Joy Jackson is a Masters Student of Public Administration and a graduate student assistant working with the Community-Campus Partnership
The Community Campus Partnership has recently started to support a new communications/public relations initiative in Lenoir County. “Kinston We’re on the Way”, or “K-Wow”, is an initiative launched by the Committee of 100, a local economical development focused non-profit, in partnership with the Kinston Chamber of Commerce, and is intended to increase positive press about the area.
K-Wow has begun to develop a comprehensive communications plan in response to concerns expressed by local leaders and residents that stories on the positive developments in the community consistently go unreported. Through this effort, the initiative hopes to increase awareness of local community and economic development projects and build an understanding that such developments are more than just one-off achievements but are part of a larger plan to increase the health and vitality of the community. The recent recruitment of Spirit Aerosystems and Sanderson Farms to the area are among the stories the initiative wants to leverage to increase positive coverage on the community.
In order to reach as wide an audience as possible, K-Wow plans to employ a multi-pronged approach. The effort will include building relationships with press contacts in local corporations, drafting press releases and distributing them to a wide range of media outlets, an improved web presence and taking advantage of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Ultimately, the committee hopes to help to build public awareness about the improving economic activity in the area in order to attract businesses to the community and build hometown pride among residents.
For information about the Committee of 100 and the K-Wow initiative please visit http://www.kinstonchamber.com/wow_youcanhelp.htm