The University of South Florida School of Mass Communication’s

Graduate Program

PlanbookAdvanced Public Relations

PUR 4801 Dec. 2014

Michael Downns Kaylee Hauesler Kristin McKinney Ajla Subasic April Wilson

Table of Contents 1) Executive Summary 2) Opportunities/Problems 3) Competitive Frame 4) Research 5) Research Graphs 6) Target Audience 7) Key Message 8) Plans and Goals 9) Objectives 10) Strategy 1 15) Strategy 2 18) Strategy 3 20) Strategy 4 22) Timeline 23) Budget 24) Evaluation 25) Appendix 27) References and Conclusion

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Executive Summary USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program has the ability to greatly benefit students. There are a multitude of reasons students should pursue a Master’s degree from USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. The investment into the future is more than worth it. The program has two tracks students can choose from to reach their master’s degree: Media Studies and Strategic Communication Media. Students have many opportunities that will help fund the schooling required to obtain a USF Master’s Degree and to achieve work experience. This program is small compared to other mass communications graduate programs around the country. USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program is not well known, but it does offer some unique opportunities for students. Florida, in general, is not well known for mass communications graduate programs; however, Tampa’s local market has many mass communications opportunities USF is able to take advantage of. This puts USF’s program over the other Florida universities. USF’s Mass Communications’ Graduate Program also has many professors with very diverse backgrounds. These professors are able to provide students with diverse knowledge, different perspectives and different opportunities. Plus, the small size of the program allows students to have more personalized attention from these professors. Above all, the graduate program is relatively inexpensive compared to the larger, out of state mass communications graduate programs. The School of Mass Communications wants the graduate program to grow and to attract more of the bright and curious students at USF. Many of the students currently enrolled in the program are international students. The graduate program wants to focus their attention on attracting local students currently enrolled at USF. Theses students are easily accessible, interested in the many perks this program has to offer, and can help create a culture around the program. The School of Mass Communications feels the graduate program is under marketed, and that is why many local students don’t apply. Marketing the program and creating awareness around what this program has to offer should attract the bright, curious and ambitious students the program wants.

Key Opportunity/ProblemThe key problem that the public relations campaign must address is the lack of interest built around USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. The School of Mass Communications offers cutting edge opportunities for students in one of Florida’s largest media markets, however the program lags in enrollment. USF’s undergraduate students are neither aware nor well informed about the program.

Secondary Opportunities/ProblemsThe secondary opportunities USF’s School of Mass Communications Gradute Program provides is the fact that a degree in mass communications is diverse. It places students at a competitive advantage when competinng for jobs in the diverse communications fields.

The lack of awareness built around USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program serves as a problem because instead of only having to persuade its target public to enroll in the graduate program, the campaign first has to inform students of the program. The target publics cannot act on the strategies and tactics without first becoming aware of the program.

The abundance of career opportunities that follow an individual with a mass communications graduate degree serves as an opportunity for the campaign because it allows a focus on this vital aspect and an opportunity to capitalize on the gains that accompany receiving a graduate degree.

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Competitve Frame USF’s School of Mass Communications’ competitors are universities throughout the state and the nation. These programs offer graduate degrees in mass communications or in a similar applied field of study. According to Best-Masters.com, Boston University is the top ranked school offering a masters degree in mass communications, followed by Northwestern University and Texas A&M University. The full list consists of a total of 50 universities, none of which are located in Florida. USF’s mass communications graduate program is still relatively unknown and offers less room for specialization. Prospective students can select from only two tracks, Media Studies and Strategic Communication Management. The media studies track uses a broad approach in the study of mass media and offers a wide range of diverse classes such as mass communication theory, public opinion, research methods, sports and media, women and media, and visual communication. The strategic communication management track focuses on communication as a management function in an organization. Integrating public relations, advertising and marketing communication is studied together as a single focus. Since USF’s competitors are out-of-state, USF’s main advantage is the relatively lower, in-state tuition cost. Students living in Florida, who choose to attend USF for their masters degree, would not have to worry about high out-of-state tuition costs. USF also offers assistantships for prospective students.

