Grand Opening, PR, and Special Events
Goodwill Industries, San Francisco, California

Five years after its corporate headquarters and flagship store were destroyed during the Loma Prieta Earthquake, Goodwill rebuilt on a new site at the corner of Mission and South Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. Much of the public relations and marketing focus centered on upgrading Goodwill's image in the business and financial communities as well as positioning and promoting the new headquarters, flagship store and corporate identity in both business and consumer markets. There were five primary organizational goals to accomplish:

• Introduce and establish a fresh new identity.
• Increase media visibility in Northern California for the purpose of encouraging both public and private sector funding.
• Develop corporate and media partnerships to position Goodwill as the leader in employment training and related services.
• Elevate the frequency and amount of consumer and corporate donations.
• Augment retail sales in order to increase the number of stores in each county.

We designed and implemented an intensive campaign called The Power of Work. It involved stretching a very modest advertising budget, upgrade creative in print and television production, introduce the new corporate headquarters; and plan and implement an exciting gala event to promote the agency's goals.

To effectively stretch the advertising budget and upgrade its creative and production output, we contacted the San Francisco Advertising Club's Advisory Council. After a formal presentation to the Advisory Council, Goodwill was selected as a recipient for a 24-month pro-bono advertising make-over. We were assigned to Anderson & Lembke Advertising. At the end of the campaign, Goodwill received nearly $1 million pro-bono worth of production, media and collateral materials, most of which were award-winning caliber.

In addition, we created a comprehensive public relations and publicity campaign tied into the advertising program to generate even more coverage. A highlight of our efforts included the coordination of the placement of one of the commercial spots in two movie theaters -- at the Westwood Theatre in Los Angeles and the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. This spot ran as a "short" between showings of commercial movies. It was the first time a television commercial ran in a movie theatre.  There was no cost to Goodwill for this exposure or the expenses.

For the introduction of the corporate headquarters, we conducted tours of the new facility which we targeted to other nonprofit agencies, city and state officials, design and architecture media, nonprofit and philanthropy media, retail and business writers and editors, columnists, television and radio reporters and producers. The resulting coverage included several four-color feature stories in national trade publications as well as extensive print and television coverage throughout Northern California.

Power of Work Gala

The most memorable element of the campaign was the headquarters Grand Opening Power of Work Gala, which took place ten days before the staff moved into the building. We were able to obtain, on a pro-bono basis, nearly 80% of the production and labor materials needed for a successful opening, including:

• The design and production of an award-winning invitation.
• Over 200 silent auction and raffle prizes.
• Food and beverage donations from hotels and restaurants for 1600 guests.
• Complimentary staging, lighting and audiovisual equipment.
• Complimentary fashion show production, including the services of a professional fashion show producer, choreographer, models, dressers and designer clothes (which were later auctioned off by Goodwill)
• Complimentary live entertainment from such bands as The House Jacks.
• KGO TV media sponsorship, which enabled us to obtain live coverage of the event, public service ad production and placements and the participation of TV anchors Cheryl Jennings and Don Sanchez as co-hosts of the gala.
• Media sponsorship with the San Francisco Business Times (resulting in nearly five years  worth of free advertising)
• Corporate sponsorship with the San Francisco Giants, resulting in the appearance of Giants' president, Peter Magowan, as a co-host for the event.
• 50 volunteers from the SF Marriott working the check-in & press tables

The event attracted nearly 1600 people and was covered by every major media outlet in the Bay Area. For nearly five years, we performed creative, aggressive, pro-active and effective strategies to position Goodwill as one of the most dynamic and growing non-profit organizations in the Bay Area. Our campaigns ultimately opened the door for Goodwill's business partnership programs, resulting in the placement of their graduates in such companies as The Gap, Nordstrom, San Francisco Hilton, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and Fresh Choice Restaurants, among others.