PR 348 Planbook for Austin Humane Society

Planbook constructed by Kira Arnise Liz Garcia

Viktoriya Kalyta Jenny Magnotta

Jessa McFaul

Fall 2012

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

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Situation We have performed a situation analysis on Austin Humane Society. We state the two main problems we are focusing on: differentiation and social media, specifically Twitter. Furthermore, another obstacle is that Austin Humane Society has virtually no budget for advertising efforts. Last, we conducted a SWOT analysis, gathered organizational research on Austin Humane Society and, finally, obtained competitor research on the many animal-welfare organizations in Austin.

Goals & Objectives Our overall goal with this planbook is to distinguish and differentiate Austin Humane Society as the most well-known nonprofit animal shelter in Austin. We want Austin Humane Society to connect with the Austin community in meaningful ways. We also want Austin Humane Society to improve Twitter engagement and increase its follower base by 60 percent. Last, we want to raise at least $4,950 by the end of 2013 through our partnerships by asking Amy’s  Ice  Creams,  Blind  Pig Pub and The Mohawk to donate 20 percent of the sales of certain items to us.

Strategies & Messages We have many ideas for Austin Humane Society. We wish to implement events and partnerships with Amy’s  Ice  Creams,   Blind Pig Pub and The Mohawk. We also suggest that Austin Humane Society use a more integrated approach with social media. We have also suggested an improvement to the website. Last, we believe Austin Humane Society can further differentiate itself as an Austin animal-welfare nonprofit by purchasing and creating its own mascot.

Audience We have based our audience on who we are trying to reach via the partnerships in our Strategies & Messages section. In our partnership  with  Amy’s,  we  are  targeting families with small children. By partnering with both Blind Pig Pub and The Mohawk, we are focusing on college students and young professionals.

Channels & Tactics In order to reach our audiences and effectively convey the message of our respective goals and objectives, we will rely heavily on social media. We plan to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and, if money permits, we will create flyers to hang up in the Austin community to promote our partnerships. Because social media will be our main tactic, we suggest that Austin Humane Society hire an unpaid intern/volunteer or a team of them to manage its social media.

Evaluation We believe that with this planbook, Austin Humane Society has the potential to become the premier animal-welfare icon for Austin. Furthermore, by increasing brand awareness via our Strategies & Messages, Austin Humane Society will, in turn, increase adoption rates over time. Once more people become familiar with the nonprofit, they will turn to Austin Humane Society first before any others to meet their needs.

Situation Austin  Humane  Society’s  mission  as  an  organization: As the largest no-kill, nonprofit pet adoption center in Austin, Austin Humane Society is dedicated to:

• Saving  Austin’s  homeless  cats  and  dogs • Educating our community about responsible pet ownership • Reducing pet over-population

Austin  Humane  Society’s  vision  is  to successfully become a community resource that promotes compassion toward animals. Austin Humane Society is also dedicated to eliminating unnecessary euthanasia of dogs and cats.

Assessment of what we have learned from meeting with Kelly: • Through  Liz’s  interview  with  Kelly,  Austin  Humane  Society  has  expressed  its  need  

in  obtaining  help  with  Twitter.  Kelly  says  that  Austin  Humane  Society’s  presence  in  Facebook, television, newspaper etc. is already well established.

• Constraints include a limited budget and a high level of competition. The nonprofit has a low advertising budget and relies solely on a lot of public relations to get the word out. The nonprofit has to be mindful of any sort of repercussions that can occur when sending out more "graphic" information/videos. Austin Humane Society also needs to know the prices and events that are going on in other shelters around town in order to acquire more adoptions.

• Austin Humane Society is thinking about doing a Halloween or Election Day adoption event.

• The nonprofit recruits volunteers mainly through its website. Furthermore, information is easily accessible so that volunteers know what to expect.

The main problem we are focusing on: We have established two obstacles Austin Humane Society is currently facing: differentiation and social media, specifically Twitter. First, with Austin filled to the brim with animal-welfare organizations, it is difficult for Austin Humane Society to stand out among all the rest. Second, there is a lack of an integrated, holistic approach to Austin Humane  Society’s  social  media,  especially  with  Twitter.    Tweets  can  be  sporadic  with  long lapses in between.

