Background and Objectives

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Time Period: April 2010

Background and Objectives: In April 2010, the Ad Council and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) launched a national campaign to raise awareness among Hispanic parents about the important role they play with their children getting into college. The campaign aims to convince parents that they should be more active in helping their children get to college. The PSAs direct parents to visit the campaign website (available in English and Spanish), www.YourWordsToday.org and a toll-free number, 1-877-HSF-8711 which offers resources to better understand and navigate the college process. Parents can also call the toll-free number to order a free informational DVD.

The Ad Council and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund sought to conduct a PR and social media program to further the reach of the PSAs through traditional and social media, initiate a national dialogue about the importance parents have in their child’s education and college process and direct traffic to the campaign website.

PR and Social Media Strategy: The launch of the campaign included an event at Washington, DC’s Newseum which featured the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan; Frank Alvarez, CEO and President of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Peggy Conlon and representatives from The Coca-Cola Company, Target and Time Warner Inc. to announce the new campaign, as well as acknowledge the role of corporate America in supporting education. The TV PSAs were debuted and the print ads were featured around the room.

The public relations strategies applied were conducted in both English and Spanish, including Satellite TV and Radio Media Tours (SMTs/RMTs) conducted by Home Front Communications and featuring Frank Alvarez and Spanish-speaking spokesperson Alejandra Rincon, National Director, University Alliances, The Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Additionally, the Ad Council and HSF distributed bilingual multimedia news releases (MNRs) and conducted English and Spanish outreach to press who cover advertising/media, education and parenting. Furthermore, a customized HTML email featuring the new creative was distributed to HSF’s board of directors, constituents and alumni.

Social media outreach was also conducted throughout the first several months of the campaign. Strategies included blog relations and growing HSF’s presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Results: In just the first two weeks, the new PSAs and research were featured in national and local television, radio, print and online news stories throughout the country. The English and Spanish SMT/RMT included over 30 segments reaching more than 29 million people. The tour featured national interviews including Univision’s top morning show Despierta America, FOX News Radio, American Urban Radio, Univision and CNN en Espanol, as well as local stations in top markets including New York, Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Dallas.

Furthermore, the MNRs resulted in more than 200 placements on high traffic websites including, Forbes.com, Examiner.com, Univision.com and Yahoo .com generating 21 million impressions.

Stories and blogs in consumer, parenting guides and multiple Hispanic media outlets included in-depth features and the campaign was discussed in larger stories focusing on the dramatic statistics associated with the campaign. Additionally, there was a significant increase in HSF’s fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter.