The Washington Post, NPR’s Connecticut Public Radio and across local Connecticut and New York City broadcast stations. The coverage that TASC secured for the 10-year anniversary led to an outpouring of support from the community, a massive increase in donations from the public and a commitment from the state of Connecticut to fund the project.
MEDIA COVERAGE
