Ellen Schulman
"Ellen and I worked together on the first-ever National Urban Fellows national conference held in Fort Lauderdale. Broad and Cassel, graciously donated her time to us to assist with the public relations for this conference. The results she achieved for our organization outpaced our expectations and demonstrated her deep public relations experience, connections in the community and passion for diversity education."
-Angela Perry, Director of Communications, National Urban Fellows, New York
"Ellen is constantly thinking of opportunities to improve the profile and community awareness of the Lighthouse of Broward. She prepares creative ideas, leads meetings with high energy and is very conscious of the agency's mission. She is honest and hard working. She has had great results in meeting or exceeding goals."
-- Dr. Elly du Pré, Executive Director of the Lighthouse of Broward

Case Studies:


Broad & Cassel Attorneys

The Broad and Cassel Community Champions

Situation/Research:
The Fort Lauderdale office of the statewide law firm Broad and Cassel was looking for creative ways to build awareness among key leaders in the community without breaking the bank. A pilot program, called the "Broad and Cassel Community Champions," had proven success in the Lighthouse Point/Pompano Community in generating qualified business leads and increasing the visibility of the firm in a prominent area.

The program involved a partnership with the local newspaper, The Observer, where they ran a half page ad featuring a leader who made a different in the community through both business and charitable success. After a year of running the monthly ads, a reception was held to honor the "Champions." Several new business leads and positive media coverage resulted from the program.

Planning/Implementation:
In order to expand this success throughout Broward County, a new partnership with the Sun-Sentinel's Society section was secured. The firm purchased full page ads to feature individuals selected by a joint committee of firm and newspaper executives. "Community Champions" continue to be chosen based on their career and charitable giving achievements.

Results:
The program continues to position the firm as a concerned corporate citizen and prominent player in the business community. The individuals featured have become business leads, community supporters and valuable referral sources for the firm.


Oce Future Authors Project Logo

Océ Future Authors Project: Community Relations

Situation/Research:
Océ North America employs more than 200 people in Boca Raton. A leading international provider of digital document management technology and services, Océ employs 23,000 people in 100 countries, with 2008 revenues of $4.3 billion. Personal interviews with the head of the Chamber, editor of the South Florida Business Journal, City of Boca Raton staff and Palm Beach School Board members revealed that awareness of the company was nonexistent. The marketing director wanted to increase company awareness through a community program that showcased their products and offered access to local leaders.

Planning/implementation: In 2005, ESPR created the Océ Future Authors Project to establish positive awareness of the company. More than 150 students from 40 middle and high schools participated in the program during the first four years alone. They attend free eight-day summer writing workshops taught by certified teachers and published authors. Student works are then published in a book printed by Océ and unveiled at a book signing attended by media, students, parents, school officials and community VIPs.

Results:
  • The first year the program generated major feature stories in the Boca News, Boca Times, Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post and on the local ABC affiliate, TV 25, and NBC affiliate TV5. Graphic Arts Monthly also features the program every year. The international Océ magazine featured the program on its cover and in 2007 the program received the OutputLinks Stewardship Award and was nominated for a Gold Coast PR Council Award.
  • Océ has received recognition and a donation for the program from Xplor International, a worldwide document technologies trade organization, whose members represent the leaders in the industry.
  • High profile organizations such as BankAtlantic, AutoNation, The Lawrence Saunders Foundation and the City of Boca Raton have supported the program with their sponsorship dollars.

www.oce.com/futureauthors


American Airlines Environmental Logo

American Airlines: Environmental Airline - A natural commitment

Situation/Research:
During the early 1990s, American Airlines (AA) was receiving negative publicity for their impact on the environment. The company's leadership wanted to counter this potentially damaging coverage by positioning American as the leader in environmental responsibility. Research of the competition revealed that no other airlines were engaged in environmental education or promotion of their environmental practices.

Planning/implementation/Communication:

Internal and external awareness campaigns were developed to position AA as the leading environmental airline and the first to implement a national recycling program. Elements included:
  • The creation of an environmental logo that appeared on everything from onboard recycling bags to luggage tags for employees. An onboard, "cans into cash" partnership with the flight attendants.
  • A $200,000 donation from AA was made to the Nature Conservancy to purchase a 43-acre tract of land in Tennessee as a nature preserve. A press conference was held at the site with both CEOs.
  • An educational fair was held to teach employees about ways to help the environment at work and home.
  • Two hundred employees in Dallas, Miami and Nashville participated in clean-up days at nature sites.
Results:
  • Extensive publicity clearly positioned American as the industry's leader in green practices. Coverage included a special column in American Way magazine, three days of front page coverage in the Tennessean and Nashville Banner, editorials in the Tennessee and Dallas Business Journals, 25 articles in Tennessee and Dallas papers, Green Business Newsletter, national Personnel Journal magazine about recycling at work, Nature Conservancy's local and national publications, and the e-Factor book.
  • According to statistics released by AA's environmental department, 30,000 headquarters employees generated $73,000 in revenue from aluminum can and white paper recycling.
  • On board recycling raised $80,000, which was donated to the Nature Conservancy and other charities.