Problem Statement/ Summary Your organization, Safe Passage, has asked us to create a comprehensive public relations plan to effectively communicate the short and long term effects domestic violence has on children in Southeast Indiana--focusing on the six counties of Ripley, Jefferson, Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio and Switzerland. This plan will effectively communicate the strengths of your organization, and how to best reach the key publics. Research

Formal, Primary o Surveys

Two online surveys were conducted to gain a better understanding of the level of knowledge held by the community. Specifically to gauge the general awareness levels of the short and long term effects domestic violence has on children.

Community Survey: A survey was taken by 70 people in Indiana via Survey Monkey. We used the survey to gauge how aware community members are of the short and long term effects of domestic violence. We also wanted to gain an understanding of how aware community members are of Safe Passage Inc. or similar organizations.

School Personnel Survey: A survey was taken by 64 elementary school personnel via Survey Monkey. The survey was used to gain an understanding of how aware elementary school staff is of Safe Passage. Through the survey, we gained an understanding of the school personnel’s knowledge of what to do in the event of an abuse situation and how familiar they are with the signs of domestic violence.

Informal, Primary o Interview

We interviewed Cassidy Kormann to gain a better understanding of the various ways domestic violence affects children. She worked at Neopolitan Lighthouse in Chicago, Illinois as a children’s counselor for 18 months and currently works at Chicago Behavioral Hospital in Des Plaines, Illinois. She was able to inform us of the most prominent effects that domestic violence has on children and how it progresses at they become older. We also wanted to gauge how widespread the lack of knowledge about domestic violence and strategies her organization has found useful to work with the community.

She worked with children between the ages 0 to 17 years at the Neopolitan Lighthouse, and now has a stronger focus on adolescents in the hospital. Through this interview we gained an understanding that children and adolescents have very similar coping mechanisms and effects, but the outbursts are much larger and damaging as they become older.

Formal, Secondary o Database Analysis

We analyzed the Safe Passage database in order to obtain a better understanding of Safe Passage’s current shelter statistics, public outreach methods and community involvement.

We wanted to gain an understanding of how often Safe Passage’s services are used and what statistics the organization has gathered regarding domestic violence.

To gain a better understanding of domestic violence, we analyzed statistics of violence throughout the state of Indiana. By looking at the state of Indiana’s Child Protective Services site, we gained a better understanding of the prevalence of domestic violence in Indiana.

o Content Analysis We analyzed the content of three organizations similar to Safe Passage.

By looking at the websites and media presence of these organizations, we were able to gain a better understanding of the efforts made to grow a credible program supporting the education of domestic violence.

Our content analysis also gave us a better understanding of the way organizations work in order to protect those seeking its shelter.

Key Findings Only 11 percent of people in the counties served by Safe Passage knew of the

organization, but had to be prompted with the name to recall the name of the organization.

60.4 percent of parents or guardians are not aware of domestic violence cases in their community involving children.

56 percent of school staff have either seen domestic violence firsthand or heard about domestic violence from colleagues.

71 percent of those aware of Safe Passage were also aware of a case of domestic violence and children in his/her community.

60 percent of parents and guardians said they are aware of the short and/or long term impact domestic violence has on children who encounter it.

o 35 percent of those who claimed they were aware were unable to list any effects domestic violence has on children.

Only 41 percent of parents are aware of organizations that provide resources for those who are affected by domestic violence.

71 percent of school staff can identify signs of domestic violence in children. Publics

Primary: o Parents and guardians in any of the six counties Safe Passage works with who

have children in kindergarten through sixth grade. We chose to focus on parents and guardians of children because this

group had the lowest percentage of awareness regarding the long and short term effect domestic violence has on children. This public also has the most interaction with, and influence on, children.

o Community members that have direct contact with children who are in kindergarten through sixth grade living in any of the counties Safe Passage services.

Through our research we found that community members are not aware of the short or long term effects of domestic violence on children who encounter it. Because of this, we chose community members as our primary audience, to better interact with the community Safe Passage serves.

