Audience Engagement 2.0

Daniel Maxson

What Is The Project?

• Drive news based behavior• Encourage volunteerism against hunger in the

Champaign-Urbana metro area

Who is the Client?

• WILL– Mission• WILL enriches people’s lives through programs that

educate, entertain, inspire, and empower– Vision• WILL will be the model for public media, engaging our

communities and audiences in media, programs and services that support a healthy democracy and culture.

Show Me Results!

• TV Storyboard execution• Radio execution• Online execution

Big Idea

• We can fit volunteering into any schedule or budget.

TV Execution

TV Execution

Online Execution

Radio Execution

• 00:15• Wish you could volunteer but you never have

time? <name> can help. Visit our website at <url> and find opportunities that fit in your schedule and budget. There is no commitment required and we have tasks that fit in even the most hectic schedule. Visit <url> today to learn how to volunteer on your terms.

Radio Execution

• 00:15• Think you don’t have time to volunteer? Think

again. At <name> we find volunteer tasks that can fit into any schedule and budget. There is no commitment required. Visit <url> today to learn how you can fit volunteering into your life.

Radio Execution

• 00:15• Who has time to volunteer between working

two jobs? Everyone. At <name> we find quick, easy volunteer tasks so you can help feed the community while still having time for yourself. There is no commitment involved, so visit <url> to learn what you can do to help fight hunger.

Tell Me Why

• Research• Strategy

Research

• Secondary– Two distinct motivations for volunteering• Personal• Altruistic

– Long-term volunteers want more feedback– Provided framework for thinking about volunteers

among our audience

Research

• Primary– Conducted seven interviews– Target was “long-term” volunteers– Some were leaders, others were followers– Some found by referral, others by CUVolunteer

Research

• Primary – Insights– Volunteering is a “personal commitment”• Motivation is internal

– Diverse reasons for volunteering– Reasons for not volunteering• Not enough time• Fear of obligation

Strategy

• SWOT• Positioning• Unique Selling Point

SWOT

• Broken down by stakeholder– GroundCntrl– Illinois Public Media– The project itself

GroundCntrl

• Strengths– Strongest metric tracking available on the market

for web-based activity organization– “Mission” completion requires tangible evidence – Users can upload content

GroundCntrl

• Weaknesses– Still in beta stage– Recently rebranded from “Common Deeds”– Heavily marketed to project managers as opposed

to project participants

GroundCntrl

• Opportunities– New niche– Interest in location-based badges demonstrated

by predecessors like Foursquare

GroundCntrl

• Threats– Success highly dependent on user buy-in and

sustained interest

WILL – Illinois Public Media

• Strengths– Well-established in local community– History of driving audience engagement– Recognized and trusted

WILL – Illinois Public Media

• Weaknesses– Poor web presence– Conflicted on target audience– Poor social media focus

WILL – Illinois Public Media

• Opportunities– Audience uses radio as a significant source of

news– Loyal audience

WILL – Illinois Public Media

• Threats– Political backlash if controversial subjects are

brought up

The Project

• Strengths– It serves a need identified by last semester’s

student researchers– GroundCtrl provides the means to track success– WILL is already a respected part of its community

The Project

• Weaknesses– Diverse stakeholders– No monetization strategy– Key visionary players

The Project

• Opportunities– Receptive audience

The Project

• Threats– Interface design may discourage use

Strategy

• Objective– Our objective for this campaign will be shaped by

the needs of our partner organizations. Abstractly, we want people to use our service as a way to fit volunteering into their lives in spite of any obstacles to regular volunteering.

Positioning Statement

For people inclined to volunteer in Champaign-Urbana, this product will provide a centralized platform to discover timely opportunities to serve their community’s needs. Users will be able to track their activity, and reap rewards for achieving pre-set milestones. The system will be available online and via a mobile app.

Target Audience

• Casual volunteers• Home-owner• College-educated• Employed• Married with children

Competition

• CUVolunteer– Already serves as a virtually comprehensive source

of volunteer opportunities in the Champaign-Urbana area

– Planning to cooperate with them

Competition

• Groundcrew– Already offers mobile location-based tasks– Does not provide automated feedback– Is not tied into reporting

Points of Differentiation

• Automated feedback process for volunteer• Mobile application• “Social network”

But Is It Sustainable?

• Conditionally, yes– Cost-benefit– Not all-purpose– Visionaries– Buy-in

Questions?

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