wvu imc capstone - imc campaign proposal for st. jude children's research hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Campaign Proposal. Copyright ©2014 Ignite IMC. CONFIDENTIAL.

Prepared for

11441 Summer House Ct

Reston, VA 20194on

August 1, 2014

St. Jude Children’sResearch Hospital

An IMC Plan for

Prepared by

Objective:

To position St. Jude as the elite fundraising program in the young professional market, building an affinity

for St. Jude among Millennials by using innovative tactics to authentically engage and activate this crucial

demographic and cultivate strong base of life-long St. Jude supporters.

Table of ContentsExecutive Summary 4

Opening Letter 5

Agency Materials 6

Logos and Business Card 6

Letterhead Example 7

Agency Credentials & Identity 8

About Ignite 8

Where We Stand 8

Our Philosophy 8

Mission Statement 9

Approach 9

Core Competencies 9

Press Release 12

Partner Background 13

Situation Analysis 13

Overview 13

History 13

Foundations & Progress 14

Branding & Position 15

Challenges & Future Direction 16

Target Market Analysis 17

Demographics 18

Psychographics 18

Unique Characteristics 18

Young Professionals and Nonprofits 19

SWOT Analysis 20

Brand Perception 22

Brand Positioning 23

Brand Personality 25

Honest 26

Effective 26

Personal 26

Modern 27

Integrated Communication Strategy Statement 28

Creative Brief 29

Communication Plan 30

Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics 30

Budget Summary 39

Creative Executions 40

Measurement & Evaluation 50

Focus Group Results 50

Knowledge of St. Jude 51

St. Jude Marketing 52

Millennials 52

Millennials and non-profits 53

Integrated Communication Strategy Statement 53

Communication Plan & Tactics 54

Predicted Impact of Campaign 54

Campaign Evaluation 55

Conclusion 57

References 58

Appendices 61

Appendix A - Online Survey 61

Appendix B - Communications Timeline 72

Appendix C - Budget Summary 73

Appendix D - Focus Group Moderator’s Guide 74

St. Jude Campaign Proposal | 2014 Ignite IMC Page | 4

Executive SummaryThe non-profit landscape and the Millennial generation are, without a doubt, challenging to navigate. But

where others see road blocks, Ignite IMC sees opportunity.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a well established and incredibly effective non-profit organization

supporting children with catastrophic diseases and their families through groundbreaking research and the

treatment it supports. Young professionals are a segment of the Millennial generation that, in the face of

misconceptions, are more than willing to support the right non-profit or charity for them by means of their

donations, volunteering, and rapidly expanding online social influence.

Ignite IMC is the force that will unite these two groups to create a profound and lasting impact.

As a B-corporation, Ignite IMC has been founded with a dedication to submitting ourselves to third-party

certification and a higher standard of purpose, accountability, and transparency. In addition to opening

ourselves up in this way common to B-corporations, Ignite has pledged to give 100% of its profits back to

our local community and deserving charities. We believe that everyone has inside themselves the fuel to be

the change they wish to see in the world; we are here to ignite that fuel in ourselves and for those with whom

we partner.

For our valued partner St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Ignite IMC will leverage our digital, social,

mobile, creative, and advertising expertise in ways supported by extensive and targeted research to deliver

a highly engaged and supportive audience of young professionals that will fuel enthusiastic and genuine

support in the short and long term.

IgniteIMC.com / 202.615.6116 / 11441 Summer House Ct / Reston, VA 20194

Kevin KestlerIgnite IMC11441 Summer House Ct.Reston, VA 20194

August 1, 2014

Ms. Melanne Hannock Sr. Vice President, Marketing St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital262 Danny Thomas PlaceMemphis TN 38015-3678Cc: Ms. Shelby Anderson and Ms. Katie Foster

Dear Ms. Hannock:

I would like to express my great appreciation for having been given the opportunity to present Ignite IMC’s campaign proposal for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We are very excited to share with you what we have put together, and are hopeful for an opportunity to partner with such an incredible and impactful organization.

Ignite IMC was founded on the principal that nonprofit organizations like St. Jude that choose to do good and hold themselves to a higher standard deserve an agency that does the same. Ignite delivers nonprofits carefully considered marketing strategies using innovative tactics to authentically engage with a well-understood target audience. But more than that, we hold at our core a drive, inspired by our nonprofit partners, to give back to the community—among other ways, through our B-corporation status.

