The Challenge
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mayor of Edegem reached out to us about the launch of a new platform Ik Help Helden. Catherine Callens, a proud inhabitant of Edegem, wanted to thank all ‘heroes’ of the crisis: nurses, doctors, firefighters, supermarket employees,… who were fighting for all of us. She also wanted to support small local businesses, who were heavily affected by Corona. That’s why, together with the support of the city of Edegem, she launched the online platform ‘Ik Help Helden’. Thanks to the platform, citizens are able to donate a present from a local store to a hero of their choice. This way, people are able to thank their heroes AND support their local entrepreneurs. Win-win! But how to spread the message and make sure people donated? MMBSY to the rescue!
The Work
After sitting down – virtually – with team Ik Help Helden, we started working our PR magic. First, we laid out the strategic framework for the official launch of the platform. In order to create as much relevance as possible, we decided to launch on the 12th of May, aka “International Nurses Day”. MMBSY took care of the press release, the tailormade press list and the press conference. We also got several influencers who live in Edegem on board to spread the message, like Linde Merckpoel and Geert Hunaerts. We proactively pitched press to attend the press conference, focusing on local newspapers, radio and TV. We officially launched the platform to the public and immediately saw the results: online articles in Weekend Knack, Het Laatste Nieuws and Gazet van Antwerpen followed soon after the press conference. We also made it to national TV and radio: Catherine Callens went live on Radio 2, MNM and the 7 PM VRT news to promote Ik Help Helden. Talk about a powerful launch!
The result
- Print publications: 2
- Online publications: 6
- Radio interviews: 3
- TV mentions: 2