Secondary: o Teachers of children grades kindergarten through six living in any of the six

counties Safe Passage serves.

Through our research we found that teachers have a high interaction rate with children, but also have a high awareness rate of the effects domestic violence has and can notice signs of domestic violence. Considering teachers interact with students and parents on a regular basis, they have a direct communication between the two publics.

Intervening o Children in kindergarten through sixth grade living in any of the six counties Safe

Passage serves. It is necessary to teach the children about this topic, and they will benefit

from the information in the end. However, parents or guardians, community members and teachers are influencers of children.

Goal To increase awareness about the effects of domestic violence on elementary aged

children within the counties that Safe Passage services. Objectives

Increase the awareness of Safe Passage among community members in one of the six counties it serves from 11 percent to 30 percent by January 2018.

Increase the awareness of domestic violence effects among community members from 39.6 percent to 52 percent by January 2018.

Increase the knowledge of specific effects domestic violence has on children among parents from 35 percent to 51 percent by January 2018.

Key Message Domestic violence has both short and long term emotional, psychological and physical

effects on children. Safe Passage is dedicated to educating the community and preventing the lasting

effects of domestic violence.

Strategy Using a combination of traditional media and communication techniques we will increase

the awareness of the effects domestic violence has on elementary aged children in the counties that Safe Passage serves.

Tactics Website

o New logo Keeping the meaning of the current logo in mind, we designed an

updated version that will help Safe Passage become more recognizable as an organization and brand. The image of a roof represents safety and shelter, two concepts that coincide with the Safe Passage’s efforts. We chose to keep the tag line “help, heal, hope” represented as the smoke coming out of a chimney, one of the warmest parts of the home, as it is a recognizable and meaningful message to Safe Passage.

o Redesign After conducting a content analysis of the Safe Passage website using

eye tracking software, we came to the conclusion that the site is well organized overall. We developed a new interface and interactive tool bar that will launch in early January 2017 and includes the following improvements:

Including a “History” versus “About Us” tab. When looking for the organization’s goals and values many look in the about us tab but were confused because the “Our Story” tab was about the history.

Incorporating a search bar for users to find information quicker. A “Campaigns” tab would allow for the users to find the marketing

content more easily. This tab could include campaigns such as the 100 Men.

Verbal feedback suggested that the site could improve with a less cluttered header as well as showcasing the mission statement.

In order to produce these improvements we will hire a qualified student intern to work with Safe Passage to code and aid the redesign of the website. Hiring an intern will reduce the cost of the redesign and give the website the dedication and care it needs. The internship will offer students class credit and provide them an opportunity to build their credentials.

Through our content analysis of the website, we found one of the most important parts is the “exit site” button located in the upper right hand corner of the interface. By clicking this button, visitors are taken away from the site, and the information is cleared from the history browser. Considering the safety of Safe Passage’s clients, we felt this is an important feature to keep on the new interface.

Print o Bus Shelter Advertisement

We will place a print ad on the side of three bus shelters in high traffic areas of each county Safe Passage services, for a total of 18 bus shelter advertisements. This advertisement will feature the face of a young girl on the left side and a bruised woman on the right side, displaying the cycle of abuse. The copy will read “30 seconds of talk → 30 minutes of abuse → 30 years of trying to break the cycle. Don’t Wait. Call.” The helpline featured on the Safe Passage’s webpage. This messaging illustrates how impulsive actions of abuse can have a long-term effect. Based on our research, children of domestic violence are three times more likely to repeat the cycle in adulthood, causing us to include the repetition of the “three” within our advertisement.

This will resonate with our primary audience of parents and community members who have direct interactions with children.

o Take-Home Pamphlet Our research shows Safe Passage is currently working to integrate the

Search Institute’s 40 developmental assets in several schools in the counties served. We will expand this initiative by educating our primary audience through take home pamphlets focusing on the developmental assets. These pamphlets will encourage parents and guardians to promote healthy lifestyles within the home and to help build strong character traits in their children. Information regarding the pamphlets will be sent home in a newsletter at the beginning of the year.

