Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
Celebrating Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th birthday.
Challenge
In 2022, to help celebrate Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th birthday, which would be recognized locally in Buffalo and as part of the national “Olmsted 200: Parks for All People” campaign, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy (BOPC) tapped Crowley Webb to create buzz and excitement around the momentous year. The spectacle engaged several departments within the agency to support efforts around two major events: Olmsted’s birthday on April 26 and the BOPC’s attempt to reclaim the Guinness World Record for Longest Line of Garden Flamingos on June 21.
Action
Our integrated team that spanned account service, digital, creative, media, and public relations got to work, first developing a new creative platform, “BFLO,” which centered around the idea that you can’t have Buffalo without “FLO” and his legacy.
Capabilities
A FLOurishing Campaign
We brought “BFLO” to life through a new website landing page, posters, postcards, out-of-home advertising, TV, and direct mail. We even designed a commemorative beer can for Resurgence Brewing Company’s new Olmsted Ale, with proceeds going back to support BOPC.
Olmsted Week
Next up was Olmsted Week – a week-long celebration running from Earth Day to Arbor Day. We created park spotlights for BOPC’s social channels and engaged in a local and national media relations program around Frederick Law Olmsted’s impact on Buffalo. We also commissioned Buffalo’s first poet laureate, Jillian Hanesworth, to develop a piece in honor of Olmsted called “Paint my people green.”
Reclaiming a World Record
Come June, our support took on a shocking shade of pink as BOPC successfully reclaimed its Guinness World Record title for Longest Line of Garden Flamingos. Not only were the kitschy garden flamingos (dubbed “FLOmingos”) a playful nod to FLO, but each flamingo was up for adoption, with sales supporting BOPC’s mission to steward Buffalo’s historic Olmsted park and parkway system to benefit and to welcome all.
Adding to our Flock
In addition to a full media relations blitz focused on driving FLOmingo adoptions and attendance at the event (which included sending FLOmingo mailers to our top national media targets), we traveled to Buffalo hot spots before the event with a small flamboyance of flamingos to help tease the celebration on BOPC’s social channels. The flock made stops at Highmark Stadium, Kleinhans, Shea’s, Canalside, Buffalo’s Colored Musicians Club, Sahlen’s Field, and more. We also brought a little star power to the event, tapping local influencers and celebrities to decorate a flamingo for the big event to later be auctioned off at the BOPC’s 20th annual gala.
Results
Stemming from our Olmsted 200 PR efforts, we garnered more than 32 million earned media impressions through securing more than 125 placements across local and national publications across the campaign’s three-month period. We also saw steady engagement throughout our #OlmstedWeek series on social media, particularly on BOPC’s Facebook and Instagram channels.
Our FLOmingo efforts alone resulted in both regional and national awareness, with an overall 80 placements (including five national media placements and 75 regional media placements), totaling more than 17.1 million earned media impressions. And on event day, all four of Buffalo’s major broadcast stations, WGRZ, WIVB, WKBW, and Spectrum Buffalo, were on the ground.
Plus, we had our part in helping break a world record – what’s more fun than that?
We couldn’t have been more excited to join forces with the BOPC on the Olmsted 200 campaign and have a part in raising awareness for our beloved park system.