The International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, N.C. is one of only two in situ civil rights museums in the United States. The Museum centers around the original F.W. Woolworth lunch counter where, on Feb. 1, 1960, four African-American college students sat down at the store’s 'whites only' lunch counter and challenged the institutions segregation. In 1993, two men saved the building from destruction and for 17 years, struggled to transform the historic civil rights landmark into a museum. On February 1, 2010, 50 years after the lunch counter sit-ins, their dream became a reality and America needed to know.

We crafted a content-rich integrated communications campaign encompassing media relations, public service announcements, web redesign, events, social media and grassroots fundraising. In the space of six months, the campaign saw nearly 192 million media impressions, increased Web site traffic by 276 percent, sold out tours, and doubled the fundraising goal.

National media outreach targeting virtually all segments of mainstream from media from August 2009 – January 2010. We conducted media tours in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and had more 600 phone calls with journalists. An emotional public service announcement campaign spanning print and broadcast was executed from December 2009 – February 2010. Television spots featured prominent civil rights activists like Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Dorothy Height and Congressman John Lewis. An overhaul of the Museum’s Web site in December 2009 provided new, engaging design and content to encourage ongoing dialogue and education. A social media campaign encompassing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube drove traffic to the site and spurred conversation.

A local ad campaign supported a grassroots fundraising effort and encouraged Museum donations. A unique landing page on the Museum’s Web site established in November 2009 captured interest from the placements and donations.

More than 192 million earned media impressions (USD 3.3 million media value).Coverage included: USA Today, New York Times, the Associated Press, CNN, People, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, NBC’s Today Show.The Museum’s Web site experienced a 276 percent increase in traffic after the redesign and social media outreach. More than 11,000 people became a fan on Facebook in six weeks (9,000+ unique page views; 22,000+ total page views and 4,800+ photo views). The Twitter account has attracted more than 300 followers. The YouTube channel received 3,400 video views in six weeks.Sold out tours to the Museum since opening day.PSAs distributed to 150+ broadcast affiliates across the Southeast U.S. and national cable outlets. Placements were were also distributed to 100+ print outlets, 50+ national and regional radio outlets.

Through our marketing support, the Museum raised USD 750,000 in three months, doubling its goal.