Martin Williams pitches in for an 'extreme'-ly good cause.

While it's hard to define "typical" work for an advertising agency today, a general explanation might include "producing compelling messages on behalf of clients." At Martin|Williams Advertising (M|W), staff members in all departments are well practiced at putting their skills to work for clients including Syngenta, Pfizer, Cargill and others.

Recently, however, the agency had an opportunity to craft a different kind of persuasive message. The end goal in this case, rather than increasing sales or market share, was a brand new home for a family of ten, courtesy of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

The project has left agency staff with a new appreciation for what their capabilities can produce, and demonstrates the impact that marketing professionals can have in their communities.

TRAGEDY HITS A FAMILY

Minnesotans were shocked last fall by the murder of Teri Lee, a mother of four, at the hands of an abusive ex-boyfriend. Sadly, Teri's husband had died in an auto accident in 2001, and upon Teri's death the couple's children became orphans. Teri's sister and brother-in-law, Vicki and Erik Swenson, adopted the Lee children, ages five to eleven.

With the Swenson's own three children, the new family numbered nine. The close-knit brood was doing its best to heal together, but the Swensons worried that their 3-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath home might burst at the seams from the suddenly expanded family and had few options on one teacher's salary.

Fortunately, the family had a caring community supporting them. Both Vicki and Erik were teachers and coaches at Hopkins High School. Vicki left teaching after the birth of the couple's twins, but Erik remained at the school where students and staff rallied around the Swenson-Lee clan.

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Also part of the Hopkins High community was former Administrative Assistant Nancy Gray, wife of M|W Pres/CMO Mike Gray. When a former teacher at the school and friend of the Swensons told Nancy that some students had shot a video for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Nancy had an idea of how they might be able get the tape in the right hands.

"I KNEW IT HAD A CHANCE"

"I don't usually ask Mike for these kinds of things," said Nancy. But ultimately, Gray decided to ask her husband if the agency could offer any assistance.

Mike Gray didn't hesitate. "We should just try something," he recalls. Gray knew the resources the agency had at its disposal, and knew that his team could somehow lend a hand. His first step was to call Betsy Burgeson, Dir of Broadcast Media at the agency.

"Mike asked if I had any contacts at ABC," said Burgeson. "I started with my salesperson in Chicago, but he was very cautious because they get calls like this all the time. He said, 'You need to be warned. This probably won't happen,'" she recalls. "But having watched the show, I knew it had a chance."

Burgeson's contact provided her with a phone number to one of the show's producers, which she relayed to Gray. Once Gray reached the producer on the phone, the family's story proved to be as compelling to him as Gray had hoped. "He shut his door after Mike started telling the story and asked him to start over," Burgeson said. "He was definitely engaged."

The producer told Gray that the story sounded worthy of further consideration, and requested additional footage to supplement the students' submission. The catch: the program was making its selections for the 2006-2007 season the next day. The new material needed to be delivered in 24 hours.

FAST TURNAROUND

Undaunted, the Grays contacted the Swensons to coordinate the action that would need to take place during the next 24 hours. Gray then asked Account Planning Dir Sandy Willats and Broadcast Editor Todd Johnson to film additional interviews and footage of the family's existing home.

While Johnson shot footage of the family's cramped quarters, Willats planned her strategy for conducting the family interviews as sensitively as possible.

Her background in account planning proved to be ideal, she said. "We have expertise in interviewing," she stated, "and we know how to put the focus on the person we're interviewing and help tell their story. There's a fine art in asking the question and stepping back to let the answer come out."

Willats interviewed only Vicki and Erik on the events surrounding Lee's death, and focused her interviews with the children on their current situation. "It wasn't my goal to get tears," she said. "I wanted to make sure I did the work in a way that got them on the show but wasn't a further disruption to their lives."

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF

Despite the team's best efforts, the Swenson-Lees were not selected for a home makeover during the 2006-2007 season due to the challenges of building a home during Minnesota's harsh winter. Rather than giving up on the project, though, Gray continued to stay in touch with the show's producer. He provided regular updates on the family, including Vicki's work lobbying for stronger legislation to protect victims of domestic abuse.

Gray's determination paid off. The show's producers again considered the Swenson-Lee family when planning the 2007-2008 season, and in late August the nine family members (a tenth is due in November) were pleasantly surprised with the news that they were about to receive a brand new home. The message was delivered in the show's trademark style: "Star carpenter" Ty Pennington arrived outside the family's house and shouted the news through a bullhorn.

The Swenson-Lees were sent to Disneyland for a week while a team of 4,000 local builders and volunteers leveled their old home. The episode (the show's 100th) featuring the project is scheduled to air November 25, shortly after the Swenson's new baby is scheduled to arrive.

The M|W team members say the experience has been a powerful reminder of what the agency is capable of. Although the agency does work for a number of organizations on a pro bono basis, the end product is rarely so tangible as a house built for ten. "It's rare in advertising that you have a chance to make such a difference," said Burgeson.

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by Kate Her, Karwoski & Courage Public Relations