Building a Community Marketing Campaign That Increased Local Food Bank Donations

In June 2014, our dealership partnered with Ford’s Focus on Hunger initiative and the Puyallup Food Bank to collect peanut butter for local families during the summer months, when food donations are often in high demand.

Although I received only a few days’ notice before the campaign began, we quickly brought together a coordinated marketing effort that combined dealership signage, website updates, social media, employee communication, community partnerships, and in-store promotions. The goal was simple: make donating as easy as possible while raising awareness of an important community need.

By the end of the campaign, we collected 535 jars of peanut butter to help support families served by the Puyallup Food Bank.

Campaign Assets

This campaign included a coordinated collection of marketing materials designed to create a consistent experience across every customer touchpoint.

Digital

Homepage website banner
Dedicated landing page
Facebook Event
Facebook posts throughout the campaign
Employee email announcements
Employee results and thank-you email

In-Store

Showroom F-150 display
Event posters throughout the dealership
Reception donation station
Promotional signage

Community Partnership

Promotional truck displayed at Fred Meyer
Point-of-sale signage at grocery store check stands
Peanut butter displays at every register

My Role

As Marketing Specialist, I coordinated the dealership’s marketing efforts for the campaign while adapting Ford-provided promotional assets to fit our local market and timeline.

Because the campaign was communicated to me only a few days before launch, speed and organization were critical. I updated our website, created the landing page, built the Facebook event, designed supporting promotional materials, coordinated employee communications, documented the campaign schedule, and assembled everything into a cohesive plan that could be easily followed by dealership staff.

I also documented the entire campaign – including timelines, marketing assets, and results – to serve as a reference for future community events.

How Everything Worked Together

Rather than treating each marketing piece as a standalone item, I focused on creating a connected experience that made it easy for people to learn about the event and participate, regardless of how they first encountered it.

Consistent Branding

Ford supplied campaign graphics that established the visual identity for the event. I carried those design elements across our website, social media, dealership signage, and employee communications so customers encountered a familiar look throughout the campaign.

Consistent Messaging

Every touchpoint explained the same core message:

why peanut butter was being collected,
who it would help,
where donations could be made,
and how easy it was to participate.

Whether someone visited our website, saw a Facebook post, walked into the dealership, or shopped at Fred Meyer, they received the same clear information.

Consistent Timing

The campaign followed a structured communication schedule that kept employees informed before, during, and after the event.

Planning documentation included milestones for:

launching marketing materials
showroom setup
grocery store promotion
donation collection
event conclusion
food bank delivery
employee follow-up

Having this schedule documented helped ensure everyone understood what was happening and when.

Internal Communication

One lesson I learned early in my marketing career was that successful campaigns don’t stop with customer-facing materials; employees need to understand the campaign just as well as customers do.

Throughout the event, I kept dealership staff informed with email updates and shared campaign materials so receptionists, salespeople, managers, and service advisors could confidently answer questions and encourage participation.

That internal communication helped create a seamless experience for customers while ensuring the dealership presented a unified message.

Campaign Results

Coordinated and launched a complete community awareness campaign within only a few days of receiving project information
Produced consistent messaging across digital, social, and in-person channels
Supported a partnership between Ford, the dealership, Fred Meyer, and the Puyallup Food Bank
Collected 535 jars of peanut butter
- 321 donated through Fred Meyer
- 214 donated through the dealership
Created reusable campaign documentation for future community outreach initiatives