We’ve Been Named a PRSA Silver Anvil Award Finalist!
Topeka. Image courtesy of Greater Topeka Partnership.
Cue the celebration music – we’ve got big news!
Image courtesy of Greater Topeka Partnership.
We’re thrilled to announce the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has named us as a 2021 Silver Anvil award finalist for the Choose Topeka - $15,000 Relocation Campaign.
I supposed this is where we say, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.”
But it’s true!
Our fearless leader, April Mason, says it best, “A PRSA Silver Anvil award is the highest honor a public relations campaign can receive; equivalent to the ‘Oscars’ in our industry. We couldn’t be prouder that the ‘Choose Topeka’ campaign was selected out of hundreds of entries nationwide to become a finalist – alongside some of the country’s most recognized brands and destinations. It’s the first time our agency has earned such a high honor, and we are thrilled it’s on behalf of Topeka.”
How we helped young professionals “Choose Topeka”
When the Greater Topeka Partnership launched the “Choose Topeka” initiative offering, a cash incentive of up to $15,000 for individuals that move to the city, Violet PR was tasked with generating national media attention. Our PR campaign aimed to showcase Topeka as an ideal destination for college-educated workers seeking a great place to relocate and build wealth.
We began by visiting the Kansas state capitol – a community of 200,000 people located an hour from Kansas City. During our travels, we learned more about Topeka than you can shake a cottonwood (the official tree of Kansas) stick at.
We discovered that Topeka has more diversity than we expected, a thriving arts district and revitalized downtown, bike trails, hip restaurants, and historic places such as the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.
We also learned that the average single-family home price in Topeka is $125,000, and average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $819/month – far less than the national average.
Ready, set, action…
Given that we had a limited budget and no advertising dollars, we aimed to reach our target audiences through “earned” national media coverage. We targeted top-tier business and lifestyle media, as well as niche outlets read by young, diverse professionals.
Equality House, Topeka. Image courtesy of Greater Topeka Partnership.
We created a series of national news releases to announce the program and sent them to hundreds of business, economy and lifestyle news reporters. After our initial announcement in December 2019, we updated our news with new “hooks” tied to current events every few months to keep the momentum going. Examples include technology firms like Twitter allowing employees to “work from anywhere” and other regions launching similar incentives. As the Choose Topeka program garnered more interest and people began to relocate, we sent media images of individuals in front of their new homes in Topeka.
The results
Our client’s initial goal was 10 national media placements. Our efforts helped them secure a whopping 73!
Outlets that picked up our stories included Fast Company, Forbes, Travel + Leisure, Yahoo! News, Business Insider, San Francisco Business Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, Bloomberg City Lab, CNN, Reuters and MarketWatch. We even got a shout out on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” All that news coverage generated 4.8 billion online impressions and was shared 52,100 times on social media.
But, most importantly, the media attention led to over 4,500 people applying for the program – thousands more than our client expected.
To date, 40 professionals making average wages of $80,000 per year have relocated to Topeka from across the U.S. Twenty-one participants bought homes and 19 are renting, creating a $3.2 million regional economic impact each year. In August 2020, Topeka was named one of the hottest housing markets in the nation by Realtor.com.
Two Big Cherries on Top
Our team worked incredibly hard on the “Choose Topeka” program and we could not be prouder of our efforts.
Being named a Silver Anvil Finalist was one of two giant cherries on top of our sundae of efforts.
The other?
Our client has extended the “Choose Topeka” program for another year. We can’t wait to get back to work.
Image courtesy of Greater Topeka Partnership.