Keys to Success: Creating a Legendary Media Advertising Campaign
Creating a successful media advertising campaign for stormwater outreach seems, intuitively, to be one of those things that really can’t be so hard. After all, isn’t it just a matter of applying common sense? And doesn’t each American consumer already have the benefit of a round-the-clock education—delivered via every possible medium, from television and the Internet to the roadside bus bench—in the power and principles of advertising?
In reality, it’s one of those things that just look easy to do properly. There are myriad variables in any campaign, and it’s essential to get them right. Key decision points include:
- Who is your target audience, and what is the most effective way to reach it?
- Which media are the most effective?
- How can you draw the maximum impact from every dollar?
- How can you know if your campaign has penetrated your target audience and if the message is a compelling one that is understood and valued?
- What is an adequate amount of money to spend, and how often should your message be repeated?
- Where can you find additional resources that will cost you little or nothing but magnify the reach and impact of your message?
 |
| "Got Bugs?" ads encouraged residents to learn about pesticide-free insect control. |
Laying the Foundation
Whether you view effective advertising as an art, science, or acquired skill, the first step is laying a solid foundation for success. Develop specific objectives for your campaign, based on your available budget, and clearly define your target audiences. Look closely at your region’s demographics. Latino and other ethnic outreach may be an important component of your outreach campaign.
 |
| Watershed Watch's successful "Got Bulbs?" campaign provided a how-to on safely disposing of fluorescent lights and other items containing mercury. |
Establish a mechanism for measuring results. In each advertisement, always remember to include a call to action. Pre-test messages using surveys and focus groups. A media buyer is also essential. A clean, professional, and eye-catching design for your advertisement will help maximize the message.
An example of a highly successful stormwater public outreach and advertising campaign has been Watershed Watch, sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program.
The goal of Watershed Watch is to educate the public about the importance of watersheds and how to protect them. The campaign has raised awareness of the dangers to local creeks, watersheds, and the San Francisco Bay by teaching principles of environmental stewardship in fun and practical ways. Early advertising focused on overall watershed awareness. A public opinion survey proved valuable in refining and targeting the message. Later the campaign evolved to impact the types of individual and group behavior that threaten the health of the watershed.
Key tactics to maximize advertising dollars included the strategy of making the media “compete” for dollars. Media-buyer negotiations yielded promotions and a range of value-added resources in addition to paid media.
Examples of successful media buys that focused on specific behaviors include the memorable “Got Paint?” and “Got Bugs?” ads that appeared in newspapers, on the radio, and even on the sides of buses. The paint message emphasized the importance of proper disposal of hazardous waste, and the bug ad urged residents to learn about the many natural, pesticide-free ways to control insects. A similar campaign (“Got Bulbs?”) taught ways to safely dispose of fluorescent lights and other items containing mercury, while “Got Dirt?” ads promoted environmentally safe ways to wash cars, and “Got Leaks?” stressed the importance of keeping cars tuned.
Adding impact to these important messages were contests and promotions from the media, in addition to the Watershed Watch Web site, which capitalizes on interest generated from advertising, contests, school education programs, newsletter distribution, and other collateral materials to educate the public. The site encourages direct interaction by the public through quizzes, comment forms, pledge forms, and more. All advertising makes a point of highlighting the Web site address, in addition to a free hotline number.
Web site page views averaged 350–400 per day during advertising flights, and more than 7,000 information pages were downloaded in a one-year period. The site includes both English and Spanish pages.
Another remarkable component of the outreach strategy was the creation of a wide range of public/private partnerships that added hundreds of thousands of dollars in free resources to the campaign. Classic Car Wash, for example, offered discounts and live remotes; Kelly Moore Paints distributed flyers and provided customer discounts; Quality Tune-Up offered discounts on car tune-ups, distributed flyers, and provided campaign recognition in its own advertising. Local hardware stores ran contests and allowed free drop-off and disposal of fluorescent tubes.
 |
| Proper disposal of hazardous waste was the focus of the "Got Paint?" campaign. |
Community partners have included local amusement parks, a children’s museum, environmental groups, the media, and the county Household Hazardous Waste Program. Other value-added opportunities included free newspaper ads, links from radio stations and retailers’ Web sites, a drawing for a free trip to Mexico, free radio spots, and an on-air quiz, plus other retailer promotions. In all, the dollar value of these promotions brought an estimated $175,000 into the campaign, while expanding the range and impact of the essential environmental message.
Meanwhile, as anecdotal evidence pointed to the success of the campaign, achievements were able to be accurately quantified through Web site tracking, online participation, use of discount cards, attendance at events and promotions, downloads of Web materials, and calls to the campaign hotline.
Advertisement
A key lesson to be learned, based on the Watershed Watch experience, is that media, businesses, community groups, and others actually want to be a part of a worthy campaign. All that is needed is a strategy to include them as enthusiastic partners.
Once that happens, it’s a win-win situation for everyone concerned: Businesses receive positive feedback from customers for their efforts to preserve the watershed; customers gain discounts, win prizes, and learn valuable information; the watershed is spared pollutants that otherwise would have found their way into streams and the Bay—and your overall campaign becomes an unqualified success.