The eight categories include: Support, Empowerment; Boundaries & Expectations; Constructive Use of Time; Commitment to Learning; Positive Values; Social Competencies; Positive Identity

The parents will receive the card from their children once a month and be asked to practice or teach the information on the pamphlet. By the end of the month, the student will be required to return the card to their teacher signed by their parents.

Marketing Campaign - “You Never Know Who’s Watching” o Video

We created a one minute video public service announcement (PSA) that shows how domestic violence affects more than those who directly experience it. In order to raise awareness of the short and long term effects of domestic violence, we developed a video concept that would highlight these effects on children.

The video shows a young boy watching his parents who are in a domestically violent relationship. In turn, he repeats similar aggressions towards a little girl on the playground. As the video progresses, the dad and boy become increasingly aggressive. It ends with the boy unaffected when his mother gets slapped. The screen fades to black with a statistic and the title of our campaign, “You Never Know Who’s Watching.”

The video will be distributed on Facebook, the Safe Passage site as well as through various news outlets. We plan to send the video PSA to local news stations such as WLWT, WCPO and Local 12. As the campaign progresses, we will create a variety of similar videos, as well as 30 second versions that can be used as television commercials.

While developing the video, we kept our primary audience of parents or guardians of elementary aged children in mind. However, the general community will be able to resonate with the concept of a child being influenced by his/her parents or guardians.

o Billboard In order to “hype” up the video and increase awareness about its launch,

we will create a billboard ad with a call-to-action to visit safepassageinc.org--where the video will be found. It will showcase a young child with a black background and white text reading, “You never know who’s watching” across the top. Along the bottom corner it will read, “Find out why at safepassageinc.org.”

One billboard will be placed in each county for a month’s time and will coincide with the video launch.

o Stickers We will create stickers to hand out to community members and children.

We are confident that this will spread the message about the campaign because of the “trend” to put stickers on personal items such as phone cases, laptops, planners, water bottles, etc. In addition to this, these stickers will be placed all over various towns on walls, telephone poles, street signs, etc.

The stickers will be black and circular with the message “You never know who’s watching” in white type. The website will be placed at the bottom of the sticker.

o Inspiration Board We will place six blackboards in central locations throughout the six

counties. These boards will read “Who inspires you?” at the top, opening up the opportunity for community members to write the names of people who inspire them. After two weeks we will go back and place a sign saying “You never know who’s watching” emphasizes the positive influence that people can have on others. The Safe Passage website safepassageinc.org will be featured on the sign at this time as well.

The website will have an update at this time to incorporate this positive campaign on it’s main landing page.

This interactive activity will have an inspirational appeal to the audience on a subject that is otherwise difficult to discuss.

Media Relations o “Mommy Blog”

We will send a pitch letter to local Indiana “Mommy Blogs” detailing Safe Passage’s campaign to spread awareness about the effects domestic violence has on children. This will include a colorful infographic detailing the eight categories of the developmental assets for the bloggers to use as a reference in their post. This post will deliver the “parenting advice” content that “Mommy bloggers” like to share with their readers. We will reach out to An Indiana Mom!, Baby Blythe Blog, Mom For Less, Creating a Better Tomorrow, Indiana Anna, and Our Little Monkeys, all certified Little Indiana bloggers. Through the blogs we will be directly interacting with our primary public of parents or guardians with children in kindergarten through sixth grade in Southeast Indiana.

Event o “Brunch & Learn”

Safe Passage will hold “Brunch & Learns” within each county for parents or guardians and community members to learn about the effects domestic violence has on children. These will be held once a month throughout the year for a total of two times in each county in community centers or areas that provide free space. The “curriculum” for this will parallel what Safe Passage teaches in its schools, but the content will be tailored to community members as well as parents or guardians.

