The Atlanta Community Food Bank works to end hunger throughout Atlanta by providing the food, resources, and people necessary to help each community member get the nutrition they need to live healthy and productive lives.
In partnership with Gray Atlanta, they have seen immense success in spreading the word about their programs, increasing donations, and answering the needs of the public.
"Any time we have money to spend on ads, we want to spend it with Gray Atlanta," says Heather Moon, Public Relations Coordinator of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. "They always do a great job taking our budget and making it work."
Facing Pandemic Challenges
Under the best of circumstances, the Atlanta Community Food Bank faces tough challenges providing food for those in need. On average, they serve more than 755,000 citizens, but with the advent of the pandemic, they have seen a substantial 30%-40% increase in demand.
As part of its response to the drastic insufficiency, the Atlanta Community Food Bank launched several programs and initiatives designed to help meet the increased demand of Atlanta residents and those within the surrounding communities. They launched the "Text for Help" SMS platform to increase awareness and improve convenience for many residents, including those who might not otherwise have access to the resources they need.
They partnered with Gray Atlanta to help spread the word about those initiatives and improve their ability to reach both donors and the areas underprivileged.
Speeding Up Marketing Rollouts
Initially, the Atlanta Community Food Bank team intended to wait until September to launch its latest ad campaign. But with the increased food shortage caused by the pandemic, the team realized it needed to spread the word and gather donations quickly. Reaching the community started with a schedule of 35-40 fifteen and thirty-second commercials designed to run over the course of three weeks. Wanting to do more to directly contribute to their fundraising goals, Gray Atlanta also ran a 3 Degree Weather Guarantee with the Atlanta Community Food Bank as the month’s charity, throughout May, which helped spread awareness and provide the food bank with a $1000 donation.
These efforts substantially expanded the food bank's reach and helped more North Georgia residents find out about their available options. By early June, 6,940 users had signed up for the "Text for Help" SMS system. The food bank saw an immense increase in website traffic while the ads ran, which meant that more people were checking them out and the options it had available to help.
"We just love working with Gray Atlanta and always see success when we advertise with them. We're always really happy," Heather says. By partnering with Gray Atlanta during the crisis, the Atlanta Community Food Bank did not just see a much-needed increase in community awareness, they also saw an incredible increase in their ability to provide food for hungry people within the community.
This one-two-punch campaign made it easier for them to get the word out about their services and needs, but also demonstrated how effective they can be with changing lives for the better, even during a crisis. It's not, the Atlanta Community Food Bank knows, just about increasing overall awareness. It's also about ensuring that community members have access to the food they need--and Gray Atlanta helped make that happen.
