CURIOSITY LABSpresented by the Atoms Family

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Executive Summary....................................... 7 Research ..................................................... 9

Situation Analysis ...................................................................... 11SWOT ..................................................................................... 21Primary Research ....................................................................... 23Creative Brief ............................................................................ 37

Big Idea ...................................................... 39

Objective .................................................................................. 45Tactics ...................................................................................... 47Calendar .................................................................................. 71Budget ..................................................................................... 73

Appendix .................................................... 77 Meet the Team ........................................................................... 79Research Questions ................................................................... 83Sources .................................................................................... 89

Table of Contents

Media Plan ................................................. 43

Evaluation ................................................................................ 75

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

7

MilliporeSigma is a leader in the life sciences field with a mission of inspiring future scientists. Through its Curiosity Labs program, it offers free science labs to middle school teachers in an effort to engage students and pique their interest in STEM. The program, which has been used in select markets around the world near company locations, is a great success. Teachers are so eager to use this free resource that there is even a waiting list for schools in St. Louis.

The problem MilliporeSigma faces is getting global brand recognition and teacher participation for Curiosity Labs. The schools that have participated so far were contacted directly, but there are no communication strategies for reaching a broad audience.

This campaign will raise brand awareness of Curiosity Labs and MilliporeSigma on a national and global scale. Along with an increase in awareness, the tactics of this campaign will get more teachers involved in the program and keep them engaged with Curiosity Labs throughout the whole school year. The goal of this campaign is ultimately to show how Curiosity Labs can help teachers inspire future scientists through increasing awareness of the brand.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

RESEARCH

RESEARCH

SITUATIONANALYSIS

11

SITUATIONANALYSIS

For nearly 50 years, the United States has been striving to be the world leader in science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- also known as STEM. Unfortunately, the country continues to lag behind other nations when it comes to STEM proficiency and interest. The number of careers in STEM are steadily growing, yet the U.S. has fewer students pursuing degrees in STEM that qualify them for these jobs.

To combat the increasing lack of STEM proficient citizens, MilliporeSigma has created a program called Curiosity Labs that gives free lab instructions and materials to middle school science classrooms. These labs apply scientific concepts to real-world settings and connect classrooms to professionals in scientific fields. Although successful, MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Labs lacks awareness among school administrators and science teachers. Curiosity Labs needs support and buy-in from teachers to ensure the continued success of the program.

Overview

MilliporeSigmaMilliporeSigma was created out of a series of acquisitions by different chemical companies. These acquisitions put Merck as a leading player in the saturated yet growing life sciences industry. With 50,000 employees and a presence in 66 countries, the company is expansive with unsurpassed geographic reach. The company continues to grow with net sales and gross profit increasing steadily over the past five years and a revenue of nearly $15 billion annually.

MilliporeSigma’s purpose is to solve the toughest problems in life science by collaborating with the global scientific community. It is steadily evaluating its role with regard to social responsibility by dedicating its time and resources to the advancement of STEM education through Curiosity Labs.

The goal is to inspire the next generation of scientists with a hands-on program involving MilliporeSigma employees. The labs are free for teachers and include a variety of science-focused lessons for students ages 11-14. Curiosity Labs has 51 sites in 20 countries, and there are 2,500 employee volunteers who have reached 36,000 students worldwide.

13

1668Merck, the world’s oldest life sciences company, was founded in Darmstadt, Germany.

1935On the other side of the globe, Sigma Chemical Company was founded in St. Louis.

1975Sigma Chemical Company merged with Aldrich Chemical company to become Sigma Aldrich.

2015Merck acquired Sigma Aldrich, transforming the company into MilliporeSigma.

of high school freshmen who declare an interest in a STEM-related field lose interest before they graduate high school.

FOUR OUT OF FIVEprofessionals pursuing

careers in STEM fields said that they decided to do so in

high school or earlier.

EIGHTMILLION

STEM jobs will be available in the U.S. by 2018, but the vast majority of students will be unprepared to fill them.

of high school students are interested in a STEM career.

15

In the early 2000s, it became apparent that STEM education in the United States needed support, as it began falling behind other countries in the field. It is important to note that the problem is not just a lack of proficiency among American students, but also a lack of interest. Many of the most proficient students have been gravitating away from science and engineering toward other professions. This dire need for skilled STEM workers leaves the country’s economic well being at risk.

Another obstacle facing STEM in the U.S. is the trend of teachers lacking adequate support from the school district, appropriate professional development and interesting curricula. Students introduced to science by age 14 or younger are more likely to pursue careers in relevant fields. However, the lack of quality STEM education leads to many American students concluding early in their education that STEM subjects are boring, too difficult or unwelcoming.

So far, the federal projects and approaches to K-12 STEM education have emerged without a clear vision, and efforts across agencies have not reflected a common set of goals and priorities for STEM education. Despite current efforts failing to improve STEM proficiency and interest in the U.S., relatively little of the federal funding has been used to change the structure and approach of STEM education.

STEM Education

STEM teachers, with both the knowledge and skill to teach these subjects, play a crucial role in shaping the future on STEM. Unfortunately, STEM-trained individuals have alternative, high-paying career options. Many of the highest paying professions for recent college graduates are related to STEM fields. This means that the most proficient STEM students in colleges may be attracted to careers other than teaching.