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Situation, cont. Further research we have conducted: SWOT Analysis: Strengths: Oldest and largest animal nonprofit in Austin Weaknesses: Limited budget, reaching a younger audience Opportunities: Expanding/specializing programs, tap into the Austin culture more Threats: Number of other animal shelters in the Austin Area

Organizational Research: Austin Humane Society Location: 124 W. Anderson Lane Austin, TX 78752 Services: Prices vary according to age, breed and size of an animal

• Current vaccinations • Spay/neuter surgery • Microchip and chip registration • Deworming • Free wellness exam after adoption • Heartworm test (when applicable) • Basic life skills training for dogs • Socialization • Dog food sample • Local pet store and service discounts • Feral cat trap program • Pet-loss support group

Facebook: 14,637 likes • Post multiple times a day • Posts are mostly about animals available for adoption

Twitter: 2,495 followers, 1,322 Tweets • Tweet a couple times a day, but lapses occur when Tweets are absent • Tweet about events • Tweet about animals up for adoption • Post hyperlinks to relevant news pieces

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Situation, cont. Competitive Research: Emancipet Location: 7201 Levander Loop, Buildings I & K Austin, TX 78702 Mission: To advocate and provide free/low-cost spay and neuter services to animals throughout Central Texas in order to humanely reduce the number of homeless pets in the community and to keep Austin a no-kill city. Services: Provide spay/neuter services to between 1,200 - 2,000 pets each month

• Spay/neuter via stationary clinic: o Dogs: Female $65, Male $55 o Cats: Female $44, Male $29

• Mobile clinic (same price points as above): o Active Monday - Wednesday and serves locations around the Austin area -

see location schedule o Thursday – Saturday: free spay/neuter services to those who cannot afford

the low cost options • Wellness clinics:

o Affordable basic vaccinations, administration of medicines, deworming, etc.

Promotions and Events: • Briarcliff 1st Annual Happy Halloween Dog Walk & Costume Parade

Facebook: 4,903 likes • Post daily - relevant news articles, photos, reminders, clinic stats (number of pets

spayed in a given week/day) • Regularly interact with users to answers questions, feedback, etc.

Twitter: 2,069 followers, 722 Tweets • Tweet almost daily - same general info as on Facebook • Retweet mentions, but do not Tweet at many people or post many photos • Not directly linked to Facebook

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Situation, cont. Competitive Research, cont.: Austin Animal Center Location: 7201 Levander Loop Austin, TX 78702 Mission: To provide public service and a safety net for lost and homeless animals in the community by providing necessary food, water, shelter and standard municipal veterinary care for animals in need. To provide placement services that will assist lost, homeless or sheltered animals to their homes or find new homes when necessary, to provide live outcomes for at least 90 percent of sheltered animals. To enforce animal regulations and assist the public with animal-related concerns, including impoundment, quarantine and other rabies control services in order to protect citizens and animals in our community. To provide animal services to the public in order to educate and prevent animal homelessness and promote humane, compassionate treatment of animals and responsible pet ownership. Services:

• Adopt a pet • Animal Bite Report • Animal Rescue and Partner Groups • Pet Behaviourist • Pet Foster Care • Pet Lost and Found • Surrender a Pet • Spay/Neuter

o Free in certain area codes • Free rabies shots • Free/low-cost veterinary care • Animal protection for abused/hurt/dangerous animals

Facebook: 8,774 likes • Posts range from many times a day to once a day • Mostly pictures of animals/people at shelter adopting pets, volunteers and also

videos of pets

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Situation, cont. Competitive Research, cont.: Twitter: 777 followers, 1709 Tweets

• Tweets are mostly during the weekend when more adoptions happen • Tweet about the people who are adopting • Tweet about animals in shelter • Tweet about events at the shelter

Austin Pets Alive Location: 1156 West Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78703 Mission: Helping People Help Pets. We promote and provide the resources, education and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals. Services:

• APA! Medical Clinic • Barn Cat Placements • Bottle Baby Program • Dog Behavior Program • Dog Play Groups • Parvo Program • Ringworm Ward

Facebook: 34,636 likes • There are different Facebook pages for each program the organization offers

Twitter: 11,281 followers, 8,330 Tweets

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Situation, cont. Competitive Research, cont.: Animal Trustees of Austin Location: 5129 Cameron Road Austin, TX 78723 Mission: Animal Trustees of Austin serves the animals of our community by providing affordable, humane treatment, with compassion and respect for all. Services:

• Spay/neuter services: o Dogs: Female $60, Male $55 o Cats: Female $40, Male $30

• Basic vaccinations • Blood testing • Microchip services • Nail trims • Flea and heartworm preventions, • Deworming

Facebook: 3,771 likes • Post daily about current events, fun pictures, puppy of the day, associations, etc.

