As 2020 kicks off, we’d like to share some of the amazing, results-oriented public relations and marketing work Kane Communications did for our Milwaukee-area clients in 2019. This is just a small taste of all the great work we did on behalf of our clients. Enjoy!

Educating College Students About Serious Mental Health

Behavioral Health Division / Wraparound Milwaukee

Despite having a wealth of resources to help youth and young adults with behavioral or mental health needs, Wraparound Milwaukee had the capacity to help more clients than they were currently serving.

Outside of the Behavioral Health Division, there was little awareness of the services and resources available through Wraparound Milwaukee, specifically relating to Serious Mental Illness (SMI).

Kane developed a public education campaign to create awareness and focus on promoting the importance of early identification of Serious Mental Illness (SMI). Tactics included developing posters and digital ad creative, advanced digital targeting to produce a high level of reach within a short period of time on both mobile and social, and proactive public relations.

The digital ad campaign outperformed the national average by more than 11% and drove traffic to the BHD website. In addition, media placements were secured in three college publications, as well as on WISN 12 and WUWM.

Highlighting Expertise through Creative Brand Development

CKM, Inc.

As a growing developer and manufacturer of fine-chemicals, CKM, Inc. wanted to invest in a direct mail marketing piece to educate audiences on their process development capabilities and ultimately generate new business.

Having always offered process development but never formally marketing that service to its customers, CKM was looking for a sales brochure to educate potential clients on CKM’s process development/process improvement capabilities, highlight their teams combined 150 years of experience, and encourage recipients to partner with CKM for process development projects.

Kane developed and designed a sales brochure that brought the CKM brand to life while highlighting CKM’s Scientific Advisory Board and their years of process development expertise. In order to leave a positive impression on a very high-touch client base, Kane’s design included a personalized note from CEO and President Carl Sheeley inviting recipients to partner with CKM, as well as other opportunities to customize the design based on the recipient.

The sales brochure proved to be a success in securing new business. Not only did it drive visitors to the CKM website, but the design also made CKM stand out against its competitors. CKM’s President and CEO was so excited about the piece that he featured it in his presentation to financiers, ultimately winning the company approval for additional financing.

Ground-Breaking for Substance Abuse Treatment Center

Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan

Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan (LSS) is working with Waukesha County to open a community-based residential treatment facility amidst the growing opioid crisis in Wisconsin. LSS Aspen Center, will open mid-2020 and reduce outside placements of men and women with addiction issues due to a lack of affordable options.

To increase awareness for the facility and LSS, Kane planned and executed a ground-breaking event in August 2019 which included the development of a multi-piece media kit, invitations to public officials and key stakeholders, creation of key messages and talking points for speakers, proactive media relations and onsite event management.

Realizing the importance of and need for the LSS Aspen Center, four elected officials or representatives attended the event, including Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly and a representative from Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office. Media attendance at the event included two print and two broadcast outlets. The event resulted in a total of 13 media placements, including Milwaukee Business Journal, BizTimes Milwaukee, Waukesha Freeman, Fox 6, CBS 58, Telemundo Milwaukee, WISN 12 and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Getting to the Root of Media Miscommunication

Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services

In early 2019, more than 20% of coverage related to Act 185 and the youth justice system in Milwaukee County contained factual errors or misrepresentation. Kane was tasked with determining where these errors were originating and how to dispel these misconceptions. Kane turned to research, conducting one-on-one interviews with reporters at several local print and broadcast news outlets to get to the heart of the matter.

Kane discovered the media had trouble finding reliable resources for their reporting and were typically on tight deadlines with limited time to do their research. The reporters needed a central place to find information and had a desire for more visual assets, research, statistics and human interest stories.

Kane conducted key message workshops with Milwaukee County so their spokespeople were prepared for media interviews. We also created media materials including testimonials, infographics, a fact sheet, image library and one-page language guidelines for reporters to reference. As a result, the errors in reporting on Milwaukee County youth justice declined by 90% between April and December 2019.

Grand Opening Efforts Make a Huge Splash

Punch Bowl Social

Punch Bowl Social, the nationally recognized lifestyle brand known for its industry-changing approach to experiential food and beverages, opened its doors to the public at its first-ever Wisconsin location in the Deer District on Saturday, March 9, 2019. Kane was hired to plan this grand opening event, as well as generate both public and media awareness.

Prior to the grand opening, Kane was instrumental in developing strategies to drive individuals to a Punch Bowl Social hiring event in February 2019. Kane put together a street team that blanketed popular Milwaukee-area coffee shops, libraries, bus stops, college student unions and apartment complexes to distribute hiring fliers. The street team distributed 2,400 flyers in 45 locations and posted 38 times on various social media platforms. The combined social audience was 19,676 followers, grossing 3,960 likes and 80 comments. As a result of the hiring campaign, Punch Bowl Social hired 63 individuals.

In support of the grand opening, Kane put together a multi-pronged public relations campaign that included a media day prior to the grand opening and a VIP and social influencer party with proceeds of food and beverage purchases benefitting Running Rebels.

During the media day, Kane was successful in garnering more than 25 placements, resulting in a sold-out grand opening event with more than 800 guests in attendance.

Entertainment District’s Culture Becomes Bold, Proud and Experience-Obsessed

Wisconsin Center District

When the new CEO of the Wisconsin Center District (WCD) was hired, he wanted to create a great employment experience that would have a positive effect on the WCD’s customers. With new entertainment venues being built in other cities, competition for large shows and conventions was tight.

Kane conducted surveys and focus groups with employees to set benchmarks for employee engagement and measure their understanding of the organization’s mission and vision.

Kane worked with the CEO and leadership team to gather information about their vision for the organization and the role employees played in realizing it. The vision was to be recognized for providing superb, captivating and buzzworthy experiences. Kane crafted clear, succinct employee messages to show them how to operationalize the company’s values and be a part of realizing the vision.

A rollout plan was developed that incorporated findings from the employee survey and included strategies for communication within the organization. Key in this rollout was a plan to re-survey employees annually to measure progress in enthusiasm, engagement and understanding of the organization’s mission.

In spring, after two of the largest events to-date, the WCD held its first all-employee rally in one of its venues.

More than 200 employees were in attendance as the new CEO unveiled the organization’s new vision plan and employees’ roles in it.
One employee noted that the vision roll-out event “felt different and special,” and that this was the first time in a long time that all the WCD employees were gathered together in one room.
The WCD rolled out regular employee communication channels – demonstrating action from employee suggestions in surveys and focus groups.
The next employee survey is already on the calendar for this year, upon which Kane will measure progress and changes in employee engagement and enthusiasm.

Kane's Best of 2019