social templates designed by: Style Counsel
We first learned of Operation Underground Railroad, a non-profit organization that helps rescue + support victims of human trafficking, from an episode of the Almost 30 podcast last year. Lindsey + Krista were interviewing Tim Ballard, the Founder of OURR and former Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security. The conversation shed light on the very dark, yet real issue of human trafficking. We were so moved by the work that Tim and Operation Underground Railroad was doing, we set a goal to get involved in the upcoming year. Fast forward to the beginning of 2023, the opportunity to connect with OURR presented itself.
While working with JDV Med Spa this past January, we learned of their first-hand experience working with human trafficking victims. Case workers had sought out the med spa for their laser tattoo removal treatment in order to help local survivors remove branding tattoos given to them by their traffickers. The accommodations + help that JDV was able to provide was nothing short of incredible.
We developed a marketing campaign because we knew this was a story that needed to be shared. Additionally, January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, which made it the ideal time not only to support Operation Underground Railroad, but also to raise awareness human trafficking in general. It’s not folklore, and doesn’t just happen in far away places. It’s happening to real people in our own communities, however, there are amazing people + business that have the ability to help.
The campaign consisted of email + social templates, in-spa signage, and a press release. As the word started to spread digitally across social platforms + email, two local news stations picked up the story. Both News Channel 5 and Channel 19 News traveled to Canton to conduct interviews with Matt + Theresa. Additionally, we made Operation
Underground Railroad aware of the way the JDV was helping survivors with the laser tattoo removal, and also of our efforts to support their organization. Graciously, they shared the Channel 19 News segment to their Instagram, which has over 745,000 followers. The video got over 70,000 views and had over 30 comments. It was truly amazing. in-spa signage designed by: Style Counsel
At the end of the campaign, JDV matched the total amount of donations they received, and made a final donation to Operation Underground Railroad. It was an all-around win that hit a personal + professional note for us. We're incredibly grateful to Matt + Theresa for trusting us to share their story with the community. We are extremely proud of this work, and hope to get even more involved in the future.
photos by: Style Counsel
story by: Channel 19 News
post by: @ourrescue