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ResearchTo better define the target audience and reveal key factors of importance, a survey was sent to USF students and organizations, asking relevant questions regarding USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. There were a total of 121 responses within the 7 days that the survey was active. The first goal of the survey was to find out how many undergraduate students were aware of USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. The second goal of the survey was to see what factor played the most vital role in deciding to attend graduate school.

We found that:• 59 percent of undergraduate students were not aware of USF’s School of Mass

Communications Graduate Program.• 18 percent of the respondents had heard about USF’s School of Mass Communications

Graduate Program through online or print advertisements. • 37 percent of respondents were aware of USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate

Program and had heard about it through professors and peers. • 10 percent of respondents had heard about USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate

Program through academic advisors. • 2 percent of the respondents were not interest in USF’s School of Mass Communications

Graduate Program because they were uninformed.• 17 percent of the participants were interested in learning more about USF’s School of Mass

Communications Graduate Program .• 46 percent of respondents who showed interest in graduate school said they wanted to excel

in a specialized profession.

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Research Graphs

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Target AudienceThe campaign is geared towards reaching USF’s undergraduate population, USF’s School of Mass Communications’ faculty members, USF’s School of Mass Communications’ alumni, undergraduate students who do not attend USF and parents of undergraduate students.

USF’s undergrad studentsThe undergraduate population at USF is the most significant audience to be reached with this campaign. They are most likely to be exposed to campaign strategies, and most of the tactics will be geared and targeted towards them.

USF’s School of Mass Communications’ facultyProfessors and advisors are opinion leaders used to reach students. Students interact and engage with professors and advisors on a day-to-day basis, therefore they are more likely to listen and react to the advice given by these individuals.

USF’s School of Mass Communications’ graduate alumniAlumni have the power to influence current undergraduate students to attend graduate school. They will serve as an active voice, providing personal stories and setting examples to current undergraduate students.

Undergraduate students outside of USFTo achieve national recognition for USF’s School of Mass Communications’ graduate program, the campaign needs to attract some of the brightest and most academically inclined students from across the nation. This includes both in-state and out-of-state students.

Parents of undergraduate studentsOur survey results found that some students who considered getting a graduate degree were influenced by their families. By reaching out and advertising the graduate program to these parents, they will be more likely to discuss the program with their children.

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Key Message

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USF’s School of Mass Communications’ Graduate Program wants to impress upon the student population how beneficial earning a Master’s degree can be for their future careers. Many students are looking to enter the job market after obtaining an undergraduate’s degree or feel that a Master’s is too expensive. It is important to start the conversation about students plans for the future, and to change some of the misconceptions. Creating this conversation amongst students will provide a platform for the most curious and academically motivated to begin looking for more information about what the graduate program has to offer. Creating this conversation and continuing it will be the key to establishing a culture in the undergraduate mass communication students, from freshman to seniors. Striving to become a graduate student in USF’s mass communications’ program is the culture this campaign creates. One key benefit of getting a Master’s degree is recieving a higher paying salary when entering the job market as well as over time. Students who have a Master’s degree will make almost half a million dollars more over a lifetime than their bachelor degree co-workers. Aside from the financial gain that students will benefit from, having a Master’s degree will give students no limits when applying to future jobs. As people move up in their companies, some positions require a Master’s, and those who only have a bachelor’s degree find themselves hitting the ‘glass ceiling’. If prospective professionals want a position that requires a Master’s degree, they will find themselves going back to college and juggling both school and work; getting the degree early can save a lot of stress in the future.

Plans and GoalsThe goal of the campaign is to inform USF’s undergraduate students about the School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. The campaign is designed to create an everlasting conversation between students and USF’s Mass Communications Graduate Program. By doing so, the overall awareness goal will be reached, and will spark an interest specifically amongst USF’s undergraduate students.

The overall plan is to generate and implement a public relations campaign that will inform USF’s undergraduate population about the School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. A survey was conducted, and it was discovered that the majority of undergraduate students who are currently considering applying for the program are senior level students. Therefore the campaign is geared towards targeting students who have not yet entered their senior year. To be proactive the campaign can bring awareness of the program to beginning students because they will essentially have more time to be reactive to the campaign tactics.

