Multicultural Outreach to Save California Citrus
Opportunity
California’s $3.4 billion citrus industry is at risk of disappearing due to Huanglongbing (HLB), a citrus greening disease that is fatal for citrus trees and has no cure. An invasive pest called the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) spreads the disease – and both have been found in California.
NST conducted dedicated outreach to multicultural audiences, including Asian Americans residing in California to educate them about the dangers of transporting citrus during visits to and from other countries.
Approach
NST worked with IW Group, a WorldCom Partner specializing in Asian outreach, on a media campaign to include a press event at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Timed to coincide with the beginning of the summer travel season, NST worked with Customs and Border Protection to gain access to LAX, created a display of citrus material recently confiscated by customs officials, stage a demonstration of canines inspecting luggage, and provided interviews to the multicultural media in attendance to highlight how travelers could unknowingly harm California’s landscape by transporting plant material from other countries.
Results
15 multicultural outlets attended
23 media placements were earned
Website traffic peaked during the outreach period with an increase of 26,363 website visitors
Services Provided
Event Coordination and Support, Media Relations, Content Creation, Collateral, Language Translation