Public Relations – Advocating for Important Issues

Even though TriAd began as purely an advertising agency, through the years we have added public relations, marketing, publishing, video production, digital and web services to our bailiwick.  Today, I would like to highlight a little of our PR history. In an industry characterized by constant change, we’ve found that some public relations issues keep coming back around.

In the 1990s and into the 2000s, much like today, many individual states could not count on the federal government to properly fund the care and maintenance of our highway and bridge system.  Many construction projects that would relieve congestion or make our roads safer sat on hold waiting for a place in the funding line.

TriAd stepped up to help several state Contractor Associations by conducting public relations campaigns to raise the motor fuel tax or address other issues that hindered the progression of the industry.  We’ve had the privilege of working with the Ohio Contractors Association, Florida Transportation Builders Association, Georgia Highway Contractors Association,  Tennessee Road Builders Association, Associated Pennsylvania Contractors, Indiana Construction Association and the Kentucky Association of Highway Contractors to name a few.

For the Georgia Highway Contractors Association we produced two 30-second TV spots designed to educate the public about environmentalist attempts to halt highway construction in favor of mass transit.  The campaign delivered a powerful message: “In America these are still personal choices”.  The ads only ran for two weeks.  The campaign stirred up so much attention that we made the front page news in The Atlanta Journal Constitution, CNN Headline News, The McLaughlin Report and others.  Needless to say, GHCA got their money’s worth, AND the campaign halted the environmentalists efforts.

This week, TriAd just completed a video for the Ohio Construction Information Association that explains what the gas tax is and how the money is used.  This new video will educate Ohioans about the need for additional money if we are to keep business here, transportation safe and goods moving.  It is a necessity for a good economy.

Sometimes the big issues don’t change much.