CSUF Safe Public Relations Campaign Proposal

December 8, 2013
Christina Heinzel Amber Kazalbash Alicia Lew Caitlin Sullivan

December 8, 2013

Executive Summary:
Student culture is different on every college campus. At California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), approximately 82% of students are driving commuters with jobs and responsibilities off campus. With such a significant amount of tech-savvy individuals constantly driving to and from school, the obvious issue of texting and driving has become relevant to CSUF. The CSUF Safe communications campaign will work persistently to expand its mission of student awareness and responsibility when driving. It will establish a basis of understanding and change behavior within the student population to combat driving while intexticated. The CSUF Safe Campaign will be built from the ground up in collaboration with the Student Affairs council of CSUF. Within its first semester of tactic execution, the campaign projects engagement in person to grow steadily. With regards to social media, this campaign is expected to begin targeting commuting students from various walks of life and have them pledge to protect their and others safet y. They will share their reflections, opinions and testimonials via Facebook, Twitter and the CSUF Safe App. Pledged followers are projected to exceed 300 students by the end of this campaigns first semester. The main slogan that this campaign will reiterate both in person and online is Dont tempt fate. Your phone can wait. By emphasizing this message and teaching students the dangers they face as commuters, this campaign aims to become the main push for students to change their habits. By providing incentives and a firm path for students to better their actions, they will stay on the right track and spread the word. Eventually, this campaign can be implemented and tailored to other commuter schools facing the same challenges.

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Table of contents:
Section Situation Analysis (S.W.O.T) Page Number 4

Communications Theories

Strategies, Tactics, Tools

Goals and Objectives

Target Publics

Key message(s)/Theme(s)

Measurement and Evaluation

References

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Situation Analysis (S.W.O.T.)

The issue in question has to do with an expansive public at the CSUF campus. People from all walks of life will need to be targeted through this campaign simply due to the fact that they are driving commuters. After doing background research, it is evident that these students, who have additional responsibilities, must be reached both in person and online. The most recent example of a similar effort is the It Can Wait campaign, created by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Much like this campaign, the CSUF Safe campaign will persistently work to catch the attention of students who come and go on campus. These commuters do not have stereotypical college experiences on campus, and thus need to be educated and incentivized to produce a change in behavior.

Communications Theories
Through the Attitude Change Theory, we examine the ways in which people will be reluctant to change their beliefs or habits. This theory is based on the idea that people do not easily change their own actions or attitudes. This persuasive theory initially attempts to alter attitudes and therefore change behavior. Similarly, we will aim and change the way students, who may or may not admittedly text and drive, behave. This theory has a few elements that must be taken into consideration. These include selective exposure, selective retention, and selective perception. Selective exposure examines the facts that we are attracted to content that is parallel to our established belief system. Selective retention examines how we remember content that is parallel to our established belief system. Lastly, selective perception means we remember content based on our estimated belief system. With all of this considered, this campaign will produce innovative tactics, with informative and attractive information, to change the ways our target public behaves. We will produce useful and engaging information, as well as catchy hashtags to combat driving while intexticated such as #ItCanWait #CSUFsafe and #NoDWI. These will become part of their technologically savvy habits and encourage them to integrate a safe mindset into their daily lives.

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Strategies, Tactics and Tools

Strategies: High Level Strategy: Increase Awareness to develop our brand, build community engagement in our prospects, and generate publicity via the Internet, apps, press releases, and integrative social media and marketing. Additionally, securing sponsorships and strong advertisements will help bring reinforce and amplify our central slogan Dont tempt fate. Your phone can wait. These tactics within the high level strategy communicate the message and create a buzz amongst the target audience: commuting students. Mid Level Strategy: Build our social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, hashtags, website, and the CSUF Safe app) and engage with them consistently. The campaign must encourage people to interact through any of these platforms thus drive traffic. Low Level Strategy: Direct the message to a specific Who, what, when, where, why and how. The campaign must keep target audience in mind and use specific statistics and on-campus events to reinforce campaign goals.

