integrated marketing communications plan for st. jude

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ELEVATE COMMUNICATIONS | 13334 S. CEDAR PARK DRIVE | HERRIMAN, UT | 801.828.6462 1

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan For St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Campaign Objective: Engage and inspire young professionals ages 21 to 30 to become lifelong volunteers and monetary supporters to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Prepared By: Jared Preusz President & CEO, Elevate Communications December 22, 2014 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Campaign Proposal. Copyright ©2014 Elevate Communications. CONFIDENTIAL.

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Table of Contents Agency Materials Opening Letter 5 Executive Summary 7 Agency Credentials 9 Press Release 13 Client Background Situation Analysis 15 Target Market 22 SWOT Analysis 30 Brand Positioning 32 Brand Personality 37 Brand Perception 39 Research Primary Research: Brand Perception Online Survey 41 Primary Research: Focus Group Report 44 Creative Materials Integrated Communication Strategy Statement 48 Creative Brief 49 Communication/Media Plan Objectives 50 Strategies 51 Tactics/Creative Executions 52 Internal Communications Plan 77 Integrated Communications Timing Flowchart 80 Budget Summary 81 Evaluation Plan 87 Conclusion 89 Appendix A: Brand Perception Online Survey Results 91 B: Focus Group Moderator Guide 108 References 111

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December 22, 2014 Ms. Melanee Hannock Sr. Vice President, Marketing St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place Memphis, TN 38015-‐3678 Cc: Ms. Shelby Anderson and Ms. Katie Foster Dear Ms. Hannock, I want to thank you for this opportunity to submit an integrated marketing communications campaign proposal to your team at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It would be an honor to collaborate and work alongside with the talent of your team, including the marketing department, volunteers, as well as the medical staff who save the lives of children every year.

Our team at Elevate Communications, a forward-‐thinking agency in Herriman, Utah, takes digitally challenged brands and nonprofit organizations like St. Jude to the next level. We merge the best traditional communications with an extreme focus on digital efforts including word of mouth, social media marketing, and web and mobile communications to build engaging relationships. We develop innovative strategies that maximize the number of touchpoints between our clients and consumers.

We understand the tremendous opportunity for St. Jude to reach out to young professionals ages 21 to 30 and to inspire them to become volunteers, participate in events, and develop a lifelong commitment to the organization. At Elevate, we conduct a thorough amount of research before the start of any campaign to prepare for any possible marketing challenges. As you can see in this proposed plan, our agency’s core competencies, strategies, and tactics are an excellent fit to help St. Jude achieve its marketing goals.

The Elevate team is excited to empower young professionals to share the powerful mission and history of St. Jude with others. Once again, thank you so much for this opportunity to submit this proposal. I look forward to hearing from you and hope we can work together soon on this incredible project. Sincerely,

Jared Preusz President and CEO, Elevate Communications 801.828.6462 | [email protected] | elevatecommunications.com

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Executive Summary Young professionals may be many things, but they may not be what you expect. Perhaps the most defining characteristic of these so-‐called Millennials between the ages of 21 to 30 is they are the social generation. As founders of the social media movement, they are constantly connecting with others online through mobile devices. They are attractive to many brands due their tremendous buying power. They also care about their families, friends, and philanthropic causes, and ultimately desire to make a difference in the world. This integrated marketing communications plan for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is designed to tap into this audience’s desire to make a difference by allowing them to be a hero to children with cancer and other terminal illnesses. Through a heavy amount of digital marketing as well as some traditional media initiatives, the Hero Yourself campaign will powerfully engage and inspire young professionals to develop relationships and eventually become lifelong supporters of St. Jude. One of the most intriguing components of this plan is a new, innovative mobile app, which allows the user to turn their selfie into a superhero. An accompanying social media campaign leverages the power of this guerilla-‐marketing tactic to create more awareness among Millennials. Two events outlined in this plan will also engage this audience to make monetary donations and become volunteers using the Hero Yourself theme, including a superhero-‐themed 5K and a benefit concert featuring major pop and country music artists. Through these and other tactics, the Hero Yourself campaign will reach young professionals and help improve the health of children worldwide at the same time.

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Agency Credentials

Companies today operate in an increasingly complex and digital world. Understanding how to promote your brand and make it stand out is a challenge that needs simple solutions. From traditional methods such as news releases, brochures, billboards, and magazine ads, to emerging platforms such as social media, online ads, and mobile SMS text messaging campaigns, there are several ways to be successful. However, with all of the options available, how do you know which strategy is right for you? For most brands, it is important to embrace digital marketing strategies in order to reach the maximum amount of customers. With social media on the rise over the last few years, the number of touchpoints between a brand and consumers has multiplied significantly. Now more than ever, it is becoming vital for companies to speak directly to customers on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and company blogs. Brands that are not leveraging the opportunities of social media marketing and other areas of digital communications are in fact giving away business to their competitors who are likely already pursuing several emerging media strategies of their own. Elevate Communications, a new, forward-‐thinking agency in Herriman, Utah, takes digitally challenged brands and non-‐profit organizations to the next level. While many agencies tend to rely more on traditional communications and include some emerging media elements, we merge the best traditional methods with an extreme focus on the latest digital marketing practices to maximize the number of touchpoints among a client’s target audience.

What Makes Us Different Elevate differs from other agencies in the fact that it is an integrated marketing communications agency with a heavy emphasis on digital marketing. Elevate approaches each campaign through an integrated marketing communications perspective. We believe the right message communicated effectively on multiple platforms to the right target audience will have the most impact. For each client, Elevate makes a plan that strategically aligns their goals and maintains regular, multi-‐channel audience engagement with a common voice. Each message, no matter what channel, is simple, consistent, transparent, and engaging. This type of focus allows anyone to receive targeted communications from anywhere and at anytime in the most effective manner possible. We believe marketing challenges can be overcome by conducting thorough research on everything about the target market of each of the clients we work with including demographics, psychographics, values, behaviors, their feelings and reactions to the client and the industry and much more. Core Competencies While Elevate specializes in a number of different digital strategies, its core competencies are in word of mouth marketing and social media marketing. Through word of mouth marketing, we develop relationships with a number of influencers who already are fans of our client’s brand. Once the

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relationship strengthens, we train these influencers to become brand advocates, whose sole mission is to spread awareness about the client and their campaign and recruit others to become advocates as well. This eventually creates an ongoing ripple effect that will spread more brand awareness to ultimately achieve the goals and objectives of each campaign. An important part of making our word of mouth marketing competency a success is through social media marketing. Each brand advocate is trained on the best social media practices. We house a team of seasoned social media experts who already have years of experience working with multiple nonprofit companies. The Elevate team strategically weaves social media elements throughout nearly all of our communications because social media has the ability to reach people from just about anywhere at anytime. Focus on Non-‐Profit Clients At the heart of Elevate Communications is its passion for solely focusing a large percentage of its clientele on nonprofit organizations. These organizations are in need of a digital voice that breaks through the clutter and engages audiences across the nation to support their causes. Viral campaigns such as the Ice Bucket Challenge for the ALS Foundation have raised millions by offering fun, interactive campaigns. We believe this kind of innovative approach is what nonprofits need today in order to get support from audiences who typically do not donate to charitable causes. Elevate leverages multiple traditional and digital methods for nonprofit organizations and digitally challenged brands, including:

• Brand positioning, messaging, and content development • Social media marketing (content strategy, engagement, monitoring, campaigns, analytics) • Direct marketing • Target audience definition and analysis • Competitive and digital analysis • Content creation and marketing • E-‐messaging, email, and newsletter programs • Video • Branding • Web site design • Mobile marketing (Mobile apps and SMS text messaging campaigns) • Traditional and digital public relations (interactive news releases, brand awareness campaigns,

media relations) Branding Elevate Communications was founded to “take marketing communications to the next level.” This branding is evident in the company’s name itself as well as its logo, which features an arrow-‐like

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mountain, signifying a “forward-‐thinking” progression. The visual elements of the logo go along with the agency’s slogan, “Forward-‐thinking. Next level results.” The name “Elevate” is also an acronym, which sums up the various services the agency offers that are unique. Elevate offers clients campaigns that:

• Engage clients and consumers • Leverage traditional and emerging media with consistency • Embrace cause marketing and volunteer opportunities • Vocalize communications in a simple manner • Achieve goals and objectives for the client • Target the right audience • Evolve with the latest emerging media trends

Mission Statement “Elevate Communications’ mission is to strategically align goals and multi-‐channel audience engagement with a common voice and digital focus.” Business Philosophy At Elevate Communications, our business philosophy is as follows:

• We believe in telling powerful and compelling stories to illustrate the impact our clients have on the lives of many.

• We foster an ongoing learning environment where employees and clients are educated on the latest digital media trends and how to apply them effectively to traditional media platforms.

• We believe consistency in messaging and branding across all necessary channels is vital to the success of any campaign.

• We leverage emerging media technologies to reach as many people as possible on multiple platforms.

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For Immediate Release August 1, 2014

Media Contact: Jared T. Preusz

Elevate Communications (801) 828-‐6462

[email protected]

Digital Marketing Agency Elevate Communications Opens for Business New Agency Focuses on Word of Mouth and Social Media to Build Engaging Relationships

Salt Lake City, UT (August 1, 2014) – Elevate Communications, a forward-‐thinking digital marketing agency in Salt Lake City, has announced it is officially open for business. The company works closely with digitally challenged companies and nonprofit organizations to take their brand awareness and marketing communications initiatives to the next level.

Elevate merges traditional communications with an extreme focus on digital efforts including word of mouth, social media marketing, and web and mobile communications to build engaging relationships with consumers. The agency develops innovative strategies that maximize the number of touchpoints between its clients and consumers.

“Many agencies today focus more on traditional methods and this approach is no longer the most effective way to reach consumers today,” said Jared Preusz, president and CEO of Elevate Communications. “Digital marketing efforts can provide new ways to reach even more people than ever before. Because of this, digital marketing needs to be the sole focus of any marketing campaign.”

Working alongside with Preusz is a team of seasoned experts in traditional and digital communications, including public relations, social media, mobile marketing, brand management, web design and communication, and search engine marketing (SEO and PPC). The team is also equipped with the latest tools and software to create compelling and competitive campaigns. Elevate Communications is currently accepting new clients in need of a stronger digital presence. For more information, visit elevatecommunications.com.

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About Elevate Communications Elevate Communications is a forward-‐thinking digital marketing communications agency in Salt Lake City. The company works closely with nonprofit organizations and digitally challenged companies to take their brand awareness efforts to the next level. Elevate merges the best traditional communications with an extreme focus on digital efforts including word of mouth, social media marketing, and web and mobile communications to build engaging relationships with consumers from anywhere and at anytime. The agency develops innovative strategies that maximize the number of touchpoints between its clients and consumers. For more information, visit elevatecommunications.com or tweet to @elevatecomms.

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Situation Analysis “Finding cures. Saving children.” This is the motto of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and through the support of doctors, nurses, volunteers, donors and corporate sponsors; the facility has helped provide cutting-‐edge research and treatments for children all over the world. St. Jude is the second largest healthcare charity in the United States with 31 regional fundraising offices and 75% of its operating funds are raised by private donations (Only St. Jude 2013 Annual Report). History Late-‐entertainer Danny Thomas founded St. Jude more than 70 years ago in 1962. Thomas was a struggling radio actor, who repeatedly prayed over a span of several years to St. Jude, a Catholic Saint, to financially provide for his family. When praying to St. Jude, he asked for help in finding his way in life. If his prayers were answered, Thomas promised he would build a shrine in St. Jude’s name in return. He eventually became a highly successful actor and comedian as well as an internationally known entertainer. Thomas had a flourishing career in films and television (Danny’s promise, 2014). In the early 1950s, Thomas remembered the promise he made to St. Jude and discussed with friends about his vow (Danny’s promise, 2014). After reading about a tragic car accident of an African American child in Mississippi, who died because no one in his neighborhood could afford to take him to the hospital, he was inspired to start a hospital for children. He selected the location of Memphis, TN for the facility because it was a hub and he said the South needed to be served (Marlo Thomas, personal communication, 2014). Thomas, along with a group of Memphis businessmen, conducted a series of fundraising efforts to make their dream of creating a unique research hospital devoted curing catastrophic diseases in children all over the world a reality. Thomas, who was of Lebanese descent, turned to his fellow Americans of Arabic-‐speaking heritage to help raise funds for the hospital and in 1957 a group of 100 of these people formed together to create ALSAC with a sole purpose of raising funds for St. Jude (Danny’s promise, 2014).

Image retrieved from stjude.org

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Thomas died in 1991, but his dream lives on with the hospital he created. St Jude, which now has a daily operating cost of $2 million, has delivered improved health care to thousands of children with catastrophic diseases all over the world (Danny’s promise, 2014).