At Ignite, we believe that everyone has inside themselves the fuel to be the change they wish to see in the world; we are here to ignite it. That process begins with thorough research of your target market and competition to learn the landscape before crafting integrated campaigns and compelling stories to achieve your goals. To achieve your goals, Ignite will call on any and all necessary tools from our extensive marketing communications toolbox. Digital, social, mobile, creative, advertising, branding, positioning, public relations—we’ve got it all covered.

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any questions you may have. I look forward to this being just the beginning of a long, productive, and impactful relationship between Ignite IMC and St. Jude.

Sincerely,

Kevin KestlerFounder & CEOIgnite IMC


SAMPLE L

ETTERHEAD


ig•nite \ig-’nīt\ : to give life or energy to (someone or something); to heat up; to set in motion

About IgniteYou are more than your logo. You are more than your website. You are more than the weight of the stock on

which your business card is printed.

You are more. And so are we.

Ignite IMC was founded on the principal that nonprofit organizations that choose to do good and hold

themselves to a higher standard deserve an agency that does the same. Ignite delivers nonprofits carefully

considered marketing strategies using innovative tactics to authentically engage with a well-understood

target audience. But more than that, we hold at our core a drive, inspired by our nonprofit partners, to give

back to the community.

Where We StandIgnite IMC brings a fresh perspective and fiery resolve to the nonprofit sector. We are a full-service

integrated marketing agency that can help you with everything from creative design to the most involved

ongoing social engagements and community events. We are constantly learning and growing, leveraging

the latest proven tactics and technologies to help our partners fuel meaningful and lasting change.

Where others talk the talk with nonprofit clients, Ignite walks the walk. As a B-corporation, we at Ignite IMC

have chosen to hold ourselves to a higher standard and a greater purpose, giving 100% of our profits back

to our community. We are using business as a force for good and want to help you do the same.

Our PhilosophyWe believe that everyone has inside themselves the fuel to be the change they wish to see in the world; we

are here to ignite it.


Ignite IMC creates meaningful marketing. We understand your mission as a nonprofit, as well as your

challenges. We understand that you must function in much the same way as a typical business but with half

the budget and twice the purpose—and we understand why you do it.

We use stories—not pitches—to help our partners—not just clients—create authentic, personal connections

with their audience. We exercise unwavering integrity in the course of exceeding expectations. And thanks

to our B-corp status, you can rest assured that, like every penny given to you is being used to do the greatest

good possible, so is every penny you give us.

Mission StatementOur mission, in no small part inspired by our incredible nonprofit partners, boils down to one defining drive:

to ignite the fuel of meaningful change.

ApproachMarketing campaigns are only as good as the research behind them. At Ignite IMC we conduct in-depth

market and competitive research to fully understand the landscape before crafting integrated campaigns and

compelling stories to achieve your goals.

Ignite values close collaboration with our partners. We want you to see us as part of your team, and you will

certainly be treated as part of ours. We’re not a one-and-done, in-and-out agency. We are in the business

of forging long-term relationships with our partners and helping them ignite lasting personal connections with

their audience.

Core CompetenciesIgnite IMC is a full-service agency that lives up to the name. Here’s a little fuel to get your imagination

going:

DigitalWe fully embrace the promise of the digital landscape in the context of nonprofit and cause marketing and

have perfected the art of using emerging digital technologies to fuel real-world impacts.

• Front-end web design and development for new websites and redesigns alike

• Fully responsive online experiences from purpose-driven landing and donation pages to entire

websites

• Rich digital storytelling that earns your audience’s emotional interest and support


SocialSocial media has opened up exciting new possibilities for nonprofits. Ignite IMC knows that social is not

objective in itself but is a tactic and a tool to help you achieve your greater goals. We will help your

nonprofit expertly navigate the social landscape and take advantage of the authentic connections and

grassroots support it has to offer.

• Authentic personal engagement with key market segments in their native online communities

• Design and execution of two-way social media community management

• Socially driven cause marketing and fundraising

• Digital word-of-mouth via social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and

more.

MobileWe have, in many ways, become a mobile first society. Most of us have a powerful computer and

communications device on our hip 24/7. This platform comes with its own unique advantages for nonprofits

and Ignite IMC can help you leverage them to their greatest potential.

• Reach your audience on a platform that almost never leaves their side

• Mobile-first design for web, email, and social campaigns that will fully immerse your target audience

at any touch point

• Capitalize on authentic face to face connections at events by providing your supporters with an

immediately actionable call to action on their mobile device

CreativeThey say a picture is worth a thousand words. We think that’s an understatement. High-quality creative work

can efficiently and emotionally speak for your brand in a way that words simply cannot.

