COALITION FOR GENETIC FAIRNESS/GENETIC ALLIANCE
Challenge: After working for thirteen years to push the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) through Congress, the Coalition for Genetic Fairness and the Genetic Alliance wanted to maximize press coverage on the passage of GINA and establish themselves as the go-to organizations for comment on the bill and genetic information issues.
Solution: Public Relations, Media Outreach, Blogger Relations
Outcome: Amplify’s rigorous press outreach strategy resulted in national media coverage for both organizations spanning print, Web and broadcast. Outlets including the Associated Press, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, BBC and ScienceDaily all covered the story.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Challenge: Amidst of a media frenzy after publicly calling for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, AIUSA wanted to strengthen its community by enlarging its outreach beyond e-mail, enabling them to communicate their human-rights message to more people in more places.
Solution: Online Strategy, Blogger Relations
Outcome: With Amplify’s involvement, AIUSA has launched its own series of blogs, created blogging guidelines for staff and volunteers, created blogads, and implemented a comprehensive RSS strategy. These blogs and RSS enabled them to communicate more efficiently with both constituents and critics and resulted at one point with the discussion being ranked as the #1 political topic on Technorati – a top blog search engine.
NOVARTIS
Am Eye Healthy?
Challenge: Novartis Ophthalmics wanted to reach out to Americans about the importance of eye health.
Solution: Coalition Building and Management, Public Relations, Website Development
Outcome: Amplify conceived of and launched the “Am Eye Healthy?” coalition and corresponding website as a vehicle for the eye health awareness and education campaign. Amplify recruited 26 leading non-profit associations to partner in the campaign and hosted a launch event on Capitol Hill with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as the keynote. To further local media interest Amplify facilitated free vision screenings on behalf of the coalition in different cities across the country. The campaign has touched thousands of Americans and provided free vision screenings to hundreds, many of whom were referred for further care.
Visudyne
Challenge: Novartis Pharmaceuticals was concerned about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s (CMS) decision to limit the availability of one of its therapies.
Solution: Strategic Alliances
Outcome: Amplify immediately recruited and mobilized supportive third party voices to deliver messages both at the key hearing and to targeted influentials at Health and Human Services (HHS), CMS and on Capitol Hill. Amplify was able to secure written testimony from 15 well-respected national organizations, public testimony from eight leaders of key national organizations and more than 40 grasstops letters to HHS, CMS and the Hill. The campaign put intense pressure on CMS and helped get CMS to overturn its decision and expand Medicare coverage – a win for Novartis and the general public.
INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE (IFAW)
Challenge: IFAW wanted to promote its charity giving campaign, Gift for Animals, while competing with numerous other gift giving alternatives during the holiday season.
Solution: Public Relations, Blogger Relations
Outcome: Gift for Animals received extensive media coverage in the U.S. and Canada, including a feature in Canada’s largest national daily newspaper, the National Post. Media coverage spanned all types of outlets including: print, radio, television and blogs, resulting in an increase in donations to IFAW over the previous year’s campaign.
RESTORE ACCESS TO MOBILITY PARTNERSHIP (RAMP)
Challenge: Mobility manufacturers were frustrated with the lack of coverage available to those in need of mobility assistance equipment.
Solution: Coalition Building and Management, Media Relations, Government Relations, Website Development
Outcome: Amplify formed Restore Access to Mobility Partnership (RAMP), which was made up of medical equipment manufacturers and distributors from all across the country in addition to over 20 leading disability, seniors and consumer organizations. In addition, Amplify set up a website with an action center where individuals and organizations could learn about the issue and contact key policymakers. Amplify also assisted with the media strategy by helping to identify potential “victims” for stories and recruiting leading advocates to serve as public voices. The issue, the industry and the third party coalition all received significant press attention including coverage in the New York Times.
APRIL 10
Challenge: In December 2005, legislation passed to allow the arrest and deportation of millions of men, women and children. In response, Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a project of the Center for Community Change (CCC), wanted to launch a national day of action called “April 10 – the National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice.”
Solution: Online Strategy, Online Advocacy, Website Development
Outcome: Amplify created www.April10.org, a site complete with interactive forms and online donation processing. Thanks to the innovative use of online tools and knowledge of grassroots mobilization, the April10.org website generated almost 45,000 petition signatures that were later delivered to Congress and the site increased CCC’s overall online community by about 50% in a week’s time.
