How much do you care about your readers? Enough to show your admiration for them in a public display? Or by devoting a special section to them? By giving them awards and creating excitement throughout the community?

The Journal News, a Gannett publication in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley, did all of the above in what could only be described as a virtual love affair with its community and the advertisers it serves.

The Journal News covers Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties — the suburbs just north of New York City. It also reaches a portion of New Jersey’s northernmost county, Bergen.

In an effort to increase readership and draw more viewers to its Web site, Journal News executives took advantage of an opportunity to honor its community.

In partnership with Palisades Center in West Nyack, N.Y., which ranks among the country’s top-10 malls, The Journal News media network (known locally as LoHud) invited residents, students and local employers to nominate “ordinary citizens who perform extraordinary deeds” for community-wide recognition.

The promotion spanned the newspaper, cable station RNN and several sister publications. RNN not only called for nominations during key broadcast time, but profiled each nominee on air in prime time during the five days leading up to the event.

Honoring our heroes

Dubbed “LoHud and Palisades Center Honor Our Heroes,” pages in the newspaper and banners on the LoHud site drew citizens of The Journal News community to nominate their heroes.

In addition to a substantial advertising package, The Journal News offered top-level sponsors the opportunity to present a Heroes award to one of 10 outstanding citizens of LoHud. Sponsors were also highlighted in a special section of The Journal News that profiled each of the heroes.

The plan included a Nov. 3 event hosted by Palisades Center to honor the 10 heroes. Merchants from throughout the mall contributed to Heroes gift baskets, presented by sponsors and local dignitaries.

For the record

As the author of this column, I am obligated to tell you where the “Heroes” idea came from. It was the brainchild of my creative group at Group M Inc., a public relations and marketing agency of which I am president. But telling you this story has little to do with my involvement. It has everything to do with how Palisades Center and — most relevant to you — The Journal News saw an outstanding opportunity to connect with its public and to make its media network more relevant to its readers. Journal News Marketing Director Marie Smyth put her whole team’s effort into the event, putting other promotional activities aside. This is the kind of vision that allows newspapers to be reinvented — to go from ordinary to extraordinary in the eyes of its readership.

Look for coverage of the “Honor Our Heroes” event in my next column in Newspapers & Technology.

Rosemarie Monaco is president of Group M Inc., a marketing communications and consulting firm specializing in the graphic arts. Send comments and questions to rosemarie.monaco@groupm.org.