Twitter: 400 followers, 635 Tweets • Tweeting almost twice daily promoting wellness programs, organization

associations, current events • Retweet mentions • Not directly linked to Facebook

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Goals & Objectives Overall Goal:

To distinguish and differentiate Austin Humane Society as the most well-known non-profit animal shelter in Austin.

In order to reach this overall goal, we have determined three smaller goals and objectives that, if implemented, will help us reach this distinguished level of brand awareness that we are striving for. Goal 1: To connect with the Austin community in meaningful ways in order to build strong, trusting relationships that will help to raise brand awareness.

Objective: To obtain three partnerships with local vendors during the course of 2013.

Goal 2: To raise significant amounts of money that will go toward the animals at Austin Humane Society through the use of our partnerships.

Objective: To make $4,950 by the end of 2013 through our partnerships. We will ask the local vendors that we will partner with to allow us to receive 20 percent of sales of certain items in order to reach this goal.

Goal 3: Improve Twitter engagement and increase follower base. This will enable a more interactive approach to linking all social media together while adding an emphasis on Twitter.

Objective: Increase follower base by 60 percent in order to reach 4,000 followers by the end of 2013.

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Strategies & Messages

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Partnerships By partnering with local vendors that have effectively established themselves  as  a  large  part  of  the  city’s  culture,  we  hope  that  Austin  Humane Society will become the nonprofit synonymous with animal

welfare in Austin. Working with vendors that already have a loyal consumer base will allow for our nonprofit to tap into those local

audiences and further connect with the Austin community, which will achieve our Goal 1. Furthermore, the money we raise through these

partnerships will help us achieve Goal 2.

Amy’s  Ice Creams Because we want Austin Humane Society to be the first animal-welfare organization that people associate with Austin when faced with any animal-related needs, we believe it would be beneficial to partner with a brand that has already been well established locally: Amy’s  Ice  Creams.  After  being  established  in  Austin  over  25  years  ago,  Amy’s  Ice  Creams  has  acquired a local and loyal customer base, cementing itself within Austin culture. Aside from having numerous storefront locations around the community, Amy’s  maintains  a  presence  throughout  Austin  by  being  present  at  local  events and city-wide festivals, which are initiatives that we would like to mirror  in  the  work  of  our  nonprofit  in  order  to  further  solidify  it  as  Austin’s  leading animal-welfare organization. Given that Austin Humane Society has an overwhelming amount of support from volunteers and other individuals willing to donate their time to the cause, organizing volunteers to  be  present  as  representatives  of  our  nonprofit  at  any  of  Austin’s  many  city-wide events would be an effective way to involve Austin Humane Society in the community and culture of the city. In  addition  to  associating  Austin  Humane  Society  with  Amy’s  Ice  Creams  on  an  event  basis,  we  also  hope  to  work  with  Amy’s  in  the  creation  of  several ice-cream flavors from which 20 percent of the sales would go to benefit Austin Humane Society. In order to keep the flavors relevant with the  nonprofit,  we  propose  to  use  the  names  “Peanut  Butter  Pup,”  “Kitty  Kit Kat”  and  “Old  Dog,  New  Twix”  for the new ones we create. With cups of ice cream ranging in price from $2.75 to $3.25, we hope to receive 20 percent of the profits for each cup of specially created ice cream sold.

