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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