R.J. Dale, Third World Press make history with marketing of 'The Covenant'

(April 24, 2006) R.J. Dale Advertising and Public Relations is celebrating its role in helping to make book publishing history. The Chicago-based agency is responsible for marketing the phenomenally successful book, “The Covenant with Black America,” which this week became the first nonfiction title from a black publisher to claim the No. 1 spot on The New York Times Bestsellers list. Third World Press, (TWP) one of the nation’s most respected independent publishing houses, is the book’s publisher, and it signed R.J. Dale as its first agency to market its titles.

“We are truly proud to be a part of the success of a book aimed at Black America,” stated Robert Dale (above), the agency’s president and CEO. Our efforts were designed to convey to all communities regardless of ethnicity, but particularly African Americans, the importance of this book and how it can make a difference every day”.

"The Covenant” presents an action plan for Black America with essays by leading experts on issues ranging from health care to the digital divide, presented in ten covenants. Each includes fact sheets on the subject and checklists of to-dos for communities and individuals with an emphasis on how to push leaders and elected officials to carry out an agenda for the future.

Third World Press founder Haki Madhabuti stated that he knew early on in the agency selection process that R.J. Dale was the right choice to work with TWP on expanding their marketing initiatives. “We have been in business for close to 40 years and thought it was time to enlist R.J. Dale to take the foundation that we have laid at Third World Press and move forward in a direction that could better penetrate the current and upcoming books on our roster to our audience.”

“Our growth sparked a need to take our marketing to a higher level and utilize the service of a top notch marketing firm. That’s why we chose R.J. Dale. We are pleased with our decision. Our goal for ‘The Covenant’ is to have one million copies in households across the country and with the marketing strategies developed and executed by R.J. Dale, I’m sure we will make goal,” stated Bennett Johnson, Vice President of Marketing at TWP.  

The marketing campaign for “The Covenant” has included a range of integrated buzz marketing tactics, relying on the Internet, ground-level local area marketing, and a high-impact national public relations campaign. The latter featured extensive media outreach to book reviewers, columnists, television and radio talk shows in support of “The Covenant” Tour, an eight-city excursion by Tavis Smiley.

Upcoming “Covenant” projects include coordination of additional community and town hall meetings across the country, and the execution of digital and online marketing initiatives that Bob Dale characterizes as, “an innovative next step in the convergence of Internet-driven consumer marketing partnerships with the traditional publishing industry”.

Click here to read more about "The Covenant" on our sister site, Black Issues Book Review.

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