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WKU Ad Campaigns Team May 8, 2013
situation analysis WKYU PBS-NPR finds themselves in a time of rapid change where digital media is becoming equally as important as the traditional media the operation has used for years. WKYU PBS-NPR is challenged to meet this change. Through primary and secondary research, the WKU Ad Campaign Team has developed a number of strategies and tactics that meet the objectives and goals set to increase support and funding for WKYU PBS-NPR. The following sections will explain in greater detail what was discovered from the research and how it led to the development of this plan.
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Industry analysis Political
Economic
Over the past decade or so, public broadcasting has been used by many conservatives as a political football. They make the claim the PBS is the epitome of wasteful spending. Furthermore, republicans often claim that the American tax-payer dishes out a substantial amount of money for PBS. The actuality of the matter is that PBS accounts for just 0.012 percent of the total federal budget. PBS only receives $430 million from the federal government and the rest is raised through donations. $210 million is divided between 350 stations nationwide, $74 million is used for TV production and $94 million is set aside for NPR. The federal funding accounts for 15 percent of the budget for the national PBS stations, and closer to 40 or 50 percent of rural stations. PBS does have an active lobbying presence on Capitol Hill, to influence policy decisions about their future. Since the start of the recession in 2008, many Americans have cut their household budgets to stay afloat. Generally, the first thing to go in their budgets is donations they give to charities or non-profits. Furthermore, due to the political chatter about PBS, many Americans feel as though they are already supporting public media by paying taxes. Whatever the reasons may be, membership and underwriting have been in decline. Less revenue being brought in has forced stations to lay off staff. This has especially hit smaller stations in rural areas. Larger stations aren’t feeling the pain as much because they have a greater number of supporters.
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Industry analysis Social
legal
Technological
The average yearly salary of an NPR listener is $93,000. Nearly 80% are white while the other 20% are non-white. This has led some people to view NPR as an elitist organization. Furthermore, PBS has generated controversy over a few incidents. In 2009, NPR abruptly fired Juan Williams over comments he made about Muslims. Many pundits used this incident as an example of the liberal bias of NPR. Another incident occurred when the CEO of the PBS was taped making negative comments about federal funding. All-in-all, a majority of Americans support PBS, and don’t want to lose it. Their children programming promotes literacy and Sesame Street has become a cultural icon of America. Recently, PBS struck gold with a new hit TV show called ‘Downton Abbey”. The new show has become the most watched show on PBS. Advertising is a big part of most broadcasting revenue. PBS, however, is held to a different standard in the way it can legally advertise. When a business sponsors a show it is considered underwriting. This is very similar to a donation but with the benefit name mentioned on the air. When the name of the business is mentioned on air, it must follow very strict guidelines. There can be no music, slogans, or anything that pushes an opinion about a product or business. Since PBS receives federal funding, it must follow these rules. In addition, it is a media outlet and must remain impartial to all entities. When the sponsor is mentioned, the commentator simply says name of business and a brief description of its purpose. If a station appears to show bias, they could lose their federal funding. Critics say that if PBS were allowed to advertise traditionally, it wouldn’t need federal support. We are currently in the middle of a digital revolution. Many industries such as newspapers and magazines are struggling to catch up. PBS has done a good job transitioning their productions to online. On Facebook they have a total of 6 million people who follow them. PBS update their social media pages daily with fresh interesting content and interact directly with their fans. On their websites they stream music and TV shows live and allow for viewers to watch them on cellphones. PBS has also developed a mobile for both TV and access on mobile devices. Social media has helped out PBS W radio for better tremendously, due to its relatively low cost. In addition, it has allowed for them KU to reach a wider audience in a different way.
