Boston Greenfest 2008

About Boston Greenfest 2008
Boston GreenFest, an annual environmental festival, brings together community groups, corporations, government agencies and citizens to share new technologies and ideas that can immediately change our daily lives and help bring about a more sustainable future. The largest event of its kind, Boston GreenFest’s mission is to raise awareness about current global climate issues, disseminate information about how to make changes, and celebrate the strides residents are already making in their communities.

Business Challenge
The first annual Boston Greenfest was taking place in less than four weeks, and the Boston GreenFest 2008 organizers needed to raise awareness as quickly as possible. Significant work needed to be done to articulate the event’s main messages and get the word out to residents in and around town. Enlisting media through a convincing public relations campaign was critical.

The organizing body, The Foundation for a Green Future, Inc, came to Hart-Boillot and asked: could the HB team create an advertising and public relations campaign to raise awareness with consumers and the media in such a short time-frame?

Hart-Boillot Strategy
Hart-Boillot’s creative and PR teams immediately got to work to create an advertising and PR strategy that would make the event a must-attend for Massachusetts residents interested in learning more about how to save energy, increase sustainability and help the environment.

A “save the date” ad (below) was re-purposed in English and Spanish in multiple formats to appear in a wide range of media outlets and locations. The PR team tackled the event listings pages in online and print publications and worked with event coordinators to develop key messages for a press release and general media outreach.

Within ten days, Hart-Boillot’s PR team drafted and issued a press release and contacted reporters and producers to get them excited about the event, while Hart-Boillot’s Creative team developed 51 different ad variations that appeared in numerous media, including bus shelters throughout the city and publications such as The Boston Phoenix and El Planeta.

Results
As a result of Hart-Boillot’s quick-strike PR efforts, Boston GreenFest Event Coordinator Karen Weber was interviewed by WBZ 1030 AM radio. Just days prior to the event, Boston GreenFest was chosen as a “Your Weekend” front-page pick by Boston.com, promoted on-air by NECN, and more than a dozen other websites encouraged attendance by making Boston GreenFest a part of their event calendars as well, including wbur.org, bostonmagazine.com, bonstonist.com and wxrv.com – which also promoted the event on air throughout the weekend! Following the event, coverage appeared on Boston’s local NBC affiliate, WHDH, and in the Boston Metro daily newspaper. (Other Placements: 1 2 3 4 5).

Client Quote
"Working with Hart-Boillot was simply put, wonderful. When Nicolas Boillot reached out to us at the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. and asked if we might need some help in promoting Boston GreenFest 2008, we did not hesitate - this was the answer to several of our prayers. Short on time, staff and graphic designers, we could use whatever assistance we were offered. Hart-Boillot made the difference in helping us get the word out about our important event in a creative and timely fashion. When we needed an advertisement resized or reworked, it was done promptly and beyond our expectations. When it came time to look at our media campaign, Hart-Boillot again came through with flying colors. We could rely on the professionalism and enthusiasm of Hart-Boillot's staff to establish a glowing press release as well as to make great connections with members of print, web-based, radio and television media. And... when our event was washed out due to hurricanes at our door, they instantly helped get the word out about our change in plans. Hart-Boillot exceeds all standards of excellence and is a gem to be treasured. " - Dr. Karen Weber, Executive Director, Foundation for a Green Future