Image retrieved from Stjude.org

The Cause and Service The mission of St. Jude is to “advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay” (St. Jude Mission Statement). The organization has fulfilled that mission since its founding, pushing the overall childhood cancer survival rates from 20% in 1962 to 80% today (Danny’s promise, 2014). The hospital is working hard to get that 80% to 90% (Only St. Jude 2013 Annual Report). Within the cause of St. Jude are two promises that Danny Thomas built the organization on, including:

1. No family would ever receive a bill for anything: St. Jude pays for treatment, travel, housing, travel, and food expenses so all they have to care about is helping their child get better (Marlo Thomas, personal communication, 2014).

2. All research conducted at the hospital would be shared worldwide (Marlo Thomas, personal communication, 2014).

St. Jude incorporates both of these promises very powerfully throughout their communications and branding. It is what sets the organization apart from other nonprofit organizations for children and is a powerful way to show that not only do they help children at their own facility, but they provide the research to help doctors all over the world to do the same.

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Branding and Marketing St. Jude has a very powerful brand image that is well known by consumers today. This image has been honored with numerous awards in recent years. St. Jude ranked 18th on Cone’s Power 100 Nonprofit list, which is a significant feat for a singular hospital (Zmuda, 2011). Erica Vogelei, director of cause branding and nonprofit marketing at Cone, says St. Jude has “done a fabulous job of sharing their message in a compelling way, focusing on their cause and creating a succinct message around that" (Zmuda, 2011). The branding and marketing of St. Jude is very effective and has stayed true to its roots since the beginning by focusing on the children and their stories to inspire people to join the cause, whether as a donor, volunteer, or both. St. Jude National Outreach Director Marlo Thomas summarizes the organization’s approach well by saying, “the story of St. Jude is a child’s story. Each child has a story of its own” (personal communication, 2014). A big part of the organization’s branding and marketing efforts are through hosting fundraising events all across the United States. St. Jude hosts over 35,000 events a year that are focused on people of all ages (Marlo Thomas, personal communication, 2014). For students and teachers, St. Jude hosts events such as the Math-‐A-‐Thon, St. Jude Up til’ Dawn, Team Up for St. Jude, and Trike-‐A-‐Thon. For professionals, St. Jude hosts formal dinners and galas. For sports fans, the organization hosts events like St. Jude Sports, Saddle Up for St. Jude, Martial Arts for St. Jude, Workout for St. Jude, St. Jude Walk, and Crusin’ for St. Jude. The organization also hosts several events for music fans every year including Country Cares for St. Jude Kids, Radio Cares for St. Jude Kids, Promesa y Esperanza, and Music Gives to St. Jude Kids (Volunteers, 2014). At these events, St. Jude has invited several celebrities to help draw in larger crowds, including Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Aniston, Michael Strahan, Julie Bowen, Mila Kunis, William Shatner, and Jon Hamm (Kung, 2012). These stars interact with the children at the events, sign autographs, and generate awareness for the St. Jude cause. Some of them also attend special gala events to raise funds for St. Jude (Kung, 2012). St. Jude even shoots commercials as well as videos on social media with these stars to make the messages go viral (Marlo Thomas, personal communication, 2014). Tony Thomas, son of the late St. Jude Founder Danny Thomas, said, “Without Hollywood, there would be no St. Jude” (Kung, 2012). St. Jude is also very active on social media and has a high level of engagement with their fans and followers. The organization’s Facebook page has over 1.69 million likes. St. Jude publishes one to two posts per day on the Facebook page and it powerfully represents their branding by having nearly every

Image retrieved from St Jude Branding Guide

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post focus on the stories of the children at the hospital. Each of these posts receives a high amount of engagement with thousands of likes, shares, and comments. For example, St. Jude’s post on October 28 received 21,428 likes, 1,121 shares, and 209 comments (Facebook.com/StJude). Competition St. Jude is facing a lot of competition from several organizations who have similar causes and fight for the same reasons including monetary donations and volunteer support. According to Hoovers, the top competitors for St. Jude are the Children’s National Medical Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Hospital Corporation of America (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Inc. Competition). These organizations are direct competitors to St. Jude because they offer healthcare services to children with catastrophic diseases and also conduct cutting-‐edge research (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Inc. Competition). St. Jude also indirectly competes with other nonprofit organizations that offer services to benefit the health and saves lives of children. These organizations include Make-‐A-‐Wish Foundation, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the Boys & Girls Club of America, the United Nation’s Children Fund, and Locks of Love. According to U.S News & World Report’s Top Ranked Pediatric Hospitals for Cancer, St. Jude ranks No. 9 on the list behind one of its direct competitors, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which placed No. 8 (Top-‐Ranked Pediatric Hospitals for Cancer). Here are the rankings in the top 10 to give a visual representation of where St. Jude places on the list compared to other hospitals for childhood cancer:

1. Dana-‐Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center – Boston, MA 2. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA 3. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – Cincinnati, OH 4. Texas Children’s Hospital – Houston, TX 5. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA 6. Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago – Chicago , IL 7. Seattle Children’s Hospital – Seattle, WA 8. Nationwide Children’s Hospital – Columbus, OH 9. Children’s Hospital Colorado – Aurora, CO 9. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – Memphis, TN 10. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Atlanta, GA

(Top-‐Ranked Pediatric Hospitals for Cancer) Challenges Even though St. Jude has a strong brand image today, it is struggling to build relationships with the target audience of this campaign. One of the reasons why Millennials are so attractive to St. Jude is their purchasing power is on the rise. According to AIMA, a loyalty services company, “while nearly two-‐thirds, about 62% of Millennials earn less than $50,000 per year, nearly 1 in 10 earn over $100,000. As

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baby boomers retire, the Millennials will move into their roles, and with increases in job responsibility will come increased purchasing power” (Petro, 2013). One challenge St. Jude constantly faces in reaching Millennials is fundraising. There is a lot of competition for fundraising dollars. According to the organization’s website, “the daily operating cost for St. Jude is $2 million, which is primarily covered by individual contributions” (St. Jude Facts). A majority of the funds St. Jude currently receives is from older generations (Marlo Thomas, personal communication, 2014). Eventually the older generations will not be around to support the organization, so it is critical for St. Jude to build relationships now with Millennials because they will be the future supporters of the organization (Marlo Thomas, personal communication, 2014). Another challenge St. Jude experiences in reaching Millennials as well as other target audiences is due to an oversaturation of nonprofit organizations offering options to give back to children. With several nonprofits vying for monetary donations and volunteer support and even using viral social media campaigns to do so, St. Jude is having a difficult time breaking through the clutter and standing out. In fact, many Millennials are getting tired of being surrounded with so many requests to give back. According to Relevant Magazine, this is called “compassion fatigue” and it is becoming a major challenge for nonprofits everywhere in effectively recruiting Millennials. According to the article, “Compassion fatigue is the gradual lessening of compassion over time, usually due to a growing feeling that all the effort being expended is pointless. Compassion spurs us to get involved: to pray for the victims, volunteer hours at a local soup kitchen, participate in a mission trip and give to help the homeless. But compassion fatigue sets in when we work and give … but begin to wonder why things don’t seem to be getting better. Eventually we can become callous and desensitized and no longer willing to hear another sad story or a charity’s pitch for money” (Donaldson, 2012). Finally, one more challenge St. Jude faces is something that all nonprofits have to work around and that it is the public does not understand why 100% of donations do not go directly to the cause in which they are donating. Elevate Communications conducted an online survey of over 100 young professionals ages 21 to 30 to see if they trust nonprofit organizations with their monetary donations. Here are some of the responses from the survey (more information about the survey can be found in a later section in this campaign):

• "I mistrust many charities, and will donate only after sufficient research." • "You never know if they are a scam." • "I think it's great to give to those in need but I don't like it when an organization says they are

nonprofit, but pay some of the leaders." • "Some charities take the money to pay their own employees. Make a Wish Foundation had a

fraudulent customer in Utah who took money donated for his supposedly sick daughter for his own gain."

• "I don't really trust that the money will be used well. I do donate substantially to and through my church."

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(Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014).

Many consumers have concerns about the way St. Jude uses the funds it receives from monetary donations. About 75% of its operating costs come from private donations (Only St. Jude 2013 Annual Report), but people are concerned about whether or not some of that money goes toward the paycheck of the organization’s CEO. The current salary of St. Jude CEO William E. Evans is $742,718 (Forbes.com). When any nonprofit generates more than 70% of their income from donations and then pays their CEO almost a million dollars, consumers definitely have a right to be concerned where their money is going if they give a monetary donation.

Opportunities St. Jude needs to overcome the compassion fatigue many Millennials are experiencing by making their campaigns engaging and fun for consumers to the point where they feel it is unlike any other emotional plea from a nonprofit. Millennials need to feel they have a strong connection with the organization. In fact, it should feel like more than just volunteering and supporting a nonprofit. They need to be inspired to participate in order to eventually develop a lifelong relationship with the cause St. Jude represents. These relationships can be successfully built by incorporating a strong focus on digital marketing. For example, initiatives that encourage the target market to donate via mobile devices will be far more effective than traditional methods, since 85% of this group owns a smartphone (Nielsen, 2014). About 62% of Millennials surveyed by St. Jude said they would give a monetary donation via mobile phone (St. Jude and West Virginia University Class Project, 2014). This demonstrates the importance that all deliverables in this campaign will be optimized for mobile, wherever possible, so they are accessible on the go at anytime and anywhere. More opportunities for St. Jude will be explained in detail in the SWOT Analysis section of this campaign. In addition to a stronger digital presence, St. Jude can leverage relationships from the collegiate space. This means reaching out to Tri Delta and St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn participants to get volunteer support and receive donations (St. Jude and West Virginia University Class Project, 2014). Since the target audience is between the ages of 21 and 30, Elevate Communications recommends reaching out mainly to alumni relations’ offices of colleges because a majority of people in this audience have already graduated from college or will be graduating soon. This will provide a better opportunity to reach more Millennials and leverage a channel where this group already gives back. Another opportunity for St. Jude will be to leverage the multiculturalism of the target market (St. Jude and West Virginia University Class Project, 2014). According to Nielsen, the target audience for this campaign is the most racially diverse in history (2014) and this could provide multiple opportunities for St. Jude to increase Millennial support.

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Target Market

Young professionals, also known as Millennials, ranging in age from 18 to 36, are far different than those of other generations. Perhaps the most defining characteristic of this group of people is they are the social generation. “They are the founders of the social media movement—constantly connected to their social circles via online and mobile. They prefer to live in dense, diverse urban villages where social interaction is just outside their front doors” (Nielsen, 2014).

Millennials are leading adopters of technology, including the Internet and mobile devices. In fact, the group is known to consume all types of media, including traditional and a heavy dose of digital. They spend an average of 17.8 hours a day with media and are the “largest segment of smartphone owners” (Tracy). In the second quarter of 2014, 85% of Millennials aged 18 to 24 owned mobile devices and 86% aged 25 to 34 owned them, an increase from 77% and 80%, respectively, in second-‐quarter 2013" (Nielsen, 2014). Anna Casoway, CMO of social influence marketing platform Crowdtap, says, “Today’s brands can’t just focus on where someone is—they are on all types of media at all times. They need to focus on where consumers are most engaged to cut through the noise” (Tracy).

This campaign will aim to reach three audiences in an effort to motivate people among the target market to action. The primary audience includes Millennials ages 21 to 30, the secondary audience includes audiences that have the most impact on the primary audience, and the tertiary audience is St. Jude staff and volunteers.

Primary Audience Demographics According to the Pew Research Center, there are currently 77 people in the Millennial generation between the ages 18 and 36 and they make up as much of the U.S. population (24%) as Baby Boomers and Generation Z (those born after 1995) (Drake, 2014). No chronological endpoint has firmly been set in regards to age with Millennials and it varies depending on the source. For the purposes of this campaign, Elevate will focus on Millennials between the ages of 21 and 30.

Image retrieved from sheppardpost.com

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Young professionals are, however, characterized by more than just their age. In fact, they are the most racially diverse generation in American history. About 43% of Millennial adults are non-‐white, the highest share of any generation, and a major factor behind this trend is the large wave of Hispanic and Asian immigrants who have been coming to the U.S. for the past century, and whose U.S.-‐born children are now aging into adulthood (Nielsen, 2014). Millennials are currently opting to live in urban areas over suburbs or rural communities. About “62% prefer to live in the type of mixed-‐use communities found in urban centers where they live in close proximity to a mix of shopping, restaurants, and offices. They currently live in urban areas at a higher rate than any other generation” (Nielsen, 2014). In addition to living in urban areas, about two-‐thirds are renters and they are more likely to live with roommates or family members than alone (Nielsen, 2014). Another key difference of this group is they are the first in the modern era to have higher levels of student loan debt, poverty and unemployment, and even lower levels of wealth and personal income (Drake, 2014). Their current incomes range from $25,000 to $48,000 for younger (18-‐27) and older (28-‐36) Millennials, respectively (Nielsen, 2014). Even though this group experiences financial struggles, they still love to spend their money. Research, however, shows Millennials are still more savvy and careful with their money than other generations. They want the latest and greatest products, especially technology, and some tend to make impulse purchases (Nielsen, 2014). Research shows by the year 2015, Millennials will have $2.45 trillion in spending power (Cohen, 2014). This spending power is definitely attractive to marketers, but what’s even more intriguing is how Millennials shop.

