Each year, Franco earns a substantial amount of media coverage partially due to our efforts to keep the campaign fresh and new. We try to introduce new elements into the Salvation Army PR campaign mix to keep things new and interesting. Some examples include “Celebrity Bell Ringer Day” – where local celebrities serve as bell ringers promoting their participation through the #RingingInTheD hashtag – which recently raised nearly $6,000 in just two hours and “Red Wings for Kettles” – where Detroit Red Wings players, staff and alumni ring bells and compete with one another on who can raise the most money for the cause – which generated $16,000 in just two hours.
The annual results are a great illustration of our ability to brainstorm compelling stories and quickly mobilize around newsworthy opportunities to generate extensive media coverage in a short timeframe.