Project Summary

In need of a strong, coordinated kickoff, Washington United for Marriage approached Nyhus to implement a full-service launch of its coalition with only two weeks to plan and execute. As a brand new coalition, Washington United for Marriage was in need of everything from messaging development and social media strategy to advocating with key legislators.

Challenge

Nyhus managed the development of a communications strategy that involved fully integrating public relations, public affairs, marketing, and social media to ensure a cohesive and veritable voice of support for the freedom to marry was heard from the coalition. Over two weeks, Nyhus worked closely with the Coalition to develop messaging, plan a press conference, provide media training, consult on social media activation, secure a preview story in The Seattle Times and advocate key legislators for their support.

Results

• The press conference included speeches from leading members of the coalition and testimonials of support from lesbian and gay families as well as allies from all over Washington state.
• In the first two weeks after the announcement of Washington United for Marriage, a total of 44 original news clips and 25 blog posts were published.
• In the first week, nearly 4,000 people became fans of Washington United for Marriage’s Facebook page.