The theme of this plan is to create a culture at USF where the School of Mass Communications’ graduate program is something that is considered by the most academically driven students. The campaign aims to create an everlasting conversation between the students and the department by transforming USF’s School of Mass Communication’s graduate program into an entity that is seeked by many students to come.

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O . bjectivesOBJECTIVE 1: To increase awareness by 25% with current USF undergraduate students about the program by the Fall semester of 2015.This is a high percentage, but we believe this is accomplishable because of the easy access the graduate program has with these students.

OBJECTIVE 2: To increase the awareness of the career opportunities available in the graduate program and post the graduate program by 15% by the fall of 2015.This awareness objective is smaller because getting students to fully listen to a message over learning a brand is more difficult.

OBJECTIVE 3: To attract 10% more of the best and brightest students by the fall of 2016.With an increase of 25% in awareness, we should be able to attract bright students to the program. We are giving the program two years to see this results of the awareness and other strategies that will attract positive attention.

OBJECTIVE 4: To change the negative perceptions associated with the graduate school by 5% within our current USF undergraduate student population by Fall 2015. There are not many negative perceptions around the program; however with the positive attention we plan to attract to the program, any negative perceptions should be washed away.

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Strategy 1Strategy 1A: To use social media vehicles to reach out to USF undergraduate students to create awareness around the graduate program.The target audience is primarily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so we will constantly be promoting through these sites, actively engaging USF students. Students, faculty and alumni will all be included to keep consistent branding. This strategy is meant to initiate conversation around the graduate program. The goal is for students to discuss with the graduate program and with each other the subject of mass communication and the fun opportunities within the career. The intent is for this to create a culture within the mass communication fields, creating a culture around the graduate program USF offers.

These Strategies are set to support Objective 1

Tactic 1: Emphasis on branding begins with the Mass Comm Mondays’ tabling series that will start

the campaign. There, we will begin promoting that the graduate program is on Twitter, Facebook

and Instagram. Tabling efforts will drive traffic to social media vehicles and will make the School of

Mass Communications’ Graduate Program more visible.

Hashtag, #MassCommMondays, is a way to get students involved, to track their involvement and

to get live feedback. This feedback will allow the graduate program to monitor curiosity around

the brand and provide data about what methods work best to attract the most students. The

social media posts will include the fun and interesting things that mass communication students do

everyday in their classes and internships or any accomplishment they feel is relevant to share.

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Strategy 1B: Stage events on campus and give away promotional items (products students will learn how to create in the graduate program like business cards or branding products) to entice students to get more information about the program.

By creating events that engage with students and that feature representatives from the graduate program, a relationship will be establish between the graduate program and students. The objective is to spread the message that the School of Mass Communications’ Graduate Program has educators and staff who are willing to spend personal time helping and teaching students. One of the benefits of USF’s Shool of Mass Communications’ Graduate Program is the one-on-one attention students receive. These events can exemplify this and also show the fun and amazing products students can learn to create if they choose to get a master’s degree through the graduate program.

Tactic 2: MassCommMondays: This is the tabling series that will start in the first month. Students and professors will volunteer at a booth at the free spaces on campus (infront of Campus Recreation, the library, Cooper Hall and around the Marshall Student Center). Volunteers will advertise upcoming events and workshops that the graduate school will be hosting. These advertisements will be attached to goods we can hand out to students. The first day of our tabling, we will give away promotional t-shirts. To get a shirt a student must create a social media post using the hashtag.

Examples of personal branding items will be available for show at the tables. These its will give students an idea of what they will learn at workshops. These items include learning to create a business card, resume, cover letter, etc. Students will be emailed their final creation after the workshop. This is both efficient and cost effective.

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Strategy 1C: Promote the graduate program to the parents of undergraduate students who are in their freshman and sophomore years. Through research it was discovered that parents are extremely influential in their child’s life and in their child’s academic career choices. Therefore parental involvement is crucial. Targeting beginning students’ parents will be critical in creating a deep-rooted culture outside of the university. It is important parents understand the benefits of graduate school. Benefits include future income, higher position opportunities, and intern/job opportunities within the program.

