Megan Redzia - 10/24/2023
Summary: Baker Street Behavioral Health is an integrated mental health practice with offices throughout New Jersey with a focus on Sports & Performance Psychology. The practice assists athletes in achieving new heights in their performance and personal lives. Performance psychology clinicians meet with teams and individuals to enhance their mental skills, with the goal of gaining a “mental edge” in competition/performance. Given recent challenges and inequities in women’s professional sports, Baker Street Behavioral Health was looking to target female athletes and professional sports teams/leagues in New Jersey and New York.
Objectives: The objectives of the campaign were to:
- Increase awareness about Baker Street Behavioral Health’s Sports & Performance Psychology services.
- Generate meaningful discussions about the inequity in women’s sports and the importance of mental health for athletes.
Strategy: 3E PR developed a public relations campaign for Baker Street Behavioral Health that focused on leveraging the following three elements:
- Partnership – To be able to show how the success of the Sports & Performance psychology program as reach the target market, a partnership was secured with the Metropolitan Riveters, a professional women’s ice hockey team based in New Jersey. The Captain of the team, Madison Packer, is an advocate for mental health and was willing to collaborate on media interviews and social media content.
- Event – To help generate discussions about the importance of mental health in sports, a special hockey game called “Mental Health Awareness Night” was developed. The Metropolitan Riveters wore specially designed jerseys with the Riveters logo and “Let’s Talk About Mental
- Health” on them. Following the game, the jerseys were auctioned with proceeds going to the Herren Project, a project the directly gives money to kids and families struggling with mental health challenges. The Baker Street Behavioral Health leadership team dropped the puck to start the game and during breaks, voiceovers from the team aired reinforcing the importance of mental health.
- Media Relations – Media outreach was conducted to secure coverage leading up to the “Mental Health Awareness Night” game, as well as onsite. 3E PR offered interviews with the Baker Street Behavioral Health CEO, psychologists, and Madison Packer, Captain of the Metropolitan Riveters.
Results: 3E PR was able to secure media coverage in a variety of broadcast, print and digital outlets before and during the game, including ESPN, The Record/NorthJersey.com, WBGO-FM, WCBS-TV, and News 12 New Jersey. The result was increased awareness about Baker Street Behavioral Health’s Sports & Performance Psychology services among other sports teams and leagues.