Those who do enter the teaching field often leave after a matter of years, citing job dissatisfaction as the main reason. A major cause of this problem is the lack of preparation among teachers to teach STEM courses and a lack of STEM knowledge among administrators. Many school principals are unfamiliar with the knowledge and strategies needed to support and recognize high-quality STEM classrooms in their schools. This makes it difficult to gain traction for innovative ideas, curricula and resources. Even though project-based learning is a growing trend in STEM education, lack of funds has made this teaching technique hard to execute. As school budgets continue to shrink across the country, those educators dedicated to teaching STEM are continuously searching for cheap, effective teaching methods.

Consumer

17

If recent trends continue,

math and science teachers will leave the education profession

annually.

of all teachers decide they no longer want

to teach within the first five years of teaching.

477,000TEACHERSwhose main teaching assignment is math or science in K-12 public

schools.

There are an estimated

STEM education is currently a major focus nationally. While STEM education programs share the goal of advancing proficiency and interest in STEM, they differ in size, scale and program layout. There are four companies with STEM education programs identified as Curiosity Lab’s largest competitors: ThermoFisher, Abbott, Monsanto and Boeing.

Competitors

ThermoFisher is an American biotechnology product development company. It has two programs that relate to Curiosity Labs. First, STEM-credible Kit Program addresses the shortage of supplies for students doing hands-on science labs in schools by providing advanced instruments. Second, Innovation Nation connects students with ThermoFisher employees who inspire them to make a difference in the world by pursuing one of many available career paths in STEM. The company’s programs have reached 442 schools, 1,200 teachers and 21,000 students.

19

Abbott is a global healthcare company and customer of MilliporeSigma. The Abbott Family Science Program actively engages students and their families in learning about science and innovation through experiments and related activities led by Abbott scientists and engineers. The program has reached eight countries with more than 32,000 student, family and teacher volunteers. The program is directed toward middle school students, but there are limited projects available.

Monsanto is a sustainable agriculture company based out of St. Louis. Monsanto Fund offers math and science education grants to programs across rural America. It also supports MySci, a program dedicated to bringing STEM education into St. Louis classrooms. MySci equips elementary school teachers with instructional materials and professional development opportunities in STEM in order to help instill a love of science in students. Monsanto donates money and is not hands-on.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company. It supports education programs focused on aviation and creativity. Curiosity Machine is a membership program and partner of Boeing that has more than 80 design projects for K-12 students. It allows students to interact with hands-on engineering design challenges, with more than 20 challenges focusing specifically on aviation. Educators, parents or mentors can take an online class to be certified instructors, but they must purchase a membership to participate.

SWOTANALYSIS

21

STRENGTHS

- Free- Easy to use- Positive feedback from participants - Unsurpassed geographical reach

- Low media reach- Confusing brand identity- Low brand recognition

- Follows NGSS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

- Few free lab materials available- Incorporating online materials - Low school funding for STEM- National focus on STEM education

- Teachers are hard to reach- Teachers do not trust companies - Teachers are skeptical of free promotions- Similar programs exist THREATS

PRIMARYRESEARCH

23

Three methodologies were used for primary research: a survey, in-depth interviews and intercept interviews. These methodologies gave well-rounded quantitative and qualitative data, which helped shape the campaign. There were three main objectives for the primary research.

Objectives

Assess the awareness of MilliporeSigma and Curiosity Labs.

Understand our target audience and how to reach them.

Understand how Curiosity Labs fits the needs of the target.

of respondents were science

teachers.

25

Quantitative DataThe survey was the first step of the primary research. It was comprised of qualitative and quantitative questions and targeted 4th-8th grade science teachers. A total of 98 people took the survey. Out of these respondents, 32 were male and 66 were female, which is representative of most elementary and middle school teachers. In an effort to get data from teachers in all 50 states, the survey was sent to at least five elementary or middle school science teachers from each state. Teachers from over 30 states responded, but most responses are from teachers in Missouri.

strongly agree that they can properly teach STEM with

the current funding.

Only

of teachers somewhat agree that their students

easily grasp STEM concepts and can apply them to homework and/or tests.

Most teachers said they wish there were more STEM curricula available

to teach their students.

of teachers agree that STEM education needs

to be improved.

Survey Findings

27

Only one teacher had heard of MilliporeSigma, and none had heard of

Curiosity Labs.

of teachers said theyfind new lesson plans through recommendations from other teachers.

Blogs, teacher websites and digital sources are

the primary places where teachers gather ideas

and information for their classroom.

YouTube and Facebook are the most popular social media platforms among teachers, but

are still not widely used.

of teachers named email as their preferred method for receiving information regarding classroom materials and resources.

80

In-depth interviews were focused on people in administration because they determine the curriculum taught. The interviews were approximately half an hour each and focused on improvements that could be made in STEM education, including better funding and the use of more labs and project-based learning. These interviews were used to learn the communication preferences of administrators and if they differed from teachers. Findings from the interviews are found on the next page.

