ACLU
Right to Learn Campaign

Organization / Role
ACLU / Creative Campaign Strategist

Accolades
Gold Anthem Award Winner
Webby Honorree

Skills Demonstrated
Creative Strategy/Integrated Marketing/Campaign Management/Cross-Functional Team Leadership/Communications Strategy

Background 

In 2023, more than 100 classroom censorship bills (often called "Anti-Critical Race Theory" bills) aimed at restricting students and teachers from discussing race, gender or sexual orientation were introduced in states across the United States. Thirty-two bills became law. The year prior, the country saw the highest number of attempted book bans in 20 years with more than 1,000 demands to censor library books and resources.

Opportunity 

To develop a creative campaign to raise awareness and engage ACLU audiences around these widespread censorship efforts.

Strategic Approach 

In partnership with the ACLU's Data & Analytics team, I conducted audience and messaging research that uncovered a core truth: Despite public confusion over what "Critical Race Theory" is and political controversy over which books or classroom topics students should have access to, Americans across the political spectrum view access to education as a fundamental right. This served as the foundation for the creative campaign concept and key campaign message: "We all have a Right to Learn." 
This concept provided a simple, accessible means to educate audiences on classroom censorship and book ban efforts and tell a broader story about the connection between these issues.

Execution

As the campaign lead, I led cross-functional teams from across 4 departments to develop the integrated marketing strategy for the Right to Learn campaign and guide content development, which encompassed: 
  • Editorial blog/podcast content highlighting stories of impacted teachers, students and authors
  • TikTok Influencer Engagement
  • Social media and video content featuring ACLU Artist Ambassadors
  • Email and donor marketing
  • Earned media strategy
  • Right to Learn Merchandise

Results

Reached 4M+ people through social media

Content achieved 3x higher engagement rates

Generated 160K+ new email list subscribers

Increased donation revenue through campaign-specific marketing