According to Nielsen, this group makes fewer shopping trips than their older counterparts, but they spend more per trip, about $54 per trip compared to $46 per trip for Baby Boomers (2014). Their spending also exceeds Boomers in warehouse clubs, super centers, and mass merchandisers. When shopping, they spend more on baby food, carbonated beverages, and cereal than other generations and they value deals on these and many other products. About 31% of Millennials spend money on products that have a deal attached compared to 27% of Generation X, 25% of Boomers, and 26% of the Greatest Generation (Nielsen, 2014).

Image from Millennials: Breaking The Myths (Nielsen, 2014)

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Another interesting fact about Millennials when they shop is they use their mobile devices and the Internet to enhance the experience. They are most likely to visit restaurant chains with easy Wi-‐Fi and check in and purchase food through apps on their smartphones (Nielsen, 2014). They frequently visit Chipotle, Panera, Quiznos, Chick-‐Fil-‐A and Starbucks. In fact, they are 74 percent more likely to visit Chipotle than any of these other restaurants (Nielsen, 2014). In addition to having tremendous buying power, Millennials also love giving back. According to the 2014 Millennial Impact Report by consultant Achieve, 87% of Millennials gave a financial gift to nonprofits last year (Dagher, 2014). Some other facts about Millennial donors include:

• 62% of Millennials surveyed would give via mobile phone • 47% surveyed gave through charity websites • 70% of Millennials are willing to fundraise on behalf of a charity they care about

(St. Jude and West Virginia University Class Project, 2014). Some other interesting demographics about Millennials include:

• Just 26% are married (Drake, 2014) • About one fifth are same-‐sex couples (Cohen,

2014) • They are the most educated generation, 23%

of which have a Bachelor’s degree or higher and 39% are still in school (Nielsen, 2014)

• About 31% lived in their parents in 2010, up from 25% in 2005 (Nielsen, 2014)

Psychographics Millennials are more connected than other generations and they are more optimistic and socially conscious. They crave constant communication and connection with their peers (Nahai, 2013). Millennials exhibit a higher tolerance for diversity than other generations and tend to be much more confident and socially aware, valuing equity and social responsibility (Nahai, 2013). Some critics have said that Millennials are narcissistic and lazy, but research has shown that these descriptions are not true. According to Nielsen, Millennials aim to make a social impact and desire to be influential (2014). They are impatient and are often self-‐starters. They want to express themselves and form a unique identity. They love music and art and value creativity—especially rap, hip hop, alternative

Image retrieved from Millennials: Breaking the Myths

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and reggae music, and fine art. The 25-‐34-‐year-‐olds download more music than all other generations (Nielsen, 2014). In addition to downloading music, they also top the charts for streaming music. About 23.8% of Millennials ages 25 to 34 stream music, more than any other age group (Nielsen, 2014). In the workplace, Millennials value a “work hard, play hard culture” and actively fight for a balanced work environment. They want a job that interests them and they “expect a more flexible work environment than previous generations and want to work for a company that supports various causes.” (Abbot, 2013). Some other interesting psychographics of Millennials include:

• They are less trusting of others than older Americans and typically are distrustful of the mainstream media and cautious of their personal safety, which may explain why earned media such as word-‐of-‐mouth, peer reviews and testimonials, play such a large role in their purchasing process (Nahai, 2013)

• About half (51%) believe they will get no benefits from Social Security and 39% predict they will get benefits at reduced levels (Drake, 2014)

• 46% percent of all Millennials and 52% of Hispanic Millennials “express a desire to one day start their own business” (Experian, 2014).

• Research suggests Millennials tend to lead a relatively quiet life hanging out with friends, listening to music, and even watching TV, and they also value convenience (Nahai, 2013)

Secondary Audience The secondary audience consists of individuals that have the strongest bonds with Millennials including their parents, friends and the company where they have a job. Parents Parents have a tremendous impact on Millennials when making choices. “Not only are they closer to their parents than generations that came before, both in terms of proximity (think of all of those recent college grads moving home to save) and socially (many are friends, if not best friends, with their parents), Millennials care deeply what their parents think and, as a result, are unlikely to make decisions without their parent’s input” (Garton, 2013). While Millennials have an annual spending power estimated at about $200 billion, they also have an indirect spending power of about $500 billion due to the strong influence of their parents (Ray, Willis, Pattat, 2012). Friends According to a survey conducted by SocialChorus, 91% of Millennials said they would consider buying a product if a friend recommended it (Hawley, 2014). This illustrates a unique opportunity for companies to market with Millennials, rather than just to them. A key effective strategy is to turn Millennials into brand advocates. “The first step is to identify potential brand advocates such as social media followers,

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employees and topical bloggers. The next steps are to give them incentives to share the brand story and measure the impact” (Hawley, 2014). Company While Millennials likely have a stronger bond with their parents in most cases, the company where they work also has a tremendous influence on their decisions. According to research conducted by Barkley, a Boston consulting and service management group, Millennials believe that contributing to a cause through a company’s cause marketing program is easier than doing so on their own (Ray, Willis, Pattat, 2012). Tertiary Audience The tertiary audience consists of all St. Jude employees that have direct influence on Millennials, including volunteers and the employees of regional chapter offices. Once Millennials are interested in contributing to the organization, these individuals from St. Jude will need to support and build relationships with these people so they will develop loyalties to the St. Jude brand and eventually become lifelong contributors. How to Effectively Engage Millennials According to research by the Achieve and The Case Foundation, “Millennials first support causes they are passionate about, so it is up to the organizations to inspire them and show them that their support can make a tangible difference on the wider issue” (Ray, Willis, Pattat, 2012). So how can nonprofit organizations effectively engage young professionals to get them to support their causes? Research shows that storytelling is one of the most effective methods. According to a survey of more than 6,000 people between 20 and 35 for the Millennial Impact Report found that 42% chose to donate to “whatever inspired them at the moment” (Luckerson, 2012). This involves creating captivating stories that truly inspire Millennials to donate and volunteer for the cause. Nonprofit consultant Marion Conway says, “They are interested in the cause—not your organization” and stresses the importance of focusing on meaningful context and stories, not PR statements (Spady, 2014). Many nonprofit organizations have already conducted successful campaigns to reach the Millennial audience. “Invisible Children, a nonprofit focused on stopping the abduction and use of child soldiers in central Africa, struck viral gold with young people when it released Kony 2012, a dramatic 30-‐minute short film about Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony. The video racked up 100 million views in less than a week and helped the organization double its revenue year over year” (Luckerson, 2012). The charitable organizations that are most successful in involving Millennials include the following characteristics St. Jude can learn from:

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1. Incorporate user-‐generated content: A recent study by social influence marketing platform Crowdtap found that “user-‐generated content (content that originates from peers and drives conversations) accounts for 30% of Millennials’ media consumption, and that the group prioritizes social networking over all other media types (Tracy). Millennials also trust user-‐generated content 50% more than other forms of media and they find it to be 35% more memorable than other forms of media (Tracy).

2. Connect and engage on social media: While your target audience may visit your Web site to get

to know you, they will not keep coming back to stay in touch, unless you engage them. Social media allows brands to keep an open dialogue with consumers and engage with them on a regular basis, encouraging more visits to the Web site on a more consistent basis (Spady, 2014).

3. Leverage multiple media channels: Instead of just relying on social media, it is important to leverage multiple media channels to effectively reach Millennials. “Millennials are busy and multi-‐tasking so you need to be everywhere to catch their attention” (Millennials: A St. Jude Study).

4. Create mobile-‐friendly communications: Research shows that Millennials use their

smartphones more than any other device. In fact, more than 85 percent of them own a smartphone (Nielsen, 2014). Every interface a nonprofit creates to try and reach this group must make sure it is easy to use on a mobile device.

By incorporating each of the three initiatives above, St. Jude will have a better chance in reaching its target market for this campaign. The organization should also incorporate the tactics gleaned from their survey on St. Jude Millennial donors. According to the survey, Millennial donors want to connect with the organization through the following channels (in priority order):

1. Mobile-‐friendly email content 2. Posting regularly on Facebook, especially with images that can be shared 3. Mobile friendly websites

(Ray, Williams, Pattat, 2012) The study also revealed that “the smoother and more integrated the online experience, the higher the chances for conversion along any point of the engagement pathway” (Ray, Williams, Pattat, 2012). Current Feelings Even though Millennials are faced with financial hardships and do not have much money to spend, research shows they care about nonprofit organizations and are willing to donate what they can and volunteer. According to a recent study by Deloitte, 63% of Millennials donate to charities and 43% actively volunteer or are a member of a community organization (Hilton, 2014).

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Affiliation with a cause is also more important to the Millennial generation than to any previous generation, according to research compiled by St. Jude (Ray, Williams, Pattat, 2012). They are interested in making a difference in the world and believe that contributing to a cause through a company’s cause marketing program is easier than doing so on their own. In addition, 60% say that the ability to see the impact of their donation would have a significant bearing on their decision to give (Ray, Williams, Pattat, 2012). According to an online survey conducted by Elevate Communications on 109 Millennials, an overwhelming majority of participants said they already made a monetary donation to a charity. The results show 93.10% said they made a monetary donation, while only about 6.90% did not make a donation (Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014). While a majority of Millennials donates to charities and loves giving back, St. Jude is not receiving much support from this audience. There were 303,000 Millennial donors who made a gift in 2013, which is a decline of 16% from 2012 with 361,234 Millennial donors who made a gift that year. Among the donors, 63% were between 30 and 35-‐years-‐old, indicating that St. Jude is currently connecting with older Millennials (Ray, Willis, Pattat, 2012) and not much with the target audience of this campaign. Even though St. Jude is currently not receiving much support from this generation, Millennials do have positive feelings toward the organization. According to Forbes, St. Jude placed No. 1 on the list of the top 25 companies where Millennials most want to work (Adams, 2013).

What We Want Them to Think Millennials will one day be the generation that will take over as the volunteers, donors, staff and brand ambassadors for St. Jude. The organization needs to start now by developing strong relationships with this audience and help them feel an emotional connection to the cause. With this relationship in place, Millennials will be more likely to support St. Jude now and into the future and can eventually develop a lifelong commitment to the organization. They can also influence other generations to support St. Jude through the power of social media. By building relationships with Millennials now, St. Jude can empower and inspire future generations to support the organization. Elevate Communications can help with that.

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SWOT Analysis

Strategic Significance of the SWOT Analysis

The SWOT Analysis identifies areas where St. Jude is strong as well as where it is weak. These areas help determine the opportunities and threats the organization faces in inspiring and motivating the target audience to join the cause and support. In summary, St. Jude generally has a high amount of brand awareness and is well known among Millennials today, especially through events and celebrity sponsorships. The strong social media program and emotional stories of children St. Jude currently uses will also be strong assets Elevate Communications can leverage to the target audience. St. Jude, however, has not been as effective in reaching Millennials today compared to other generations. A major reason for this is the organization’s marketing appears to be catered to older audiences. St. Jude needs to refresh its marketing approach with Millennials by reaching out to

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secondary (parents and companies where Millennials work) and tertiary audiences (St. Jude volunteers and regional office staff) to inspire Millennials to act. A campaign focused on the latest emerging media efforts, including digital storytelling, social media marketing, user-‐generated content, and web and mobile communication will go a long way in attracting this audience. These initiatives will also help St. Jude stand out as the leading child nonprofit choice for Millennials to support today.

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Brand Positioning The current brand positioning for St. Jude appears to appeal mainly to adults. The positioning humanizes the organization by showing the patients who are fighting for their lives at the hospital. The children are featured on a variety of marketing materials, including posters, stjude.org, social media channels, website banners, and more. The marketing also includes several prominent celebrities to help raise brand awareness for St. Jude.

Most of the marketing materials feature a picture of one child, but a few show a parent with a child to bring home the message that parents also play an integral part in the recovery of patients at St. Jude. For example, a recent post on the St. Jude Facebook page shows a patient, Connor, and his father picking out a special gift hosted by HomeGoods. The post received over 14,000 likes, above 500 shares, and more than 100 comments (Facebook.com/stjude).

Images retrieved from moat.com

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St. Jude also tells the child’s story with its communications. Another Facebook post published on November 10 shows one child Jerry, what he loves to do and a quote from his mother. The post reads, “Jerry loves SpongeBob and playing with trains. ‘It’s truly a blessing we’ll never receive a bill,’ said Jerry’s mom. ‘It means so much for us to be a part of St. Jude’” (Facebook.com/stjude).