A booth was set up at the Science Teachers of Missouri conference to conduct intercept interviews with elementary and middle school teachers. These intercepts were used to answer questions the survey could not answer. Teachers were asked about the importance of teacher recommendations and word-of-mouth in the education community, what they look for when searching for new lesson plans, and the benefits of using labs and project-based learning to teach middle school and elementary school students. The information gathered from the intercepts were used to craft the consumer insights. Quotes are showcased on page 30 & 31. Refer to Appendix for questions.

Qualitative Data

29

A STEM specialist from Benton Elementary School, a STEM elementary school in Columbia, Missouri, as well as the STEM coordinator for Columbia Public Schools were interviewed. Approximately 20 science teachers were reached at the conference through intercepts. They were able to provide the following insights.

Key Findings from Interviews & Intercepts

Teachers know teachers.

There are a lot of teaching materials, but teachers want more that actually work.

Teachers experience email overload.

There is a need for free STEM education materials.

There is a need for training among teachers.

There is a need for collaboration among teachers.

Labs and project-based learning are extremely popular in STEM education.

“Hands-on learning is important for young students because it keeps them engaged.”- Rita Crocker, 7th

“Companies don’t teach, teachers do.”

- Brad Ray, 6-8th

“I like cross-content collaboration, and I look for opportunities to collaborate with other teachers.”- Connie Hensley, 5-8th

"It has to follow NGSS."

- James Smith, 6th

Teacher Talk

These quotes are from real teachers who participated in our STOM Conference intercepts.

31

“As teachers, we depend on each other

for ideas.” - Sheila Decker, 5-12th

“I do something different every year. I like change, but it has to work for myself and my students.”- Karis Jackson, 8th

“Of course I like

free things, but I am

skeptical of free things

from companies.”

- Christy Phillips, 7-8th

“If it is free, we can do that -- even on a limited budget.”

- Scott Barnes, 6th

- James Smith, 6th

“We get a lot of emails. It is important that they stand out,

or they will get deleted.”- Rebecca Johnson, 8th

TARGETAUDIENCE

33

Our primary target audience is middle school science teachers who seek out new, engaging labs and projects in their classrooms.

Innovative Instructors are middle school science teachers who continuously search for new ways to teach their students the importance of STEM education. These teachers understand their responsibility to show students the real-life applications of the subject they are learning, but they are frustrated with having most of the expenses for their science curriculum fall on their shoulders. Despite this, they look online for new lesson ideas and talk to other teachers to find out what works well with students and what does not. They enjoy bouncing ideas off of each other and the new ideas that come through collaboration.

Innovative Instructors

“Teaching isn’t just a job for me. It’s a passion. I’m in my classroom hours before the school day starts and I don’t leave right when the bell rings at the end of the day, either. I love going above and beyond to be there for my students and create a welcoming and effective learning environment. Nothing beats the feeling I get when I see my students grasp challenging STEM concepts and enjoy what they’re learning, and that’s why I’m constantly looking for new and exciting ways to teach. Unfortunately, labs and equipment are so expensive. It's hard to do everything I want to do for my students on a limited budget. I know it’s up to me to prepare my students for the future, so I want our time in the classroom to really have an impact on them. I don’t just teach for a living.

KEYINSIGHTS

35

Teachers trust other teachers' recommendations over anything else. "I love talking with other teachers, because they get it. They know how students learn and how we have to teach within the boundaries set by the administration. With so many teaching styles out there, though, it’s great to bounce ideas off of each other. It’s not only nice to hear fresh ideas, but also reliable. I know that if a teacher recommends a certain lab or lesson plan it is based on trial and error. A lot of people outside of education like to recommend lessons based on trends in the science industry, but only my fellow teachers know what’s reasonable and effective to do within the classroom. They know what’s best for our students."

Teachers see high value in free lab materials."It’s hard to keep students interested. They want everything new, shiny and relatable. Do you know how hard it is to get new and shiny on a teacher’s salary? Labs and equipment are so expensive. I know STEM education needs to improve, but it is hard to do everything I want to do for my students on a limited budget. Whether there’s enough funding through the school or not, though, I have a responsibility to show my students the real-life applications of the subject they’re learning. It’s also a responsibility to the growing careers in STEM. I have a chance to inspire our future scientists and engineers, and I’ll do whatever I have to to make that happen."

Labs promote learning and engagement in the classroom. "I think it’s just as important for kids to enjoy what they do in class as it is for them to learn the material – and most of the time, the two go hand-in-hand. That’s why I am always looking for fun and engaging lab activities to bring into the classroom. Students learn in a lot of different ways, but one thing they all have in common is a short attention span. I feel a big pressure to incorporate meaningful labs that the kids will enjoy and learn from. Hands-on activities in class not only engage my students, but they also make teaching easier and more rewarding for me."

CREATIVEBRIEF

37

Key TakeawaySTEM educators will recognize MilliporeSigma as the company with a commitment to enhancing STEM education, which begins in the classrooms with Curiosity Labs.

Brand Support - MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Labs are fun, practical and economical. - Teachers are looking for new ways to engage their students and enhance their teaching abilities. - Teachers are more receptive to other teachers’ lesson ideas. - Teachers enjoy collaborating with other teachers through professional development programs, which provide them with new teaching materials. - Teachers are drawn to free materials because of the growing price of lab materials. - The science community is putting more focus on enhancing STEM education through labs and project-based learning.