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Competitor analysis: Pbs WKYU PBS’s largest competitor is KET. KET is competition because it not only plays PBS shows, but it produces many local shows. KET also markets itself well online through Twitter and Facebook. They are well known throughout the state and pose competition for fundraising dollars, viewership and loyalty. Perhaps the largest competition for WKYU PBS lies in the fact that channels are specialized. They hone in on specific topics. For example, for every cooking tutorial on PBS, there are shows such as Emeril and Rachel Ray to compete for viewers. For every documentary on classical, acoustic or jazz music, there are in depth interviews/documentaries on the History and Discovery channels. Other channels such as CW, Animal Planet, Encore, CNN, NBC, CBS, Food, HGTV, Style, etc. pose competition for shows on PBS. According to a Fox News article cited below, the main problem with PBS with that it is failing to push the envelope- everything is too safe. Therefore, viewers are becoming bored. The material is respected forbeing politically correct, but it is simultaneously driving viewers to more ‘interesting’ shows. There are certain political biases that people say keep them from watching/listening to WKYU programs.
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Competitor analysis: WKYU npr National benchmarks for WKYU NPR include Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado and Boston, MA public radio. One of the main strengths these top dogs have over WKYU is a cohesive brand image. The stations are well organized online and within social media. All are active on Facebook and Twitter and do decent jobs of interacting with followers. The only exception would be Wisconsin’s website because it is cluttered and hard to follow. Other than that, the websites are easily navigated. WKYU NPR’s website does have icons that take visitors to the Facebook and Twitter pages. These pages could better reflect the style and design of the WKYU NPR website. WKYU NPR’s biggest regional competitors include Louisville, Lexington, Indiana (Evansville in particular), Tri-state radio and Murray State. Some things these operations are doing right: Louisville has a strong call to action that makes up the content on their home page. A strong call to action is important in order to help people with an understanding of what exactly public radio is, how it is funded, its importance, what constitutes public radio and more.
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Competitor analysis: wkyu npr
Lexington’s media kit used for gaining underwriters is put together well. They mention key statistics such as “58% of public radio listeners nationwide agree that public radio sponsors are more credible than commercial advertisers,” and, “95% of public radio listeners have taken direct action as a result of an underwriting sponsorships, acting on their preference to do business with partners of their NPR station.”(Source for both: 2007 NPR/Jacobs Media study). They conclude that supporting public radio is more prestigious than regular advertising in the minds of consumers. Consumers will acknowledge and respect the value placed on non commercialized ‘advertising’. In the end, it will end up better for the business. Local competitors to WKYU NPR are local radio stations such as 101.1 The Beat Jamz, 95.5 WSM Country, WUHU 107.1 Top-40. A big asset that these stations have is the fact that they have a strong presence within the community. They are involved, and people (of all ages) know who they are.
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company analysis
WKYU PBS-NPR has been undergoing some rapid changes since introducing Director of Educational Telecommunications, James Morgeese, in October 2012. The station was forced to make several layoffs over the last year due to a 10 percent reduction in federal funding. With morale down after such layoffs, Morgeese finds himself in the midst of a pretty big task, save WKU PBS-NPR as well public broadcasting in general. Morgeese believes that internal changes must be made to keep the gears turning and has decided to start with the logo. The old logo included the WKU logo alongside the words public media to encompass both PBS and NPR in one title. However, he realized a lot of viewers became confused as to what public media meant and Morgeese went back to the drawing board. He came up with a much simpler design using variations of three recognizable logos: WKU, NPR and PBS. He placed them together and suddenly the confusion subsided as an identity could be better established to reach viewers/listeners/supporters. As many stations are finding out, in order to stay relevant to a broader audience, public television and radio cannot become stagnant. The current audience for much of the stations programming tends to be older. While all support is a positive for the station, Morgeese and others believe that the current support of youth and milllineals is not where they wish for it to be. The current demographic that Morgeese finds at his station is women 60+. The challenge with having a loyal older audience is that the window of gaining continued support is much shorter than that of teens and young adults. Morgeese believes millenials are the future of public broadcasting, and if it wants to stay afloat, stations like WKYU PBS-NPR must reach out to them with messaging, content, and niche shows going forward. Three things that Morgeese believes will bring results to his station are new branding, such as logos and increased web presence both on social and professional website platforms, local programming that KET does not offer, and increased funds that will indicate value for the station. Another challenge that Morgeese plans to solve is the community support for his station to fund operations. While most W KU would agree that the idea of public broadcasting is great in theory, those same people are not providing much, if any, support for the PU B station they claim to love.
