Case History: Going to Bat for Organ Donation
R&J Thinks outside the batter’s box
Knowing that Americans love saving baseball cards, R&J Public Relations created a baseball card that saves lives.
The New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network is the federally certified organization responsible for organ and tissue donation in the Garden State. Our mission was defined by one stark fact: Many more people need life-saving transplants than there are donors.
To help grow awareness for the Sharing Network, R&J selected a thoroughly unexpected venue—minor league baseball. Because, in New Jersey, where minor league baseball is sizzling hot, this seemed an ideal way to get our organ donation message directly to thousands of people and, at the same time, to attract local media coverage, which in turn would reach hundreds of thousands more.
Focusing on New Jersey’s largest city, we built our program around the minor league Newark Bears. We set up a friendly 20-game competition between the Bears and the nearby Somerset Patriots, with the winner awarded “The Sharing Network Cup.” And we called on Rick Cerone, former Yankee catcher and President of the Bears, to serve as the program spokesman. Rick not only appeared in a TV PSA shot at the stadium, and radio and print PSAs, his photo was also featured on donor “baseball cards” that were distributed in flyers at all the games.
The program was a grand slam. It drew lots of local and statewide media attention. But more importantly, it brought The Sharing Network message directly to inner city and minority communities where it was very badly needed.
Our efforts helped The Sharing Network break records for the number of organ recoveries – and lifesaving transplant operations – in New Jersey. |