This campaign must have a youthful, fun and exciting tone in order to show the teachers that Curiosity Labs will appeal to both them and their students. All creative aspects of this campaign should be able to answer “yes” to the following questions: - Is it informative? - Is it fun and engaging? - Is it practical? - Can it easily be shared?

Tone

Curiosity Labs Awareness

Creative Sparks - Made for teachers by teachers - Bringing the profession to the classroom - Curiosity at conferences - Scientists helping future scientists

Mandatories - Link to website - MilliporeSigma logo - Mention NGSS Social media icons

BIG IDEA

BIG IDEA

The underlying theme threading itself throughout the insights was the target audience’s desire to inspire. Similar to the mission of MilliporeSigma, the teachers targeted through this campaign want to inspire the next generation of scientists. They search for new, engaging materials because they know they can make a positive impact on their students. This campaign will show teachers that Curiosity Labs makes it easier to inspire.

When teachers partner with Curiosity Labs, they are getting a free lab-in-a-box. No more spending out of pocket for exciting lab materials. No more scouring the Internet for a lesson plan the students will enjoy. All these teachers have to do is order Curiosity Labs and…

unboxinspiration

MEDIA PLAN

MEDIA PLAN

OBJECTIVE & STRATEGY

45

The objective is to increase global awareness of MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Labs and the company’s commitment to enhancing STEM education by 20 percent.

The strategy is to create usable content for the Innovative Instructors that will be available to them through a newsletter, website, social media and more. New content will continually be created and shared to keep the target engaged. Innovative Instructors will be incentivized through direct-mail giveaways, an end- of-the-year workshop event and the chance to win an all-expenses-paid professional development trip.OBJECTIVE

& STRATEGY

The new logo and tagline work together to symbolize the goal of Curiosity Labs. The colors will pop in classrooms and on incentives. “Unbox inspiration” piques the interest of this target because it is creative and succinct while speaking to their overall goal of inspiring students. The logo visualizes the idea of Curiosity Labs being more than just free lab materials. Instead, the boxes containing the labs also contain fun, interest and inspiration. Branding all Curiosity Labs materials with this logo and tagline will make the brand stick with the target audience longer and make branding merchandise a possibility.

Logo and Tagline

47

inspiration

49

The first step of the media plan is to reach out to the audience through a short email campaign by purchasing a nationwide email list of middle school staff. Research found that teachers and administrators alike prefer to be communicated with via email. The objective of the emails is ultimately to raise awareness of Curiosity Labs and its mission while also driving traffic to the Curiosity Labs website and encouraging teachers to sign up.

This email serves as a teaser to generate awareness of Curiosity Labs and create a sense of curiosity. A link will take them to a splash page that provides information on Curiosity Labs and how to sign up as well as a countdown to the launch of the new site. Teachers will be inclined to sign up for Curiosity Labs and, at the very least, will begin to anticipate the new site and everything else it has to offer.

The second email will follow up with every recipient of the first email a couple of weeks later, announcing the launch of the new site. Recipients will again be prompted to sign up for Curiosity Labs and mailed incentives if they do so, including a free poster and access to all of the content on the new site. This email builds awareness of Curiosity Labs and interest in all of the free resources it has to offer teachers.

Email & Website Teaser

After the launch, the website will have additional content for the teachers who have signed up for Curiosity Labs. The website will be interactive and continuously provide new content that engages teachers all over the world, creating a global network of people dedicated to inspiring students in STEM. Some highlights of the website include lab lesson plans, featured videos, featured articles, a referral page, contests and promotions, and an open forum that allows teachers from all over the world to discuss and collaborate over various teaching or science-related topics.

The Curiosity Labs website has two main goals. The first is to provide information on Curiosity Labs and get teachers to sign up for a lab. After they have signed up, the website aims to engage these teachers through a continuous stream of written and video content, as well as contests played out through social media.

Social Media: Teachers will be prompted to share teaching methods and activities that inspire students on social media with the hashtag #unboxinspiration. A few teachers will be chosen at random and given free Curiosity Labs merchandise as an incentive for participating.

Referral Program: The Curiosity Labs referral program will incentivize Innovative Instructors to spread the word about how great the brand is. Through the program, when a teacher shares the Curiosity Labs website with a friend, both will receive gifts via direct mail upon sign up. The more referrals a teacher makes, the more gifts they will receive for their classroom.

Website

51

53

After signing up for Curiosity Labs, all Innovative Instructors will be subscribed to Lab Notes, a monthly newsletter. The Lab Notes will highlight new content that can be found on the website such as the featured video, Teacher of the Month, Scientist in the Spotlight and links to any current contests and promotions. Every newsletter will also contain links to the website and social media accounts.

The newsletter will keep Curiosity Labs in the minds of the teachers even after they have completed a lab through the program. It serves as a reminder of the resources available through Curiosity Labs, and prompts them to stay engaged throughout the school year. Teachers who did not sign up through the email portion of the campaign will receive a newsletter quarterly to remind them of the free resources still available to them.

Lab Notes

All videos produced by Curiosity Labs will be uploaded through YouTube, which will serve as the main audio and video platform for the campaign. YouTube has over a billion monthly active users and will give these videos a large reach. These same videos will be embedded on the website and Lab Notes, allowing for a combination of cross-platform shares among other social pages such as Twitter and Facebook. While Twitter and Facebook can serve as outlets to increase the reach of the video features outside of YouTube, the platforms also serve as tools for collaboration among teachers, so they can share their opinions and gratitude of Curiosity Labs.