Tactic 3: Personalized mailers exemplifying what a student’s success could look like by obtaining their Master’s at USF will be sent out. The mailers will resemble the Master’s diploma awarded during graduation. The front will contain the student’s name, and the back will contain information on how to reach the graduate program, where to find information on assistantships, and where to find the different programs the School of Mass Communications offers.

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Strategy 2These Strategies are set to support Objective 2

Strategy 2A: Increase face-to-face communication between undergraduate mass communication students and professionals in the field who have earned a master’s degree from USF.

It is critical for students to network with business professionals who can mentor them. This will provide students an opportunity to connect with gradutes who have succeeded in there career because of a master’s degree. It is important for students to fully understand how much a graduate degree in mass communications can help with their future success.

Tactic 4: By bringing in professionals who have obtained a master’s degree from the School of Mass Communications, we can bridge the gap between students and professionals. These professionals will interact with students face-to-face at workshops, assisting the students in designing their personal branding elements. Professionals will speak to students during workshops and offer advice as to what employers are expecting from graduate students. These workshops can be used as an opportunity to network, and students will have the opportunity to take on these individuals as a mentor if they so choose.

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Strategy 2B: Inform undergraduates about the internships available to graduate students. This is an amazing career opportunity available to students. These are not as accessible once students graduate and join the workforce. We want to emphasize this great opportunity to decrease the thought that graduate school does not provide work experience. Graduate students only are required to take nine credit hours, meaning an internship or a job while taking graduate courses is very plausible and provides a lot of work experience.

Tactic 5: Real-life success stories of those who have earned graduate internships, scholarships, assistantships and other notable merits within the School of Mass Communications’ Graduate Program, will be promoted on social media and on the School of Mass Communications website. Social media posts will contain a link to the School of Mass Communications’ website where students will find detailed information on who the winner is, how they obtained their accomplishment, and what their personal goals are.

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There can’t be two number 1’s cause that would be 11.

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Strategy 3These Stategies are set up to support objective 3

Strategy 3A: Reach out to USF undergraduate students who are actively involved in organizations throughout campus. We believe that the students who were curious and took initiative to join an organization on campus are more likely to be actively involved in their studies. We want to use organizations on campus as influential opinion leaders to steer the best students to earn their master’s at USF.

Tactic 6: Top mass communications faculty members will act as ambassadors of the graduate program. They will attend various club meetings on campus and give short, fifteen minute presentations to students. These presentations will highlight key benefits of the graduate program and provide curious students with the tools necessary to obtain more information. Spokespersons will provide students with literature about the program, and they will encourage them to connect on social media. Clubs will be selected based on their willingness to cooperate and collaborate with the graduate program.

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Strategy 3B: Connect with students in their junior and senior year through the use of the classroom and professors. These students are beginning to make the vital decision to go to graduate school or to seek work. It is import-ant to help these students understand all of their options. We want students to know the benefits of having a master’s degree. We need to beat the stigma that graduate school for a mass communications major is not necessary. While graduate school is not for everyone, many bright and potential students that would benefit from a master’s degree feel they do not need this level of education. We want these potential master’s stu-dents to fully understand the future benefits of achieving this level of education.

Tactic 7: Professors and advisors will need to communicate to students how important a graduate degree is. This is essential in creating a culture at the university. Mass communications professors and advisors will be encouraged to identify the most academically inclined students and start a conversation with them about the graduate program. They will provide students with valuable information and resources that they can use to gain further knowledge about the graduate program.

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Tactic 8: By working with opinion leaders from the mass communications department, the program can increase continuous discussion regarding graduate assistantship. Assistantship can fully fund a student’s tuition and provide an additional $5,000 for living expenses. Opinion leaders can help raise awareness through face-to-face meetings with students, meetings with advisors. Aggregating information as it becomes available and delivering it to students personally, will help the graduate program estab-lish a successful, long-term relationship with students.Information about the GRE will be available to students, along with study tips and interactive practice questions that encite two-way communication. Provide personal attention to students on how they can locate information about funding, and take the time to package and deliver the information to students, so they have ample time to consider saving for a master’s degree.

Strategy 4

Strategy 4A: Inform students that getting a master’s degree in mass communications from USF is more affordable than initially perceived.