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company analysis
Even Downton Abbey, the biggest success story in public television history, currently does not have a corporate sponsor at the local level. This is a concern with underwriting that should be addressed. Beyond community support dollars, underwriters are a necessary piece of the equation in public broadcasting. For this to happen, internal operations of the station must create an enticing pitch and get out in the community to voice it. While change is on the horizon, much more can be done to reach out to companies, and community members. With 96 percent of survey respondents having a Facebook page, there is no reason why WKYU PBS-NPR cannot reach out to community contributors using this platform. WKYU-PBS has been a major player in the community over the years and provides a unique service to its supporters/viewers. The company has adopted the following mission statement providing some background for their service, “WKYU-PBS provides high-quality, non-commercial programming and services to south central Kentucky to reflect and enhance the lives of people, places and things that make Kentucky Special.” WKYU-PBS takes pride in providing the only locally-based, locally-programmed public television service to communities in south central Kentucky and northern Tennessee. Serving as Bowling Green’s local public television service, with close ties and offices on the campus of Western Kentucky University, the station has a wide audience at their disposal to provide key content and programming. According to the “2011 Local Content and Service Report to the Community” published by WKYU-PBS, in 2011 alone, the station aired more than 30 Western Kentucky University Hilltopper and Lady Topper live basketball games to 40 million homes.
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company analysis In the same year, WKYU-PBS used their resources and connections on the local level to reach out to the surrounding community to better the lives of the less fortunate. Through partnerships with the American Red Cross and various corporate companies, WKYU helped feed the hungry by calling on its employees to join the effort to collect food for two drives held that year. Service also came in the form of partnering to provide community members with free flu shot vaccinations at local clinics, a free event allowing community members to create their own living wills, a writing contest for young students to create and submit stories, a Pool Party celebrating family togetherness and kids’ programming allowing children to meet their favorite characters from their favorite PBS television shows. WKYU-PBS has also adopted the “Go Green� lifestyle by lighting their station with all LED lights to cut back on unnecessary energy use, and planting seeds to grow pine trees that will beautify and help our community to grow and see the importance in environmental upkeep. Beyond service to our community through charitable events, WKYU-PBS believes in the value of shedding light on the remarkable stories and achievements of the surrounding and local communities. For this reason, WKYU-PBS uses its programming to give a voice to the voiceless and provide interesting and newsworthy content to its viewers/supporters.
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Consumer Analysis
Syndicated research, such as MRI, is useful for a baseline of consumer information, but the Ad Campaigns team felt that an online consumer survey would be the ideal way to learn more about WKYU PBS viewers and NPR listeners. The team completed the paperwork required by WKU to launch such a survey, received a go-ahead from Director James Morgeese and posted the survey on March 6, 2013. The primary universe for the survey was designated as “regional opinion leaders.” To reach this group, the team sent a brief e-mail letter containing the survey link to all WKU professors on all campuses as well as asking the Chambers of Commerce in Bowling Green, KY, Glasgow, KY, Owensboro, KY, Somerset-Pulaski, Hardin (E-Town), and Nelson (Bardstown) to help distribute the letter and survey link to their members. Other promotion included two additional bursts of e-mail and a Daily News article about the project that was published on Friday, March 29.
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The online research ended on April 15th with a total of 133 completed surveys. Fifty-three respondents or 40 percent of the sample were male. Eighty or 60 percent were female. Age distribution matched the national public broadcasting audience numbers. Respondents under 18 were not permitted to complete the survey due to WKU’s human subject research guidelines.
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Consumer analysis Survey results showed that the majority, 39 out of the 132, who took the survey were between the age of 35-44. 27 percent were between the ages of 45-55, which means that over half of the survey participants are between the ages of 35-55.
Eighty-three percent of the survey participants reside in Warren County. Respondents to the survey also lived in Simpson, Davidson, Robertson, TN, Hancock, Edmonson, Grayson counties.
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Consumer analysis Results showed that 89 percent have a post-graduate education.
A little over half or 55 percent of the respondents are NOT WKU graduates. However, that leaves 45 percent of participants as WKU graduates, making the division nearly equal.
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Consumer analysis Out of the 116 who answered the question, 56 or almost half of the survey participants stated their salary falls into the highest tier of $75,000 or more yearly household income.