• Logos that uniquely and accurately reflect your brand, its mission, and its personality

• Forget stock photos. Let us shoot high-quality photos of your actual office, people, products, and

events

• Videos from six-second Vine loops to high-quality productions highlighting your inspiring work

AdvertisingBolster connections with your current consumers and establish a presence with a larger audience.

• Print and online, still and interactive, social and mobile. Your message will reach the right people at

the right time in the right place.

• Data-driven advertising strategies to give you the best visibility for your advertising dollar


Branding/PositioningGive your brand a life and personality of its own.

• Develop a clearly defined brand position and voice that authentically represents your organization

and its goals

• Solidify your position among charities and nonprofits and make it clear to potential donors why your

organization is deserving of their support

Public RelationsIt takes much more than just marketing to consumers to help your nonprofit succeed.

• We will support your organization with professional public relations communications

• Ignite can function as your liaison to the media, providing you with print-ready content to ensure

earned media is on-message and engaging


For Immediate ReleaseAugust 1, 2014

Contact:Kevin Kestler

Founder & CEO, Ignite [email protected]

(202) 615-6116

Integrated Marketing Agency Ignite IMC Opens for BusinessNew agency focuses on creating meaningful and innovative marketing for charities and nonprofits

Reston, VA (Aug 1, 2014) — Ignite IMC, a full-service integrated marketing communications agency in Reston, VA, has announced its official opening for business. The agile marketing agency focuses on creating carefully considered marketing strategies using innovative tactics to help charities and nonprofits authentically engage with their audience.

Ignite IMC brings a fresh perspective and fiery resolve to the nonprofit sector. The agency assists clients in everything from creative design to the most involved ongoing social engagements and community events. Ignite leverages the latest proven tactics and technologies to help its partners fuel meaningful and lasting change. The company was founded as a B-corporation, submitting itself to third-party certification and a higher standard of purpose, accountability, and transparency.

“We believe that nonprofit organizations that choose to do good and hold themselves to a higher standard deserve an agency that does the same,” said Kevin Kestler, Founder and CEO of Ignite IMC. “As a B-corporation, we have chosen to walk the walk, giving 100% of our profits back to our community. Our highest motivations of creating a material positive impact on our society align with the motivations of our nonprofit partners. We are offering our marketing expertise to help these partners achieve the awareness and support they unquestionably deserve.“

Ignite is currently accepting new clients. For more information, visit IgniteIMC.com or tweet @IgniteIMC.

###

About Ignite IMCIgnite IMC (www.IgniteIMC.com) is a full-service integrated marketing communications agency headquartered in Reston, VA and founded on the principal that nonprofit organizations that choose to do good and hold themselves to a higher standard deserve an agency that does the same. Ignite delivers charitable organizations and nonprofits carefully considered marketing strategies using innovative tactics to authentically engage with a well-understood target audience. Ignite holds at its core a drive, inspired by its nonprofit partners, to give back to the community. As a B-corporation, Ignite IMC holds itself to a higher standard and a greater purpose, giving 100% of profits back to the community.


Partner BackgroundSituation AnalysisOverviewSt. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (St. Jude) is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation based in Memphis,

Tennessee (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014i). The St. Jude mission 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 treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability

to pay.” (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014j).

From humble beginnings, St. Jude has become one of the world’s foremost pediatric cancer research and

treatment centers.

History“It all began with a simple promise.”

Danny Thomas was a young man with a struggling

entertainment career and a baby on the way. After

attending a particularly moving mass in a Detroit

church, Danny placed his last $7 in the collection box

and prayed for a way to pay the hospital bills looming

just over the horizon—and the following day was

offered a part that would pay him ten times the $7 he

had given to the church (St. Jude Children’s Research

Hospital, 2014d).

Having experienced the power of prayer, Danny was

reinvigorated and went on to achieve some success,

but couldn’t quite make it through to the next level.

He prayed to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of

hopeless causes, saying “help me find my way in

life, and I will build you a shrine” (St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital, 2014d). Years later, after a

flourishing career of international celebrity, St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital is Danny’s fulfillment of


that promise. The fuel that has ignited and motivated St. Jude as an organization since can best be described

by Danny himself: “No child should die in the dawn of life” (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014e).

Foundations & ProgressTo help fund the considerable annual operation

costs of the early St. Jude, Danny Thomas turned

to his fellow Lebanese-Americans and Arabic-

speaking Americans for fundraising help. In

1957, 100 representatives of this community

came together to form the American Lebanese

Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) with the sole

purpose of generating fundraising support for

St. Jude (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,

2014d). With this support—which still continues

today—the doors of St. Jude Children’s Research

Hospital opened on February 4, 1962 (St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital, 2014e).