Images retrieved from Facebook.com/stjude

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Another way St. Jude positions its brand is through its website. Just like with all of their other marketing materials, the patients at the hospital are the predominant focus and some parents are also featured with the children. The site is transparent about its history, financial figures and reports, research, facility, and medical programs. It is rich with information including data on the many different types of cancer and other catastrophic diseases, patient and family testimonials, treatment programs, a list of the latest discoveries from their research, and much more. This detailed information establishes confidence because it proves St. Jude knows a lot about cancer and other life-‐threatening illnesses and has the research to show it is helping the world understand these diseases and how to treat them better (stjude.org).

All of the content on the website including images, videos, and copy all position St. Jude as a leading hospital offering services free of charge to children battling catastrophic diseases. The content is professional and trustworthy because it uses the experiences of the children and their families to explain what St. Jude is all about. Perhaps the most powerful way St. Jude does this is through its use of video. The videos give the children and their parents the opportunity to tell website visitors their story and the mission of St. Jude in their own words, proving authenticity and an effective use of emotional appeal. Some of the videos can be found on stjude.org and all of them are located on the organization’s YouTube account. The featured videos on the top of St. Jude YouTube account show the company’s current campaign, “Because of you, there is St. Jude.” In each video in this campaign, National Outreach Director Marlo Thomas reads the tagline, “At St. Jude families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food because the only thing a family should worry about is helping their child live” (YouTube.com/StJude). St. Jude also features several videos on their Thanks and Giving campaign

Image retrieved from stjude.org

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featuring celebrities like Sofia Vergara, Shaun White, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Michael Strahan, Jennifer Aniston and Robin Williams (YouTube.com/StJude).

St. Jude also positions its brand through its logo, which is the most outward and visual representation of the organization and provides immediate recognition. The logo is traditional, portrays hope and shows a child with his arms stretched out. According to the St. Jude Messaging and Brand Information guide, “the semi-‐sphere at the base of the child represents a horizon, which represents hope and the global impact of the treatments, cures and research of St. Jude” (2013). The logo also bears the name of the organization’s founder Danny Thomas and its fundraising organization, ALSAC (Messaging & Brand Information, 2013). In summary, the patients and their stories are the central focus of St. Jude’s brand positioning. This is evident through all of their communication channels, including the logo, social media accounts, videos, and website. While the messaging may change each year with a new campaign, the positioning will always have the child as the predominant focus. While the current brand positioning for St. Jude is effective, it is connecting primarily with adults older than the target audience for this campaign. According to St. Jude, there were 303,000 Millennial donors who made a gift in 2013, which is a decline of 16% from 2012 with 361,234 Millennial donors who made a gift that year. Among the donors, 63% were between 30 and 35-‐years-‐old, indicating that St. Jude is currently connecting with older Millennials (Ray, Willis, Pattat, 2012). This research proves the brand positioning is not resonating well with the Millennial target audience. New

Images retrieved from YouTube.com/stjude

Image retrieved from St. Jude Messaging and Brand Information Guide

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digitally enhanced marketing communications strategies and tactics should be implemented to effectively reach this audience and influence them to support St. Jude.

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Brand Personality St. Jude has a brand personality that can be described as credible, trustworthy, informative, professional, and compassionate. The organization has been operation for 70 years (Danny’s Promise, 2014) and is trustworthy because they do not hide the way they spend and fundraise money. All financial details can be accessed on their website through the annual report and facts and figures sections, which go a long way in establishing trust among current and potential supporters. Along with providing financial details, St. Jude heavily invests in its research, shares their knowledge with the world, and has a staff that is highly qualified to treat life-‐threatening illnesses. All of St. Jude’s marketing materials are professional because they have a serious, yet emotional tone and are free from errors and sensationalism. They powerfully tell the real story of the patients at the hospital through a variety of traditional and digital media efforts. Each of these efforts show the organization cares for the children and that it really is about helping them feel better and to cover the costs of their treatments so their families will not have to pay anything. Like the brand positioning, the current personality of St. Jude is not appealing well to the target audience of this campaign. A new personality needs to be created with digitally enhanced marketing communication tactics that will speak to 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds. Millennials have a very different personality than older generations and will only interact with brands that appeal to their interests. In order to be more effective in reaching this audience, St. Jude needs to adopt a brand personality that is engaging, transparent, authentic, and heroic. Engaging The marketing materials St. Jude produces need to engage Millennials by providing content that interests them. Incorporating user-‐generated content wherever possible will be more effective than static, traditional communication. Instead of just using celebrities that appeal to older adults like Sofia Vergara and Jennifer Aniston, St. Jude should incorporate stars that are of the age of this generation like Taylor Swift, One Direction and Selena Gomez into their marketing materials. The content should also include a way for Millennials to interact with the organization with social media icons or a hashtag. Transparent Millennials are highly active on social media and are heavy consumers of media content. They can literally Facebook post, tweet, Snapchat, send emails, take pictures, watch videos, and more on the go from about anywhere and at anytime. Just about any content can be accessed in a matter of seconds, which makes it challenging for any brand to hide or make any mistakes. Millennials tend to distrust many marketing and advertising approaches, which demonstrates the importance for St. Jude to tell to the truth in all of their communications. Rather than editing the messages of children and parents, St. Jude should allow them to tell talk about their stories in their own words. This will provide a more user-‐generated content feel, which is more trusted by Millennials.

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Authentic Millennials are a force to be reckoned with in the marketplace and their buying power is only expected to grow. They are often bombarded by multiple ads everyday, which is why they have a love/hate relationship with marketing and advertising. St. Jude can break through the clutter by making ads tailored to the interests of this audience (Pardee, 2010). Heroic Rather than using sad stories about children and their battles with cancer, St. Jude can reach Millennials more effectively by inspiring them to join the cause. Becoming a hero by making a difference for children all over the word is a theme that will likely interest this audience more than the current approaches by St. Jude, which can in some ways be seen as similar to what other nonprofits are doing. Allowing children and parents to tell the stories of happiness they receive after overcoming the disease and showing how heroes (supporters, celebrities, and St. Jude employees) aid in that process will help inspire Millennials to join the cause. The content in this campaign should have an uplifting and inspiring message. “Becoming a hero” is more than just supporting a nonprofit; it is saving the lives of children and gives them something to look up to.

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Brand Perception Brand perception of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is very positive, according to both primary and secondary research. St. Jude is well known in the public for its rich history, contributions to research in childhood cancer to the world, and for helping children in need without requiring them to pay for any services rendered. These efforts have helped St. Jude become America’s Most Trusted Nonprofit Brand, according a survey by Harris Interactive (Joslyn, 2010). In fact, St. Jude is such a powerhouse among charities that industry experts compare its success to the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure (Zmuda, 2011). It ranks 18th on Cone’s Power 100 Nonprofit list and 18% of Americans said they planned to support St. Jude’s Thanks and Giving program in 2011, the organization’s holiday fundraising campaign (Zmuda, 2011). The perception of St. Jude is especially positive among Millennials. The organization is well known among this audience and research shows they are passionate about the brand. The organization placed No. 1 on the list of the top 25 companies where Millennials most want to work, according to the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) (Adams, 2013). The study’s results show St. Jude placed even ahead of Google, Apple, and Microsoft, which still placed in the Top 25 (Adams, 2013). Jim Lewis, CEO of the NSHSS says St. Jude takes the top spot “because it does such a good job of media outreach with spokespeople like Jennifer Aniston, Robin Williams and Marlo Thomas. Millennials also like the fact that it treats young people” (Adams, 2013). Elevate Communications asked 109 people between the ages of 21 to 30 in an online survey about their feelings toward charities or nonprofit organizations and about the St. Jude brand. Over 80% of survey participants said they have positive feelings toward nonprofits, while only about 7% said they have negative feelings. In addition, about 90% of Millennials surveyed said they made a monetary donation to a charity or nonprofit before (Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014). Elevate asked an open-‐ended question in the survey to see what the participants currently knew about St. Jude. According to the results, a majority of the participants said they knew St. Jude was a hospital that treated kids with cancer. When asked which ways they would be

(Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014)

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interested in contributing to St. Jude, 54.72% said they would give a monetary donation, 49.06% said they would participate in a fundraising event, 47.17% said they would share information online about St. Jude, 20.75% said they would sponsor a St. Jude patient or family, and 16.98% said they were not interested in contributing to the organization (Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014). When asked how willing they were to contribute to St. Jude in the future in one of these roles on a scale of 1 to 10, close to 38% of participants selected 8 or higher, which shows slightly more a third of the participants would be interested in giving back to St. Jude. The participants also selected social media (66.35%) and email (50.96%) as the top two best ways for St. Jude to reach out to them and recruit volunteers and ask for donations (Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014). This data further validates the secondary research presented in this campaign that social media and email are two of the most effective ways St. Jude can reach Millennials.


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Primary Research: Brand Perception Online Survey Elevate Communications conducted an online survey to better understand the current feelings and perceptions of the target audience about nonprofit organizations and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The survey was sent out through email and on Facebook to 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds all over the United States. Elevate used the research presented in the Situation Analysis of this report to formulate the 15 questions of the survey, the results of which influenced the strategic brand orientation of this campaign. The full survey, including all 15 questions and the results is available in Appendix A. Key Findings

There are several key findings from the online survey. One is that all 109 participants surveyed said Facebook was the social media channel they used the most. This information shows that Facebook will be the most effective social media channel to reach 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds. Instagram and Pinterest nearly tied as the second social media choice, receiving 50 and 47 votes respectively (Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014). Instagram and Pinterest will also be great choices to use to attract Millennials, but more emphasis should be placed on Facebook. A second key finding is that a majority of the participants said they had positive feelings toward charities or nonprofit organizations. According to the results, 54 participants (49.54%) said they have very positive feelings about nonprofits, while 37 (33.94%) said they had slightly positive feelings (Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014). This further validates the research presented in the target market section of this proposal that a majority of Millennials love to give back. Another key finding that is even more interesting to this campaign is that a majority of participants, 90.83%, said they have already made a monetary donation to a nonprofit (Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014). When asked in which ways the participants would be interested in contributing to St. Jude, 54.72% said they would prefer to give a monetary donation, 49.06% said they would be interested in participating in a fundraising event, and 47.17% said they would share information online about St. Jude (Elevate Communications Survey Data, 2014).


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This data shows that a majority of the target audience likely has already given a monetary donation to a charity, which should hopefully not make it as difficult to convince them to make a contribution to St. Jude. Since the vote was pretty close on monetary donations, participating in a fundraiser, or sharing information online, this campaign will reach out to the target audience with strategies and tactics leveraging each of these ways to contribute to St. Jude. This will give the target audience several choices to support, which will ultimately help the organization achieve its goals and objectives. Finally, one more key finding from our online survey gives a look at which kind of events that would likely be of most interest to Millennials. We asked the question: Which of the following activities would you be interested in participating in to raise money for a charity or nonprofit organization? This question received the following response in our survey:

One of St. Jude’s objectives with this campaign is “to test at least 25 young professional events throughout the country starting in August 2015” and “to increase the average event total to $100,000 for events completed between August 2015 and August 2016 for a total revenue of $3 million in year one with the potential to grow to $30 million raised in three years” (St. Jude and West Virginia University Class Project). The results to this question will definitely be of great interest to St. Jude so

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they can select the events that have the highest chance of raising the most money for the organization. Among the events listed, the top five choices were a 5K or 10K run or walk, a food event, a fundraising event in a local restaurant or bar, concerts, and a workplace initiative where an employer matched contributions.

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Primary Research: Focus Group Report The complete moderator’s guide for this focus group is located in the Appendix B. Audience There were six participants in the group ranging in ages 21 to 35-‐years-‐old. Their professions were from varying disciplines in order for each person to provide a unique perspective including an elementary school teacher, a college student, a stay-‐at-‐home mother, a computer programmer, a nurse and an engineer. Setting The focus group for this campaign took place on Thursday, December 4, 2014 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Herriman Library in Herriman, Utah. The room was free from distractions and the participants all sat around a round table to encourage interaction. Each participant was given a packet that contained the goal, objectives, strategies, tactics and creative executions of the campaign. Research Goals

• To generate conversation about the Hero Yourself campaign and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

• To understand if the campaign elements resonate effectively with the target audience – 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds

• To understand opinions and attitudes that may prompt edits to the original campaign Questions

• What do you currently know about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital? • For those of you who know about St. Jude, where have you seen their marketing messages?

What are your thoughts on these messages? • Research shows that Millennials are the most digital and social generation. What would you say

are the most popular online/mobile habits of Millennials today? • Do you think Millennials are interested in donating to nonprofit organizations? Are they

interested in volunteering? • What are your thoughts on the Integrated Communication Strategy Statement? • What are your thoughts on the tactics that will be executed? • With all of these tactics in place, do you think people your age will have a better understanding

of St. Jude and will be more willing to support the organization? • Do you have any recommendations for changes on any part of the campaign? • Is there anything that is missing in the campaign that will help reach the target audience? • Is there anything else that you would like to say about the campaign?

