Case Study: PR Strategy for Delaware Center for the Inland Bays Report Card

MSBD/GreenSmith PR collaborated with the Center to highlight hot-button issues and refocus the community on the value of its water ecosystem at well-attended press conference on the health of the inland bays.

Challenge 

Delaware Center for the Inland Bays have been stewards of Delaware’s expansive inland bays—Rehoboth, Little Assawoman, and Indian River—for nearly 30 years. The Center’s mission grew out of a national recognition of the bays as an “estuary of national significance” in 1988 that needed restoration and preservation in the face of pollution threats. The inland bays of Delaware are among 28 estuaries across the nation with programs dedicated to their conservation through public outreach and scientific research. 

With the impending release of the Center’s latest State of the Bays Report Card, MSBD/GreenSmith PR tackled leadership’s desire to raise public awareness and enhance messaging with Delaware’s stakeholders. 

Solution 

MSBD/GreenSmith PR worked closely with the Center staff to help sharpen messaging from the voluminous research and data held in the report, provide staff with media training, and help with news event project management. Our efforts also included coordination with offices of elected and appointed officials involved in public policy surrounding environmental issues. 

We developed a media advisory and shared an embargoed copy of the report card with environmental beat reporters at The Coastal Point newspaper and environmental reporters for broadcast and online media.

Our environmental backdrop was at the conference center at a hotel in Dewey Beach. The deck area was the perfect setting for reporters to shoot b-roll and conduct 1-on-1 interviews with the Center’s director and lead scientist and author of the State of the Bays report. 

Results 

The press briefing produced 47 million media impressions, including coverage by all three local network TV affiliates, multiple radio mentions, and the leading publication for the Delmarva Hispanic community. Media outlets covering the event included: 

WBOC-TV, WRDE Coast TV, WMDT-TV, Delaware Public Radio, Delmarva Public Media (90.7), Newstalk Delaware, The Coastal Point, Hoy en Delaware, and Delaware News Journal.