COOK & SCHMID IN THE NEWS
COOK & SCHMID TO CREATE RIVERSIDE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES COMMUNITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN Campaign Designed to Challenge Stereotypes of Homelessness
SAN DIEGO (August 4, 2008).—Cook & Schmid has been chosen by Riverside County’s Department of Public and Social Services (DPSS) to challenge preconceived notions of homelessness, generate support from the community and direct those in need to the 211 hotline or a new county Web site: www.RiversideHomeless.org. The campaign is titled, “The homeless. They’re not who you think.”
According to DPSS figures, more than 4,500 people sleep on the streets on any given night in Riverside County. Many factors contribute to homelessness. Mental and physical ailments, substance abuse and lack of basic skills are commonly known reasons for chronic homelessness. More recently, however, other factors, ranging from the economy to home foreclosures and domestic abuse, are leading to episodic homelessness.
“Conventional perceptions toward homelessness need to be challenged in order to build community involvement and end cycles of homelessness,” said Jon Schmid, a partner at Cook & Schmid. “Having worked with homeless programs in the past, we know what works and how to engage the citizenry to support worthy programs like this.”
The campaign employs a variety of tactics ranging from focus-group message testing, brand-building and Web site development. Additionally, the campaign will implement outdoor, print, radio and television advertising to increase call traffic to the 211 hotline and www.RiversideHomeless.org Web site.
Cook & Schmid won the Public Relations Society of America’s 2007 Silver Anvil award, the industry's highest national honor for strategic programs, for its work on behalf of the San Diego Rescue Mission. In 2008, Cook and Schmid won the Silver Anvil award of excellence for its work on a fire-safety campaign conducted on behalf the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce in San Bernardino County.
ABOUT COOK & SCHMID
Cook & Schmid, a San Diego public relations, advertising and marketing firm, specializes in reputation and issues management, marketing and advertising forprivate and public companies, organizations and government agencies, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies.Cook & Schmid partners personally manage each program and lead expert teams to ensure measurable success, from positioning a new company, launching new services or products, growing a bottom line or passing a referendum. The firm’s partners include a former journalist with multiple Pulitzer Prize nominations, and its senior team members boast an average of 20 years experience. Additional information is available at www.cookandschmid.com.
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