When promoting Curiosity Labs through social media platforms, the content posted should connect with the Innovative Instructors outside of the classroom and keep them aware of the current contests and promotions. The contests that are held will get them to share their teaching methods and collaborate with each other while promoting Curiosity Labs. The prompts for these contests will appear in the newsletter and ask teachers to share how they inspire their students, how Curiosity Labs impacted their classroom and a range of other questions that get them to share about their classroom and Curiosity Labs. A select few participants will be mailed gifts for their classrooms for participating.

All social media efforts will be mirrored on the website to ensure the teachers outside of the social media realm are included on all Curiosity Labs news.

Social Media

55

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This month, MilliporeSigma’s scientist highlights the new lab opportunities which includes Photosynthesis, Heat Transfer, Life Boat Rally, Genetic Inheritance wi…

MilliporeSigma releases new labs; Available in classrooms in August.

Welcome to Curiosity Labs! Watch this quick intro video from our scientist about our brand new lab opportunities.

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Curiosity Labs are designed to take up just one class period, but there is an opportunity for the brand name to be present throughout the entire school year. By branding free merchandise and offering it to teachers as incentives for interacting in social media contests, Curiosity Labs can be more present in the lives of the Innovative Instructors. When they sign up for a lab and the newsletter, a free Curiosity Labs t-shirt and poster will be sent to them. This will not only get fun, free Curiosity Labs merchandise in the classrooms, but also increase awareness among other teachers, schools and students.

Other incentives will be sent to contest participants throughout the school year in order to maintain engagement and excitement around Curiosity Labs. Whenever a contest is held, a select few participating teachers will be sent more free Curiosity Labs items. These incentives can include, but are not limited to, pencils, tote bags, travel mugs, stickers, lanyards, safety goggles and clocks.

Each incentive will include a Curiosity Card, a small and colorful card within the package explaining what is included inside and a call to action to visit the website and social media pages.

The biggest incentive offered is a plane ticket. Throughout the year, Innovative Instructors who have participated through our website, newsletter or social media contests will be entered in a drawing. At the end of the year, 10 of these names will be drawn, and these 10 teachers will be flown to our Curiosity Conference in St. Louis at the end of the school year.

Incentives

Banner ads will target teachers searching online for lesson plans and lab materials. These ads can target teachers based on their Google searches and appear on sites that provide lab instructions and materials. The goal is to reach teachers who are actively seeking new labs for their classroom. Once they see Curiosity Labs offers free labs that fit into their curriculum, they can click on the ad and be taken to a sign-up form on the website. These banner ads will help to increase awareness, drive traffic to the website and get more teachers signed up for labs.

Banner Ads

61

63

To increase awareness among all Innovative Instructors, Curiosity Labs print advertisements will be placed in a series of science magazines and journals. The National Science Teachers Association puts out a number of publications for teachers, including Science and Children, Science Scope and Science Teachers. Innovative Instructors reading these magazines to find new lab materials and resources will be stopped in their tracks by the vibrancy and appeal of the Curiosity Labs brand. The advertisements will drive them to the website to further interact with Curiosity Labs. There is also an opportunity for Curiosity Labs to be featured in these journals to gain more awareness of the program and its mission.

Magazine Ads

The Curiosity Box is a pop-up advertisement that will travel to heavy traffic areas like malls, parks and other public places for anyone to interact with. The box will have a touch screen on one side that allows people to conduct a virtual lab from Curiosity Labs, and each side will be branded with the tagline and logo. After the lab is finished, the box will distribute a small Curiosity Labs branded gift related to the lesson that was completed. For example, glow sticks will be given for the Chemiluminescence lab and scented stickers for the Flavors and Fragrance lab. This will build awareness of Curiosity Labs among the public and also show them what Curiosity Labs does. These boxes are also available to travel to schools and science conferences around the country so teachers can experience the labs before they sign up.

The van used to transport materials and equipment for Curiosity Labs will be a form of out-of-home advertising. Scientists from MilliporeSigma will drive this van to any school where they are instructing a lab. The Curiosity Labs logo will be included on the van to build awareness while on the road. The car wrap will be eye-catching and spark curiosity wherever it travels.

Out of Home

65

67

Curiosity Labs will partner with Teach for America and Teachers Without Borders to give science materials to the people who need it the most. Curiosity Labs will create a Twelve Days of Curiosity event, which will take place during the month of December. For the event, Curiosity Labs will randomly select a classroom from each partner and visit their classroom in person to present them with gifts. There will be a new recipient each day, alternating between the two partners for a total of 12 days.

Teach for America is a program focused on giving materials to underprivileged classrooms so all students have an equal opportunity to learn. This domestic partnership furthers the desire to pursue STEM in the minds of children in underprivileged areas in the U.S.

Teachers Without Borders is a global an organization that connects teachers to information in order to close the education divide that exists across the world. Because Teachers Without Borders has a global audience, Curiosity Labs will gain international attention and earned media coverage through this partnership.