67 percent of the survey respondents do not have children that are under the age of 18 in their household.
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Consumer analysis Survey results provided evidence that consumers are very active on social media. 95 percent of the sample use Facebook. This means that almost 100 percent of all the respondents use at least one type of social media platform. Pinterest and Instagram were also popular platforms.
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Consumer Summary
Based on primary and secondary research, both NPR and PBS reach on similar markets, especially those that support the stations financially. Nationally, more consumers are likely to watch PBS than listen to NPR. Research also shows that women contribute more to PBS then men. On the other hand, men are more likely to contribute to NPR, but women trail with less than a 200 person difference. For both NPR and PBS, adults 25-54 are most likely to be contributors, nationally. Both contributors to NPR and PBS tend to have similar educational and financial backgrounds. The audience that most often contributes to the nonprofit stations are those that have graduated college, plus some education beyond their college degree. In addition, these audiences also have an average household income between $75,000-$149,000 and work in a professional or related occupation.
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After comparing both secondary and primary research, survey results, those most likely to donate to NPR or PBS are adults between the ages of 35-55, who have a college or higher education. The target audiences also enjoy a variety of activities that support why they may watch/listen to PBS/NPR. The following consumer personas have been created from the team’s research and survey results.
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“I pride myself on providing educational options for my family. Anytime there is a way I can improve my childrens’ well-being, I will do it. I am likely to support the causes that do this.”
Meet Nancy
Occupation Novel Writer
BIO
Nancy was a former professor of English, whom at the age of 35, decided to retire and focus on writing novels and being a stay-at-home mom. She is married to a local physician and they have two children at the ages of five and seven. When Nancy is not writing or taking care of her kids, she focuses on her elite social life where she lunches with other wealthy women and spends time at Indian Hills Country Club. Not only is she on the board of the club, she is also on the board of Bowling Greens parks and recreation and is heavily involved in community events and happenings. To say the least, Nancy is busy. She is always running to the next PTA meeting, or soccer and ballet class, so she is spends an extensive amount of time in her car. She is an avid fan of the local NPR radio station where she likes to stay up-to-date on community happenings, national news, and other programs. When she is at home, she wants her children to watch educational programming, which is why she is a fan of PBS.
most likely to Listen to an NPR station in the car and watch PBS programming at home with her children. She is very expressive about the programming she wants WKU’s public media to show and is likely to call in and complain about the programming. She wishes both NPR and PBS would be more cohesive when it comes to the programming. She is likely to donate to a specific program she would like to continue to be shown.
Least likely to Characteristics
Educated, wife, stay-at-home mom, involved, social, country clubber, book club leader, president of the PTA, brand loyal, busy, dedicated to the community, political awareness and engagement
Give monetary support if the programming she is a fan of is discontinued. She will show less support if she does not get recognition in the community for not supporting the stations. She is least likely to support if it does not benefit her in some way.
“I appreciate tradition in all aspects of my life. WKU is a big part of WHO I am.”
Occupation Lawyer
BIO
Meet Dave
Dave is a 52-year-old celebrated Bowling Green lawyer who is an alumni of Western Kentucky University. He proudly shows his support all over Western’s campus and to his Alma Mater of Sigma Chi fraternity. Dave has a daughter who attends Bowling Green High School and a son who is a sophomore at WKU. Tradition lies deep within Dave’s roots and he supports just about anything that comes from WKU. When he is not at a WKU sporting event, he spends his time socializing with other proud WKU supports and golfing. He is a passionate connoisseur of Kentucky bourbon and has a guilty pleasure for fine Cuban cigars. The most important thing in Dave’s life is his family. He is heavily involved in his kids’ lives and often supports local sporting teams.
most likely to Dave is a 52-year-old celebrated Bowling Green lawyer who is a proud alumni of Western Kentucky University. He proudly shows his support all over Western’s campus and to his Alma Mater of Sigma Chi fraternity. Dave has a daughter who attends Bowling Green High School and a son who is a sophomore at WKU. Tradition lies deep within Dave’s roots and he supports just about anything that comes from WKU. When he is not at a WKU sporting event, he spends his time socializing with other proud WKU supports and golfing. He is a passionate connoisseur of Kentucky bourbon and has a guilty pleasure for fine Cuban cigars. The most important thing in Dave’s life is his family. He is heavily involved in his kids’ lives and often supports local sporting teams.