In the intervening years, St. Jude’s progress

has been nothing if not miraculous. Treatments

pioneered at St. Jude have helped to drive the

overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20%

in 1962 to more than 80% today with the goal

of reaching 90% in the next decade (St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital, 2014h). In fact, with

a major focus on acute lymphoblastic leukemia

(ALL), St. Jude has been able increase children’s

survival rates for this terrible disease from just 4%

before 1962 to 94% today (St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital, 2014h).

Today, St. Jude has treated children from all

50 states all around the world and accommodated 67,000 patient visits per year on average (St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital, 2014h). Groundbreaking research and daily operating costs of $2 million per

day are supported in great part over 35,000 fundraising events per year and annual donations exceeding

$880 million (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014a; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014g).

Five-year cancer survival rates - 1962 vs. present* (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014f)


Branding & PositionSt. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a veritable powerhouse among charitable organizations,

accomplishing feats far beyond those of a typical singular hospital. The St. Jude name is mentioned by

industry experts alongside the likes of the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, ranks

18th on Cone’s Power 100 Nonprofit list, and is the nation’s top children’s cancer hospital according to U.S.

News and World Report (Zmuba, 2011).

St. Jude separates itself from other similar charitable organizations in several ways. First among them is St.

Jude’s dedication specifically to children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive

Cancer Center devoted solely to children (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014h). St. Jude has

earned a reputation as a premier treatment facility for the toughest cases and most aggressive forms of

childhood cancer that other facilities have struggled to treat successfully. Specifically, St. Jude serves as a

national referral center for children with cancer and a local referral center for children with cancer, blood

disorders, and HIV/AIDS (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014c).

Despite its treatment and research focus on children,

St. Jude sets itself apart by cultivating donors from

all walks of life. St. Jude takes more of a lifecycle

marketing approach to fundraising, vying to make

an impression long before most other charities and

nurturing these supporters throughout their entire

lifetimes. Helping to encourage these supporters

stick around for the long run are a bevy of celebrity

supporters, the ongoing and highly public success of

the St. Jude institution, and one other crucial factor: trust. Harris Interactive rates St. Jude Children’s Research

Hospital the most-trusted charity in the nation—an invaluable differentiator that can help St. Jude earn donor

support in an economy today that is drastically different from that during Danny Thomas’ or his children’s

generations (Zmuba, 2011).

Not only is St. Jude a world-class treatment facility, but it also is home to some of the most groundbreaking

research into the root causes of catastrophic diseases in children (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,

2014i). This research and its breakthroughs, in turn, contribute directly back to leading-edge treatment and

allow St. Jude to offer more clinical trials for cancer than any other children’s hospital (St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital, 2014h).

At St. Jude, a focus on children, world-class treatment, and groundbreaking research have come together,

becoming more than the sum of their parts, to create “a place for hope” (broomcr, 2008). The best available

treatments give parents of sick children time, hope, and support. Thanks to ongoing leading-edge research,

parents of children who were unable to overcome their diseases can take comfort in knowing that their

“No other organization can claim to have such a profound, lasting, and meaningful impact on the lives of children and pediatric illnesses.”


child’s brave fight will serve to prevent similar suffering in the lives of other children and their families.

No other organization can claim to have such a profound, lasting, and meaningful impact on the lives of

children and pediatric illnesses as a whole.

Challenges & Future DirectionSt. Jude’s daily operating budget of $2 million might sound like a lot, but it is crucial that this money is spent

wisely. Much of the media St. Jude uses for marketing and promotion is donated, discounted, or earned

(Zmuba, 2011). In large part, St. Jude relies on cost-effective marketing channels such as public relations,

social media, and its own website. A quick search for St. Jude’s current social media accounts reveals that

they have amassed a very respectable social audience of over 2.2 million people, including

• 1.69+ million Likes on Facebook,

• 359,000+ Twitter followers,

• 265,000+ followers on Google+

• 24,000+ Instagram followers,

• 4,800+ YouTube subscribers, and

• 230+ Pinterest followers.

St. Jude’s social media and web content tends to focus on current and previous patients as well as

fundraising and awareness events and is generally well-received and generates positive engagement.

