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MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Case Study

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

SITUATION

Field Museum management wanted to increase attendance in January (a traditionally slow month), reach members of Chicago’s African-American community and dominate the media coverage over competing MLK events in all local and regional print, TV and radio coverage in the days preceding the event as well as throughout the four-day weekend celebration.      

SOLUTION

Setting the Stage:   We invited actor and singer Kevin McIlvaine, who is known throughout the U.S. and Europe for his enthralling portrayals of Dr. King.   McIlvaine’s performances combine the intensity of King’s words with the power of gospel music.   We also brought in the Metropolitan Apostolic Community Choir of Chicago to join McIlvaine, round out the hour-long performance and augment his recitations of King’s speeches.  

Speaking to the Community:   We sent personal letters to the pastors of chicagoland community churches and encouraged them to talk about this unique opportunity as part of their Sunday sermon.   We supplied them with flyers to post and distribute to members of their congregations.   We also targeted the leaders of organized groups such as the Chicago Boys and Girls Clubs.   We invited Cliff Kelley, a popular radio talk show host on both WVON and WVAZ, to MC the event because of his devoted following of radio listeners.

Capitalizing on Sponsor Participation:   Ariel Capital Management, an investment firm whose management was interested in bringing attention to their educational mission, sponsored the event.   We worked with the sponsor to showcase their pet project - -  the teachers and students from Ariel Academy - - and inviting them  to participate in the media preview for the event.  

Communicating to the Masses:   Ads were placed in the Chicago Daily Defender, Chicago Sun-Times, WVON and the WVAZ.   New releases were sent to Chicago’s mainstream media outlets as well as African American newspapers and radio stations.   Typically, public programs were always presented in a theater on the Museum’s ground floor, far from the main hall.   We made a “controversial” decision to hold the event in Stanley Field Hall (the Museum’s main hall), sending a message to visitors that this event was to be shared by everyone who entered the museum.

RESULTS

The event kicked off with a front-page (above the fold) article in the Chicago Daily Defender entitled With King’s words and Voice, performer relives his dream, written by Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter William Mullen.   Chicago Sun-Times also ran a front-page article with an image of McIlvaine.   All major dailies and weeklies ran extensive articles, allowing us to reach both readers of African American and mainstream publications.   N;Digo, Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, and the Time Out devoted prominent space to the event.   The electronic coverage was also outstanding.   All broadcast TV stations began covering the event on Thursday with the media preview.   The coverage continued for five consecutive days as part of the evening news on all seven TV stations (Channels 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, Fox & CLTV) with interviews with McIlvaine and Field Museum president John McCarter.   Radio coverage included extensive coverage by WVON/WVAZ talk show host Cliff Kelley who served as MC for the event due to his devoted following of radio listeners.  the Chicago Reader aired the program in its entirety and N’Digo’s John Williams also interviewed McIlvaine on his afternoon show.   WGN is a leader in Chicago’s radio market.   We exceeded expectations by “owning” the event in the media, including competing with events held by City officials featuring Senator Obama.   The buzz attracted more than 17,000 visitors, an increase of more than 43% over the previous year’s attendance.   Placing the event in the main hall proved to contribute to the event’s success.   In addition to the visitors who filled Stanley Field Hall, there was a “sea of People” who enjoyed the performance from the balcony that surrounds the Great Hall.   It was also most rewarding to learn that most attendees at the event were first-time visitors to the Museum.