Case Brief Don t Mess With Texas Marian Kansas 1. Problem/Opportunity Statement a. The Don t Mess With Texas campaign s problem is the slogan is very

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1 Case Brief Don t Mess With Texas Marian Kansas 1. Problem/Opportunity Statement a. The Don t Mess With Texas campaign s problem is the slogan is very recognizable, but many people do not know the message behind the slogan, which is an anti-litter campaign. The Don t Mess With Texas campaign especially does not reach Generation L, which is the age group of year olds who are most likely to litter. Don t Mess With Texas has done research and has identified a new target audience and new message, but now must follow through and test the new campaign. This gives Don t Mess With Texas the opportunity to set new IBP objectives based on new and valuable information, and then test those objectives out in hopes of familiarizing a younger generation with the meaning of the Don t Mess With Texas campaign and reduce littering. 2. Critical Factors a. Don t Mess With Texas is a popular, familiar, and established slogan. b. There is high awareness of the slogan, but a low awareness of what the slogan means and low connection to the anti-littering campaign the slogan stands for. c. Ages 16-24, a.k.a. Generation L is the most likely to litter out of all age groups. d. Even though people are aware of the slogan, and some are aware of the anti-littering message, there is still a fairly high amount of Texans who admit to littering. e. There has been an extensive amount of research done as to who litters, what they litter, and where people litter in the state of Texas conducted by the Don t Mess With Texas organization in the biannual Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Litter study and every 4 years in their Visible Litter study. f. The campaign is set to run for one fiscal year. g. The campaign should be completed with a relatively low budget. 3. Alternatives a. Tried and True - Don t Mess With Texas has decided on a specific audience, Generation L, and a message, It may be a small piece of litter, but it s a big problem in Texas and now must create specific IBP objectives for the upcoming fiscal year. This can be done using the research methodology and media vehicles that Don t Mess With Texas has already invested in, reducing any further investment into research or time. The IBP objectives below outline what audience, message, intended effects, and measurements Don t Mess With Texas is familiar with and can use in the upcoming year. i. Audience The age group of year olds was identified as Generation L because they are the worst litterers in the state of Texas. This was confirmed during Don t Mess With Texas most recent bi-annual telephone survey. Information on Generation L s understanding of the Don t Mess With Texas campaign will be based on the most recent Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Litter study. ii. Message The campaign is planning on using a single message, such as It may be a small piece of litter, but it s a big problem in Texas. This will be spread

2 throughout media channels previously used by Don t Mess With Texas such as the Don t Mess With Texas Website, social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and experiential marketing at events like concerts, festivals, and amusement parks. iii. Intended Effects Don t Mess With Texas must set specific and measureable objectives that should be accomplished within a specific time frame. The specific objectives below aim to improve the communication efforts and litter reduction efforts of the Don t Mess With Texas campaign based on preliminary data from the most recent Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Litter study. 1. Increase the connection of the Don t Mess With Texas slogan with its antilittering message from 68% to 75% by the end of the next fiscal year. 2. Increase the amount of people who identify Don t Mess With Texas as an anti-litter campaign from 35% to 50% by the end of the next fiscal year. 3. Reduce the amount of litter found of the Texas-maintained highway system by 30%, as compared to reducing it by 33% from previous study findings by the end of the next fiscal year. 4. Address the areas of serious litter concerns, like tobacco, food, and beverage products in their campaign within the next fiscal year. iv. Measurement The Don t Mess With Texas campaign already has the Visible Litter Study that is conducted every 4 years, and the Attitudes and Behavior study that takes place every 2 years. Don t Mess With Texas already has an established research methodology, and can measure the effects of this campaign during their next Visible Litter study and Attitudes and Behavior Towards Litter study. 4. Evaluate i. Pros 1. The Tried and True alternative uses established research methods so they do not have to spend extra money on measurement and research. (E,G) 2. The Tried and True alternative is a natural continuation of the current campaign. (A, D) 3. Tried and True builds uses the research that Don t Mess With Texas has already completed, meaning no additional funds are necessary for preliminary research. (E, G) 4. Don t Mess With Texas has already invested media outlets like social media campaigns, print ads at events, and an up-to-date website that reaches Generation L. (A, B, C, D) ii. Cons 1. Don t Mess With Texas is using general research for Generation L, which could lead to inaccuracies in targeting. (B, C, E) 2. New media adopted by people in the Generation L age group can change quickly, so a media channel that Don t Mess With Texas has been using could go out of style. (B, C)