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Findings In the beginning of the focus group, the moderator asked a few introductory questions about St. Jude. When asked what they knew about the organization, one participant mentioned it was a research center. The nurse in the group said she knows St. Jude does not turn away a child if they can’t afford the cancer treatment and they cover the costs of treatment, housing and food. The stay-‐at-‐home mother said she has seen several TV commercials with Jennifer Aniston and a St. Jude patient. Feelings About St. Jude Ultimately, everyone in the focus group knew something about St. Jude. When asked where they have seen the organization’s marketing messages, they said commercials, online ads on multiple websites, and at grocery stores. One participant said he was recently asked at a nearby grocery store if he wanted to make a donation to St. Jude. Each of the participants in the group said they would be interested in donating to a nonprofit organization if they had money easily accessible. They all agreed giving a dollar here and there was something they could do and any donations higher than that would be difficult unless it was for an event where they were already receiving entertainment. Most Popular Online & Mobile Habits of Millennials When asked about the most popular online and mobile habits of Millennials today, the participants answered Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. One participant said, “I see so many people today my age using smartphones and iPads. It’s actually really hard to not find someone who has at least one these things.” All of the participants in the group agreed that an integrated marketing communications campaign for St. Jude to target Millennials must incorporate several social media and mobile marketing tactics to be successful. Hero Yourself Theme Feedback The Millennials in the focus group all loved the hero theme of this campaign and thought it was very empowering. One member of the group said, “I think it is a fun way to engage Millennials! Everyone is all crazy about Comic-‐Con these days and using a hero theme like this is a great idea to get people excited about doing something good.” All of the participants in the group thought the 5K and benefit concert events would be fun ways to get involved with St. Jude. Feedback on the Objectives, Strategies and Tactics When reviewing the objectives, the computer programmer said the first objective, which states: “Raise $3 million in monetary donations from the target audience in a 12-‐month period with the potential to raise $30 million in three years” was a “lofty goal.” Other participants in the group agreed with him. As for the other objectives, all of the participants said they seemed achievable and measurable. They all thought the strategies and tactics would be effective approaches in reaching Millennials.

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The most memorable campaign elements to the Millennials in the focus group were the 5K events and Hero Yourself mobile app. All participants agreed the 5K would be fun to participate in because they could dress up in a superhero costume. Two women in the group were both talking about which superhero they would dress up as for the event. As for the mobile app, all of the participants thought it was a great idea. Some of the people in the group said they used the Dead Yourself mobile app from The Walking Dead to turn their selfies into zombies. They all agreed transforming their selfies into heroes would be fun. One participant said, “I love this idea! I want to get this app now!” As for putting a price on the app, they said they would be more willing to download the app if it was free, but would use the money they would have used to purchase the app to make a donation to St. Jude. The moderator told the group one of the ideas for the mobile app was to promote giving $1 to St. Jude. The computer programmer said it would be more effective to instead allow the user to donate any amount to St. Jude and to not focus on donating just a dollar. He said, “I would donate more than one dollar if I could and some people have more money than me and might be willing to donate more.” Recommended Changes from the Focus Group The members of the focus group also discussed some ideas to change the tactics and creative executions to make them more appealing to the target audience. One participant said it would be good to see more women in the marketing materials. As for the benefit concert, participants named a few other recording artists they would be interested in seeing including Imagine Dragons, One Direction and Katy Perry. One participant made a comment about wanting to see more children represented in the creative executions. She said, “We got to know what it is we are trying to support here. Including more pictures of the kids would help us know why we should give money.” As for the Real Heroes Blog, one participant said they would like to see more blog posts focusing on the stories of the children. Another participant said it would be motivating to read a story about a volunteer already involved with helping St. Jude and their experience. Based on the feedback from this group, all of the tactics and creative executions were updated in this campaign.

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Integrated Communication Strategy Statement Make a difference in the world, yourself, and the lives of children battling catastrophic diseases. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and become a hero to a child that needs you. Rationale for Integrated Communication Strategy Statement The statement above was selected because our extensive research into young professionals proves this audience cares about making a difference in the world and they want to give back. They also are either still in college or at the start of their career, so they are searching for opportunities for advancement. St. Jude will provide opportunities for networking and learning new skills, which will allow the target market to grow in their professional careers. This is why we emphasized the point of “making a difference in yourself” in the statement. We also added, “become a hero to a child that needs you,” because this can include multiple reasons why the target audience should support St. Jude. They can be a “hero” by giving a monetary donation, sponsoring a child, and by volunteering to St. Jude. Plus, children and the target market love superheroes as seen by the success of superhero themed movies and TV shows today, so using the term “hero” will resonate with these people better and will make the campaign creative and empowering.

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CREATIVE BRIEF Client: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Date: December 2014 Type: Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign Pages: 1 __________________________________________________________________ Why are we advertising? To build strong relationships with young professionals so they are aware of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital brand and will be inspired to support, give a monetary donation, and volunteer for the organization for now and for many years into the future. Whom are we talking to? We are talking with 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds in the United States, who according to research, are heavy users of social media and digital technology. What do they currently think? This audience already wants to give back, but needs to know their contributions will make a difference. They likely know about St. Jude since it has such great brand recognition, but may not be able to support the organization due to not having enough money and time constraints. What would we like them to think? St. Jude is the best organization in the nation when it comes to saving the lives of children. Millennials can truly make a difference not only for the children, but also for themselves because they will learn new skills and network with others. Their monetary donations and volunteer support will also make a difference in the world, since the research St. Jude conducts is shared worldwide. What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey? Millennials can become heroes and make a difference through their support of St. Jude, which will save the lives of children worldwide battling catastrophic diseases. Why should they believe it? Becoming a hero is a powerful way to inspire children to fight illness and recover, and also gives Millennials a chance to have an impact in the world that they would not have otherwise. Are there any creative guidelines? Each ad should include two colors, including black and another color representative of the campaign and a picture of a patient at St. Jude or a picture of someone that represents the target audience. A celebrity or parent can be pictured. The St. Jude logo and the campaign microsite, HeroYourself.org, and/or the social media hashtag, #HeroYourself, must appear in the bottom left hand or right hand corner of the advertisement.

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Communication/Media Plan The goal of this integrated marketing communications campaign is to engage and inspire young professionals ages 21 to 30 to become lifelong volunteers and monetary supporters to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The campaign will introduce the theme, Hero Yourself, to the Millennial audience. The messaging of the campaign will focus on the fact Millennials can make a difference in the world and become a hero for a child with cancer or terminal illness by supporting St. Jude. The following five objectives and corresponding strategies and tactics will be carried out throughout the campaign, which is scheduled to take place August 2015 to July 2016. All tactics will be executed using the $15 million budget.

Campaign Goal Engage and inspire young professionals ages 21 to 30 to become lifelong volunteers and donors to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Campaign Objectives Through the development and execution of the IMC campaign contained in this proposal, Elevate Communications will accomplish the five following objectives on behalf of St. Jude during the campaign period running from August 2015 to July 2016:

1. Raise $3 million in monetary donations from the target audience in a 12-‐month period with the potential to raise $30 million in three years.

2. Increase the number of volunteers among 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds by 25% in a 12-‐month period.

3. Elevate awareness of St. Jude and the Hero Yourself campaign among the target audience by 40% over a 12-‐month period.

4. Increase social media mentions about St. Jude among Millennials by 45% over a 12-‐month period.

5. Boost the number of Millennial visitors to stjude.org by 35% over a 12-‐month period.

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Campaign Strategies The following seven strategies will help support the five objectives outlined in this IMC campaign and will be the foundation for 13 tactics and an internal communications tactical plan for St. Jude: 1. Host 25 events that will each engage the target audience to donate a total of $100,000. 2. Engage the target audience in a nationwide superhero-‐themed campaign on social media to raise at least $1 million in donations for St. Jude. 3. Partner with organizations that hire a large number of young professionals to help raise funds and provide volunteer support for St. Jude. 4. Train St. Jude internal staff on how to effectively recruit Millennial volunteers using digital tactics. 5. Engage a team of celebrities that will appeal to a large number of 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds to support St. Jude. 6. Create a series of online ads on multiple platforms that will lead the target audience directly to the campaign microsite. 7. Identify the key influencers of St. Jude and turn them into brand ambassadors using several digital marketing strategies.

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Campaign Tactics The following 13 tactics will accomplish the objectives and strategies of our IMC plan and will use the Hero Yourself theme as mentioned in the Media Plan section and in the Integrated Communication Strategy Statement. The theme centers on the fact that Millennials can make a difference by being a hero and saving the lives of children with cancer and other terminal illness worldwide. About 53% of the following tactics are digital, while 38% are traditional. We allocated funds this way since Millennials are highly active with digital technology, especially with mobile devices. Even the traditional tactics have digital elements to make them more effective. About 2% of the budget is for evaluation methods and 9% will be allocated to the agency fee for Elevate Communications. See the Budget Summary of this report for more information. Tactic 1: Launch a microsite that will serve as the hub of all communications for the campaign. Description: The microsite, HeroYourself.org will act as the hub of all our communications with the target audience. It will include information about the Hero Yourself 5K races, links to the donation and volunteer information pages on stjude.org, a link to the campaign blog, a link to download the Hero Yourself mobile app, and information on how to become a child’s hero. The site will also have a place where people can sign up for the Heroic News e-‐mail newsletter. Budget Allocation: $70,000 The cost of running a microsite can range anywhere from $2,500 to $50,000 or more, depending on the type of site and employee maintenance (Campanelli, 2006). The site will need to cost even more than $50,000, since visitors will be able to create their own fundraising account. This requires daily maintenance, which will be managed by Elevate. We will charge a total of $70,000 to cover all set up costs and maintenance with the site. Rationale: The microsite will only show the content that will be of most interest to the target audience. StJude.org currently shows sad pictures and videos of many children on their hospital beds. According to our research presented in the Situation Analysis of this report, Millennials will be more receptive to an uplifting message than one that could create compassion fatigue. Evaluation: To evaluate the effectiveness of the site, we will use Google Analytics, a free tool that will measure the number of page views and unique visitors as well as identify where visitors are coming to the site, whether on desktop or mobile devices. Google Analytics will also provide rich data on the demographics of the viewers so we can determine whether or not the campaign is effectively targeting 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds.

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Sample Microsite

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Tactic 2: Run 30-‐second commercials on Hulu Plus and YouTube shows/videos that have a large viewership of Millennials. Description: The commercial will be an uplifting and powerful way to introduce 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds to the Hero Yourself campaign. The commercials will be 30-‐second spots and will run on Hulu Plus and YouTube. The ads will run for 12 months. Budget Allocation: $2,725,000 Production Fees: $50,000 Talent Fees: $25,000 Hulu Plus Commercials: $1,650,000 Hulu Plus charges on average about $27.50 per CPM. To reach a total of 5 million Millennials for one-‐month of the campaign, the cost will about $137,500. To run the commercials continually for a period of 12 months, the total cost will be $1,650,000 (Rick, 2013). YouTube Ads: $1,000,000 For the YouTube ads, Elevate will budget a total of $1,000,000 for the entire 12-‐month campaign since any budget can be set for this tactic. Whenever the ads have received the maximum number of views for the budget, they will no longer appear. Rationale: According to a recent survey by the Harris Poll, the non-‐streaming TV preference has declined from 77% to 68% while streaming preference has grown from 41% to 47% (Kisell, 2014). Hulu Plus is the most popular streaming TV programming streaming service that has ads. Since Millennials are by nature very social savvy, YouTube ads are also a great way to reach this audience. Evaluation: Google Analytics will be used to track if visitors came to HeroYourself.org from the Hulu Plus commercials and if they click on a link to donate money to St. Jude. Elevate will also use Radian 6, a tool that will monitor social media mentions during and after each commercial.

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Hulu Plus/YouTube Storyboard

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Tactic 3: Place a series of ads in the most popular magazines read by Millennials. Description: We will run a series of magazine ads to help promote the microsite, benefit concert, and Hero Yourself mobile app. The ads will run in a staggered schedule so at least two 1-‐2 magazines are running an ad in any given month. This will allow the target audience to be continually exposed to the messages of this campaign in magazines. Budget Allocation: $1,946,225

• Cosmopolitan -‐ Three 1/6 page ads at a cost of $122,700 each (Cosmopolitankit.com) • Marie Claire – Three 1/3 page ads at a cost of $62,335 each (MarieClairemk.com) • Vogue – Six 1/6 page ads at a cost of $38,013 each (CondeNast.com) • Rolling Stone – Three 1/3 page ads at a cost of $84,632 each (SRDS.com) • Wired – Six 1/6 page ads at a cost of $28,351 each (CondeNast.com) • American Baby – Three 1/3 page ads at a cost of $79,680 each (Meredith.com) • Ads on all websites of these magazines for 12 months at a total cost of $500,000

Rationale: According to research conducted by Nielsen, Millennials are strong magazine readers—even stronger than Baby Boomers (2014). They are more likely than their older counterparts to read women’s magazines like Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Vogue, music magazines like Rolling Stone, technology magazines like Wired and parenting magazines like American Baby (Nielsen, 2014). Evaluation: The magazine ads will each have a QR code that will take people directly to the Hero Yourself mobile app. This code will have a unique code identifier that will allow us to track it on Google Analytics. We will then measure the success of the magazine ads based on how many people scanned the QR code.

