Lex250: The Semiquincentennial Celebration of the Battle of Lexington

SECTOR

Municipal

CLIENT

Town of Lexington (MA) & Lex250 Commission

GOAL

Develop a communications strategy to highlight the Town’s efforts and the people behind it, attracting maximum media exposure around the world.

Background

As dawn approached on April 19, 1775, British Regulars, who were dispatched to destroy a store of munitions, encountered the Lexington Minute Men, a group of determined, yet apprehensive, militia members standing in their way. Tension mounted, a shot rang out, and the British Regulars opened fire.

When the smoke cleared, eight American Patriots lay dead, 10 were wounded, and the Revolutionary War had begun. It was the first battle for America’s Independence.

The Town of Lexington began to mark the 250th anniversary – the semiquincentennial – through a year-long series of events in 2024 and 2025. The Lex250 Commission identified communications to local stakeholders, as well as state, national, and international media, as a key challenge. The Commission turned to JGPR and its experience in managing high-level integration communications, marketing, and media relations campaigns.

Concept

JGPR developed an integrated multimedia approach to raise awareness of Lex250 events and position the client for success in meeting its goals. Steps included:

Designing, launching, and maintaining the official Lex250 website, a one-stop information center for all events and information key to the celebrations. The site was connected to branded social media platforms to further amplify messaging.
Custom creating and branding content with a look consistent to the historical nature of the events, including video, photos, and social media posts.
Aggressively promoting and marketing the Lex250 events on the website and social media channels.
Leveraging existing media contacts and relationships to gain favorable placements before, during, and after April 19, as well as aggressive story pitching with media outlets from around the world.
Managing media on the ground during all Lex250 events, including on April 19, 2025.

Impact

JGPR reached a global audience with over 120 media credentials given out for the April 19, 2025 events and through dozens of multiple, impactful media placements in worldwide. (see below for more details).

On April 19, JGPR staff produced over 50 social media reels that got hundreds of thousands of views.

During the month of April alone, the lex250.org website saw over 1 million visitors.