THE WEBER SCHOOL
Challenge:
The Weber School (formerly known as the New Atlanta Jewish
Community High School) started with the dream of creating a new kind of
high school - a place where students from across denominational lines
would delve seriously into Judaics within a rigorous and comprehensive
college preparatory curriculum. Its transdenominational philosophy,
which teaches students to understand and celebrate their commonalities
and differences, has made the School a model for other Jewish high
schools nationwide. However, this innovative institution had a
relatively low level of visibility in their local community.
Administration and supporters recognized that Weber's current building
site, in temporary modular units, created the perception of limited
resources in contrast to the tremendous achievements of the School and
its students. So the challenge was to build positive awareness of the
Weber brand in order to enhance fundraising and recruitment
efforts.
Solution:
Collaborating closely with administration, development and marketing resources, Shira Miller conducted research to learn more about the perceptions that target audiences had about the School. In January 2003, she developed a comprehensive marketing communications plan that included a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, key messaging and tactical recommendations for highlighting The Weber School's unique points of difference. Miller then implemented a comprehensive public relations effort to raise the School's visibility in conjunction with their 2003 Evening of Honor. Through press releases and individual pitches to reporters, a tremendous amount of positive coverage concerning the name change and the School's unique points of difference overall continued to be secured. During the 2003-2004 academic year, multiple stories were generated in publications such as the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Dunwoody Crier, Atlanta Jewish Times, Jewish Georgian, Atlanta Parent Magazine, DeKalb Neighbor and Federation Flash that reached a potential combined circulation of 2,117,849 readers. If Weber had paid for this publicity through advertising, the equivalent ad cost would have been $156,224. Currently, Miller continues to handle Weber's external publicity and writes their bi-annual community newsletter.
"We've experienced a tremendous amount of changes and growth over the past few years. Our name change and pending move to a permanent campus needed to be carefully handled with the School's target audiences. Shira Miller's ability to succinctly and articulately communicate those developments, as well the ongoing academic and extracurricular programs that make Weber special, has been very beneficial. She has been instrumental in structuring our communication process and raising the Weber School's awareness with local media."
- Paul Ginburg, Chief of Operations
The Weber School