Tactics and Tools: 1. Partnering with local sponsors: i. The Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) in Fullerton Cross-brand promotion to lower insurance for CSUF Safe pledged commuting students driving records. ii. AT&T in Fullerton- donate Bluetooth and hands-free devices as prizes for participants or students who sign CSUF Safe driving pledge. iii. Real Orange on KOCE show a news segment on campaigns efforts to bring awareness to the cause. 2. Media Advertising: i. Titan Radio- Public service announcement written copy can be distributed to student radio and said on air a few times a day during peak listening hours. ii. The Daily Titan advertising- This controlled media will be paid for by the university and will run through the duration of the campaign. It will also have a QR code to link students to website. iii. Video for the campaign website and app: a. Reenacting a texting while driving incident (student made, low budget). b. Have student testimonials included in the video to make it more impactful. 3. Product Placement: i. Display Campaign Advertising-Local billboards, bumper stickers on student cars, cell phone cases and other prizes with slogans written on. ii. On-Campus Activities a. The grim reaper roaming on campus and taking students to an information session- these students will be nominated by their peers. This is a form of guerrilla marketing. b. Spin the Wheel in the quad for hands-free prizes c. Rewards for students that pledge to not text and drive (hands-free devices, Bluetooth earpieces, and bumper stickers) 4. Licensing: i. Branding a. T-shirts with slogan or hashtags b. Stickers with slogan or hashtags 5 | P ac. g eCell Phone Case Covers with #CSUFsafe and #NoDWI written on them. d. Graphics, flyers and Logo will be available for download on website (for social media sharing).

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Strategies, Tactics and Tools cont

5. Internet tools used to help create awareness about the repercussions of texting while driving: ii. Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube videos, Instagram, Hashtags #ItCanWait #CSUFsafe #NoDWI) a. Improve audience reach for those who are not on campus. b. Increase audience knowledge of campaigns goals. c. Testimonials and stories that can be shared on social media and considered virtual word of mouth. d. Target commuting students who can potentially get involved in accidents. iii. CSUF Safe App: Dont tempt fate. Your phone can wait. a. Bring awareness and offer benefits for students who pledge and share. b. Available for free download (college students are drawn to free apps). c. Students can sign a pledge and can invite friends to do the same. d. App uses GPS technology to determine safe zones to park if a student is in an emergency and needs to use their phone. e. The app will auto-reply via text or call, allowing others know they are unable to talk because they are driving. iv. The University Website and Campaign Website a. Provides first-hand testimonials of texting and driving accidents by CSUF students. -Searchable through log lines such as Texting and driving Commuter campus CSUF campus life. b. Links to all social media accounts and provides fresh content through these outlets daily. c. Pledge page- students take a survey of what they have learned from the site and sign a pledge to receive benefits of the campaign. d. Benefits include QR Codes (scanning to get discount pages) for pledged commuter students. These students can share discounts with friends if they share the page on social media and sign the pledge as well. e. Calendar of on-campus events and speakers who support the aims and goals of the campaign. 5. Direct Response: i. On-Campus Activities a. Create student buzz about campaign b. Dont tempt fate. Your phone can wait. pledge for students to sign to join the movement and spread the word. c. Pre and Post surveys to analyze the campaigns effect on their knowledge regarding texting and driving. d. Prize/Gift is awarded to those students who actively participate and share their involvement via social media. Press Releases tool used to bring awareness i. About the events hosted on campus to promote the cause - Pledge for students to not text and drive. Send to journalist Jessica Rubio of the Orange County Register. ii. About speaker events that happen on campus. Send to editor in chief Yvette Quintero at The 6|Page Daily Titan.