These partnerships will also boost brand recognition by directly putting the product in the classrooms of underprivileged schools around the world. Competitors with similar partnerships just donate money to their partner organizations. Curiosity Labs has taken it one step further by providing tangible materials that teachers will specifically ask for via a social media campaign, all branded by MilliporeSigma and Curiosity Labs. The gift-giving process will be filmed and used to create a promotional video which will be displayed on the company website and all other social media platforms.

Partnerships

To celebrate the end of the school year and the end of the campaign, Curiosity Labs will host the Curiosity Conference, a three-day extravagant science conference for approximately 500 teachers in the Cortex Innovation Community, minutes from MilliporeSigma's headquarters. This event will generate more awareness of Curiosity Labs among Innovative Instructors and the general public. It will also connect STEM educators with scientists and provide them with classroom materials. The last main goal of the Curiosity Conference is to recognize Innovative Instructors who go above and beyond to inspire their students through STEM education.

Over the weekend, Innovative Instructors will attend a hands-on workshop featuring lab demonstrations, panels and keynote speakers. The event will include the presentation of the Inspiring Instructors of the Year Awards, which will be given to three select teachers.

On the last night of the conference, these three teachers will be awarded for their dedication to STEM and for going above and beyond to inspire their students. They will be chosen through nominations and their participation in the social media contests. The winners will receive a plaque, be featured on the Curiosity Labs website and receive an all-expenses-paid professional development trip to Hawaii, where they will study marine biology. This will inspire other Innovative Instructors to continue to do all they can for their students, as well as motivate them to interact more with Curiosity Labs.

Curiosity Conference

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JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV

EMAIL TEASERS

WEBSITE

LAB NOTES

SOCIAL CONTESTS

INCENTIVES

BANNER ADS

MAGAZINE ADS

CURIOSITY BOX

PARTNERSHIPS

CONFERENCE

Media Calendar

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DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNE

Media Calendar

BUDGET

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Incentives .......................................... $25,000Gifts ................................................................................. $15,000

Professional Development Trip ............................................. $10,000

Out of Home ..................................... $22,000Interactive Box ................................................................... $20,000Car Wrap ............................................................................ $2,000

Teach for America ................................................................. $7,500Teachers without Borders ...................................................... $7,500

Partnerships ...................................... $15,000

Web ................................................. $12,000Email Lists ........................................................................... $2,000Website ............................................................................. $10,000

Advertisements ................................... $11,000Banner Ads .......................................................................... $5,000Magazine Ads ....................................................................... $6,000

Conference ....................................... $65,000

TOTAL ............................................. $150,000

EVALUATION

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The effectiveness of this campaign can be evaluated by the overall increase in awareness of MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Labs. Each tactic works together to increase the brand’s visibility and reiterate MilliporeSigma’s commitment to enhancing STEM education.

At the beginning of the campaign, a survey will be conducted to analyze the overall awareness of MilliporeSigma and Curiosity Labs. After the Curiosity Conference, the survey will be repeated on new surveyees to assess the change in awareness of MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Labs. A 20 percent increase in awareness is an indicator a successful campaign.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX

MEET THE

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The atom is the building block of matter. However, it takes more than one atom to build something great, and the same can be said when in it comes to building a great campaign. Our team name is more than just a play on words -- it’s a representation of how our team comes together to create. You’ve seen what we created, now take a moment to learn what we’re made of.

Nuclear Fusion

Erin Ceaser

My role: “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” - Mad MenI bring: Wine, tater tots and a voice of direction.I’m not good at: Correctly pronouncing “Boeing.”Biggest fear: My mom taking me off her phone bill.

Title: Account Executive Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Larissa Zellmer

My role: I planned what types of media and tactics we used, and when and where we used them. I bring: Organization skills, Instagram captions, chronic hiccups and my weird sense of humor.I’m not good at: Keeping a straight face.Biggest fear: Losing my planner.

Title: Media Planner/PR Specialist Hometown: Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Nick Farley

My role: I wrote and edited all the copy for this campaign, but I focused especially on creating the Big Idea, tagline and advertisements. I bring: An extensive knowledge of the Pokemon universe and a sick four-inch vertical.I’m not good at: Tolerating country music.Biggest fear: Dropping a whole pizza on the ground.

Title: CopywriterHometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

81Kennedy Calton

My role: In addition to creating our Atoms Family intro video, I also worked to create vibrant, striking video and digital components to add to our campaign.I bring: Multimedia skills and a detailed map of I-70.I’m not good at: Mornings, exercising and passing up on a Jimmy John’s sandwich.Biggest fear: Moths.

Title: Video & Digital SpecialistHometown: Osage Beach, Missouri

Lauren Rau

My role: Designing this book, as well as creating any other media tactics we used.I bring: An Adobe CC subscription and the mumps. I’m not good at: Spellling and remembering to bring a computer charger.Biggest fear: Losing a Snapchat streak.

Title: Graphic DesignerHometown: Kirkwood, Missouri

Bethany Bornhorst

My role: I ensure our strategy and tactics keep the consumer in mind at all times. I also headed all the research for our campaign. I bring: Left and right brain capabilities. I’m not good at: Keeping track of my phone and keys.Biggest fear: Graduating.