Characteristics Family man, southern, political awareness, opinionated, community involvement, social, traditional.
Least likely to Continue support if his favorite shows are canceled. He also would not support if it did not relate back to WKU or the Bowling Green community.
“Our actions today will affect our children in the future. I think it is important to support education, especially about the environment.”
Meet heath
Occupation Environmental Science Professor
BIO Heath is a 45-year-old environmental science professor at WKU who spends the majority of his time either in the classroom or outdoors. His passion lies outside where he enjoys hiking, fishing and researching plants and animals. Heath lives on a farm in Bowling Green where he is up every morning at dawn tending to his property. He then tends his time catching up on local news before he heads to school. Heath is extremely emotional when it comes to environmental sustainability. In fact, he started WKU’s green initiative. He is single and gives the majority of his extra income to WKU’s green efforts. He is extremely involved with the Bowling Green Community where he also serves as a chairman for Bowling Green’s public horticulture. He is very social in the green community where he hosts a lot of events to help support green efforts around Bowling Green and WKU. Heath is also an avid fan of home improvement and gardening.
most likely to support WKU public media with programming that has to do with the environment or correlates with an outdoor activity. If WKU public media supports the green efforts at WKU he is also likely to support WKU public media.
Least likely to to support public media if it wasn’t for the programming that is tailored to his interests. He does spend the majority of his extra income on green efforts and does not have a lot of money to spend on supporting public media. However, he is a very influential person within the community and if he likes what public media is doing, he is likely to share with his friends.
WKYU PBS & NPR both rely on donations as the primary way of funding. Government funding provides the rest . WKYU PBS & NPR lists how one can support the stations on their websites, but there is not a strong emphasis on trying to gain new supporters. NPR: Membership, Underwriting, Vehicle Donation, Planned Giving, Volunteers. PBS: Membership, Single Gifts, Installments Gifts, Underwriters, and Vehicle Donation.
Brand audit
Another issue with the brand regarding its past and current practices is that there is no cross-promotion between radio and television. To have more success in the future in gaining new supporters of the stations, it is vital that the two stations support each other. According to the team’s research, 62% of those who answered said that they watch PBS television as well as listen to NPR radio. If the two operations started cross promoting each other, then that percentage could rise to 80-90% of listeners and viewers enjoying both stations. With the recent changes in staff at WKYU, there is a shift to make the future of the PBS and NPR stations more successful in funding and the relationship it has with its members and faithful viewers. Now the issue to address is how the staff at each station will effectively collaborate to make the transition a positive one. The logos for each station now have some consistency with each other, which will make the stations more identifiable as “partners” to the consumer. Now there must be more creative change to other areas, like the two different websites as well as the social media sites, so there is consistency between the two brands to become more of one entity.
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Brand audit Survey results showed that 14 percent of respondents watching only PBS TV and 20 percent only listening to NPR Radio. However, the largest percentage of those surveyed partake in both PBS viewing and NPR listening at 28 percent.
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Brand audit Eighty-seven percent of respondents watched WKYU most often. “Other� was the next closest category at 11 percent. Other PBS stations mentioned were NPT, WNPT Nashville, WKGB, KET 1 & 2, and WUKY.
Respondents are loyal viewers of PBS TV with 32 percent watching two to three times per week. Twenty-five percent watched two to three times per month and 21 percent watched once per week. Only 11 percent watched daily. This shows that PBS is not typically, everyday programming, but is still important to viewers.
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brand audit The favorite PBS programs according to respondents were Downton Abbey at 55 percent, Masterpiece Theater at 45 percent, Nova at 40 percent and Frontline and Antique Roadshow tied at 35 percent. PBS NewsHour and an “Other� category were of notable value at 33 percent.
The percentage of those who support any PBS stations compared to those who watch, but do not support is 30% to 70%. Some of the major reasons for not supporting are lack of money in budget. There is a misconception that a large amount of tax dollars go to PBS-NPR.