Strategies & Messages, cont. Amy’s  Ice Creams, cont. One of the deciding factors in our decision to build a relationship with Amy’s  Ice  Creams  is  that  the  company  has  made  apparent  its  dedication  to  the community and is readily willing to support a number of local nonprofits. As Austin Humane Society moves forward with our partner with the company, we hope to eventually enter into a more formal relationship with Amy’s  Ice  Creams  in  which  we  can  begin  to  collaborate  on events and other proceedings in order to establish a more mutually beneficial relationship between two long running, locally established brands. Ultimately, we also hope that such a partnership will help Austin Humane Society broaden our audience base and make our nonprofit more of a staple organization within the Austin community. Blind Pig Pub Nightlife in Austin is a big part of the lives of current UT students and young Austin professionals, which is why we believe this is a great area to tap into in order to reach this section of our target market. Our vision is for Blind Pig Pub to sell a special drink from which Austin Humane Society will receive 20 percent of its sales. We have chosen to partner with Blind Pig Pub to keep this partnership relevant to Austin Humane Society by creating an animal-name theme. To further develop this theme, we think it is best that this new drink has a pet-related  name,  such  as  a  “Paws”-mopolitan. We are hoping that with this partnership, Austin Humane Society is able to successfully fundraise $1,200 between September and December 2013.

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Strategies & Messages, cont.

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The Mohawk Because Austin is known as the Live Music Capitol of the World, a partnership with a local venue such as The Mohawk will be ideal. Much like our previous idea for a partnership with Blind Pig Pub, this venue will sell a drink with a pet-related name, and 20 percent of that drink’s  sales would go toward Austin Humane Society. The difference between the bar partnership and the music-venue partnership would be that the drink would not be a constant part of the drink selection every night. Instead, it would  be  a  weekly  “Doggy  Day”  special  on  one  particular  weekday  night  during the first four months of the year. Only during South by Southwest week  would  this  drink  be  considered  a  regular  part  of  The  Mohawk’s  drink  selection. Additionally, we anticipate that sales would increase by double during South by Southwest week.

Twitter Increasing  Austin  Humane  Society’s  presence  on  Twitter  and  making  sure  

it is consistent will help us achieve Goal 3. Austin Humane Society has been inconsistent with the amount of Tweets it posts on a daily and weekly basis. The nonprofit also fails to link its Facebook and Twitter accounts together. While Austin Humane Society has started to become more proactive with its account, the organization does not interact with its followers, incorporate Retweets from other Twitter users, or use a picture-sharing service to bring a more visual approach to each Tweet the nonprofit crafts. We suggest that Austin Humane Society come up with a way to post as frequently on Twitter as it does on Facebook by linking the two together. By doing this, Austin Humane Society would have to shorten every status update it posts on Facebook to the limited amount of 140 characters needed for Twitter. In order to get Austin Humane Society more involved with its Twitter account, we suggest that Austin Humane Society interact with its followers by creating Twitter hashtags such as #AHStories, #ilovemydogbecause and #ilovemycatbecause, as well as specific tags for each event hosted by the nonprofit.

Strategies & Messages, cont.

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Twitter, cont. By doing this, Austin Humane Society will be seen as a friendly Twitter account that wants to create a definitive relationship with the people interested in the brand. By Retweeting from other Twitter accounts related to pet and animal news, Austin Humane Society will be seen as an icon dedicated to the welfare of all animals across the country. People will follow Austin Humane Society’s  Twitter  account  because they are interested in any news related to animals and not just news related to the specific shelter. We also believe that creating an Instagram account will make Austin Humane Society more social-media savvy because this allows the organization to post pictures of new adopters and their new pets instantaneously. With an Instagram account, Austin Humane Society would be able to link Facebook and Twitter even more efficiently. Additional Strategies & Messages

Here, we have included additional solutions we believe will help Austin Humane Society in combination with the strategies and messages we have

already included. Improving Website Overall, we believe Austin Humane Society has an amazing website. It is aesthetically pleasing, interactive and informational. However, we believe that Austin Humane Society has the potential to increase adoption rates simply by making it more efficient to search for animals available for adoption. Currently, the website only allows users to search for either cats or dogs. However, the website currently has no functionality to support further searches. For example, if users want to refine their searches by breed, gender, etc., they are currently unable to do so. Therefore, we suggest adding these additional search features. We suggest implementing a different checklist section for each appropriate search item so that users are able to search multiple criteria at  once  (e.g.  “female”  and  “Chihuahua”  or  “male”  and  “Terrier”).  We  understand that age may be a sensitive search refinement because some families may have set their hopes on adopting a younger animal so that the animal is able to grow up with the family, especially if there are children involved. In other words, if age is available as a search field, users of the website might only search for the younger animals and may not even consider the older animals available for adoption.