While St. Jude also competes for awareness and donations with other charities and nonprofits. In the

treatment space, St. Jude competes with the likes of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a nationwide

network of high-profile and respected hospitals with a broad variety of treatment specialties. In terms

of fundraising for children’s healthcare, St. Jude competes with the Children’s Miracle Network, an

international nonprofit fundraising organization supporting children’s hospitals. St. Jude must also compete

for support with organizations like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which, while not competitors in the medical

space, are able to tell compelling stories of non-medical support for sick children and their families—thereby

competing for the attention and support of the same audience St. Jude seeks to reach.

Beyond other organizations, St. Jude must also contend with industry-wide challenges. In the course of

telling the story of its organization and the children it helps, St. Jude is necessarily exposing the general

public to a certain level of the traumatic suffering of others, which can result in compassion fatigue: a

gradual decrease in compassion over time mostly due to a growing feeling that support efforts are becoming

increasingly pointless and ineffective (Joslyn, 2002). Potential donors eventually become desensitized to

the stories many charities and nonprofits like St. Jude share to evoke compassion and encourage support

and skeptical about how well any donations are being used (Donaldson, 2012). With nationwide charitable

giving more or less level over the past four years, St. Jude must overcome hurdles like compassion fatigue

to bolster donor retention (typically more economical than new donor acquisition) as much as possible


(Haydon, 2011).

Clearly, the stakes of St. Jude’s overall marketing programs are high. As of St. Jude’s 2013 Annual Report,

donations alone accounted for 68% of total annual revenue and cover 94% of total annual expenses (St.

Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014a). With an average individual donation of just $30, St. Jude must

mobilize all of the 5 million donors and 1 million volunteers on its books to maintain steady progress (St.

Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014g; Zmuba, 2011).

A crucial part of St. Jude’s fundraising effort is its young professional platform, which accounts for $30

million in donations annually (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014g). Within this platform, St. Jude

has launched several successful efforts. Friends of St. Jude, with a focus on consumers ages 22-40, helped

to raise funds, awareness, and volunteer participation among young professionals (St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital, 2014g). St. Jude has also historically leveraged strong relationships within the collegiate

space, specifically with the Tri Delta sorority and St. Jude Up ’til Dawn fundraisers which together boast over

38,000 participants (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014g).

Not only does this demographic support

St. Jude financially, but for two years

in a row St. Jude has been recognized

by Forbes as the top company where

Millennials want to work. It is clear that

St. Jude is well-known and respected

among Millennials, but it has faced

several challenges here as well. St. Jude has often lost touch with graduating college seniors—9,000 St.

Jude supporters are expected to graduate this year alone (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014g).

Millennials—particularly young professional audience—and their driven, connected lifestyles represent a

huge opportunity for St. Jude to generate support now and build a foundation for the future. St. Jude must

find a way to maintain its strong relationship with graduating seniors and reconnect with those who have

lost contact, leverage social networks and native influence to win the competition for this generation’s

fundraising dollars, and cultivate a strong base of life-long Millennial supporters who will generate

consistent return on investment.

Target Market AnalysisYoung professionals are a large demographic with quickly growing spending power and economic

influence. They are unique from any generation that has come before them and are proud of it. As a brand,

reaching this generation presents challenges that involve tactics drastically different from what many large

corporations have come to embrace in recent decades, and some brands are facing these challenges more

gracefully than others.

“Millennials—particularly young professional audience—and their driven, connected lifestyles represent a huge opportunity for St. Jude.”


DemographicsYoung professionals between the ages of 21 and 30 fall squarely in the middle of a generation known as

Millennials. While there is some variation between sources, Millennials are frequently considered to be

the generation born between 1977 and 1995. This encompasses 77 million Americans or 24% of the total

U.S. population—which is equivalent in size to their parents’ Baby Boomer generation (The Nielsen Group,

2014).

Beyond that, there are few similarities between Millennials and Boomers. Millennials are marrying at a

rate half that of Boomers and account for 20% of all U.S. same-sex couples (The Nielsen Group, 2014).

They prefer living in urban areas rich with culture, social interaction, and diversity. Whereas the Boomer

generation’s make-up was mostly driven by high birth rates, the Millennial generation’s growth has been

fueled immigration (The Nielsen Group, 2014). At 43% non-white, Millennials are the most ethnically diverse

generation in the U.S. (Drake, 2014).

In a historical and global context, the Millennial generation has been defined by the growing AIDS

epidemic, the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the fall of Berlin Wall and Soviet

Union, September 11th, and immersion in technologies like email, texting, and social media (Fromm, Lindell,

& Decker, 2011).