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December 8, 2013

Goals and Objectives

Goal 1: Build campaigns social media presence from the ground up. - Objective 1: Gain 300 pledged followers online by the end of the fall semester. -Facebook, Twitter - CSUF Safe App to reach our targeted audience - CSUF Safe website (to pledge) will need to be made and linked to the campus website as well. Goal 2: Lessen the chance of students texting and driving by educating and engaging students. - Objective 2: Bring in big name speakers and offer cross-brand collaborations throughout the semester. -Education- Guest speakers on busy campus days. Booths and activities. -Engagement- Sponsorships from reputable companies to give pledged students benefits. Goal 3: Reduce the number of accidents by spreading the word. - Objective 3: Persuade students to actively use hashtags when engaging with campaign. Timeline
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August -Begin setting up social media platforms. Add and follow students. -Create CSUF Safe app before launching in September. September -Get in touch with reputable local organizations to see if they would support with discounts/products. -Launch CSUF Safe app and publicize through social media. - Create and disperse QR link to of campaign home page and social networking sites. -Find reliable speakers who support the issue. -Begin creating flyers and creation of events through social media. -Recruit volunteers for on campus booths. October -On campus booths three days a week 11AM-3PM. -Spread the word in person about speakers and the benefits of the CSUF Safe app. -First and second speaker event on busy campus days (streamed to Youtube). -Continue engaging through social media. November -Seek more support from other support groups -Third and fourth speaker event on busy campus days. -Continue on-campus booths three times a week 11AM-3PM. -Begin finding sponsors and speakers for next semester. - Begin evaluation of campaign success. -Look at amount and content of social media interactions. - Send out e-mail surveys to pledged students for evaluation. December -Collect student surveys for self-improvement. -Collect social media statistics for self-improvement -Begin planning specific tactics for spring semester campaign.

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Target Publics
We are attempting to reach out to the commuting student population of Cal State University Fullerton. Students ranging from the age of 18 to 35 would be the target public. The targeted audience also includes females and males of all races. As texting becomes more popular the more the older generation is starting to use it. Soon the targeted audience with be drivers of all ages. According to textinganddrivingsafety.com, 13% of drivers 18-20 in car accidents admit to talking or texting at the time of the accident. Other statistics display teens and young adults admittedly texting and driving the most. This is who we need to reach out to. Teens/young adults feel that they are safe drivers even while texting and they would not get into an accident because of texting while driving. We need to prove to young adults and teens how many people have felt it would not happen to them and how it has changed lives for the worst. For example, Cameron Eagleston is a business major at CSUF. It is his final year at the university, and he has been commuting from Whittier, California for four years. Cameron has never been in a car accident, but is frequently guilty of texting while driving. He will be starting a new job in Los Angeles in the summer of 2014, which means he will have long commutes. He started texting and driving before the law against it came about, and has not stopped since. There are many things on Camerons cellular phone that can distract him from driving safely including emails, Facebook, Snapchat and texts that distract him. This campaign could benefit Cameron greatly by informing about the law, giving him options, and steering him in the right direction towards responsibility for a safe future after he graduates.

Key Message(s)/Theme(s)
Our campaigns key message to the students of Cal State Fullerton is to remain careful and be responsible when driving to minimize the chance of any accidents from occurring. This campaign acknowledges and encourages safe use of technology in daily life. It aims to educate the students about the repercussions of texting while driving. By participating in the campaign hosted games, activites and events, students will spread the word through complimentary merchandise and social media content. Individual students carry the message of this serious issue in an effective and practical way. The campaigns slogan and key message is, Dont tempt fate. Your phone can wait. This slogan, along with the campaigns official hashtags, will reinforce the aims of this campaign. It is the central phrase that encompasses the essence of the campaign. The following are key messages the campaign aims to implement: Encourage commuter students, friends and family to drive while intexticated (#NoDWI).

Texting and other phone related activity makes it 23x more likely to cause an accident. This includes: o Dialing o Talking or listening o Reaching for device Texting and driving is dangerous and life threatening to students, passengers, and everyone else on the roads. California law prohibits any handheld cell phone use: If caught texting and driving, penalty fines could range from $159-279.