Image retrieved from complex.com Image retrieved from MarieClaire.com Image retrieved from Wired.com

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Tactic 4: Host a superhero-‐themed 5K run/walk event in 25 cities that will engage 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds to give monetary donations and learn more about volunteer opportunities for St. Jude. Description: The Hero Yourself 5K will engage 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds because it will encourage them to dress up as their favorite superhero or someone who has been a hero in their life. The race will charge each participant $30, which will include an official Hero Yourself 5K T-‐shirt. Registration will be available online at HeroYourself.org. In addition to the race, there will be booths set up where participants can make superhero costumes for St. Jude patients, create a Get Well card, give additional monetary donations, and purchase shirts, water bottles and other race gear (all proceeds go to St. Jude). There will be sponsor booths set up to offer race participants additional products and services they may be interested in. The booths will help to provide an experience for each participant rather than just a 5K run for a charity. The event will take place in the 25 largest cities that have regional offices for St. Jude including Boston, Washington D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Indianapolis, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle, Baton Rogue, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Las Vegas. One event will be hosted at a time on Saturdays starting in August 2015 and ending in June 2016. See the Integrated Communication Flowchart to get an overview of when the events will be held. Budget Allocation: $611,000 The cost above is estimated based on information from several 5K and race-‐related websites and the costs of several items needed for the race, which are all outlined in the budget summary section. Rationale: According to our online survey for this campaign, a majority of the participants voted for a 5K run or walk event to raise money for St. Jude. This race will be engaging and fun for the target audience because it will allow them to dress up a superhero for a good cause. Evaluation: The success of each Hero Yourself 5K event will be based on a number of factors, including the money raised, attendance, social media sharing before and after, and sentiment analysis. We will track all social media mentions using the Radian 6 social media monitoring service. We will also use Google Analytics to track how many people visited HeroYourself.org and the number of people who downloaded the Hero Yourself mobile app.

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Tactic 5: Award the 5K event that raises the most money and/or receives the highest attendance with a benefit concert featuring major recording artists. Description: The 5K event city that raises the most funds will receive a free benefit concert at the end of the campaign on Saturday, July 29, 2016. The concert, officially titled, Hero Yourself Benefit Concert, will feature some of the most popular names in the recording industry, including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Bruno Mars, Paramore and Imagine Dragons. Each of these artists is popular among the Millennial generation and will help to get more of the audience involved with St. Jude. While the concert will be free to attendees, donations to St. Jude will be accepted throughout the event. The concert will also be live-‐streamed so people all over the country can watch, discuss it on social media and make monetary donations. Donations will be accepted through several channels at the concert, including:

• Prize giveaway booths – Elevate will work with corporate sponsors like BestBuy and Chipotle to provide gift cards and technology products as the giveaway items

• HeroYourself mobile app • Microsite • Merchandise • Social media giveaways – St. Jude will work with corporate sponsors to get prizes for these

giveaways Social media promotion: Each recording artist will send out a tweet before the event and will tweet throughout the event live. St. Jude will also publish posts on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Budget Allocation: The total cost of the Hero Yourself Benefit Concert will be $3,622,000 and includes the following costs: Recording artist talent: $1,900,000

• Taylor Swift $400,000 • Imagine Dragons $250,000 • Paramore $100,000 • Bruno Mars $200,000 • Selena Gomez $200,000 • Hunter Hayes $100,000 • Luke Bryan $200,000 (Main Stage Productions)

Live-‐streaming: $2,000 for one-‐month using U-‐Stream services (UStream.com) Concert Logistics: $300,000 Celebrity Tweets: $250,000 (1 tweet per artist prior to concert and tweets during concert, budgeted at $30,000 per tweet)

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Merchandise: $700,000 (T-‐shirts, water bottles, bracelets) Promotion: Budget included in other tactics Evaluation: The success of the benefit concert will be measured mainly by the amount of funds raised and number of people in attendance. U-‐Steam also has built-‐in analytics software, which will track how many people tuned in to the live stream. The Elevate team will be using Google Analytics to track how many people visited HeroYourself.org and downloaded the Hero Yourself mobile app during the event. In addition, through Radian 6 we will be able to see how many people posted superhero selfies using #HeroYourself during the event.

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Tactic 6: Distribute monthly e-‐mail newsletters to encourage people to keep visiting the online channels of the campaign and to engage with St. Jude. Description: This tactic will be used to communicate news and information about a variety of initiatives of the Hero Yourself campaign. One e-‐mail will be sent per month to a distribution list, which will include those who registered for the Hero Yourself 5K and companies who have expressed interest in providing volunteer and monetary support to St. Jude. The monthly newsletters will include the following content:

• Updates on the Hero Yourself 5K and the Hero Yourself Benefit Concert events • Profiles of real-‐life heroes at St. Jude, including doctors, researchers, patients, and volunteers • News and images from the #HeroYourself social media campaign • An ad with a direct link to download the Hero Yourself mobile app • Links to St. Jude’s social media accounts

Everyone who signs up for the Hero Yourself 5K will be required to provide an e-‐mail address to receive updates as well as e-‐mail reminders about the event, which will be in the form of this newsletter. The microsite will also have a section on the homepage where visitors can sign up to receive the newsletter. Budget Allocation: $25,500 We will use MailChimp to disseminate the e-‐mail newsletter to a distribution list of 500,000 a month over the course of the campaign. According to the site, the cost per month to send an email to an audience of this size is $2,100, which means the total 12-‐month cost will be $25,200 (MailChimp.com). It is likely we will not have a distribution list of this size, but we feel it is best to budget for the maximum amount of people possible so we do not go over the $15 million amount. Having a large distribution list may also be helpful if additional emails need to be sent out. Rationale: Regular, ongoing communications are important to engage and develop strong relationships with the target audience. The e-‐mail newsletter will keep those who have already expressed an interest in St. Jude to feel welcomed continually into the Hero Yourself campaign. It will also remind them of the dates of events as well as how to engage with the campaign and make a difference. Evaluation: We will use the built-‐in analytics software in MailChimp to determine data such as number of clicks, open rates, new subscribers, the number of people who unsubscribe and more. Google Analytics will also be used to track what pages people are visiting on the website from clicking on links in the email newsletter.

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Sample Newsletter

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Tactic 7: Launch the Hero Yourself mobile app to raise awareness and engage the target audience on social media so they will naturally make monetary donations to St. Jude. Description: A mobile app allowing the target audience to transform their selfie into a hero is an empowering guerilla-‐marketing tactic, which will allow St. Jude to have a more viral presence. The app will access the mobile device’s camera to take a selfie or to upload a photo. The user will then have several options including masks, capes, and body suits to turn their selfie into their very own superhero. Once the process is complete, the user can then share their photo on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with #HeroYourself. They can also make a monetary donation to St. Jude inside the app. An automatic ad will be on the bottom of each photo shared on social media from the app saying, “I’m a hero. Join me and donate a $1 to save a child’s life.” The app will be available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store and will be free to encourage people to use the money they would have used to buy an app to give a donation to St. Jude. Budget Allocation: $250,000 According to Kinvey.com, the cost for HeroYourself app is estimated to cost $250,000 for production and maintenance (Kinvey.com). Rationale: Research shows that Millennials constantly use their mobile devices from just about anywhere and at anytime. Recent success of apps like AMC’s Dead Yourself and Office Max’s Elf Yourself have given mobile users the opportunity to take a selfie and then turn it into something they will want to share on social media. Evaluation: Elevate will evaluate the performance of the Hero Yourself mobile app through Apple and Google’s built-‐in app analytics software to determine the number of downloads, views, usability statistics, and more. We will also measure the success of the app through the amount of monetary donations received as well as social media mentions. To effectively track these mentions, we will use Radian 6, a social media monitoring and analytics tool.

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Sample HeroYourself Mobile App Design

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Tactic 8: Support the efforts of the Hero Yourself mobile app by conducting a 12-‐month social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #HeroYourself. Description: We will run a 12-‐month social media photo sharing campaign to encourage the target audience to spread awareness of St. Jude. The social media campaign will ask Millennials to take a selfie in a superhero costume with their mobile device and then publish it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the #HeroYourself hashtag. To make the campaign viral, we will encourage those who participate to make a donation of a $1 or more to St. Jude. To promote the contest, we will do the following: Celebrity Tweets: Celebrities that appeal to the Millennial generation including Taylor Swift, Jimmy Fallon, Selena Gomez, Drake, Jennifer Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Hunter Hayes, Blake Shelton, Katy Perry, and Liam Hemsworth will each take a selfie in a superhero costume and then publish it on their Twitter account with #HeroYourself to kick off the campaign. In their tweets, they will encourage their fans to do the same and/or donate a $1 to St. Jude. These tweets will be spread out among the 12 months of our plan to encourage sharing all year round. The Hero Yourself 5K events will help keep this going, as they will be scheduled on various dates throughout a 12-‐month span. Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Segment: Jimmy Fallon will promote the #HeroYourself campaign on his show shortly after a few of the celebrities publish their selfies on social media. He will share some of their pictures as well as the pictures of others participating in the campaign. He will then get dressed in costume and post to Twitter with #HeroYourself while on the air. Social media ads: Several social media ads will promote the campaign. These will include Facebook sponsored posts, Facebook ads and promoted tweets on Twitter. Rationale: According to our research presented in the Situation Analysis section of this report, Millennials are highly active on social media and mobile devices. This social media campaign would be a fun way to engage this audience. Budget Allocation: $2,350,000 Celebrity Tweets: $350,000 – includes 10 tweets at $35,000 per tweet (Williams) Facebook Ads/Sponsored Posts: $1,000,000 Promoted Tweets: $1,000,000 – costs $200,000 per day for 5 times during the campaign (PennaPowers.com) Evaluation: Elevate will use a social media monitoring and analytics tool, Radian 6, to track all social media mentions during the campaign. Google Analytics will also be used to determine if any traffic on the microsite is generated from clicks on links on social media channels.

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Sample Social Media Post with #HeroYourself

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Tactic 9. Run at least 12 different ads on Pandora and Spotify, the most popular radio channels for Millennials. Description: We will run a series of ads on the most popular streaming radio services, including Pandora and Spotify, to reach Millennials periodically throughout the 12-‐month campaign. All ads will link directly to the microsite or to the mobile app. The ads will help promote the mobile app, 5K event, and benefit concert. Each ad will also include the HeroYourself.org microsite URL. Budget Allocation: $1,800,000 Both streaming services charge by CPM. It costs about $30 on average cost-‐per-‐thousand-‐impression (CPM) on Spotify and Pandora (Walsh, 2013). Elevate will run 12 versions of the ads for both desktop and mobile, with a different one for each month. To reach a total of 5 million Millennials on a monthly basis over the course of the 12-‐month campaign, the total cost of these ads will be $1,800,000 or $150,000 per ad. Elevate will plan for six different ads for Pandora and six different ads for Spotify. The ads will rotate each month throughout the campaign. Rationale: Research shows that more Millennials are switching to Internet radio as their first choice for music, according to the findings in the Target Market section of this plan. Evaluation: Google Analytics will be used to determine if any clicks on the microsite came from the Pandora and Spotify ads. Elevate will also use built-‐in analytics from the Pandora and Spotify ad platforms to measure their success. The following sources were used to obtain pricing information for this tactic. http://www.nielsen.com/content/corporate/us/en/insights/news/2014/country-‐roads-‐lead-‐to-‐success-‐on-‐national-‐radio.html http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2014/meet-‐the-‐millennial-‐multicultural-‐music-‐listener.html

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Sample Pandora Ad

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Tactic 10: Strategically place ads on mobile game apps to reach Millennials on smartphones and tablets. Description: Elevate will purchase ads on the highest grossing game apps to reach a higher number of 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds on their mobile devices. The ads will be purchased on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, the most popular mobile marketplaces. The apps where the ads will appear will be ones that are available on both platforms so we can maximize their exposure to Millennials. We recommend placing the mobile ads on the following highest grossing games:

• Candy Crush Saga • Candy Crush Soda Saga • Clash of Clans • Kim Kardashian: Hollywood • Farm Heroes Saga • Angry Birds

Budget Allocation: $750,000 According to TechCrunch, costs per click on mobile game ads range between $1.40 and $1.90 (Perez, 2014). We will use a total of 12 different ads for the campaign with total budget of $750,000. Each ad will have a max budget of $62,500 per month. Rationale: Games are consistently the most downloaded apps in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Research shows Millennials are heavy users of mobile devices so placing ads on game apps will be an effective way to reach this audience. Evaluation: Google Analytics will be used to determine the number of referrals that came from mobile gaming ads as well as the quality of those visitors through key measurements such as page views, bounce rate, demographics and more.

