Freedom Is Not Free

Background:
Freedom Is Not Free, a non-profit organization, raises money for wounded vets through events, selling merchandise such as wristbands and shirts, as well as donations. With the number of wounded vets approaching the 28,000 mark and over 3,000 fatalities, the non-profit had to raise more donations and at a faster pace. The idea of putting Recon Marines into a calendar was the brainchild of Jean Hammerslag, who serves on the board of Freedom Is Not Free. The project was near completion with the final product ready to sell, but there was no way to get the message out quickly. Hammerslag contacted INK for help. After working with INK on a previous project, she knew she could get the timely results she needed. Many lives could be affected in a positive way if they could raise $500,000 through the sale of the 2007 "American Heroes" Recon Calendar by January 2007.

INK gladly took on the project, with a belief in the cause and an understanding of the time constraints and challenges that might occur due to political sentiment surrounding the war in Iraq. INK had to work fast since one key opportunity for garnering coverage, September 11th, had passed.

Strategy:
INK planned and devised a publicity campaign that would focus on the personal stories of some of the men who appeared in the calendar as well as the birth of the calendar project. The goal was to keep the focus away from whether or not the war on terror was justified or right. Instead the focus was on a group of people who served their country, many who made the ultimate sacrifice and now needed help back at home, regardless of what anyone's political view on the war was. It was also important that each of the soldiers we offered up for interviews had an in-depth knowledge of the goals and objectives of Freedom Is Not Free. They were not just models who talked about being in a calendar, they were Recon Marines who happened to look like models. Each of them was an advocate for the cause who could talk passionately about the men and women they were helping.

Tactics:
INK's media outreach was timed to coincide with the release of the movie "The Marine," the upcoming Veteran's Holiday, and Holiday Gift Guides, in addition to securing a number of calendar signings at Barnes & Noble. The quality and sex appeal of the calendar, not to mention the organization and their mission, made for an attention-grabbing media kit. INK knew if reporters could see the product and the mission behind it, they would tell our story, especially knowing 100% of the proceeds go to help our wounded.

INK kicked off it's publicity campaign by sending out the calendar press kit using its "Top 10 American Hotties" and "Beefcake Calendar" pitch. Interests from major networks were coming fast. INK decided a media tour would be the best way to handle multiple interviews in New York with the major networks, securing interviews for the Recon "McDreamies" featured in the calendar with The Today Show and Inside Edition followed by their appearance on Neil Cavuto's Your World, an extensive interview still posted at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,220489,00.html. Their appearance on Cavuto flooded the FINF site with orders for calendars; the phones were on fire with generous donations. Additional media interviews were being scheduled with Rita Cosby on MSNBC and another FOX appearance on Big Story Weekend, making time for a 2-hour interview with the Associated Press. The story hit the same day and was picked up by over 200 print and local news outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun Times, New York Daily News, and The London Times. We also secured up to 50 local and national radio interviews including the popular show Broadminded on XM Satellite Radio's Take 5 Channel. The Recon Marines who were on a mission to raise awareness became overnight celebrities appearing on Yahoo! News, making the cover of the calendar the most viewed and e-mailed photo of the day.

The calendar signing targeted hometowns of the Recon Marines featured in the calendar. First stop, Kansas City. A full feature story of Rudy Reyes, who appears on the cover and as Mr. June, appeared in the Kansas City Star along with several local TV interviews and a story in Dos Mundos. The waiting line was 2 hours for signed calendars.

During the final phase of the campaign, INK targeted holiday gift guides as well as national TV. Regis and Kelly featured the calendar in their segment of calendar reviews raising contributions for worthwhile causes. Additional coverage was garnered in Entertainment publications In Touch Weekly and Nuevo Vale. Additional coverage was garnered in the gift guide sections of Complete Woman and local lifestyle magazines such as Putnam and InTown Magazine.

Results:
Along with the major national media hits seen above, INK's publicity generated more than 500,000 visitors to the Freedom Is Not Free website and exceeded the goal of $500,000 to $1 million dollars raised.

Radio:
Broadminded (XM Satellite Radio)
Young and Verna Show (CA)\
The Greaseman Show
Big D and Bubba Show
John and the Pop Tarts (KKOB Denver)
Jack and Sari in the Morning (Atlanta)
WFBE-FM (Fling MI)
WYGY-FM (Cincinnati OH)
KUDL-FM (Kansas City(2 times))
KMPS-FM (Seattle (3 times))
WZKL-FM (Alliance OH)
KSCS-FM (Arlington TX)
WHBC-FM (Canton OH)
WMHX-FM (Elizabethtown PA)
KBER-FM (Salt Lake City UT)
KUPL-FM (Portland OR)
WMGX-FM (South Portland ME)
KXKL-FM (Denver)
KUBL-FM (Lexington KY)
KFDI-FM (Wichita KS)
KHTT-FM (Tulsa OK)
KKZZ-FM (Ventura CA)
KVUU-FM (Colorado Springs CO)
WJBQ-FM (Portland ME)
WKKT-FM (Charlotte NC)
WLHK-FM (Indianapolis IN)
WLKF-AM (Lakeland FL)
WMAS-FM (Springfield MA)
WMJJ-FM (Birmingham AL)
WPCV-FM (Lakeland FL)
WWQM-FM (Madison WI)
KOGO-AM (San Diego CA)
WHOG-FM (Daytona Beach FL)
WPOR-FM (South Portland ME)
WBYT-FM (Mishawaka IN)
KBBY-FM (Ventura CA)
WIBA-AM (Fitchburg WI)
WPKX-FM (Springfield MA)
WHAS-AM (Louisville KY)
KCVM-FM (Cedar Falls IA)
WTIC-FM (Farmington CT)
KYYS-FM (Kansas City)
Bradford J.com (internet radio)
KKMG-FM (Colorado Springs CO)
WCFF-FM (Champaign IL)
KNX (Los Angeles CA)
WNIC-FM (Farmington Hills MI)
WHOK-FM (Columbus OH)
BBC Radio (UK)
KQRC-FM (Kansas City (2 times)

Print:
The Kansas City Star (2 times)
Dos Mundos (Kansas City (2 times)
In Touch Weekly
In Town
Los Angeles Times
Putnam Magazine
Associated Press
The London Times
Complete Woman
San Diego Tribune
Chicago Sun Times
New York Daily News
Nuevo Vale

TV Broadcast:
The Today Show
Regis and Kelly
Your World with Neil Cavuto
The Rita Cosby Show MSNBC
Big Story Weekend
CNN Headline News
Local Network Stations as the result of the Associated Press
Good Day New York
Inside Edition
KFMB (San Diego, Channel 8)
KSAZ TV (Phoenix AZ)
KCTV5 (Kansas City, MO)
WDAF(Kansas City, MO)
Deal or No Deal

Online:
Yahoo! (most viewed and emailed photo of the day
New Media/Social Blogs

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