Pentagon Memorial Fund:  We Must Never Forget

Winter Gold Award, 2008 Magellan Awards
Top 50 Campaigns of 2008

Weber Merritt is proud to have designed and executed an award-winning, multi-year, multi-pronged campaign on behalf of the Pentagon Memorial Fund, which culminated with the unveiling of the first memorial honoring the victims of the September 11 terror attacks in 2008.

As we prepared for the campaign’s final phase in summer 2007, our research indicated that with the passage of time, 9/11 commemorations had become a ritual, annual event.  General interest in a permanent structure waned as groups in New York and Pennsylvania grappled with a range of obstacles. More pressing national issues overshadowed the desire to erect a monument remembering the victims of this tragedy and cluttered every news cycle.  The Pentagon Memorial Fund had simply become “another” worthy cause for donors to support and for the media to cover. 

Weber Merritt’s multi-pronged strategy advanced three goals for the Pentagon Memorial Fund:  fundraising for construction and maintenance of the 9/11 memorial, building and sustaining the media and the public’s interest in the memorial outside of the 9/11 anniversaries, and securing and coordinating national and international coverage of the unveiling ceremony. 

The firm’s effort generated a high return on investment, translating to a fraction of a penny spent per person reached by news placements and revenue of $30 in funds raised for every $1 spent.  The campaign garnered a 2008 Gold Magellan Award from the League of American Communication Professionals.