Archdiocese of Milwaukee's Catholic Schools' Marketing Plan Wins PRSA Award of Excellence

On May 25, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's Catholic Schools' Strategic Marketing Plan received top honors at the annual Paragon Awards, sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America's southeastern Wisconsin chapter.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee's Communication Department, in partnership with Emerald Isle Marketing - PR, received the Excellence Award - Grassroots Marketing for its novel approach to Catholic Schools' Marketing.

The marketing plan, launched in the spring of 2009, replaces traditional marketing strategies with "guerilla" marketing. Instead of concentrating the majority of the resources on a universal approach (e.g., everyone), the new plan places 60% of the focus on the internal ambassadors (e.g., teachers, parents) and 30% on prospects (e.g., potential students and their parents).

A year after implementation, the plan is already producing tangible results in the archdiocese’s 127 Catholic schools. At present, principals are attributing upwards of 380 new students for the 2010-11 school year to the plan’s tactics and tools.

This new strategy impressed the judges (members of the Buffalo, N.Y. PRSA Chapter) so much that in addition to the Excellence Award, the Catholic Schools' Marketing Plan was also one of only four entrants (of the nearly 100 submitted campaigns) to be named finalists for the Best in Show Award.

PRSA is the largest community of public relations and communications professionals in the United States. The Paragon Awards were established in 1983 to honor creative and strategic public relations and marketing excellence.

Visit schools.archmil.org to learn more about an education you can have faith in.