OTTAWA AREA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT

COMPANY
Ottawa Area Intermediate School District works collaboratively with schools and communities to meet the educational needs of students of all ages in the Ottawa area. By pooling resources and providing services regionally, the OAISD provides important programs and services to local K ‐12 school districts, public school academies, parochial schools and adults in the most cost‐effective ways possible.
PROJECT
Provide comprehensive public relations services for the OAISD, one of the largest ISDs in the state, helping them with everything from complex strategic communications planning to simple writing and editing of internal documents for staff members. Lambert also helped the OAISD launch its new futurePREP initiative through its Career and Technical Education program in 2012. futurePREP is designed to highlight career and college options for students looking for the next phase of their learning.
TACTICS
- Lambert has concentrated on designing and implementing a one-of-a-kind pro-education awareness effort for the region that focuses on the excellent work of schools of all shapes and sizes – public, private, charter, parochial, and ISD programs
- Entitled “Doing More. Together.” this effort, first conceived by Lambert, has found unique resonance across West Michigan and has received attention and support from major business organizations, from individual corporations like Haworth to conglomerate Chambers of Commerce from communities in several regional population centers
- Lambert has developed a focused and complete public relations and strategic communications plan that engages education supporters at every level in the region, building support for all education options available for students, parents, and families. The effort is not about public schools, but rather all educational options working in concert together toward a common end – learning improvement for all students.
RESULTS
- Helped to ensure that an all-inclusive approach to education in the region has been incorporated into the campaign
- Supported the NHA Service Center by assisting with corporate communications
- Lambert also has worked to cultivate media partnerships with the local NBC affiliate (WOOD-TV and WOTV-TV) to bolster the public’s positive perception of the campaign
- An extensive social media effort has also been an important facet of the effort since its inception
- For its innovative work associated with the campaign, the OAISD and Lambert have received high honors from the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), earning the prestigious 2013 Communicator Award of Distinction in June 2013