Engagement

Grand Canyon Conservancy is the official non-profit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, raising private funds, operating retail shops within the park, and providing premier guided educational programs about the natural and cultural history of the region.

Supporters fund projects including trails and historic building preservation work, educational programs for the public and activities to protect wildlife and their natural habitats. Grand Canyon Conservancy inspires people to protect and enhance Grand Canyon National Park for present and future generations.

Why did they come to Off Madison Ave?

Grand Canyon Conservancy tapped Off Madison Ave to help increase recognition of their organization, drive awareness of park programs in part or wholly funded by Grand Canyon Conservancy and to amplify the upcoming commemoration of its centennial and Founder’s Day. Many are aware of Grand Canyon, yet Grand Canyon Conservancy was virtually unknown for all its efforts to sustain and improve the park.

How did Off Madison Ave tackle their challenge?

Off Madison Ave began its engagement with Grand Canyon Conservancy by holding a half-day marketing strategy session where the teams could discuss challenges, opportunities and uncover potential stories. With each of the outcomes and aspirations the Grand Canyon Conservancy had, a defined set of behaviors were created and aligned with specific audiences based on their level of motivation.

This marketing approach also led to a deeper discovery about a human-interest story tied to Grand Canyon Conservancy. Rose Torphy was 103 years old and very recently became an official steward of Grand Canyon through the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Junior Ranger Program. A passionate supporter of the heritage and conservation efforts that embody Grand Canyon Conservancy, Rose had wanted to revisit Grand Canyon National Park and retrace her steps from a memorable trip she had made years earlier with her late husband.

Rose’s visit coincided with the upcoming centennial commemoration of the park and also the government shutdown of 2019.
The highlight of her and her family’s trip was being sworn in as an honorary Junior Ranger, a program run by Grand Canyon Conservancy to create ambassadors of the park and conservation stewards of the future.

Knowing a personal story of this nature has the ability to significantly impact the behaviors of the media, readers and other desired target audiences. Off Madison Ave launched a two-pronged PR strategy to tell Rose’s story and inspire others, while generating global brand awareness of Grand Canyon Conservancy.

“Good Morning America” on ABC was identified as the perfect high-profile national media outlet to run the story exclusively, which would then syndicate across the ABC network affiliates. Video footage of Rose being sworn in as a Junior Ranger, alongside images and personal quotes were provided as important shareable assets to further tell this story.

The PR agency team amplified the national story through a series of designed prompts as it gained organic traction online, on-air and in print, and then facilitated additional high-profile interviews nationally, locally in Rose’s hometown of Chicago and finally, across Arizona.

What were the results?

Off Madison Ave secured over 250 pieces of national and international earned media coverage between February and March 2019.  Additionally, coverage generated over 56 million media impressions and the Annual Day of Giving (an annual fundraiser benefiting Grand Canyon Conservancy) had an increase in donations of more than 73% year over year.