On November 11, The National World War II Museum in New Orleans celebrated Veterans Day with a call to ears, not arms, in a national appeal coordinated by Peter A. Mayer Public Relations and Sandy Hillman Communications. The team planned, executed and launched a PR campaign that included a pre-Veterans Day press release, an Op-Ed column by museum trustee and New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees and an outreach to national TV news outlets.

The team’s goal was to make the museum’s mission resonate with young American families, whose experience and links to WWII are tenuous at best. The campaign began with a call-to-action press release detailing six ways ordinary Americans could find and talk to WWII veterans about the war. The release received attention across the country, with articles appearing in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Orlando Sentinel, and garnered a total of 1.7 million reader impressions. Next, the team placed the Drew Brees Op-Ed in USA TODAY and its online outlet, USATODAY.com. His personal essay encouraged his fellow countrymen to reach out to veterans and hear their stories. Its appearance in both outlets on Veterans Day ensured massive national exposure, reaching more than 4.1 million readers and generating $133,826 in PR value for the museum. In addition, Brees’ plea was read aloud on regional and local radio and TV outlets such as WDSU-TV and WWL-AM.

On Veterans Day, CNN’s satellite truck shot footage of 80 local fifth and sixth graders, who were gathered to hear the stories of life in battle and on the home front from 20 WWII veterans. The national cable news network broadcast live during “The Kyra Phillips Show,” running an interview with a WWII veteran and a local sixth grader. Key museum spokespeople echoed the message on morning radio and TV with additional coverage in The Times-Picayune. Altogether, Veterans Day TV coverage generated more than $85,000 in PR value for the client.