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brand audit Eleven percent of people surveyed said they would like to see more/different programming on PBS. Sixteen percent said there are no programs they’d like to see that are not currently being aired. Some of the programs mentioned that respondents would like more of are Dr. Who, more local TV, programming designed for eight to twelve year olds that is not so cartoon-ish, more news, more British TV, and more special series.
Local news, national news and WKU news were the three highest program options listed that received “Somewhat interested”. National news, WKU sports and WKU news were the three highest options listed under “Extremely interested”. National news was the most popular across the board.
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brand audit An overwhelming majority of respondents claimed WKYU-88.9 as their main NPR station for listening.
Over half of respondents claimed listening to NPR programming on a daily basis while 22% claimed listening at least twice a week. This statistic shows an excellent opportunity for reaching listeners with key messages.
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brand audit Some of the most popular programs for WKYUNPR include Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Fresh Air. These programs are key for targeting some of the brand’s most loyal fans with its messaging and call to action.
While half of survey respondents claimed providing financial support for their NPR station, their still remains the 50 percent that may participate in programming but do not provide financial support. This creates a challenge for the NPR brand to further increase listener support financially.
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brand audit When asked about programs listeners would like to hear air on their NPR station, many respondents gave a heavy cry for This American Life, and a general calling for more music as part of the mix of programming.
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When asked about interest in types of NPR programming respondents claimed to be very interested in both National and Local News, as well as an interest in WKU news. Respondents were less interested in National and Local Sports as well as WKU Sports
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Brand audit
WKYU PBS-NPR are both very valuable stations to those who are engaged with them. Viewers and listeners are dedicated to the programs they like. Even though many people emotionally support their favorite programs, there is not enough financial support coming from some of the dedicated viewers. Some supporters have the impression that only large donations are accepted or a donor must continually give to the stations. This causes many emotional supporters to be hesitant of becoming financial supporters of the station due to personal budget constraints.Emotional attachment to the stations is a much stronger bond compared to a supporter feeling financially obligated. WKYU PBS-NPR should take advantage of this emotional attachment to engage viewers that cannot make large donations to the stations but are able to volunteer their time to assist with station events such as PBS pledge drives or NPR fundraisers.
Consumer perception
There should be more communication to viewers that any donation amount of time or money is accepted and appreciated. Supporters should feel welcome and comfortable giving any amount they can afford. WKYU PBS-NPR run programs that many viewers and listeners have grown up with. This factor plays an important role to the WKYU viewers and listeners because many do not want to see what has become a tradition to fade away. To attract more supporters, the two stations can tap into demonstrate the traditions of Bowling Green and the surrounding area to relate how the stations have become a part of tradition as well as.
Consumers not supporting “I feel like I already pay for it with the cost of the cable subscription.” -Survey participant “My tax dollars already support it.” -Survey Participant
supportive Consumers W KU
“I feel it is my obligation to do so. I believe in what it represents.” –Survey Participant
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“Quality programming costs and as a viewer who enjoys the shows, I [feel I should support the station.”-Survey Participant
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- History of service to the community - Excellent reputation for both operations - Quality Programming - Loyal Viewers and Listeners - Leadership open to change - Location on WKU campus (talent, news, sports) - State of the art equipment
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- Shrinking Federal support - Recession has meant less support from members and underwriters - Internal perception of two not one single public media operation - Lack of focus on driving revenue and audiences for TV and radio operations - Little programming to attract younger viewers or listeners - Little use of social media platforms to reach out to viewers and listeners
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- Potential to engage fans of specific programs to support them - Potential to cross-promote programs on WKYU PBS and NPR - Potential to incorporate social media platforms and e-mail newsletters to maintain viewer/listener awareness and loyalty - Potential to participate in community events to build awareness - Potential to attract younger viewers for certain programs
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- Internal resistance to change. Fear of innovation. - Unwillingness to work as a combined operation - Other media may attract audience - A prolonged recession may limit membership and underwriting revenues
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The Challenge smart Objectives Awareness: Increase awareness of the WKYU-PBS NPR brand by 20 percent within 1 year
Membership: Engage current members and underwriters and increase overall membership by 15 percent within 1 year
Underwriting: Grow monetary support from business underwriting dollars by 10 percent within 1 year
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branding strategies
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The WKU Ad Campaigns Team recommends several key strategies to successfully meet the objectives of this project. Each strategy caters to the three ultimate objectives of building awareness, engaging viewers & listeners of WKYU PBS-NPR to increase membership funds, and engaging businesses to support WKYU PBS-NPR through underwriting.
