| WEST DES MOINES, IOWA – Strategic Elements (SE) celebrates the achievements of its client, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), for receiving the 2024 Public Affairs Council Advocacy Innovation in Communications Award. This honor follows their highly recognized and revolutionary campaign: #AccessibleAirTravel.
Strategic Elements collaborated with MDA to execute the campaign, highlighting the need for accessible air travel reform for people with disabilities to be included in the FAA Reauthorization through impactful video storytelling and distribution strategies. SE’s award-winning digital and creative team captured the raw stories of Mindy Henderson, VP, Disability Outreach and Empowerment at MDA, and Madison Lawson, author, model, and MDA Advocate, who navigated air travel to share their message with lawmakers in DC at MDA Hill Day. Their stories sparked astronomical results, receiving viral awareness from millions of viewers and jumpstarting instant action in accessibility reform. |
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| “The SE team delivered transformative videos that powerfully showed the experience people living with disabilities face while traveling by air – helping to reach millions of people and generating legislative support for the need for air travel accessibility,” said Mark Fisher, MDA’s Director of Advocacy Engagement. “The videos were raw, honest, and compelling, bringing Mindy and Madison’s experiences to life and shining a light on the brutal realities of air travel for the disability community.”
Strategic Elements team members Lynn Stinson (Vice President of Digital) and Ryan Sheldon (Director of Digital and Video) attended the Public Affairs Council Advocacy conference to join in the success of the MDA and SE collaboration in advocacy. “It’s one thing to write a story on paper. It’s another to capture facial expressions, anxiety, and raw emotion on video. Madison and Mindy’s stories needed to be seen, and it was an honor to capture it in a way that is making a difference,” said Ryan Sheldon, Strategic Elements’ Director of Video and Digital. After the campaign launched in June 2023, the two videos amassed over two million views on social media, and the campaign drove over 5,600 messages to Congress advocating for accessible air travel. The highly targeted ad campaign, including organic social media, accounted for over one million impressions and over 13,000 engagements. The videos led to groundbreaking changes for people living with disabilities:
“Our campaign’s results underscore the power of a precise digital effort and its widespread impact,” said Lynn Leclerc, Strategic Elements Vice President of Digital. “It is remarkable what can happen after a campaign goes viral and initiates groundbreaking progress in advocacy. Using strategic tactics amplifies change and can make a real difference in peoples’ lives.” MDA’s commitment to advocacy for decades is a testament to the work being done to increase accessibility. Strategic Elements is proud of the campaign’s results and looks forward to the future of continued advocacy with the MDA team. “The Strategic Elements team is proud of the success of MDA’s campaign and the strides made in advocacy,” said Christine Stineman, Strategic Elements’ CEO. “We can’t wait to continue collaborating with MDA to create a more accessible world for all.” Read more about the groundbreaking MDA campaign here. Stay connected with Strategic Elements by following along on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. |
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ABOUT STRATEGIC ELEMENTSStrategic Elements specializes in public affairs, public relations, communications, advertising, and marketing. Strategic Elements utilizes its national reach and customized, comprehensive approach to deliver an edge for clients with offices in a dozen locations, including Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, Pierre, San Diego, San Francisco, Savannah, St. Paul, and West Des Moines. To learn more about Strategic Elements, go to strategicelements.com. ABOUT MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATIONMuscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is the #1 voluntary health organization in the United States for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. For over 70 years, MDA has led the way in accelerating research, advancing care, and advocating for the support of our families. MDA’s mission is to empower the people we serve to live longer, more independent lives. To learn more visit mda.org and follow MDA on Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube. ### |