Title: Researcher & Account PlannerHometown: Excelsior, Minnesota

Thank you for taking the time to participate in our research study. In the following survey, we will ask you about yourself, your classroom, and your experiences and opinions as an educator. The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes, and your responses will remain anonymous. Though you may exit the survey at any time, please note that finishing the survey is required to be entered into the raffle for an Amazon gift card. Again, thank you for your participation.

Survey

1) What is your gender? - Male- Female- Other

2) What is your age? - Under 25- 25 - 34- 35 - 44- 45 - 54- Over 55

3) What type of school do you work at? - Public - Private- I do not work at a school. (If selected, exited out of survey.) - Other

4) What state is your school located in? Alabama AlaskaArizonaArkansasCalifornia Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii IdahoIllinois

Indiana IowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesota Mississippi MissouriMontana

NebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew York North Carolina North Dakota OhioOklahoma OregonPennsylvania Rhode Island

South CarolinaSouth DakotaTennessee Texas UtahVirginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Other

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5) My school is located in a... - Rural area - Urban area - Suburban area

6) Which grade level(s) do you teach? (Select all that apply.) - Below 4th- 4th Grade- 5th Grade- 6th Grade - 7th Grade- 8th Grade- High School- College- I am an administrator. - Other

7) What subject(s) do you teach? (Select all that apply.) - Math - Science- Technology or other STEM related subject- I am an administrator. - Other

8) Did you major in or are you certified in the subject area you teach? - Yes- No - Other

9) How long have you been teaching at your current institution? - Less than 5 years- 5 to 10 years - 11 to 15 years- 16 to 20 years - Over 20 years

Select the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements: - Strongly agree- Agree- Somewhat agree- Neither agree or disagree- Somewhat disagree- Disagree- Strongly disagree

10) There is enough support for STEM programs at the educational institution I work for.

11) I am able to properly teach my students with the current funding.

12) I am able to provide an exciting and engaging learning experience for my students with the current funding.

13) STEM education needs to improve in elementary and middle schools

14) I feel that my own education prepared me to be a STEM educator.

15) My students easily grasp STEM concepts and can apply them to homework and/or tests. 16) My students enjoy learning about STEM subjects.

17) I have influence over my students' futures and potential career paths.

18) My students are prepared for the next level of STEM when they leave my classroom.

The following questions are about your teaching style and feelings toward STEM education at your institution: 19) Is your class solely lecture-based or does it incorporate labs and project based learning?

- I only use labs and project based learning to teach my class. - I use a mixture of both labs/projects and lecture to teach my class. - I only use lectures. - Other.

8520) How often do you use labs or project based learning in your classroom?- Daily- Weekly- A few times a month- Once a month- Rarely - Never

21) Does your school offer any extracurricular programs related to STEM that students can be involved in?

- Yes - No- Unsure

22) Do you wish there were more STEM curricula available for you to teach your students with?

- Yes - No - Unsure

24) What do you wish your current teaching programs offered that they do not offer right now?

(Fill in the blank.)

23) Is there a need for free teaching materials in STEM education? Why? (Fill in the blank.)

The following questions will assess your awareness of MilliporeSigma and Curiosity Labs:

25) Are you aware of the life science company MilliporeSigma or their free STEM education program - Curiosity Labs?

- Yes, I am aware of MilliporeSigma, but I have not heard of Curiosity Labs. - Yes, I am aware of Curiosity Labs, but I have not heard of MilliporeSigma.- Yes, I am aware of MilliporeSigma and Curiosity Labs. - No, I am not aware of MilliporeSigma or Curiosity Labs.

Curiosity Labs™ is a program that delivers science labs to classrooms free of charge. Covering a range of topics from DNA to water filtration, Curiosity Labs™ makes inspiring the next generation of scientists easier for elementary and middle school teachers. MilliporeSigma provides all materials and instructions for every lab, as well as employee volunteers who can help facilitate the labs. This is a great way to spark curiosity for science in the minds of students and connect them to professionals in the industry.

26) Now that you know more about Curiosity Labs, if given the opportunity, would you implement this program into your classroom?

- Yes- No- Unsure/Need more information

27) Why or why not? (Fill in the blank.)

The following questions are about how you receive information and your communication preferences.

28) Where do you go to get up-to-date lesson plans for your classroom? (Select all that apply.)

- Teaching catalogs- Teaching conferences- Traditional media (TV, radio, magazine, newspaper)- Teaching websites or blogs- Digital/internet- Social media- Direct mail- Email- Recommendations from other teachers- I am told what to teach and how to teach it- I do not look for new lesson plans- Other

8729) How often do you use the following social media? (for personal or professional use)

- Twitter- Facebook- YouTube- Snapchat- Instagram - Pinterest - LinkedIn

Possible answers: - Never - Rarely (once a month)- Sometimes (once or twice a month) - Often (daily) - Very often (multiple times a day)

30) Are there any other social media you use that were not asked about?

- Yes - No

31) To what extent do you try to incorporate digital media into your classroom?

- Never - Rarely (once a month)- Sometimes (once or twice a month) - Often (daily) - Very often (multiple times a day)

32) Thank you for taking the survey. Please list your contact information to be entered into a raffle to win one of five $15 Amazon gift cards:

- Name (First and Last) - Email - Phone Number

In-Depth Interview Questions

- What exactly do they suggest? - Can Curiosity Labs assist?