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branding strategies build awareness how it works • • •
Reach out through Social Media to communicate with WKYU viewers and listeners. Thus far, WKYU NPR has been active on these social media sites by posting relevant content, but content that is also engaging would be beneficial. WKYU-PBS lacks an online presence aside from the website. The target market is well-educated and online. Examples of engaging posts would be asking questions, holding contests, polling fans, asking for fan participation through picture contests. Most engagement comes from making viewers, friends, fans, followers, ect. feel special and like they are a part of something. Making posts visually attractive and interactive will cause people to take more notice and be more likely to participate. Facebook and Twitter skins and cover photos should have a cohesive look as well. This will build the visual attractiveness of the sites and aid visitors in navigation from the website to the social media sites. Having a cohesive look will also build credibility when people visit the WKYU PBS-NPR sites. After making these changes, it will be important to be able to measure the results. The outcome of these digital strategies can be measured by any increase in ‘Likes’, friends on Facebook, followers on Twitter, and interactions on posts on any of the sites.
Create more relevant and engaging content on Facebook and Twitter Ex: post questions, polls, photos of the shows- anything visual and interactive PBS- construct Facebook and Twitter with cohesive look
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how its measured IC
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Any increase in ‘Likes’, friends, followers, and other interactions can be measured.
branding strategies build awareness
concepts to increase community involvement Increasing community involvement will be extremely important in building awareness. It will create an understanding of what WKYU PBS-NPR is and the values the program represents. Awareness needs to be increased among people of every age and demographic within the area. Even the people who are not necessarily viewers or listeners should be able to associate the name with the brand.
WKYU PBS-NPR can increase community involvement by sponsoring community events such as the Duncan Hines Festival, Civil War Reenactment, Bowling Green 10k, Taste of Bowling Green, etc. WKYU could also focus on Western Kentucky University events such as Relay for Life or Up Til Dawn to reach a younger demographic. At all events, WKYU can set up an informational table with giveaways and an interest form to collect emails. Incentives to make the table enticing can be coupons, water bottles, fanny packs, nail files, hats, flip flops, t-shirts etc. adorned with the WKYU PBS-NPR logo.
how its measured
how it works
The success of getting the community more involved can be measured through the amount of emails collected. Note what the database is before attending events and note what it is afterward. Another way in which WKYU can promote their brand within the community is to have tables set up at events that link to shows. For example, Antique Road Show can either have a table at a Flea Market or Antique stores W KU throughout the area a few times throughout the summer months in order PU hopefully retrieve the contact information of people interested in antiques. Another example would be for Motor Week or Car Talk to do a BL promotional table with giveaways at the Corvette Museum during an IC ME event in order to engage people interested in cars. Again, this will be D measured through the number of emails gained for the database.
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branding strategies increase membership
Reward Program for those that donate to WKYU PBS-NPR Listener/viewer contest: one lucky person will get the chance to travel to the set of a television show or radio show
how it works
Option 1- call into radio shows to answer questions about television shows/radio shows Option 2- Community event photo contest- post pictures from an event around the area. If yours is chosen, you’ll win a trip to your favorite radio or T.V. show. Post to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the #WKYU Fan of the week- the most engaged fan on Facebook and Twitter for the week gets a ‘fan of the week’ shout out online and gets their picture on WKYU PBS at the end of a certain program
how its measured
Option 1: compare listener/viewer ratings before and after promotion
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Option 2: Measure likes or followers before and after the promotion
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branding strategies increase membership
print ads Other options for building support from members and within the community is promotional print advertisements in local and state-wide magazines and newspapers such as SOKY and the BG Daily News. Along with those ads, a billboard with the same design strategically placed according to the coverage map would be beneficial.
how it works The ads can be run in two separate blasts- fall and spring. The design will be a photo with a tag line and call to action to support PBS/NPR.
how its measured Measurement will be the number of inquiries, members, and donations that WKYU gains as a result.
