CASE STUDY
MEDIA RELATIONS & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: UNITED WAY OF NEW YORK CITY
The Challenge
United Way of New York City (UWNYC), one of the largest and oldest United Way chapters in the country and a longtime client of The TASC Group, partnered with the nation’s leading Black clergy, including the Rev. and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, the Rev. Calvin Butts, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Quest Diagnostics to launch the Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Action Plan.
The initiative’s goal was to address systemic health disparities in the Black community. Choose Healthy Life aimed to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates and increased testing in communities of color through the church pulpit, operating in over 100 churches across five cities: New York, Newark, Detroit, Atlanta and Washington. As lead implementation partner, UWNYC wanted to generate national media attention on the campaign to increase public participation and position UWNYC’s former CEO, Sheena Wright, as a national thought leader on the issue of racial health disparities.
The Challenge
United Way of New York City (UWNYC), one of the largest and oldest United Way chapters in the country and a longtime client of The TASC Group, partnered with the nation’s leading Black clergy, including the Rev. and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, the Rev. Calvin Butts, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Quest Diagnostics to launch the Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Action Plan.
The initiative’s goal was to address systemic health disparities in the Black community. Choose Healthy Life aimed to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates and increased testing in communities of color through the church pulpit, operating in over 100 churches across five cities: New York, Newark, Detroit, Atlanta and Washington. As lead implementation partner, UWNYC wanted to generate national media attention on the campaign to increase public participation and position UWNYC’s former CEO, Sheena Wright, as a national thought leader on the issue of racial health disparities.
The Strategy
TASC led strategic communications planning for the initiative’s partnership announcement and events. The team crafted messaging to effectively communicate the scope and impact of Choose Healthy Life and developed multiple press releases as well as an op-ed for UWNYC leadership and other Choose Healthy Life partners to position them as experts on combating health disparities. TASC targeted key national, local and multicultural media outlets to secure attention for the initiative.
The Results
TASC secured coverage that garnered over 200 million media impressions including hits CNN, The New York Times, The Associated Press, MSNBC, TheGrio and The Wall Street Journal. TASC also secured a cover story featuring UWNYC’s CEO and leading Black clergy in an issue of City & State, as well as an op-ed in the New York Daily News.
TASC’s work resulted in CNN live-streaming the initiative’s MLK Day virtual conclave which featured Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, head of President Biden’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and over one hundred Black clergy members nationwide. TASC generated media attention for all launch events, including a Harlem Hospital Center event where Sharpton and other minsters received the COVID-19 vaccine live on MSNBC.
TASC crafted and fine-tuned shared messaging for all of the participating partners. TASC’s efforts successfully bolstered the national profile of Choose Healthy Life, amplified UWNYC’s essential role as the initiative’s lead implementation partner and empowered communities of color to get tested for COVID-19 and participate in vaccination programs. The campaign was responsible for providing over 75,000 people with vaccinations in the five targeted cities and was expanded to 14 cities nationwide. The campaign also won three Big Apple Awards from the Public Relations Society of America.
MEDIA COVERAGE