We want students to know that loans and scholarships are available, while really emphasizing the assistantships that the mass communications graduate programs can offer. USF can afford to fully fund either seven students or partially fund 14 students during a semester.

Tactic 8: By working with opinion leaders from the mass communications’ department, the program can increase continuous discussion regarding graduate assistantship. Assistantship can fully fund a student’s tuition and provide an additional $5,000 for living expenses. Opinion leaders can help raise awareness through face-to-face meetings with students, meetings with advisors. Aggregating information as it becomes available and delivering it to students personally, will help the graduate program establish a successful, long-term relationship with students.Information about the GRE will be available to students, along with study tips and interactive practice questions that encite two-way communication. Provide personal attention to students on how they can locate information about funding, and take the time to package and deliver the information to students, so they have ample time to consider saving for a master’s degree.

These strategies go with objective 8

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Strategy 4B: Unify the message about the use of getting a masters degree. Students who earn a master’s degree, on average, can earn an additional $400,000 more over a lifetime than someone with just their bachelor’s degree. Earning a master’s degree is a minimum 2.5 million dollar investment into your future. We not only want students to hear this message, but also professors, advisors and organizations around campus because we use these publics as opinion leaders. It is crucial that our opinion leaders fully understand these benefits so they support the School of Mass Communications’ Graduate Program’s message.

Tactic 9: The School of Mass Communications Graduate Program will create a unified message to share with advisors and professors which will highlight the benefits of graduate school.This will be done through meetings and presentations from the program to professors and advisors.

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TimelineTasks to Implement Throughout the Campaign

Task Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12 Task 1 X X X X X X X X X X X X Task 2 X X X X X X X X X X X X Task 3 X X Task 4 X X X X X X X X Task 5 X X X X X X X X X X Task 6 X X X X Task 7 X X X X Task 8 X X X X X X X X Task 9 X X X X X X X X

Ideal Calender

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Budget

Student tuition and fees, government funding and donations make up the funding for USF. The School of Mass Communications has a five year budget of $25,000, equaling around $5,000 a year towards communication efforts.

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EvaluationThe data collection technique we used for conducting our research was a random survey, consisting of 14 questions, which was distributed to USF’s student body via email, in addition to Facebook and Twitter. We received a total of 130 random responses that we used for the creation and implementation of our campaign. The purpose of the survey was to determine if USF’s student body was aware of USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program and if so, how well informed were they. The responses we received helped us with determining the focus of our campaign.

Our campaign is designed to run for two years, therefore there will need to be two evaluations. The first evaluation will be conducted a year after the campaign begins, during what is considered to be the halfway mark. The purpose of the first evaluation is to measure the success of our awareness objective. We will do so by:

• Comparing the number of Facebook and Twitter followers USF’s School of Mass Communications had prior to the campaign and the number of followers they had a year into the campaign.

• Comparing the total number of visits/views USF’s School of Mass Communications website had prior to the campaign and the total of number of visits/views a year into the campaign.

• Counting the number of times our hashtag, #MassCommMondays, was used throughout the first year.

The second evaluation will be conducted at the completion of the campaign, after two years. During this evaluation we will be measuring the success of our action objective. We will do so by:

• Comparing the number of meetings USF’s School of Mass Communications’ graduate advisors had with students prior to the campaign and the total number of meetings they had during the campaign.

• Comparing the number of graduate applications USF’s School of Mass Communications received prior to the campaign and the total number of applicants the school received during the campaign.

In order to analyze the full success of our campaign, the survey we conducted prior to our efforts will need to be conducted after the two year run. For visual purposes, the information gathered in both surveys will need to be transformed into graph format to better understand our success rate.

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Appendix

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Appendix

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References"University Communications and Marketing." Brand Management; All Photos Used. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. <http://www.usf.edu/ucm/market-ing/brand.aspx>.

"Graduate Program." USF. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. <http://masscom.usf.edu/

Our public relation’s staff believes this campaign will drive bright and curioius students to USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. We know that with implimentation and consistancy this campaign can ultimately grow the program. The campaign is time efficient and cost effective. It is vital that our key message is recieved by all the target audiences. Much of our campaign relies on awareness, awareness is the pivital factor in attracting the best students from within USF.

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