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Bluestone Communications

Bluestones Communications is James Madison University's student-run public relations firm. Working with real clients in the area, we aim to create mutually beneficial relationships between clients and their audiences. 

Fairfield Center

Fairfield Center was established as Virginia's first mediation center in 1982. The organization aims to provide professional conflict resolution, communication training, business services, restorative justice, and civic engagement initiatives.

Meet My   Clients...

JMU Master's in Communication and Advocacy

The M.A. in Communication and Advocacy Program at James Madison University offers the benefits of both a general communication master’s program and a specialized program.

Fairfield Center

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Objectives

  1. Objective #1: Increase social media followers by 15% by the end of April

  2. Objective #2: Secure two new places for a workshop by the end of April

  3. Objective #3: Secure one positive media placement

  4. Objective #4: Receive at least 10 inquiries about Fairfield services by the end of April

Big Idea

  1.  To broaden community awareness of Fairfield’s services

Target 
Audience

  1. College community

  2. Separated Households

  3. Local Businesses​​

Our Work

Check out all of the work we produced for Fairfield Center!​

Rationale

When creating our work for Fairfield Center, it was imperative that we highlight the client's services, goals, and work. Since we aimed to gain more community awareness, we consistently created a new Instagram containing posts about success stories, mediation advice posts, workshop reminders, media coverage, and interactive stories. By May 2024, our client had gained over 3,000+ website traffic and 20+ inquiries. I look forward to the growth of Fairfield Center in the coming years!

JMU Master's  in Communication and Advocacy 

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Objectives

  1. Objective #1: Increase Facebook engagement by 10% for the MA program by the end of April 

  2. Objective #2: Gain at least 100 followers on social media pages by the end of April 

  3. Objective #3: Gain at least 10 engagements (reply, comment, share, etc.) per social media post this semester

  4. Objective #4: Have at least 5 alumni connect with current and prospective graduate students by the end of April

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Big Idea

  1. Generalize awareness of beneficial career-oriented paths of the JMU School of Communication M.A. program.

Target 
Audience

  1. Alumni

  2. Current JMU School of Communication Students

  3. Prospective Graduate Students Outside JMU School of Communication Studies

Our Work

Check out all of the work we did for the graduate school!

Rationale

When I was formulating ideas for the program, I knew that it was imperative to boost engagement, reach, and awareness through social media. My team created and built the program's social media, and we already have current students, alumni, and faculty engaging with the account. Additionally, the Zoom panel is currently being organized to happen in September 2024, which will be an exciting way to build relationships between students and alumni. Through the social media pages and upcoming panels, the program is getting a lot of attention and applications for their incoming class!

Welcome visitors to your site with a short, engaging introduction. 

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The Team

All work was created by Team 2 of Bluestone Communications.

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Carissa Iannucci: Account Manager

Alexa Maksym: Sr. Account Executive

Trevor Crane: Sr. Account Executive

Julia LaFave: Sr. Creative Executive

Meredith Lay: Account Executive

Owen Smetek: Account Executive

Casey Frost: Account Executive

Jackie Dua: Account Executive

Kate Talley: Creative Executive

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Madison Art Collection

MAC is the only art exhibition in the Shenandoah area, allowing individuals to explore a rich diversity of the human experience. 

Meet My 2023   Clients...

Shenandoah Valley United

SVU is a non-profit organization that offers soccer programs for children ages 4-18 with diverse challenge levels.

Madison Art Collection

Objectives

  1. Establish a mutually beneficial relationship between MAC and its target audience.

  2. Gain more media attention for the exhibition.

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Big Idea

  1. To generate awareness of resources, uses, and functionality of the collection.

Target 
Audience

  1. College students at James Madison University 

  2. Locals in the Shenandoah area ​​

Strategies

  1. Increase on-campus recognition through merchandise and brand recognition efforts.

  2. Implement a Social Media Content Calendar to utilize for consistent posting on various social media platforms

  3. Promote their November exhibit through owned and earned media.

Rationale

When creating our work for the Madison Art Collection, it was imperative that we found ways to put the exhibition's name out into the media. We successfully achieved our desired media attention through the news release and Dukes Weekly feature. Along with pitching to the media and journalists, it was equally important that their social media was visually appealing and had content that made the exhibition appear inviting to our audience. Through our BuzzFeed quiz, Instagram templates/posts, and QR code, we were also successfully able to reach our audience online. 

Shenandoah Valley United

Objectives

  1. Increase awareness about SVU to immigrants, refugees, and non-English speaking individuals in surrounding areas.

  2. Provide merchandise to increase brand recognition and general awareness.

  3. Increase community engagement by spreading awareness of SVU.

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Big Idea

  1. To generate awareness of success, programs, and diversity within the club.

Target Audience

  1. Parents - Current and Potential (ages 30-50) 

  2. Local Middle and High Schoolers (ages 11-18)

  3. Hispanic Community (ages 11-50)

Strategies

  1. Organize an “Advice & Motivation” video performed by JMU Soccer featuring clips from players in several languages.

  2. Create SVU-designed tablecloths, table decor, and additional SVU merchandise to outline tabling best practices.

  3. Organize a proceeds night to help spread general awareness of SVU.

Accomplishments

Our main goal with SVU was to determine how we could ultimately benefit the organization in the future. After speaking with the organization at the beginning of the semester, SVU's team emphasized that obtaining materials that would benefit the organization while working with them and in the future was important. Through our objectives and executed strategies, we focused on providing SVU with quality materials to use for continuous future success. 

In Summary... 

  1. Hosted a successful fundraiser with Jersey Mikes

  2. Provided templates to improve social media

  3. Increased organization awareness throughout the community

Welcome visitors to your site with a short, engaging introduction. 

Double click to edit and add your own text.

The Team

All work was created by Team 3 of Bluestone Communications.

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Carissa Iannucci

Summer Fitch

Ella Vertrees

Jane McConville

Maya Sutherland

Bennett Gravely

Melanie Benitez

Haley Maider

Grace Clukey

Lexi Lebo

Emily Myers

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Blog Post

Click the button below to read a blog post that I wrote about my university's nationally-ranked football team making program history and becoming bowl-eligible. Roll Dukes!

Let's Go Bowling: James Madison University Football Makes Program History
By: Carissa Iannucci
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