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Measurement and Evaluation

Being that this campaign will be a huge event on campus, the success of the campaign will be determined by various factors: The number of students that pledge not to text while driving (At least 300 students by December 2013) o Throughout our campaign, we are on a mission to get 300 Cal State Fullerton students to sign the text-free driving pledge On campus during booth events Online on campus website Online on our website Through CSUF Safe App o Friends and family are more invited to take the pledge as well Friends and family can report where they heard about the campaign online or on campus when they take the pledge

Hashtag trending Tracking campaign conversations will allow us to identify who is actively interested in our campaign and how popular it is with the public on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. o Hootsuite, hashtracking, Tweet Binder- All websites in which an organization can track its popularity and presence on social media. This expands from Twitter and Facebook to Instagram.
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Attendance for guest speakers on campus Keeping track of attendance will help determine the interest for the campaign and how many students we are reaching out to. o RSVP to events via Facebook and sign-in for walk-in attendees Views on YouTube video s Tracking the number of views on our campaign video will show us how often our videos are viewed and shared by students to their friends and family. o Stats available for viewing on YouTube video page App downloads -- The number of downloads for our app for your phone helps us determine the following for our campaign and who is actively participating in it. o iTunes, Android Playstore Statistical data of accidents that occurred from texting while driving between 2014-2015 These statistics may determine how well our campaign might have worked. While more than often, statistical data o Statistical data may be found on reputable websites like AAA or Edgar Snyder & Assosiates Opinion Survey -- Distributing a survey by e-mail will help us evaluate our campaign and its effectiveness to the students of Cal State Fullerton as well as the participants of the general public. These surveys will also include a comments/concerns and a suggestion box for participants to fill out about their opinion of the campaign. o At campaign events Distribute to students to fill out after guest speaker At booths o9 | Online Page Campaigns official website

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References
Copeland, L. (2012, November 18). Young drivers still texting, surfing the web. USA Today. Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/15/young-drivers-still-texting-surfing-theweb/1707711/ Gass, R. (2009). Compliance gaining strategies. In S. Littlejohn, & K. Foss (Eds.), Encyclopedia of communication theory. (pp. 156-161). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412959384.n61 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. (2013, September 13). Goodyear joins "it can wait" pledge campaign to combat texting and driving. Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goodyear-joins-it-can-wait-pledge-campaign-to-combat-textingand-driving-224240681.html Guth.D,Marsh.C, & Short.B (2011). Strategic Writing: Multimedia Writing for Advertising, Public Relations and More . Third Edition. Pearson Education. Marino, K. (2012, June 22). DWI: Driving while intexticated - Infographic. INFOGRAPHIC: DWI: Driving While Intexticated. Retrieved November 30, 2013, from http://www.onlineschools.com/in-focus/driving-while-intexticated Marketing. (2013, August 27). The #Facebook Hashtag How It Works [Infographic]. Prestige Marketing Inc Blog The Facebook Hashtag How It Works Infographic Comments. Retrieved December 3, 2013, from http://www.prestigemarketing.ca/blog/introducing-the-facebook-hashtag-infographic/ McLaren, P. (2010, August 31). Student Commuting: Study Delved Into Ways of Getting Here Easier. Retrieved from http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/inside/2010/student-commuter-survey.html Safety Laws in California. (n.d.).DMV.org. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.dmv.org/ca-california/safety-laws.php#CellPhone-Laws Shannon, J. (2011, September 9). Survey shows majority of CSUF students are commuters. Retrieved from http://www.dailytitan.com/2011/11/survey-shows-majority-of-csuf-students-are-commuters/ Swanson, D. (Professor) (2013, November 18). Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation in Public Relations. COMM 362. Lecture conducted from California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton. Wey Van, Kay L. (2012). Distracted to Death Stop Distracted Drivers and SAVE Lives. Retrieved from http://www.vanweylaw.com/reports/distracted-to-death-stop-distracted-driving-and-save-lives.cfm

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