The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation (JYF) is seeking proposals from public relations firms with significant national experience in travel and tourism to plan, coordinate, implement and administer a national and regional public relations campaign to introduce the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown will have a grand opening in 2017. JYF also operates Jamestown Settlement museum and anticipates companion messaging on this museum and a combination ticket in public relations efforts.
$15 Million has been raised to finance the opening of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown’s gallery exhibits, outdoor exhibits and educational resources. Jamestown Settlement is the Agency’s living-history museum that interprets the cultures of 17th-century colonial Jamestown, America’s first permanent English settlement.
The site tells the story of 17th-century Virginia, from the arrival of English colonists in 1607 to the cultural encounters and events that planted the seeds of a new nation utilizing film, gallery exhibits and outdoor living history. Yorktown will interpret, through both indoor and outdoor exhibits, the impact of the American Revolution on the people living in the colonies and the development of the new nation. The site consists of a new 22,000 square foot museum facility including gift shops, café, classrooms, and exhibit space and two outdoor living history areas.
The Agency is also preparing for a major commemoration in 2019, which will commemorate four landmark Virginia events in 1619 – the first legislative assembly, the arrival of the first documented Africans, the recruitment of women for colonization and the observance of a Thanksgiving service.
The agency chosen will be expected to:
- Develop a strategic plan to reach national and regional media in major media markets and in the thirteen original colonies/states to support the opening of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and include companion museum, Jamestown Settlement and outline additional related goals.
- Serve as a full-service public relations agency to assist JYF’s broader marketing efforts.
- Develop story angles and media pitches that highlight the many components of the new museum, themes of the grand opening and Jamestown Settlement.
- Secure broadcast placements and feature articles in JYF’s primary visitor-origin markets – New York, Philadelphia/Pennsylvania, Washington DC/Baltimore/ Maryland, North Carolina/Raleigh-Durham, Florida, California, Ohio, Texas and Atlanta. Generate earned media related to programs directed to the thirteen original states, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia/JYF staff, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island, as well as Washington, DC.
- Secure bylined stories in a minimum of 5 top-circulation newspapers and online media, such as Washington Post, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Huffington Post.
- Identify and target national publications including Parade Magazine, USA Today Life, Smithsonian and Southern Living, with significant circulation for placement.
- Secure placements/mentions on broadcast television outlets, such as C-SPAN’s American Artifacts, Public Broadcasting News Hour (TV), Fox & Friends and All Things Considered (radio).
- Evaluate opportunities on national morning news programs, such as ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, and CBS Sunday Morning.
- Work with JYF staff to identify and coordinate interviews with curators, historians and agency executive director to promote key messages and themes surrounding the new museum.
- Develop additional elements of social media campaign to enhance existing Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter and increase reach of electronic newsletters.
They are seeking an agency with heavy media relations experience.
Defined goals for the PR firm are:
- Placement of by-line feature stories about the museum components, technology and outdoor living-history areas and scheduled opening events with an AP source and in at least five major publications in the key markets listed above or online outlets.
- Placement of feature on two national broadcast programs and inclusion on several national market news programs.
- Placement of media messaging to meet additional targets outlined in the national public relations strategic plan developed by firm as part of this project.
- Earned media coverage in each of the thirteen original colonies to support Grand Opening event in spring 2017.
- Raise awareness of the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown through earned media placements in key markets as identified.
Proposals are due by February 15th to Erika Allen at erika.allen@jyf.virginia.gov