board meeting
sunday, may 3, 2015
1
about gmmb
• strategic communications firm
• mission driven
• we know the value of public libraries
2
PLA advocacy
& awareness
goal statement: PLA plays a major
role in public library advocacy and in
influencing public perception about
the library
3
objective
enhance perception of public libraries
through a public awareness initiative
4
question
who is your target audience?
5
survey results
what do you wish people
knew/understood more about public
libraries?
6
value &
impact
survey results
• we add value to communities
• contributions toward building community,
economic impact, supporting health, innovation &
creativity
• our holistic contribution to a range of social
services
services &
resources
• we offer a broad array of services
• the sheer amount of resources we offer
• all the services and resources at the library that
meet individual and community needs
complexity
& relevancy
• people do not understand the difficulty of
providing services to everyone or funding
challenges
• the Internet and e-books have expanded library
services, not replaced them
• their future isn’t defined by books, they are
places to learned formally and informally; they
will change is ways we can’t necessarily envision
7
survey results
if you could choose a role for PLA in
the lives of its members over the next
five years, what would it be?
8
survey results
• advocate
• thought leader
• professional development hub
9
survey results
should PLA be a more public-facing
organization in efforts to raise
awareness of the value of public
libraries or should it continue to work
through its members?
10
survey results
• more public-facing: 6
• member-facing: 2
• both: 1
11
verbatim
more public-facing
•
•
•
•
“I would like PLA to be more public
facing because this is a national
issue and could be managed
brilliantly in big, bold way. We need
to be talking to outside decision
makers and not just ourselves.”
“Yes, but I’m not sure members will
understand the importance of taking
on this role.”
“I think it’s worth exploring.”
“More public facing – our members
are too fractured, disconnected,
focused (understandably) on local
needs.”
Member-facing
•
•
“The point is not to raise
awareness/visibility of PLA, but to
help members advocate effectively
for their local communities.”
“PLA is currently a membership
driven organization and this will be
very hard to change with the
current structure. Unless this
changes, I am not sure PLA can
make such a change. I’d rather
PLA focus on its members.”
12
what does it take to reach people today?
13
2,904
messages per
day
52 are paid
attention to
24 are read,
listened to and
watched
of the 24, we
dislike 14
of the
remaining
10, we
remember
4
14
repetition  belief
15
12-15
exposures
8-10
3-5
behavior/attitude
change
recall/awareness
recognition
awareness spectrum
16
awareness,
perception,
& positioning
what’s the difference?
17
awareness
campaign
• tell audiences who you are
• improve
knowledge/understanding about
an issue
• useful if people do not know
about a problem or that you
exist
18
perception
campaign
• reach audiences with a message
about what your cause means
• change what people think they
know about you
19
positioning
• change/strengthen how you talk
about who you are
• institutional identity
20
members
positioning
campaign
public
21
awareness
campaign
Blue Cross Blue Shield
22
•
awareness
campaign
Blue Cross Blue Shield
•
•
•
problem/purpose: major factor in rising
health care costs is increase in obesity/
chronic conditions, lack of sufficient
physical activity
audience: workers covered by Blues
plans; opinion leaders
approach: workplace wellness program
(CDC, U.S. Surgeon General, HHS)
impact: 36 BCBS plans in local markets,
Congressional staff from every office
participated; National Walk @ Lunch
Day created for association members;
BCBSA became well-known and
inflencial promoter of health lifestle
choices among key audiences
23
awareness
campaign
Blue Cross Blue Shield
24
awareness
campaign
Geek the Library
25
•
awareness
campaign
•
•
Geek the Library
•
problem/purpose: U.S. economic
situation created urgent and growing
demand for public library services, while
library hours were cut and funding
declined
audience: current and potential library
supporters
approach: 4 phases in 8 years:
research (2007-2008), pilot in ~100
libraries (2009-2010), national
awareness campaign (2011-2012), and
extension of national campaign (20122015)
impact: message reached more than
half of pilot community residents; more
than 2/3 took action or intended to take
action
26
awareness
campaign
Geek the Library
27
positioning
Auto Care Association
28
positioning
Auto Care Association
• problem/purpose: key audiences
saw AAIA and the “aftermarket” as
small, outdated, and not on par with
its economic clout
• audience: members, policymakers,
media
• approach: sharpen the association
brand to position it as the voice of a
modern, innovative, powerhouse
industry
• impact: member pride and adoption
of messaging, recent profiles in
Washington Post
29
positioning
Auto Care Association
30
positioning
Holy Cross
31
positioning
Holy Cross
• problem/purpose: college wanted
to recruit students from outside of
northeast
• audience: prospective students,
prospective parents, guidance
counselors
• approach: rebrand the college; dial
up Jesuit ideals, dial down Catholic
identity; infuse Holy Cross with
ideals of intellectual exploration and
“rebellious optimism” for life
• impact: just finished branding work
32
positioning
Holy Cross
33
perception
campaign
Society for Human
Resource Management
34
•
perception
campaign
Society for Human
Resource Management
•
•
•
problem/purpose: SHRM and its members
are strategic partners company leadership
who impact productivity and the bottom line,
yet outside perception of the profession was
out of sync with reality
audience: business leaders, policy makers
and opinion leaders
approach: integrated campaign to increase
awareness of professionals and expand
SHRM’s visibility and voice as a thought
leader on business, workforce and public
policy issues
impact: visitors to campaign website for
materials, videos, large social media
presence/followers; brand so well-received by
members and internal audiences that it is
being expanded as part of external marketing
35
perception
campaign
Society for Human
Resource Management
36
video
37
members
positioning
campaign
public
38
now it’s your turn!
39
members
positioning
campaign
public
40
what’s next?
• next steps
• timeline
41