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Sample Mobile Ad

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Tactic 11: Increase awareness of the Hero Yourself campaign by distributing a news release to all national media outlets. Description: Elevate will send a news release at the beginning of the campaign to notify national media outlets of the Hero Yourself campaign. The two events, the 5K and the benefit concert, will be discussed in the news release as well as the social media campaign. We will place the news release on the two largest newswires, PR Newswire and BusinessWire and will work with St. Jude to schedule interviews with the media about the campaign. Budget Allocation: $23,500 $20,000 for both PRNewswire and BusinessWire for national news release distribution $3,500 for Vocus software to evaluate news releases Rationale: St. Jude will have a better chance of receiving donations and volunteer support from the beginning of the campaign if the HeroYourself campaign is mentioned in the media. Elevate will target traditional and digital media channels to achieve maximum exposure. Evaluation: Elevate will use Vocus, a PR software tool, which will allow us to track which media channels produced a story based on the information in the news release. The number of media outlets that covered the story as well as the exposure will measure success of the news release. Vocus will provide this information. Pricing information from PRNewswire.com, BusinessWire.com and Vocus.com.

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Sample News Release For immediate Release

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Announces Hero Yourself 5K, Concert 5K Races to be Held in 25 Cities, Concert to Feature Pop, Country Stars

Memphis, TN (August 1, 2015) – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the premier provider of healthcare for children with cancer and other terminal illnesses, will host a hero-‐themed 5K run/walk event in 25 cities across the United States, starting September 19, 2015 through June 25, 2016. The race in the city with the most attendance and funds raised will receive a free benefit concert featuring major pop and country stars. The concert will take place in the winning city on Saturday, July 29, 2016 and will feature some of the most popular names in the recording industry, including Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Bruno Mars, Paramore and Imagine Dragons. While the concert will be free to attendees, donations to St. Jude will be accepted throughout the event and the concert will be live-‐streamed throughout the country. The Hero Yourself 5K events will encourage participants to dress up as their favorite hero. They will be held in urban cities that also have regional offices for St. Jude including Boston, Washington D.C., Charlotte, Atlanta, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Indianapolis, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle, Baton Rogue, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Las Vegas. “The Hero Yourself 5K events are great way to engage a national audience to help children in need,” said Melanee Hancock, senior vice president of marketing at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “The benefit concert will also be a fun way to encourage young professionals in each city to give as much support as they can to win a free concert with some of the best recording artists of our time that appeal to this audience.” Through the race, concert, and a year-‐long social media campaign, those interested in supporting St. Jude will be invited to take a selfie in a hero costume and post it to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with #HeroYourself. A mobile app with the same name will allow people to take a selfie and transform it into a virtual hero costume and publish it on social media. For more information about the 5K races, the benefit concert, mobile app and social media campaign, visit HeroYourself.org.

### St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-‐threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-‐designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working

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to increase the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent in the next decade. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food—because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. To learn more, visit stjude.org or follow St. Jude at @stjuderesearch.

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Tactic 12: Introduce the target audience to the real heroes of St. Jude by featuring their stories on a blog. Description: The Real Heroes Blog will serve as a channel for the target audience to learn more about the doctors, researchers, and volunteers who make a difference in saving the lives of children every day. It will also feature profiles of Little Heroes, children who are patients at the hospital. The profiles will be in the form of a blog post and will contain uplifting content. Each Little Hero will each share their personality, what they like to do, their goals and dreams for the future, why they are a hero and the heroes in their lives. The profile picture of each Little Hero will be a close up and will feature the child in a fun setting and not in a hospital bed. The children will write the blog posts on a tablet provided by St. Jude with some editing help from the marketing staff. One Little Hero profile will be posted per month during the campaign. In addition to the Little Heroes, there will be one blog post per month on a doctor, researcher, or volunteer. These blog posts will be written by a member of the Elevate Communications team and will profile the contributions and accomplishments the person makes in saving the lives of children. Budget Allocation: $500 The cost of the blog will be included in the cost of the microsite. The blog will be created in Wordpress and will be integrated in the site. This will allow the children to easily post to the blog using the Wordpress app on the iPad issued by St. Jude. The only real cost for this tactic will be tablet, which will cost about $500. Rationale: The inspiring stories will demonstrate the importance of giving back to St. Jude by giving real-‐life experiences and user-‐generated content that will better appeal to the target audience. It will also help humanize the campaign and give 21 to 30-‐year-‐olds a chance to connect with the St. Jude staff and patients. This connection will help develop a relationship, which is crucial in becoming a lifelong supporter for St. Jude. Evaluation: We use a combination of Google Analytics and Wordpress Analytics to see the number of page views on each blog post, the number of link clicks within each blog post, and the number of comments that each post receives. Besides analytics on the blog itself, we will use Google Analytics to analyze how many visitors came to the blog from social media sites and search engine results. Each of these figures will be compiled into a monthly report.

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Real Heroes Blog Sample Design

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Tactic 13. Send out a targeted e-‐mail to a select number of organizations that hire a large number of Millennials to encourage them to donate and volunteer for St. Jude. Description: We will send out an e-‐mail announcing the Hero Yourself 5K to the HR managers of 1,000 companies in each of the 25 cities where the event will be held. The email will be sent two months prior to each event and will include a direct link to HeroYourself.org. The e-‐mail will appear to be sent from Melanee Hancock, senior vice president of marketing for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, but will actually be sent from MailChimp so Elevate can send to the entire e-‐mail list of companies for each city at once. Budget Allocation: $180 for 12 e-‐mails to 1,000 companies at a cost of $15 each Rationale: According to the research presented in our Situation Analysis, Millennials will be more likely to give donations and volunteer for a nonprofit organization if the company they work for is supporting the organization. For any employees of the companies who want to participate in the 5K events, the registration fee will be discounted at a special rate of $20 instead of $30. Evaluation: We will use the analytics provided by MailChimp to determine the number of e-‐mails opened as well as how many link clicks each one received. We will also use Google Analytics to analyze the number of visitors from the emails to HeroYourself.org.

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E-‐mail to Organizations Dear [NAME OF COMPANY CEO], With the holiday season approaching soon, it’s important to have a cause to support to motivate employees to give back to the community. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital offers an incredible opportunity for [COMPANY NAME] to save the lives of children all over the world. The efforts of our doctors, volunteers, and corporations like yours have helped push the childhood cancer survival rate to over 80 percent. Our research is shared with the world, so as we reach closer to our goal of 90 percent, you can be confident that your contributions in supporting us will also help provide new treatments and care to help more children with terminal illness live. To engage your employees in this effort, we are hosting a hero-‐themed 5K event on [DATE] at [LOCATION] from [TIME] to [TIME]. We encourage any of your employees interested in participating to dress up in their favorite hero costume. While the 5K normally costs $30 for general registration, we will be offering a discount to your employees. For only $25, each employee will receive a race T-‐shirt, number, chip, and a goody bag with multiple coupons and free products from our sponsors. Additional details on this event and other opportunities to support St. Jude can be found on HeroYourself.org. If you have any questions about the event or St. Jude, please feel free to contact me. I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Melanee Hancock Sr. Vice President, Marketing St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

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Internal Communications Plan This IMC campaign will only be successful if the employees of St. Jude are constantly engaged in making it the best it can be. We have developed the following three tactics to help accomplish this goal. Tactic 1: Send out an email to internal employees to announce the campaign and ask for their support for the 12-‐month period. Description: This email will be the first interaction employees will receive from the leadership team at St. Jude about the campaign. It will be sent from the organization’s CEO William Evans and will briefly explain the campaign and how employees can support its efforts. Budget Allocation: St. Jude will use its existing e-‐mail service for this tactic. Rationale: Having the e-‐mail sent by the CEO of St. Jude will help employees recognize that the communication is important. This will help employees to be on-‐board from the beginning of the campaign and to prepare their workloads accordingly.

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Sample E-‐mail to Internal Employees Dear St. Jude employees, Your time and support is critical to the success of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Starting today, I’m asking for some extra help from each and every one of you. We are starting an aggressive integrated marketing communications campaign to reach young professionals, also known as Millennials, between the ages of 21 to 30. This is typically an audience we do not receive much in terms of monetary donations and volunteer support due to their financial and time constraints. Many of them are at the start of their career and a large number live at home with their parents. But research also shows this audience has tremendous buying power and cares about giving back. We are confident that the campaign we have developed will reach these people and achieve our goal of engaging and inspiring them to become lifelong supporters of our organization. Our campaign this year focuses on being a hero to a child in need. We want the audience to connect to our cause and our children to help usher in the next generation of employees, donors, and volunteers for St. Jude. This audience relies a lot on digital communications, so we will be managing several promotions on the web, mobile devices, and on social media. Some of these efforts include a social media campaign, more than two-‐dozen 5K events, a blog on the heroes of St. Jude, a summer benefit concert featuring popular recording artists and an innovative mobile app. To help keep all employees on the same page with the efforts of this campaign, we have designed a special intranet site, which can be accessed here: HeroYourself.stjude.org. There, you will find full details on the campaign as well as a number of social media and mobile marketing tutorials, all of which will help each of you fully engage the target audience. Please keep visiting this site daily throughout the year to get the latest updates on where we will need your support. Let’s make this year a defining chapter in the St. Jude legacy. We must work together to help inspire and welcome the next generation of supporters to this incredible organization that saves the lives of children around the world. Visit our campaign site at HeroYourself.org to see our progress so far. As always, thanks so much for your contributions to St. Jude and let’s move forward to continued success this next year! With appreciation, Dr. William Evans CEO, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

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Tactic 2: Launch an intranet site that will service as the hub for internal employee information about the campaign. Description: The intranet site will be integrated within the HeroYourself.org microsite, but will only be accessed by employees. Each employee will be given a login ID and password to the site and will not be allowed to share this information. The site will feature the following:

• A campaign overview outlining the tasks that need to be completed during the remainder of the campaign as well as the project owners of each task

• A hero employee profile for each month • Social media marketing tutorials • A progress bar showing the amount of money generated to date • A schedule of the 5K events • Full details of the benefit concert • An active feed of social media buzz with #HeroYourself • A “share this” feature that will allow employees to send an email to their friends about the

campaign • An archive of e-‐mail newsletters that will sent to the target audience throughout the campaign

Budget Allocation: $50,000 Rationale: Housing all of the communications that employees need to help support the campaign in one place will make sure that all staff is on the same page. They will be able to see the progress so far of the campaign, what still needs to be done, and receive the training they need to interact with the target audience and recruit volunteers. Tactic 3: Conduct a monthly contest that will recognize a St. Jude employee as a hero. Description: To encourage engagement throughout the 12 months of the campaign, we will launch a monthly contest where one St. Jude employee will be named as a hero. Nominations will be received from all employees on the campaign intranet site. Using an online form, each employee will need to briefly describe in 100 words or less why they feel the employee they nominate is deserving of the award. On the last work day of each month, a company wide e-‐mail will be sent out announcing the employee hero of the month along with a few of the best nomination paragraphs. The hero will win a $100 gift Target gift card, a profile on the intranet site and will be featured in an article on the Real Heroes Blog. Budget Allocation: $1,200 for 12 Target gift cards of $100 each Rationale: This contest will encourage employees to stay engaged in the campaign because they will want to be recognized for their efforts and win a gift card. This contest also makes the campaign fun for the employees as well.