Mascot In order to generate more buzz about Austin Humane Society and establish a more concrete brand identity, we suggest that the nonprofit buy an animal mascot costume. Austin Humane Society’s  mascot can appear at the different events hosted and sponsored the nonprofit. This will help create buzz and awareness for Austin Humane Society because event attendees will want to take pictures of (and maybe even with!) the Austin Humane Society mascot. In addition to being present at Austin Humane Society events, the mascot can pass out flyers around the Austin community that advertise for Austin Humane  Society’s  services  and  upcoming events. We understand that one of Austin Humane  Society’s  challenges  in  implementing a marketing or public-relations campaign is lack of a budget. However, the longer Austin Humane Society keeps this mascot, the more return on investment we believe the mascot will provide. The most reasonably priced animal mascot costume we found online is the Dalmatian below, which costs $199.99. If Austin Humane Society feels more comfortable pilot testing this new idea, there are also websites that provide costume rentals for about the same price as the mascot below, so that  the  nonprofit  can  test  Austin’s  reaction  without  committing. Dalmatian Plush Economy Mascot from www.BuyCostumes.com We also suggest that Austin Humane Society name the mascot something unique, so that the Austin community will recognize the mascot by both name and affiliation. In order to ensure that observers know the mascot represents Austin Humane Society, we suggest constructing a superhero cape for the mascot to wear that can have the Austin Humane Society logo and name printed on the back.

Strategies & Messages, cont.

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Audience The main target audience for Austin Humane Society is animal lovers around Austin. To be more specific, we want to focus on the animal lovers who will be exposed to Austin Humane Society the partnerships in our Strategies & Messages. Families with young children who  visit  Amy’s  Ice  Creams  will  be  able  to  give support to Austin Humane Society while enjoying signature ice-cream flavors. Engaging with families through  Amy’s  Ice  Creams  will  raise  funds  as well as awareness of Austin Humane Society to potential pet adopters. Another demographic Austin Humane Society will reach is college students and young professionals. These two target groups partake in the Austin  nightlife  and  have  the  opportunity  to  enjoy  a  “Paws”-mopolitan at Blind Pig Pub downtown. College students and young professionals will also attend concerts around town at local music venues, such as The Mohawk, especially during South by Southwest week.

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Channels & Tactics

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Given the strategies we have developed for Austin Humane Society, we plan to use a specialized menu of social media as our main tactic in order to reach our audiences and effectively convey the message of our respective objectives. In order to promote our unique flavors offered at Amy's Ice Creams, we will rely heavily on our social-media accounts to get the buzz started. By Facebooking, Tweeting and Instagramming pictures of our flavors and people enjoying them, we will increase our online presence while promoting the Austin Humane Society and Amy's brand at the same time. Due to our lacking budget, we recommend that Austin Humane Society create flyers to hang up in the Austin area if money permits. These flyers would include the ice-cream flavors, Amy's location, explain the benefits of  eating  these  flavors  and  will  also  include  Austin  Humane  Society’s  website and contact information. Similar  to  promoting  our  new  flavors  at  Amy’s  Ice  Creams,  we  will  also  heavily use social-media tactics in order to draw attention to our partnerships with Blind Pig Pub and The Mohawk music venue and the unique drink specials created to benefit our nonprofit. During times that the drink will be offered, we will increase our social-media presence by posting  on  Facebook  and  Twitter  about  the  drink’s  availability  and  the  cause that it is going toward. At  the  same  time,  we  will  be  “checking  in”  at  the  establishment  and  tagging  the  bar  and  music  venue’s  Facebook  pages  in order to increase profits. The drink could also be advertised outside of the bar and venue on a chalkboard, which would catch the attention of individuals passing by. By openly associating ourselves with the establishment on a regular basis through social media, we will further build a mutually beneficial relationship with Blind Pig Pub and The Mohawk by driving more traffic to their businesses while also benefitting Austin  Humane  Society’s  cause.  