1) What are improvements that should be made in elementary and middle school STEM education?

- Does it make a difference if another teacher recommends a teaching program to you? - How does your relationship with other educators affect your teaching? - How do you get into contact with teachers from other schools? - What is the importance of word of mouth? - What do you look for when selecting a new lesson plan? - How could free education materials help teachers?

2) What makes you choose one lesson plan over another?

- Why?- How would you like to receive them?

3) Where do you receive new teaching materials?

- Does their age make a difference? - How expensive are labs?

4) Why are labs a better approach to teaching students than lectures?

- Do students like labs better? Do you? - What makes a good, engaging lab?

5) What impact do you feel class experiments and labs have on your students grasping STEM concepts?

6) Is the current funding provided by your school enough to create an engaging learning experience for you students?

- How much of your own income goes back into your classroom? - What does the school provide? What are you expected to provide? - How could Curiosity Labs help with a lack in funding?

7) Do you feel that a lot of the costs associated with in class experiments fall on your shoulders?

89Interception Questions

- How does your relationship with other educators affect your teaching? - How do you get into contact with teachers from other schools? - Is word of mouth important?

1) Does it make a difference if another teacher recommends a teaching program to you?

- How would you like to receive them? - Why?

2) Where do you receive new teaching materials?

- How could free education materials help teachers? - Why?

3) What do you look for when selecting a new lesson plan?

4) What are your opinions on the Curiosity Labs examples provided?

5) Any additional information about STEM education or how to improve?

80 Years Fueling Scientific Discovery. (2015, October). Retrieved September 06, 2016

Abbott Fund - Projects - Family Science. (2013, December 13). Retrieved September 06, 2016

About Us: EMD Millipore Sigma Aldrich = Milliporesigma. (n.d.). Retrieved September 6, 2016 Boeing. (2016). Retrieved September 06, 2016 http://www.boeing.com/ principles/education/partners.page#/curiosity_machine BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 2011–2015. (n.d.). Retrieved September 06, 2016 http://ar2015.emdgroup.com/notes-to-the-group-accounts/ business-development-2011-2015

Curiosity Labs™. (n.d.). Retrieved September 06, 2016 http://www. sigmaaldrich.com/globalcitizenship/curiosity-labs.html

Committee on Highly Successful Schools or Programs for K-12 STEM Education; Board on Science Education; Board on Testing and Assessment; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council. (2011). Successful K-12 STEM education: Identifying effective approaches in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Education Database - schooldata. (2015). Retrieved September 06, 2016 http://schooldata.com/education-database/#k12

Germany, M. K. (n.d.). General information about our company. Retrieved September 06, 2016

Holdren, J. P. (2013, May 31). Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education 5 Year Strategic Plan [PDF]. Washington, DC: Committee on STEM Education National Science and Technology Council.

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91Hom, E. J. (2014, February 11). What is STEM Education? Retrieved September 06, 2016. Inspiring the Next Generation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://corporate. thermofisher.com/content/dam/tf/responsibility/Documents/ STEMProgram pages 22-23pdf.pdf

K-12 Market: The Big Picture. (2015). Retrieved September 06, 2016 http:// schooldata.com/k-12-market-infographic/ Liana Christin Landivar, 2013, “The Relationship Between Science and Engineering Education and Employment in STEM Occupations,” American Community Survey Reports, ACS-23, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC. Life Science - View at a Glance [PDF]. (2016). MilliporeSigma. http://www.emdmillipore.com/INTERSHOP/static/WFS/Merck- Site/-/Merck/en_US/Freestyle/DIV-Divisional/About-Us/life- science-business-factsheet-us.pdf Merck KGaA. (2015, October 22). EMD Millipore to Provide Provantage(R) End-to-End Solution for Development and Manufacture of Biosimilars under Strategic Alliance with Turgut Ilac [Press release]. Canada NewsWire. Retrieved September 6, 2016. MilliporeSigma, Media Relations. (2016, March 7). MilliporeSigma Launches Global Science Education Program to Inspire Future Scientists [Press release]. EMD Group.

Mommsen, N., & Talanow, M. (n.d.). Acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich. Retrieved September 06, 2016.

Our Projects. (2016). Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www. abbottfund.org/projects Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www. monsantofund.org/grants/overview/

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. (2010). from, http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/ pcast-stem-ed-final.pdf.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Education for Global Leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www.ed.gov/stem Sigma-Aldrich. (2014, September 22). Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, to Acquire Sigma-Aldrich to Enhance Position in Attractive Life Science Industry [Press release]. Retrieved September 6, 2016.

STEM Education (n.d.). Retrieved September 06, 2016, from https://teach.com/ what/teachers-know/stem-education/ STEM Education Data. (n.d.). Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www. nsf.gov/nsb/sei/edTool/contents.html

STEM Teachers [Infographic]. (n.d.). Retrieved September 06, 2016, from https:// teach.com/why-teach/the-demand-for-great-teachers/stem-teachers- infographic/

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Initiative | Teach For America. (2016). Retrieved September 06, 2016. US Census Bureau, & Landivar, L. C. (2013, September). The Relationship Between Science and Engineering Education and Employment in STEM Occupations [PDF]. US Department of Commerce.