We guide our clients' public relations goals.

For the Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA), we provide strategic counsel and media relations to amplify their work revitalizing neighborhoods, closing the racial wealth gap through home ownership, returning blighted properties to the county tax roll, and providing opportunity to local property developers who’ve historically been shut out of development opportunities. We’ve earned CCLBA notable, on-message stories in the Chicago Tribune, ABC7 Chicago, CBSN Chicago and numerous community media outlets. We have also helped increase their social media following and engagement through robust content development. Across all social channels, we’ve reached over 200,000 social media users, frequently doubling and tripling industry standards for social content engagement. 

Since 2017, we have worked collaboratively with  Elevated Chicago's  program team and 17 steering committee organizations to define, shape and promote the initiative, along with the complex concept of equitable transit-oriented development (eTOD) at seven Chicago Transit Authority stations on the South, West and Northwest Sides. In Year 1, when Elevated Chicago launched, we developed the logo, reframed the name, created the website, produced videos, launched social media accounts, crafted messaging and internal training on it, supported community events with media coverage and more. In Year 2, we produced an eTOD symposium and a youth summit, and expanded the website. In Year 3, we produced the first virtual symposium and new video content, developed ETOD messaging to advance the city’s first ETOD policy plan recommendations, and created a three-year impact report. The results: Strong local support, media coverage and exemplary standing within the national collective.

For the Chicago Dept. of Public Health (CDPH) with funding from the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, we worked hyper-collaboratively with CPDH to produce its five-year report, Healthy Chicago 2025. Challenged to both interpret information that was at times complex or dense, and to present information in a manner digestible by diverse readers, we responded to the agency’s bold plans with equally bold creativity: storytelling, futurism, hand-drawn illustrations and lots of custom vector images. The results: A terrific report (produced before and during a public health crisis) by an amazing team of public health practitioners, with our contributions.

For the Lawyers Trust Fund and its programming partner, the Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, we provide communications support for Rentervention and its mascot, Renny the Robot. Our work is all about amplifying the free legal services this AI chat-bot provides to people dealing with eviction, apartment conditions or security deposit problems. In Spring 2020, with COVID-19 gripping America, we used community and Spanish-language media to reach Chicagoans who needed help. We also launched an digital ad campaign prioritizing specific Chicago zip codes. The results: Month-over-month increases in chat-bot sessions, prominent stories in the Chicago Tribune and on Univision, and a click-through rate nearly three times the national average.

For Prince Charitable Trusts, we created its first contemporary logo in its 70-year history. We also overhauled and rebranded its website to reflect the cohesion of its giving in three geographic areas and the thoughtfulness of its grant-making decisions, and launched its Instagram presence as another way to showcase its diverse grantees. The results: A fresh logo that celebrates the Trusts’ origins, a clean and clear website that welcomes curious visitors, and a first-time Instagram account that showcases beautiful grantee-sourced photography.

For the Forest Preserves of Cook County, we worked with The Conservation Fund, Anterro Group and the Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago to produce a land acquisition plan for the southeast portion of Cook County. Pivotal was the inclusion of the impact of land acquisition on racial and health equity in this zone. While our partners handled research on land usage, zoning, development potential, etc., we led community outreach, creating a strategy for connecting with elected officials, subject-matter experts and diverse residents (parents, educators, retired citizens, et al) in the prioritized geographic area. We also designed and helped edit the plan for reader accessibility. The result: A well-received  report that has been  recognized with awards from the American Planning Association, Illinois Chapter, and the Friends of the Chicago River. 

For Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Chicago, we created a compelling advertising campaign and executive communications to increase awareness about their mortgage lending and home buying services. Our campaign was centered on our primary and secondary research on the home buying industry, NHS customers and competitors. The campaign, which launched in November 2018, consisted of digital, billboard and radio advertising. We complimented that campaign with executive speechwriting, promotional videos and a social media campaign. We also enhanced NHS’ approach to social media by creating new policies and a social media team.