Dr. Richard Boas, a Connecticut-based philanthropist, set out a mere two years ago to change the fate of unwed mothers in Korea. Their story is tragic: 70% are forced to give up their babies for adoption due to the public shame and shunning they face in their country as single mothers. Dr. Boas urgently needed to tell the world their story, and to draw attention to their plight in Korea to ultimately enable them to keep their children.

After conducting our Brand Thread, we decided the marketing strategy had to start by attracting the attention of literally the most influential people in the world. The first step was to get the story into the world’s most influential media outlet, The New York Times. Using traditional media relations strategies, within months we placed a feature story in that paper as well as on the front page of The International Herald Tribune in South Korea, written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Choe Sang-Hung.

These stories kick-started a flood of reports in Korea and in major global media including the BBC and The Christian Science Monitor. To date, over 50 stories about these women have appeared in print, on blogs and on Korean TV and radio, including editorials and op-eds in major Korean daily newspapers. The stories, published almost weekly, continue to drive conversation and public debate.

As a result, a group of unwed Korean mothers have created an organization to advocate for their rights and the issue is being discussed in a multitude of forums. This year, the Korean government voted to increase its subsidy for unwed moms.