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branding strategies under writing
recognized more for support Current underwriters can be more recognized for their support. For example, each supporter can have a sign in the store “We’re a proud supporter of _______________” or a “supporter of WKYU” graphic on their website.
how it works When a business supports WKYU PBS-NPR through underwriting, they will receive promotinal materials that they are able to display in their store and in their advertising.
how its measured
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Success will be measured by the number of new inquirers WKYU receives as a result of the materials. Also, the number of hits the website receives after the installation of the graphic will be an indication of me asurement.
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Communication framework Why
WKYU PBS-NPR will work to grow awareness of supporters in the community and increase underwriter funding. Community support will be built through social media engagement as well as WKYU PBS-NPR support in community/charitable events. WKYU PBS-NPR needs community support in order to continue to carry out everyday functions and provide educational and entertaining programming to its viewers.
where
The message: WKYU PBS-NPR is an established and relevant public media platform that continues its growth by raising awareness and providing valuable service to all of its supporters in local and surrounding communities Facebook, Twitter, cross-promotion through WKYU PBS-NPR stations, billboards, promotional materials (tees, mugs, Frisbees, etc.), sponsored events
who
The campaign primarily targets fans of specific shows to elicit support. The secondary targets are potential viewers and listeners generally.
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WKYU PBS-NPR will begin implementation of strategies to grow awareness and build further support in the beginning of Midsummer 2013.
budget
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billboards
newspaper
magazine
misc.
Billboards are one of the oldest forms of traditional advertising. When placed in the right area they are seen by thousands of people a day. Our team suggests, that WKYU utilize billboards in areas surrounding Bowling Green. According to our research, Bowling Green already recognizes WKYU and has great number of listeners. However, the surrounding counties are lacking in name recognition of the station. Therefore, placing these billboards in surrounding counties would boost name recognition of the station. Billboards cost roughly $450 a month, and they charge $100 an hour for graphic design. Total: $450 per month The Bowling Green Daily News circulates in the same area that WKYU does, therefore making it a strategic medium to advertise in. A three-column ad by 10 inches, with color will run $500 per ad if the station purchases an annual package. The benefits to buying an annual package are, it’s cheaper and can be utilized and changed depending on what promotions the WKYU has going on. However, if there is not enough room in the budget for an annual package WKYU can always use newspaper advertising as needed. Total: $4000 annually Magazines, much like newspapers, can be utilized in several different ways. The Ad Campaigns team suggest that WKYU advertise in local outdoor lifestyles magazines. The reason for this is that our research showed hiking and camping were common hobby of viewers. Moreover, local magazines such as amplifier, would also tie into radio shows such as Barren River Breakdown. The Ad Campaigns team suggests that you use them as needed to promote events. Total: $500-$1500 annually Along with print advertising, the station will need items to give away at different events they attend. Items such as T-shirts, bumper stickers, Frisbees, backpacks, cups all with the stations logo on it, will make souvenirs of the station. These items should be bought annually in bulk to lower costs. In addition, the station should take into account the booth fee’s into the budget as well. The booth fees vary depending on which event the station is attending. Furthermore, the Ad Campaigns team has created an incentive for members by offering a trip as a prize. The station would allocate $1,500 to pay for a trip to the live set of their favorite show. The money would go to pay for air expense to and from the show; all other expenses will be the W winner. responsibility of the KU Total: $2700 annually
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Total: $8,650 annually
budget It would also be in the best interest of the station to utilize western design students as interns. Most advertising mediums charge extra to design the graphics for the advertisement. As a result, our advertising team suggests employing an intern to design the graphics for the ads. Doing this will help cut costs, allowing WKYU allocate more funds elsewhere
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Conclusion With the proper execution of the strategies aforementioned, The Ad Campaigns team is confident that value will be added to an already well-established organization, WKYU PBS-NPR. Within a year, WKYU PBS-NPR will see an increase in membership, underwriting dollars, and community awareness. With a fully integrated social media presence, increase in engagement within the community and a strong pitch for a return on investment for underwriters, WKYU PBS-NPR will have made the changes necessary for improving their overall brand and remain a top competitor in the field of public media.
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