Company: Rally Point Public Relations, New York, NY
Company Description: Blackbird is a Los Angeles luxury co-working space for women of color, founded and led by interior designer and activist Bridgid Coulter Cheadle.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year – Multicultural
 Nomination Title: Making Blackbird Sing
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated PR campaign or program, or written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
Campaign Launch: April 18, 2022
- Optional: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 10 words used.
NPR
All.Work
Worklife
Travel Noire
Black Enterprise
LA Weekly
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 230 words used.
Profound changes in American work life since the Pandemic have led to the establishment of a new $26 billion global coworking market. Comprised of cooperative work environments of all shapes and sizes, these office spaces supplement traditional and work-from-home models and provide additional networking, learning, and social outlets. But in the case of women of color, few specific spaces existed. Bridgid Coulter Cheadle became aware of the problem while looking for space for her own design business, and she became determined to build a safe space for women of color, free of the tensions and “microaggressions” they sometimes encounter in traditional workplaces. Coulter Cheadle created Blackbird House in Los Angeles as a flexible work and well-being membership space designed to support and advance women of color and their allies. Rally Point began working with Blackbird in April 2022 to relaunch the space after a two-year Pandemic hiatus. Coulter Cheadle, eager to raise the profile of Blackbird, had decided to embark upon on a public relations campaign to attract members and partners and set the stage for fundraising and expansion to markets across the country. Challenges included dealing with the continued impact of the Pandemic and the fact that many people were not yet comfortable working outside their homes. In addition, with only one Blackbird House open, attracting national coverage required tapping into larger themes of inclusion and changing work-life rhythms.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 157 words used.
Rally Point’s task was to relaunch Blackbird in a location designed by Coulter Cheadle and curated for sophistication and inclusiveness. We chose to leverage the significance of Juneteenth to elevate Blackbird’s visibility and mission and provide a natural moment for coverage and attention. We took advantage of the moment to communicate the club’s value to all of its key audiences: professional women of color and their allies, the community at large, and investors.
Our strategic areas of focus were the following:
- Build momentum around founder Bridgid Coulter Cheadle as the force behind Blackbird
- Address the future of women and work, and how cooperative workspaces answer women’s needs in particular
- Showcase the value and importance of collaborative spaces specifically designed to cater to women of color
- Emphasize design and innovation as central to Blackbird’s essence
- Highlight the stories and journeys of Blackbird members
- Leverage appearances and special events to generate attention
- Community-building within the city of Los Angeles
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2021. Even if your initiative started before 2021, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2021 only (up to 250 words):
Total 241 words used.
As Blackbird’s first PR firm, Rally Point highlighted the organization’s mission and showcased its founder with coverage totalling over 1 billion impressions, attracting members, partners as well as investors. We amplified on-site and virtual events at Blackbird, the largest being its Juneteenth Reopening Celebration on June 19, 2022, which served as a post-pandemic grand opening of the flagship. Rally Point embedded staff at Blackbird House leading up to the event, and worked to build local brand awareness. We partnered with the organizers to arrange the displays and exhibitions at the event itself. L.A. coverage included LAist (UVM: 432,540), LA Weekly (UVM: 714,990), Patch LA, and others. Following the event, Rally Point focused on the founding story and secured massive coverage on NPR (30,229,830) and 12 syndicated pieces with a total of 80 million UMVs. In another expansive feature in All Work. Space (UVM: 105,720), Coulter set the stage for Blackbird’s future expansion. National outreach elevating Blackbird’s image in Ebony (UVM: 154,920), The Root (UVM: 582,810) Black Enterprise (UVM: 6,078,742), WorkLife (UVM: 34,980 and Travel Noire (UVM: 166,710) attracted new members and engaged new partners. Rally Point built relationships with top media, inviting journalists from Forbes and other outlets to take personal tours of Blackbird House, meet Bridgid Coulter Cheadle and long-standing members, which was a key part of our strategy and central to the success of the NPR story.
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