Division A - Public Relations Programs
Category 4 - Public Information
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS: THE EISENHOWER INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM
Maria Ehrlich, HNTB Corporation
Judges' Award
Research/Situation Analysis:
The year 2006 marked the 50th anniversary of the Interstate Highway
System (IHS); a significant chapter in our nation’s history. HNTB has
been a transportation pioneer since its founding in 1914. With more
than 40 years of transportation experience when President Eisenhower
signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act in 1956, HNTB was already a valued
resource to transportation agencies. Informal research through
discussions with media, trade associations and clients verified that
very few transportation engineering firms had formulated plans around
this milestone. HNTB captured this opportunity to differentiate itself
from other engineering firms and launched a comprehensive campaign.
The
Message: HNTB was a key player in establishing the IHS in Florida and
is now defining the future of transportation through innovation and
thought leadership.
Target Audience: External - Clients:
(Departments of transportation, toll authorities and municipalities),
Mainstream Media and industry associations (national, local and trade),
Public officials. Internal - Employees
Objectives:
To effectively position HNTB as a leader in the development of the IHS
in Florida, HNTB conducted a comprehensive campaign with the following
objectives: 1) Heighten awareness of HNTB’s history, leadership and
innovation in building the IHS through advertising and generating a
minimum of five media exposures; 2) Differentiate HNTB’s point of view
on the IHS anniversary from other industry organizations by focusing on
the future of transportation through strategic media pitches and op-ed
pieces in trade and mainstream media outlets 3) Instill pride in HNTB’s
accomplishments and professional staff through internal communication
tools and by creating a commemorate piece that would highlight the
firms IHS history; 4) To participate in the Florida Department of
Transportation’s IHS anniversary website and Florida Crossroads
documentary.
Implementation: HNTB’s first step in the campaign
was to demonstrate the firm’s leadership in creating, establishing and
designing the IHS by partnering with the Florida Department of
Transportation (FDOT). Since the FDOT is one of HNTB’s largest clients,
the firm wanted to support the FDOT’s efforts as well as increase the
firm’s visibility as a valuable resource. This was accomplished through
media pitches, phone calls, photos shoots, and video interviews between
HNTB and the FDOT resulting in expert views from HNTB’s transportation
leaders featured in the FDOT Florida Crossroads documentary titled
“Roads Well Traveled: 50 years of Florida’s Interstate System. Photos
of HNTB designed interstates in Florida were also featured on the
FDOT’s anniversary website www.fl-interstate.com.
The second step of
the campaign was to heighten awareness of HNTB’s history, leadership
and innovation in building the IHS in the southeast division, as well
as differentiate HNTB’s point of view on the IHS anniversary from other
industry organizations by focusing on the future and advocating
transportation funding/innovation/investment. This was accomplished
through media pitches, guest columns, spokesperson key messages, and an
article in HNTB’s Designer magazine.
The final phase of the
campaign was to instill pride in HNTB’s accomplishments and
professional staff. This was accomplished using multiple internal
communication vehicles in the form of hardcopy newsletters, online
newsletters, and the intranet. In addition, a commemorative color
poster was created that featured the signs of all the interstates HNTB
has designed over the past. The poster was distributed to all employees
and clients.
Evaluation: The results of the
campaign were very successful. In Florida, HNTB distributed 15 media
pitches and generated seven articles that included HNTB bylined
articles and quotes from HNTB leaders. More than 15,000 clients and
media received the Designer magazine and smaller version of the
commemorative poster. The FDOT Florida Crossroads documentary DVD was
mailed to 1,000 engineering consultants, government officials and FDOT
consultants throughout the state of Florida as well as viewed by
thousands of Florida residents on the Public Broadcasting Station for
six months beginning June 29, 2006. 200 commemorative posters of HNTB’s
interstate work were mailed to clients, and 60 posters were mailed to
HNTB offices and customized for internal use. More than 300 Florida
employees were reached through internal communication efforts that took
the form of hard copy, electronic newsletters, and the Intranet.
Budget: The Florida campaign was implemented
using existing corporate resources, so no direct costs were associated
with this campaign other than staff time (approximately 64 hours),
printing and mailing of the commemorative poster ($6,500) and travel
expense associated with the FDOT documentary ($520). Total budget:
approximately $8,940 including staff time. Conclusion: The results of
the campaign were effective in meeting the objectives and significant
in nature considering the small investment made by HNTB.