3 3. The Tried and True alternative uses research that is conducted either every 2 or every 4 years, so the data they are using as a benchmark could have been significantly altered by the beginning of the next fiscal year. (B, F) 4. The Tried and True measurement criteria may take place after the fiscal year, so the next time the effects are measured there are other variables that could have affected Generation L s understanding of the new message. (B, F, C) 5. Alternative 2 a. Brand New Don t Mess With Texas has identified a potential new target audience, Generation L, and message, It may be a small piece of litter, but it s a big problem in Texas, but has limited knowledge of the new audience and message potential. Don t Mess With Texas can do further research into their new target audience, Generation L, and their new message and center their intended effects around reaching this specific audience with the new message. A better understanding of Generation L will provide the campaign with more specific intended effects and will help determine the best way to measure those effects at the end of the next fiscal year. i. Audience The age group 16-24, or the group most likely to litter in the state of Texas, has been named Generation L and is the target audience for this campaign. While the age group is known, other information such as demographic and psychographic information still needs to be gathered about this group. This will require primary research, such as interviewing people from this age group in different parts of Texas, and secondary research, like utilizing databases such as Mintel. ii. Message The message It may be a small piece of litter, but it s a big problem in Texas would need to be further researched to determine how the new target audience responds to the message. Don t Mess With Texas could get a small group of Generation L test subjects and test the message for a positive response and clarity of the benefit. After testing the message Don t Mess With Texas can continue with the message if it is successful, or develop a new message if the suggested message performs poorly. iii. Intended Effects Based on the findings from the previous study, Don t Mess With Texas needs to increase association of the popular slogan with the anti-littering campaign it represents, especially with Generation L. Increased awareness will hopefully reduce litter in Texas. Specific intended effects would need to be based on the most recent and thorough studies of Generation L and the new message. The most recent data currently is the last Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Litter study, and the intended effects listed below are based on data from that survey, but using more recent data from Generation L research is suggested. 1. Increase the association of the Don t Mess With Texas slogan with its antilittering message among the specific target audience of Generation L from 68% to 80% by the end of the next fiscal year.

4 2. Increase the number of people in Generation L who can identify Don t Mess With Texas as an anti-litter campaign without aiding recall from 35% to 50% by the end of the next fiscal year. 3. Increase the number of people in Generation L who recognize Don t Mess With Texas as a prominent slogan for a public service message from 37% to 47% unprompted and 59% to 69% prompted by the end of the next fiscal year. iv. Measurement In addition to the Visible Litter and Attitude and Behavior study Don t Mess With Texas should do an additional study at the end of the fiscal year to determine how well the new message, It s a small piece of litter, but it s a big problem in Texas resonated with the new target audience of Generation L. This is will require research such as in depth interviews, observational research, and recall and clarity tests. 6. Evaluate a. Brand New i. Pros 1. This data collected for the Brand New alternative will be recent and more specific to Generation L, making it more likely to be accurate or representative of Generation L. (B, C) 2. The Brand New alternative is more specific to Generation L. (B) 3. The Brand New alternative has more in depth research before and after the campaign to measure the specific results of the single message on Generation L, meaning it will be easier to determine if changes in Generation L are due to the new message. (A, B, C) 4. Brand New tests the message before launching the campaign so that it can be determined early on in the campaign if the message is effective, or if a new message is needed. (A, B) ii. Cons 1. The Brand New alternative is more expensive because it requires extra research outside of what Don t Mess With Texas already does. (G) 2. Requires additional time for research before and after the fiscal year. (F) 3. If a new message does not test positively with Generation L, then additional time and money may be needed to develop and test a new message (G, F, C) 7. Conclusion The best alternative for Don t Mess With Texas is alternative 2, Brand New. Even though this alternative is more expensive and time consuming, the additional research will prove valuable to the next Don t Mess With Texas campaign. Generation L has proven difficult to reach, and further investigation is needed in order to identify how to best communicate with them. Tried and True does not offer the current and in depth research needed to fully understand how to best reach Generation L. Brand New also offers a more in-depth understanding of how the single

5 message chosen by Don t Mess With Texas resonates with their Generation L, which is especially valuable because Generation L has been proven to least understand the Don t Mess With Texas slogan and to litter the most out of all the age groups in Texas. Brand New backs up its campaign with primary research for their specific purpose, both before and after the campaign, which will provide a better understanding of Generation L and how the Don t Mess With Texas campaign affects them. 8. Additional Remarks There is a risk associated with both options that Generation L or the message it may be a small piece of litter, but it s a big problem in Texas are not the best option to follow, even when thoroughly researched. There is the possibility of a lurking variable that is really the cause of the lack of awareness in the Don t Mess With Texas campaign, and it s impossible to understand if or how these variables exist until the campaign is tested. Also, each campaign will need to be run in its entirety before fully understanding and measuring campaign results. This means at least one year is required with a full investment into this campaign, not including pre or post campaign research. It is important to note that research, while it provides valuable information, is not fail proof. There is the possibility that Brand New, and Tried and True, could be founded on primary and secondary research and still not accomplish Don t Mess With Texas intended objectives. And finally, littering habits can be very much ingrained into a person s daily life. The full effects of this campaign may not be evident for several years, and future measurement may be needed.