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Integrated Communications Timing Flowchart

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BUDGET SUMMARY

Microsite

Production Fees $50,000

Maintenance Fees $20,000

Online Streaming Commercials

Production Fees $50,000

Talent Fees $25,000

Hulu Plus Commercials $1,650,000

YouTube Commercials $1,000,000

Magazine Ads

Cosmopolitan $368,100

Marie Claire $187,005

Vogue $228,078

Rolling Stone $253,896

Wired $170,106

American Baby $239,040

Magazine Online Ads $500,000

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5K Run/Walk Events

Banners $5,000

Portable restrooms $25,000

T-‐shirts $200,000

Flyers $100,000

Race numbers $100,000

Chip Meters $100,000

Event booths $30,000

First aid stations $1,000

Water Provided by corporate sponsors

Cups Provided by corporate sponsors

Goody bags Provided by corporate sponsors

Traffic control $50,000

Insurance Provided by St. Jude

Benefit Concert

Taylor Swift $300,000

Imagine Dragons $250,000

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Paramore $100,000

Bruno Mars $200,000

Selena Gomez $200,000

Hunter Hayes $100,000

Luke Bryan $200,000

Live-‐streaming $2,000

Concert Logistics $300,000

Celebrity Tweets $250,000

Merchandise $700,000

E-‐mail Newsletters

Monthly Email Send from MailChimp $25,500

Mobile App

Production and Maintenance Costs $250,000

Social Media Campaign

Celebrity Tweets $350,000

Facebook Ads $1,000,000

Promoted Tweets $1,000,000

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Streaming Radio Ads

Pandora & Spotify Ads $1,800,000

Mobile Game Ads

Apps on Google Play and Apple App Store $750,000

News Release

PRNewswire and BusinessWire $20,000

Vocus $3,500

Real Heroes Blog

Tablet Cost $500

Email Send to Organizations

MailChimp Email Send to 25,000 $180

Internal Communications Tactical Plan

Intranet Site $50,000

Target Gift Cards $1,200

Other Costs

Agency Fees $1,350,000

Post-‐Campaign Online Survey $20,000

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Focus Groups $200,000

Social Media Monitoring -‐ Radian 6 $100,000

Total Campaign Cost $14,875,105

Total Amount Under Budget $124,895

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Evaluation Plan Each tactic in this campaign will have its own measurement and evaluation tools to determine the effectiveness of each effort among the target audience. These tools include Google Analytics and web tracking, social media monitoring, news media tracking software, and by counting the total number of attendees at each event and amount of money raised. Each of these tools is already included in the tactical plan of this campaign. There are, however, several evaluation measures that will need to be in place at the end of the campaign to assess performance. We will conduct online surveys, focus groups and social media reports to evaluate the success of the campaign. Post-‐Campaign Survey At the end of the campaign in August 2016, an e-‐mail survey will be distributed to a representative sample of 50,000 Millennials between the ages of 21 to 30. Objective: To understand the feelings and knowledge among Millennials about St. Jude after the campaign and which parts were the most effective in reaching this audience. Rationale: The post-‐campaign online survey will be sent out to the 50,000 Millennials in multiple cities throughout the nation. The survey will include some of the same questions about nonprofit organizations and St. Jude as the survey conducted by Elevate Communications to create this campaign. It will also consist of new questions regarding the various tactics in the campaign. The questions will assess the feelings of the target audience about the tactics and whether or not they were effective in motivating them to make a monetary donation or volunteer for St. Jude. Specific questions will also be asked on whether or not the Millennials surveyed would like to become lifelong supporters of St. Jude. Budget: $20,000 for the purchase and distribution of the email list Post-‐Campaign Focus Groups At the conclusion of this campaign, we will conduct a series of five focus groups, each with 12 participants. These groups will be held in five separate regions of the country in an effort to provide unique insights and perspectives from Millennials in each region. Objective: To understand the emotional impact the marketing communications efforts of the Hero Yourself campaign has made among the target audience and their effectiveness in motivating them to support St. Jude in the future. Rationale: The focus groups will allow us to receive emotional insights and feelings about St. Jude and the Hero Yourself campaign that we will not be able to get from online surveys. The information

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compared with the survey results will provide a more complete picture of the reactions of Millennials to our campaign and what changes, if necessary, are needed if it was to continue. Budget: The cost of the five focus groups will amount to a total of about $200,000. This cost includes a stipend for the 60 participants, rental fees for the facilities, and payment to an outside research firm who will conduct the focus groups and deliver a detailed report to Elevate Communications and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Social Media Reports At the end of each month throughout the campaign we will conduct a social media report that will include all social media metrics and mentions. Objective: To understand the effectiveness of the social media efforts of this campaign in motivating the target audience to support St. Jude. Rationale: The monthly reports will be compiled and sent to St. Jude with the following data:

• Total number of mentions using the #HeroYourself hashtag • The number of comments, retweets/shares of paid social media posts • Sentiment on social media regarding the various touchpoints of the campaign • The number of retweets/shares of celebrity tweets on the Millennial audience • The amount of all social media posts not featuring the #HeroYourself hashtag, but mentioning

other important keywords for the campaign, including Real Heroes Blog, St. Jude, HeroYourself.org, Hero Yourself 5K, and the Hero Yourself Benefit Concert.

The total of all of these social media interactions will allow St. Jude to understand the amount of social buzz being generated by the various components of the campaign. Budget: We will allocate $10,000 per month of the campaign for a social media monitoring service, Radian 6, to track all social media mentions. The total cost for to use this service for 12 months will be $100,000 (Radian6.com).

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Conclusion Young professionals will soon be the doctors, researchers, donors and volunteers for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The organization must start reaching this group now with their marketing communications messages and develop the relationships necessary to engage and inspire them to eventually become lifelong supporters. This integrated marketing communications plan was designed with the target audience in mind. Since research shows Millennials actively consume multiple types of content, our campaign blends both traditional and digital media tactics to reach the target audience through multiple touchpoints. These touchpoints include streaming radio ads, a microsite, a blog, mobile gaming ads, a news release, a 5K event, a benefit concert, and magazine ads. The most notable tactics of this campaign, however, are the Hero Yourself mobile app and the #HeroYourself social media campaign. These tactics provide an innovative approach to reach this audience and make it even fun for them to get involved in the St. Jude cause. Through the Hero Yourself campaign, St. Jude can be the voice of the Millennial generation. Elevate Communications is ready to put this plan into action. Give us the opportunity to show you what happens when we do.

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APPENDIX A: Brand Perception Online Survey

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Appendix B: Focus Group Moderator Guide Outcome To receive insight among young professionals, who are close in age to the target audience of this campaign about the integrated creative strategy statement, the Hero Yourself theme, and creative executions, to assess campaign performance and make any necessary adjustments before completion. Timeline The focus group will take place in reserved room at the Herriman Library on Thursday, December 4, 2014 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The estimated time frame for the session is 90 minutes. 6:00 PM: Introduction and explanation of the project and the purpose of the focus group 6:05 PM: Introductory questions to assess the current understanding of St. Jude 6:15 PM: Discuss the best ways to reach young professionals today 6:30 PM: Review Integrated Communication Strategy Statement and theme of the campaign 6:45 PM: Discuss the objectives, strategies, tactics, and creative executions 7:25 PM: Wrap-‐up of focus group, thank participants for attending Checklist

• iPhone for audio recording • Packets containing the ICSS, objectives, strategies, tactics, and creative executions • Focus group moderator guide • Notepads • Pens • Refreshments

Participants There will be six participants in the focus group. They will be between the ages of 21 to 35-‐years-‐old and will come from several different career backgrounds to provide results more representative of the target audience. This will allow several unique perspectives to get the best feedback possible on the campaign. Opening Script Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules for this focus group today. I am an Associate Marketing Communications Manager at a leadership development company in Salt Lake City and have 6 years of marketing and communications experience. This is my final project for my master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications at West Virginia University, which is a $15 million campaign for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This session will be recorded so I can transcribe your comments later and focus on really listening to what you have to say today.

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Purpose I’m developing this campaign to get Millennials engaged and inspired to want to make monetary donations and give volunteer support to St. Jude. I need your help as my first test audience for the campaign. We will be reviewing my tactical plan and I’ll be asking several questions to find out which messages are resonating with the group and which ones are not. Introductory Questions

• What do you currently know about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital? • For those of you who know about St. Jude, where have you seen their marketing messages?

What are your thoughts on these messages? • Research shows that Millennials are the most digital and social generation. What would you say

are the most popular online/mobile habits of Millennials today? • Do you think Millennials are interested in donating to nonprofit organizations? Are they

interested in volunteering? Review Integrated Communications Strategy Statement: “Make a difference in the world, yourself, and the lives of children battling catastrophic diseases. Support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and become a hero to a child that needs you. Ask the following question: What are your thoughts on the Integrated Communications Strategy Statement? Review the objectives, strategies, tactics, and creative executions of the campaign and ask the following questions:

• What are your thoughts on the tactics that will be executed? • With all of these tactics in place, do you think people your age will have a better understanding

of St. Jude and will be more willing to support the organization? • Do you have any recommendations for changes on any part of the campaign? • Is there anything that is missing in the campaign that will help reach the target audience? • Is there anything else you would like to say about the campaign?

[Close the focus group by thanking the participants for their time and provide contact information so they can reach out if they have any other insights and opinions that they didn’t have time to express or didn’t feel comfortable bringing them up during the focus group.]

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Only St. Jude 2013 annual report. Retrieved November 10, 2014 from: http://www.stjude.org/SJFile/annual-‐report-‐13.pdf Pardee, T. (2010, October 11). Media-‐savvy Gen Y finds smart and funny is ‘new rock n’ roll.’ Retrieved November 17, 2014 from: http://adage.com/article/news/marketing-‐media-‐savvy-‐gen-‐y-‐transparency-‐authenticity/146388/ Petro, G. (2013, March 21). Millennial engagement and loyalty—make them part of the process. Retrieved November 3, 2014 from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregpetro/2013/03/21/millennial-‐engagement-‐and-‐loyalty-‐make-‐them-‐part-‐of-‐the-‐process/ PennaPowers.com. How much do ads on Twitter cost? Retrieved December 13, 2014 from: http://www.pennapowers.com/how-‐much-‐do-‐ads-‐on-‐twitter-‐cost/ Poggi, J. (2014, September 25). Football and ‘Big Bang’ are broadcast TV’s most expensive ad buys. Retrieved December 13, 2014 from: http://adage.com/article/media/football-‐big-‐bang-‐tv-‐s-‐expensive-‐ad-‐buys/295130/ PRNewsire.com. Pricing guide. Retrieved December 9, 2014 from: http://promotions.prnewswire.com/rs/prnewswire/images/2012_domestic_pricing_guide.pdf Racedayeventservices.com. I want to put on a 5K, what do I do now? Retrieved December 14, 2014 from: http://www.racedayeventservices.com/hosting-‐planning Ray, S., Willis, A., Pattat, E. (2012). Millennials: A St. Jude study. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Retrieved November 15, 2014 from http://ecampus.wvu.edu Radian6.com. Retrieved December 15, 2014 from: http://www.salesforce.com/marketing-‐cloud/pricing/ Rick, C. (2013, December 19). And Hulu’s average CPM in 2013 is. Retrieved December 10, 2014 from: http://www.reelseo.com/hulu-‐cpm-‐2013/ Rood, R. (2014, October 23). Please do not leave a message: Why Millennials hate voice mail. Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/10/23/358301467/please-‐do-‐not-‐leave-‐a-‐message-‐why-‐millennials-‐hate-‐voice-‐mail RollingStone.com. 2014 rates. Retrieved December 16, 2014 from: http://www.srds.com/mediakits/rollingstone/rates.html Spady. A. (2014, May 11). Best practices for engaging Millennial volunteers. Retrieved October 31, 2014 from: http://blog.volunteermark.com/best-‐practices-‐engaging-‐millennial-‐volunteers

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St. Jude and West Virginia University Class Project. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: https://ecampus.wvu.edu/courses/1/star85186.201408/db/_923473_1/St_Jude_Case_LF_2014.pdf St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Inc. Competition. Retrieved November 3, 2014 from: http://www.hoovers.com/company-‐information/cs/competition.St_Jude_Childrens_Research_Hospital_Inc.ab30e6a4f93357cf.html St. Jude Facts. Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=434d1976d1e70110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=ee58ebc7a7319210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD St. Jude mission statement. Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=9dc4b8ca05604210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=f67c1e3d40419210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD The Adair Group. Adult T-‐shirt (White). Retrieved December 15, 2014 from: http://www.theadairgroup.com/adult-‐shirt-‐white-‐p-‐181.html TheBrandAgent.com. Celebrity marketing: How much does a celebrity tweet cost? Retrieved December 1, 2014 from: http://celeb-‐brand-‐agent.com/2014/03/27/how-‐much-‐does-‐a-‐celebrity-‐tweet-‐cost/ Top-‐ranked pediatric hospitals for cancer. Retrieved November 3, 2014 from: http://health.usnews.com/best-‐hospitals/pediatric-‐rankings/cancer Tracy, A. How to sell to those hard-‐to-‐reach Millennials. Retrieved November 1, 2014 from: http://www.inc.com/abigail-‐tracy/millennials-‐trust-‐user-‐generated-‐content-‐above-‐all-‐else.html UStream.com. Live broadcasting that fits your needs. Retrieved December 9, 2014 from: https://www.ustream.tv/platform/plans Walsh, M. (2013, December 9). Mobile monetization improves on Pandora radio. Retrieved December 11, 2014 from: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/215093/mobile-‐monetization-‐improves-‐on-‐pandora-‐radio.html Williams, B. Celebrity marketing: How much does a celebrity tweet cost? Retrieved December 12, 2014 from: http://celeb-‐brand-‐agent.com/2014/03/27/how-‐much-‐does-‐a-‐celebrity-‐tweet-‐cost/ Vocus.com. PR pricing packages. Retrieved December 10, 2014 from: http://www.vocus.com/pricing/ Yun-‐Lee, M. (2002, September 30). Conducting surveys and focus groups. Retrieved December 15, 2014 from: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/55680

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Zmuda, N. (2011, February 14). St. Jude goes from humble beginnings to media ubiquity. Retrieved November 5, 2014 from: http://adage.com/article/news/st-‐jude-‐s-‐humble-‐beginnings-‐media-‐ubiquity/148820/

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