PsychographicsThe Millennial generation is not only demographically more diverse than previous generations, but it is

also more tolerant and appreciative of that diversity, likely due to being exposed to it so frequently both in

person and online (Nahai, 2013). Millennials are confident and socially aware, valuing equality and social

responsibility (Nahai, 2013). Their lifestyles are fairly quiet, consisting largely of hanging out with friends,

listening to music, and watching TV—but they are very distrustful of mainstream media (Nahai, 2013). This

means that earned media like word-of-mouth, peer reviews and recommendations are the most influential

in their purchasing process. Vehemently defensive of their individuality, Millennials will strive to avoid being

painted with a broad brush or placed into a single category tightly-defined, though many have tried to do

just that (Griner, 2014).

Unique CharacteristicsMillennials have higher student loan debt, higher rates of poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of

wealth and personal income than when the two generations before them were at the same stage in their lives

(Drake, 2014; Petro, 2013). Some have blamed Millennials themselves and a perceived sense of entitlement;

others believe it was in fact the Baby Boomer generation that has left Millennials to inherit a struggling

and volatile economy and ailing planet (Balkin, 2014). Despite these hardships, Millennials are extremely


confident about their future—they have big shoes to fill in terms of the economic output and spending power

of their predecessors, and they fully intend to do so (Drake, 2014; Petro, 2013). Beyond these economic

aspirations, Millennials thrive and gain fulfillment within the online and social ecosystem they have in large

part constructed for themselves. Any brand that wishes to earn for itself the benefits of this generation’s

current and future spending must fully understand its demographic diversity, individuality, and connectedness

(Petro, 2013).

Young Professionals and NonprofitsMillennials, in general, are

highly engaged with cause

marketing and nonprofits.

Affiliation with a cause is more

important to the Millennial

generation than to any previous

generation (Fromm, Lindell,

& Decker, 2011). In fact, in a

survey conducted by Ignite IMC

on behalf of St. Jude, 61.8% of

Millennial survey respondents

expressed a desire to find a

charity or nonprofit to support

over the course of their lifetime

(this survey can be found in full

in Appendix A. Its results and

implications will be revealed and discussed throughout this plan). As Millennials’ digital prowess would

suggest, social media is one of the main ways Millennials learn about nonprofits and cause marketing

initiatives, but they’re also comfortable engaging with nonprofits via mobile and online (Fromm, Lindell, &

Decker, 2011).

While previous generations have been willing to donate money and used goods, Millennials go the extra

mile. They will buy products and services where that purchase supports a cause, they will volunteer their time

to organize and attend charity events, and they will actively advocate for causes they believe in (Fromm,

Lindell, & Decker, 2011). Millennials view their time, their social networks, and their voice as potentially

very valuable assets they can “donate” to a cause beyond financial and physical goods (Feldmann,

2014). However, Millennials don’t part with their valuable time, money, and online voice without careful

consideration. Young professionals want to make sure their hard-earned dollars are being put to good

use when donated, and are sticklers for corporate social and fiscal responsibility—63.6% of Millennial

respondents to Ignite’s survey said they research a charity or nonprofit before making a donation or

(Ray, Willis, & Pattat, 2012)


choosing to volunteer. While this may sound like a high standard to meet, St. Jude is currently in a good

position to cater to this market with its continued commitment to effective resource utilization (St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital, 2014b).

Unfortunately, St. Jude has seen a

disconnect from Millennials over recent

years. St. Jude received donations from

303,000 Millennials in Fiscal Year 2013,

a 16% decrease from Fiscal Year 2012

(Ray, Willis, & Pattat, 2012). A closer

examination reveals that St. Jude seems

to be connecting with older Millennials

(30-35 years of age) but is not as effective

in connecting with younger Millennials. In

addition, the median household income of

Millennials is $58,000—$13,000 higher

than that of the St. Jude active donor

population (Ray, Willis, & Pattat, 2012).

Research suggests that St. Jude scores high

in the brand attributes that are important

to Millennial donors, and Millennials

clearly have the means to become active

St. Jude supporters, so the shortcoming appears to be in reaching the younger reaches of the Millennial

generation with the right message and the right opportunities to engage with St. Jude (Ray, Willis, & Pattat,

2012). Ignite’s survey showed that 47.3% of Millennials were unclear about what exactly St. Jude’s mission

is and 20% were completely in the dark—the breakdown is seemingly in communication and not any kind of

fundamental disconnect between St. Jude and the Millennial audience.

SWOT AnalysisSt. Jude has several internal strengths and weaknesses that position it for both external opportunities and

threats. This SWOT analysis serves to identify these factors both individually and in relation to each other.

