09/13/2024
Federation Takes Anti-Hate Message to Airwaves During Guardians, Cavs Games
A still image from a 15-second ad the Jewish Federation of Cleveland created and released on Bally's Sports that is airing during the Cleveland Guardians' season and aired at the end of the Cleveland Cavaliers' playoff season. Submitted photo.
KIRSTEN BEARD | CJN
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
Stein
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland created an ad campaign during the Cleveland Guardians season, the recently-completed Cleveland Cavaliers playoff season and on billboards in the Greater Cleveland area to help combat hate and spread awareness for the hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, that are still in captivity.
“It was an idea that developed through a collaboration with the members of the marketing and communications committee and Federation staff,” Brian Stein, chair of the marketing and communications committee at the Federation, told the Cleveland Jewish News on Sept. 6.
The campaign began at the start of the current Guardians season. The Federation also purchased ad space to run its campaign ads during the end of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playoff season this past spring.
The 15-second commercial states the message, “Before you take a stand … make sure you understand” and then closes with “Get the Facts.”
The Federation also placed billboards on highways spreading awareness for the hostages.
The campaign is on its third round of purchasing billboard space to spread awareness for the hostages and will run for 12 weeks, according to Stein, a resident of Moreland Hills.
“We initially started with an ad buy on Bally’s Sports during the Guardians’ games and Cavs’ playoff run,” Stein, a congregant of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike, said. “Then, we’ve expanded it to Fox 8, the ‘Friday Night Touchdown’ show, football games on Saturday and late-night programming in the week. Then, we’re also running our third round now of billboard advertising.”
As the campaign comes to an end, the campaign will enter into an evaluation period, Stein said. The campaign’s success will be gauged by the number of views the different media outlets obtained and the number of visits to the Federation’s website to learn more.
“We get information from Bally’s and Fox 8,” Stein said. “It helps us gauge the number of eyeballs that we’re penetrating. But then we also look at the number of visits to our website. Specifically, the ones targeting the ad campaign to see what type of traction we’re getting, and we’re pretty pleased with those results.”
Many people have reached out through the website to learn more about the campaign. Stein said he hopes to continue spreading the campaign’s message and reach a broader community.
“This is really part of the Federation’s broader mission of combating hate. It’s always been a top priority of the organization. These ads were an opportunity for us to extend that effort and our reach."
