Environment

Out of the Katrina disaster sprouted something green.

A Green Vision for Post-Katrina New Orleans

Challenge: In 2006, Global Green USA launched an international sustainable architecture competition to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. They had a huge asset: Brad Pitt was the competition’s jury chairman. But they needed a media strategy to maximize the opportunity.

Our Approach: Fenton developed and executed a media strategy that made sure the story got multiple bites of the apple. This included building advance buzz by unveiling the six finalists to selected news outlets, including the most-read architecture and design magazines and Web sites. To make the most of Pitt’s commitment, we secured a one-on-one exclusive with the “Today’s Show’s” Ann Curry, with an eye to extending this broadcast across NBC’s other media assets including msnbc.com, the most watched online news source in the country. Finally, we orchestrated the announcement of the winning design, a 12-unit apartment complex for the Lower 9^th Ward by NYC architecture firm Workshop/APD, on the one-year anniversary of Katrina, against the dramatic backdrop of a city struggling to get back on its feet.

Progress, Accelerated: Global and national news stories were seen and read by more than 80 million people; the msnbc.com story alone drew 500,000 online views. The exposure helped Global Green quadruple their email list and led to their receiving a $1 million grant from the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund to rebuild damaged schools in New Orleans. The Times Picayune’s headline said it all: “Global Green’s New Orleans plan is a great idea: affordable, energy-efficient housing. Who’s not for that?”