Author's Bio: Lois Humphreys is president of TRG & Associates, a California-based public relations and environmental consulting firm that has contributed ideas, strategies, and tactics to the Watershed Watch campaign.
March-April 2006
Keys to Success: Creating a Legendary Media Advertising Campaign
Creating a successful media advertising campaign for stormwater outreach seems, intuitively, to be one of those things that really can’t be so hard. After all, isn’t it just a matter of applying common sense? And doesn’t each American consumer already have the benefit of a round-the-clock education—delivered via every possible medium, from television and the Internet to the roadside bus bench—in the power and principles of advertising?
In reality, it’s one of those things that just look easy to do properly. There are myriad variables in any campaign, and it’s essential to get them right. Key decision points include:
- Who is your target audience, and what is the most effective way to reach it?
- Which media are the most effective?
- How can you draw the maximum impact from every dollar?
- How can you know if your campaign has penetrated your target audience and if the message is a compelling one that is understood and valued?
- What is an adequate amount of money to spend, and how often should your message be repeated?
- Where can you find additional resources that will cost you little or nothing but magnify the reach and impact of your message?
|
| "Got Bugs?" ads encouraged residents to learn about pesticide-free insect control. |
Laying the Foundation
Whether you view effective advertising as an art, science, or acquired skill, the first step is laying a solid foundation for success. Develop specific objectives for your campaign, based on your available budget, and clearly define your target audiences. Look closely at your region’s demographics. Latino and other ethnic outreach may be an important component of your outreach campaign.
|
| Watershed Watch's successful "Got Bulbs?" campaign provided a how-to on safely disposing of fluorescent lights and other items containing mercury. |
Establish a mechanism for measuring results. In each advertisement, always remember to include a call to action. Pre-test messages using surveys and focus groups. A media buyer is also essential. A clean, professional, and eye-catching design for your advertisement will help maximize the message.
An example of a highly successful stormwater public outreach and advertising campaign has been Watershed Watch, sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program.
The goal of Watershed Watch is to educate the public about the importance of watersheds and how to protect them. The campaign has raised awareness of the dangers to local creeks, watersheds, and the San Francisco Bay by teaching principles of environmental stewardship in fun and practical ways. Early advertising focused on overall watershed awareness. A public opinion survey proved valuable in refining and targeting the message. Later the campaign evolved to impact the types of individual and group behavior that threaten the health of the watershed.
Key tactics to maximize advertising dollars included the strategy of making the media “compete” for dollars. Media-buyer negotiations yielded promotions and a range of value-added resources in addition to paid media.
Examples of successful media buys that focused on specific behaviors include the memorable “Got Paint?” and “Got Bugs?” ads that appeared in newspapers, on the radio, and even on the sides of buses. The paint message emphasized the importance of proper disposal of hazardous waste, and the bug ad urged residents to learn about the many natural, pesticide-free ways to control insects. A similar campaign (“Got Bulbs?”) taught ways to safely dispose of fluorescent lights and other items containing mercury, while “Got Dirt?” ads promoted environmentally safe ways to wash cars, and “Got Leaks?” stressed the importance of keeping cars tuned.
Adding impact to these important messages were contests and promotions from the media, in addition to the Watershed Watch Web site, which capitalizes on interest generated from advertising, contests, school education programs, newsletter distribution, and other collateral materials to educate the public. The site encourages direct interaction by the public through quizzes, comment forms, pledge forms, and more. All advertising makes a point of highlighting the Web site address, in addition to a free hotline number.
Web site page views averaged 350–400 per day during advertising flights, and more than 7,000 information pages were downloaded in a one-year period. The site includes both English and Spanish pages.
Another remarkable component of the outreach strategy was the creation of a wide range of public/private partnerships that added hundreds of thousands of dollars in free resources to the campaign. Classic Car Wash, for example, offered discounts and live remotes; Kelly Moore Paints distributed flyers and provided customer discounts; Quality Tune-Up offered discounts on car tune-ups, distributed flyers, and provided campaign recognition in its own advertising. Local hardware stores ran contests and allowed free drop-off and disposal of fluorescent tubes.
|
| Proper disposal of hazardous waste was the focus of the "Got Paint?" campaign. |
Community partners have included local amusement parks, a children’s museum, environmental groups, the media, and the county Household Hazardous Waste Program. Other value-added opportunities included free newspaper ads, links from radio stations and retailers’ Web sites, a drawing for a free trip to Mexico, free radio spots, and an on-air quiz, plus other retailer promotions. In all, the dollar value of these promotions brought an estimated $175,000 into the campaign, while expanding the range and impact of the essential environmental message.
Meanwhile, as anecdotal evidence pointed to the success of the campaign, achievements were able to be accurately quantified through Web site tracking, online participation, use of discount cards, attendance at events and promotions, downloads of Web materials, and calls to the campaign hotline.
A key lesson to be learned, based on the Watershed Watch experience, is that media, businesses, community groups, and others actually want to be a part of a worthy campaign. All that is needed is a strategy to include them as enthusiastic partners.
Once that happens, it’s a win-win situation for everyone concerned: Businesses receive positive feedback from customers for their efforts to preserve the watershed; customers gain discounts, win prizes, and learn valuable information; the watershed is spared pollutants that otherwise would have found their way into streams and the Bay—and your overall campaign becomes an unqualified success.