Introduce Care in Action to Virginia
Challenge #1: Introduce the national organization’s brand to Virginia to elect women of color during the 2019 General Election.
Care in Action is the policy and advocacy home for two million domestic workers. The organization was founded to elect women of color who will advance the rights of domestic workers. In 2019, the organization launched its first state program in Virginia with an aim of electing 12 women of color into the General Assembly. They made a historic six-figure investment in field organizing, digital advertisements, and direct mail campaigns in key districts to mobilize voters As a new organization, the client needed help with:
- Introducing the brand to Virginia media
- Creating moments to elevate stories of care workers
- Organizing press events
- Placement of editorials in key markets
Our campaign focused on a targeted PR strategy in key voter districts for candidates running close races. That included creating a distinct message for print and digital media, with a heavy focus on local media, and working the digital marketing team for a consistent voice. Using a multi-prong approach, we focused on messaging that resonated with the target audience that would also reach as many media outlets as possible.
Key wins:
- 11 media hits
- Placement of op-ed
- Virginia media showed interest in the total amount of investments being made in the 2019 campaign, especially in competitive races. They were also interested in legislative items Care in Action would be advocating for in the General Assembly.
- National media had their eyes on 2020 throughout the 2019 campaign. Much of their focus was on how Virginia would perform and any indication for the presidential and congressional races next year. Often, the hook was about electing more women into office and the historic firsts for women of color.
Generate Media Coverage to Help Pass a Bill
Challenge #2: The client needed to generate media coverage for the Virginia Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights during the 2020 Virginia General Assembly session. They needed to persuade public opinion and mobilize supporters to influence policy so the bill would pass.
Our strategy:
Engagement
Build and maintain relationships with Capitol Press Corps members, patrons of legislation, labor/domestic worker coalitions, and target media markets.
Education
Prepare key messages and background information on legislative priorities for the news media and inform the public about advocacy activities.
Awareness
Generate a conversation on the importance of domestic worker labor rights to gain public support (both statewide and nationally) and influence state legislators to support the Bill of Rights.
Key Wins
- Passage of Senate Bill 804 – the first labor protections for domestic workers in any southern state. The bill strikes domestic worker exemptions from the Virginia Minimum Wage Act and establishes a workgroup to implement workplace protections for this workforce.
- 24 media hits.
- Featured coverage in VPM.
- The #BelieveBlackWomen press conference.
- Featured interviews by domestic worker advocate Lenka Mendoza and Virginia state director Alexsis Rodgers.
- Publication of op-ed advocating for au pair inclusions.
- Legislative updates on domestic workers in Virginia's minimum wage laws.
- The organization's response to Lt. Gov. Fairfax's harmful behavior towards survivors.