Community Outreach o Representatives from Safe Passage will visit community

centers to share information about the “Brunch & Learns” to promote awareness about the event and the organization. These visits will be at churches, YMCA’s, public libraries, and other community centers. Flyers will also be posted throughout the community.

o These events will specifically work to benefit our primary publics of community members, parents or guardians in the counties served by Safe Passage.

Brochures In order to promote the “Brunch & Learn” sessions throughout

communities, we will pass out brochures containing information about Safe Passage and the local “Brunch & Learn” to community members. We will also have these posted in popular areas around each county and hand them out at community centers such as the YMCA, Churches, etc.

Timeline January 2017

o 1: Begin Brunch & Learn series o 30: Billboards Start o 30: Video Launch

February 2017 o 1: Begin 40 Developmental Asset Pamphlets o 15: Start Bus Stops o 30: Billboards End

March 2017 o 20: Begin Mommy Blog Pieces

April 2017 o 2: Begin Sticker Campaign o 20: End Bus Stop Ads

November 2017 o End Sticker Campaign

December 2017 o 5: End Mommy Blog Pieces o 10: End 40 Developmental Assets Pamphlets o 31: End Brunch & Learn series

January 2018 o 1: End Plan

Budget

Product Price Quantity Total

Digital Advertising

Facebook Video distribution costs (CPC) $ 0.28 5,000 $1,400

Print Advertising

Bus Stop Advertisements $150

For 4 weeks

18 $ 2,700

Printing of Bus Shelter Ads $100 18 $1,800

40 Developmental Assets Printing $1 per pamphlet 1,600 $1,600

40 Developmental Assets Parent Newsletter $ 0.19 1,680 $319.20

Interactive Marketing

“Stickers” .08 1000 $84

Billboard Advertisement $250 per

billboard

6 $1,500

Inspiration Board-4ft x 8ft plywood $14.55 6 $87.30

Chalkboard Paint $9.00 for 29oz 6 $54

Chalk Pens $4.99 for 4 6 $29.94

Community Involvement

Brunch & Learn Catering (Bob Evans

breakfast)

$180 12

$ 2,160.00

Brunch & Learn Brochures $ 0.22 1,000 $220

Total: $11,954.44

Evaluation Website Analytics

o We will analyze the number of page visits to the Safe Passage website before and after the website redesign, to determine the effectiveness of the plan.

o We will conduct another content analysis using eye-tracking software after the redesign of the website to determine the effectiveness of this tactic.

o If 70 percent of those tested with the eye-tracking software after the redesign are able to complete tasks quicker than they completed them before the redesign then we will consider this tactic to be a success.

Take-Home Pamphlet o The number of completed pamphlets that are returned to teachers with parent

signatures will be a measure of how many families are integrating the 40 developmental assets into their home lives.

o If 62 percent of students bring back a signed pamphlet then we will consider this tactic to be a success.

Media Outreach o The traffic to the post regarding Safe Passage and the 40 developmental assets

on the “Mommy Blogs” will determine the success of this tactic. We will also track the clicks from the blogs to the safepassageinc.org.

o If 20 percent of “Mommy” bloggers respond to, and post about the 40 developmental assets, we will consider this tactic a success.

o If we have 40 percent of the readers click through to safepassageinc.org we will consider this tactic to be a success.

“You Never Know Who’s Watching” Campaign o Within the first two weeks of our “You Never Know Who’s Watching” campaign,

we will track the number of visits to safepassageinc.org. o By measuring the number of viewers, shares, and levels of engagement through

likes and comments on Facebook, we will be able to further monitor the success of our PSA through social media.

o If 40 percent of those who see the Facebook post interact with it then we will consider this tactic to be a success.

Event Attendance o The number of attendees at the “Brunch & Learn” events is a direct measure of

community awareness and will indicate the effectiveness of the events.

Appendix Parent Letter

Blogger Pitch letter

Pamphlets

Webpage

Logo

Print Ad - bus stop

Handouts for Community outreach

Mommy Blog graphic

Stickers

Billboard

Heat Map – Website Re-design