ALE Project for Health Resources in Action

Presented by Helen Corless

Development of a Child-Friendly Brand for Physical Activity Programming at the YWCA

• Non-profit consulting agency

• Mission: “To help people live healthier lives and build healthy communities through policy, research, prevention, and health promotion”

• Health Communication

department

Health Resources in Action (HRiA)

Grant funding

Expanded physical activity programming

Low participation rates

HRiA

Parent Project: YWZonesParent Project: YWZones

• Major public health issue in US & TX

• Racial/ethnic disparities

• Multifactorial

causes

• Exercise as a

modifiable risk

factor

Childhood Obesity

Source: Trust for America’s Health

Short term: To contribute to the development of a child-friendly brand for YWZones programming

Long term: To reduce childhood obesity rates among youth in El Paso, Texas

Project Goals

1) Use theory to understand the target audience

2) Assist with concept development

3) Develop and implement concept testing approach

4) Develop recommendations for YWZones brand

ObjectivesObjectives

Health Belief Model:– Perceived benefits– Perceived barriers– Perceived threat

• Susceptibility• Severity

– Self-efficacy– Cues to action

Target Audience

In summary…• Low perceived benefits of YWZones• High barriers to enrollment• Few cues to action• Messaging about weight loss not likely to

resonate with parents• Need to appeal to both parents and

children

Target Audience

“Through participation in the YWZones program, you are helping your child be healthy and view exercise as fun, providing them with opportunities that will enhance all aspects of their life”

Logos: created by YWCA designer

Taglines: created by HRiA team

Creative Concepts

Logo A Logo B Logo C Logo D

Logo E Logo F Logo G

Logos

Tagline A Fun in Motion

Tagline B Fitness, Friendship, Fun

Tagline C Fitness+ Friendship = Fun

Tagline D Getting Kids Fit for Life

Tagline E Opportunities for Play, Opportunities for Life

Taglines

• YWCA Staff• Online survey • Completed by 6 staff members

• Parents• YWCA members with children ages 6-12• 3 focus groups via speakerphone

• Children• Children ages 6-12 (recruited as pairs)• 3 interactive groups facilitated by YWCA

Remote Concept Testing

Logos

• Not satisfied with any options

• Unanimous dislike of typographical logos

• Concerns about child and activity imagery

Results

Taglines

• Favorites:– Getting Kids Fit For Life– Fitness, Friendship, Fun

• Importance of conveying the idea of fun

• Spanish translations

Results

Logos

• Needs to communicate variety of activities and variety of ages

• Imagery of both physical activity and children important

• Create three new options and pretest as part of a soft launch event

Recommendations

Tagline

• “Fitness, Friendship, Fun”

• “Actividad, Amistad, Alegría”

Logo-tagline pairing

• Pair in all marketing of YWZones

• Importance of clear communication

Recommendations

Importance of communication for public health programming

Importance of understanding community needs

“The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley” -Robert Burns

Reflections

A special thank you to Julie Banda, Debra Noll, and Karen Schoneman for all of your guidance, support, and encouragement throughout this project.

Thank You!

Questions?

Thank You!