Among St. Jude’s greatest strengths are its generally high awareness, celebrity support, and world-class

research and treatment. Despite past difficulty reaching young professionals, St. Jude is in a position to

capitalize on the intersection of its favorable brand attributes and Millennials’ desire to make a difference.

“St. Jude scores high in the brand attributes that are important to Millennial donors, and Millennials clearly have the means to become active St. Jude supporters, so the shortcoming appears to be in reaching the younger reaches of the Millennial generation with the right message and the right opportunities to engage with St. Jude.”


Helpful HarmfulIn

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Ex

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SThreatsOpportunities

Strengths Weaknesses

WO T

• High awareness among general public

• Large existing social media audience• Strong existing connections with segments

of target market• Large internal workforce dedicated to

fundraising• Recognizable celebrity

spokespeople• Groundbreaking research & medical

breakthroughs

• Low awareness among specific target audience (young professionals age 21-30)

• Social audience could be more engaged in two-way conversation

• High daily operating costs• Available stories are often sad or deeply

emotional, can evoke compassion fatigue

• Decreasing donations from target market

• Difficulty reaching younger Millennials, especially recent college graduates

• Target market has higher median household income than current active donor population

• Increasing acceptance of and support for charity, cause, and nonprofit content on social media

• Target market willing more willing to volunteer time than past generations

• Target market views its network & social voice as an assets it’s willing to share with a nonprofit

• Increasing popularity of workplace fundraising and employer donation matching

• Many young professionals are seeking a nonprofit to support over their lifetime

• Target market has a very high standard of fiscal and corporate responsibility for organizations to which it will donate/volunteer

• Economy still recovering from Great Recession

• Compassion fatigue among donors and supporters

• Many charities and nonprofits fighting for limited donations

• Hard to keep up with young professionals’ use of a rapidly changing digital & social landscape

• Many young professionals support of a nonprofit is contingent upon a personal connection with its mission


Brand PerceptionAs mentioned above, there is a communication breakdown between St. Jude and the young professional

audience. To gather further information Ignite IMC conducted a quick survey. Promoted via social media,

the short online survey (detailed in Appendix A) gathered responses from 88 individuals, including 55

in the Millennial demographic (62.5% of total respondents). Responses were collected at https://www.

surveymonkey.com/s/WSFWMCN between October 23, 2014 and November 6, 2014. This survey

revealed that 47.3% of Millennials expressed uncertainty about what exactly St. Jude’s mission is and 20%

were completely in the dark. While St. Jude scores high in brand attributes that are important to Millennials,

there appears to be a gap between fulfilling this ideal and specific familiarity and connection directly with

St. Jude (Ray, Willis, & Pattat, 2012).

However, a lack of familiarity with the particulars of St. Jude’s mission doesn’t seem to have affected the

light in which young professionals view St. Jude. Of Millennial survey respondents, 73% agreed that they

viewed St. Jude positively; over 36% strongly agreed with this sentiment. Rather than just a generic positivity

toward the St. Jude brand, 62% of Millennial survey respondents said they viewed St. Jude as an honest

and respectable organization. This kind of trustworthiness is essential in earning the support (especially the

financial support) of young professionals who do not part easily with their valuable time, money, and voice.

In addition, the perceptions described above aren’t empty; rather, they are enough to move young

professionals to action. In Ignite’s survey, 45% of Millennials expressed a willingness to donate money to St.

Jude and 31% expressed willingness to volunteer at a fundraising event.

In other words, young professionals have expressed a general positivity towards St. Jude and a subsequent willingness to offer support, but do not have the deeper understanding of St. Jude that could spark greater affinity and long term commitments and advocacy. St. Jude’s greatest

challenge, then, and a central purpose of Ignite IMC’s plan, will be to bridge the awareness gap that exists

between St. Jude and this particular audience and forge a strong and lasting connection and commitment.


Brand PositioningSt. Jude is currently well-positioned within the

marketplace at large, driven by its mission

of “finding cures, saving children” (St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital, 2014g). St. Jude

is distinctive, in part, as a nonprofit medical

treatment and research organization in its

focus solely on children (St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital, 2014h). This organizational

focus, it seems, has led St. Jude to position its

brand with a focus on parents and older adults.

By focusing on parents whose children could

potentially be affected by the same ailments

facing the children portrayed in St. Jude’s brand

messaging, St. Jude is drawing on empathy,

parental protection instincts, and even, to a

lesser extent, fear to reach its current audience.

Many of St. Jude’s creative executions include emotional photographs of current or past St. Jude patients.

