The U.S. Army’s Central California Recruiting Battalion met a small business owner within our battalion footprint. He was the owner of an ice cream shop called “How We Roll Ice Cream”. Upon discussion, we found out that both one of our captains at our headquarters and the ice cream shop owner shared a history of both being born prematurely and receiving care at Valley Children’s Hospital. Recognizing our collective ties to the community, we contacted the hospital to organize an event in gratitude, thus Rolling For Heroes: “Ice Cream Social” Campaign was born.
Following our outreach and conversations with the Valley Children’s PR & Marketing team, we jointly agreed that “How We Roll Ice Cream” would host a catering event, supported by Army Recruiters who would distribute ice cream to the NICU and PICU teams which comprise of more than 200 medical professionals at the hospital. The concept embodied the notion of heroes supporting heroes… with the sweet touch of ice cream. The timeline was June to August of 2023 as it took time to get many moving parts organized and pushed in the right direction. There was no budget as it was all done pro bono.
From the conversations with all parties involved, my goals were to;
- Manage, coordinate, and oversee logistics of the overall event at the hospital.
- Build awareness of the event after the fact on social media.
From there, my measurable objective was to;
- Reach 5,000 people on social media, after the event, within the local Fresno community.
Below are the tactics that were used.
- Event Management: With precision, I orchestrated and managed logistics among Army recruiters, the ice cream shop team, and the children’s hospital PR/marketing team. I ensured that each party received accurate information, addressed all inquiries and concerns, and helped facilitate the transportation of equipment into the facility ahead of the event’s commencement.
- Event Photography: Captured numerous photographs throughout the event, featuring all participating parties. These images were utilized for social media posts and as marketing content.
- VIP Relations: I invited a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army by the name of Lorenzo Rios, who is the CEO of the Clovis Veteran’s Memorial District. Between myself and the hospital PR/marketing team, we ensured a premium experience through personalized assistance, attention to their needs, and discreet handling of requests, enhancing overall VIP satisfaction and event reputation.
- Social Media: Created post-event social media content, driving engagement, sharing highlights, and effectively extending the event’s reach while analyzing data to measure the campaign’s impact and enhance future event marketing strategies.
- Influencer Relations: Leveraged both Valley Children’s Hospital and the Clovis Veteran’s Memorial District social media accounts, where they created post-event content to amplify brand exposure effectively increasing brand credibility and expanding the event’s online presence.
Below were the final results.
- Total Attendance: 212 people
- Total Social Media Reach: 26,689 people
Overall, it was considered a very successful event within the battalion’s footprint. The overall total reach saw a 433.78%+ increase from the original measurable objective. Every party involved was very happy with the outcome and plans for next year are being talked about.
This campaign won an award in 2024.
- Public Relations Society of America “Image Awards” – Award of Excellence: Community Relations