Channels & Tactics, cont.

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Additionally, we believe that writing separate news releases announcing Austin  Humane  Society’s  partnerships  with  these  three  local  vendors  will  allow the organization to gain media attention and also readily associate it with these particular locally established brands in the minds of readers. Ultimately, we feel that this association will further solidify Austin Humane Society as a culturally important organization to the community. Because our main strategies rely almost completely on the use of social media to build recognition, we suggest that Austin Humane Society designate an unpaid intern/volunteer, or even perhaps a few individuals who would make up a social-media team. The social-media team would essentially  be  in  charge  of  maintaining  the  organization’s  Facebook  page,  Twitter account, and Instagram account (when it is established). In order to more greatly benefit Austin Humane Society, the chosen volunteers should  not  only  be  familiar  with  the  organization’s  message  and  the  way  it  wants to be perceived, but they must also be willing to dedicate the appropriate amount of time to maintain an effective social-media presence. These volunteers will collaborate with each other and the organization in order to keep messages and updates consistent.

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Calendar, cont. (Explanation of Flights)

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The Mohawk: A partnership with a local music venue, such as The Mohawk, between January and April will generate high profits because artists tend to tour the Austin area a lot during the months surrounding South by Southwest. We want the partnership to start early in the year so that The Mohawk will already be accustomed to its partnership with Austin Humane Society before the crowds surge through downtown in mid-March for the festival.

Amy's Ice Creams: We will partner with Amy's Ice Creams during the summer when the temperature is hot. This is a perfect time to partner with Amy's since ice-cream sales are higher during the summer months. This would generate more profits from sales compared to any other time of the year.

Blind Pig Pub: The partnership we will obtain with Blind Pig Pub will begin in September and run through the end of December, when the Austin weather is pretty unpredictable. We decided this is the best timeframe for this particular partnership because college students and young professionals are typically not deterred from going downtown by the temperature, yet our other two partnerships are heavily dependent on the events and temperature during the times they are being implemented.

Social Media: Our social-media efforts will remain continuous throughout the entire year. Our social-media efforts will include maintaining our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts on a daily basis. We never want to whisper to our audiences, so we must remember to always be loud and consistent with every message we deliver.

Budget

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Budget, cont. (Verbal Walkthrough)

After adding up the prospective monthly earnings from each partnership, we project that Austin Humane Society will fundraise $4,950 by the end of 2013. The only budgeted amount that would be subtracted from this total takes into account the price of the mascot costume. Therefore, the true amount that we anticipate Austin Humane Society will earn by the end of 2013 through these partnerships is $4,750. Because Austin Humane Society does not have an advertising budget, we recommend that $2,000 of this fundraised money go toward publicity and advertising. The remaining $2,750 could be used for Austin Humane Society animals and facilities. We are hoping that the publicity budget will grow each year if Austin Humane Society keeps up with these three partnerships.

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Evaluation The goals and objectives outlined here are all interrelated. The success of one should ultimately also help us to achieve the second and third goals and objectives as we work towards the greater goal of establishing Austin Humane Society as the most recognized animal-welfare nonprofit in Austin. As Austin Humane Society becomes more immersed in the culture of Austin  through  its  partnerships  with  Amy’s  Ice  Creams, Blind Pig Pub and The Mohawk, the organization will see a greater response and involvement from the community as people become more familiar with the cause and the nonprofit itself. The establishment of these partnerships will ideally build brand association, leading to more collaborative occasions in the future, such as adoption events at which both the nonprofit and the respective vendors would be present, further solidifying a mutually beneficial relationship. Additionally, the added frequency and consistency in the use of social media will permit Austin Humane Society to take advantage of having a greater presence on the web, allowing it to tap into the online audience and inform and encourage the community through a different medium. A greater social-media presence will serve to gain attention from other web-based communities that will serve to further the exposure for Austin Humane Society as a top animal-welfare organization. By increasing brand recognition, Austin Humane Society will be able to build trust with the community as people become more comfortable and acquainted with the organization and its cause. In doing so, we hope to see an increase in donations and general traffic to the shelter. Ideally, we expect to see an increase in adoption rates over time, as the community will choose to turn to Austin Humane Society before any other organization to meet their needs.

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