The children are frequently identified by first name, further cementing the emotional connection with the

viewer. Themes of parental care are common as well (e.g., “Most kids feel better with just a bandage and

kiss. Kids with cancer need a cure.”) (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2006). In fact, in a Moat ad

St. Jude ad featuring a St. Jude patient battling cancer (Moat, 2014).

Despite relative unfamiliarity with the St. Jude brand and mission, Millennial respondents to Ignite IMC’s survey expressed overwhelming positivity towards St. Jude: 73% agreed that they viewed St. Jude positively; over 36% strongly agreed with this sentiment. (Full survey results can be found in Appendix A).


This full-page newspaper ad ran in USA Today on December 1, 2006 to support the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2006)


search for St. Jude ads, nearly all of the 243 results returned prominently featured a child whose short or

missing hair signaled their ongoing battle with cancer (Moat, 2014).

These ads are quite effective at evoking strong emotions, which can be both helpful and harmful. In the

course of telling the story of its organization and the children it helps, St. Jude is necessarily exposing

the general public to a certain level of the traumatic suffering of others, which can result in compassion

fatigue: a gradual decrease in compassion over time mostly due to a growing feeling that support efforts

are becoming increasingly pointless and ineffective (Joslyn, 2002). Potential donors eventually become

desensitized to the stories many charities and nonprofits like St. Jude share to evoke compassion and

encourage support and skeptical about how well any donations are being used (Donaldson, 2012).

Millennials and young professionals in particular are

already skeptical of advertising and hold brands to

a higher-than-average standard of social and fiscal

responsibility (Nahai, 2013). Combined, these factors

mean that nonprofits like St. Jude are walking a brand

positioning tightrope. St. Jude must honestly represent its

mission without inviting the onset of compassion fatigue

by relying too heavily on emotional appeals. It must

also balance the necessary use of emotion with a more

reason-based representation of its trustworthiness and

organizational responsibility. With nationwide charitable

giving more or less level over the past four years, St. Jude and other nonprofits must overcome hurdles

like compassion fatigue and public skepticism/high standards to bolster donor retention (typically more

economical than new donor acquisition) as much as possible (Haydon, 2011).

To reach the desired target audience of young professionals, St. Jude must alter its current brand positioning.

Millennials, especially young professionals at the lower end of this generation’s age range, are marrying

and having children at much lower rates than previous generations (The Nielsen Group, 2014). Appeals to

parental instinct and, to paraphrase a St. Jude tagline, giving thanks for the healthy children in their lives

simply will not hit home nearly as well for this target audience as they will with others. Accordingly, St. Jude

can position itself in a way that helps it reach the young professional demographic and create a strong

affinity and desire to provide support while not alienating other groups.

Brand PersonalityEvery brand has a personality whether they know it or not, and successful brands have crafted carefully

considered brand personalities to help them reach their audience more consistently and effectively. St. Jude’s

current brand communications suggest a personality that is knowledgeable, helpful, and professional. These

“St. Jude must overcome hurdles like compassion fatigue and public skepticism/high standards to bolster donor retention as much as possible.”


are by no means bad attributes for a brand personality, but they are not the most effective in reaching the

young professional target audience. To better reach young professionals now while maintaining a strong

relationship with all constituencies into the future, Ignite IMC suggests St. Jude adopt a brand personality

which is honest, effective, personal, and modern.

HonestYoung professionals want to make sure their hard-earned dollars are being put to good use when donated,

and are sticklers for corporate social and fiscal responsibility—63.6% of Millennial respondents to Ignite’s

survey said they research a charity or nonprofit before making a donation or choosing to volunteer. While St.

Jude is currently in a good position to cater to this market with its continued commitment to effective resource

utilization, the attribute of honesty should make its way into the brand’s personality and its everyday

interactions with young professionals (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 2014b). Transparency, honesty,

and continued showing of goodwill will bolster St. Jude as a trustworthy organization in the minds of young

professionals.

EffectiveSimilar to young professionals’ requirement of social and fiscal responsibility from nonprofits they support,

this demographic also expects that their money, time, and voice will be used not only responsibly but to

create a great and lasting positive effect. St. Jude is clearly effective in pursuing its mission: treatments

pioneered at St. Jude have helped to drive the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% in 1962

to more than 80% today with the goal of reaching 90% in the next decade (St. Jude Children’s Research

Hospital, 2014h). St. Jude’s brand personality must make it a point to shine a spotlight on its ongoing

achievements to make it apparent to young professional supporters that their efforts are driving positive

impacts in the lives of others.

PersonalMillennials have grown intolerant of being spoken down to or made the target of advertising (Nahai, 2013).

Instead, they want to be part of the conversation. The age of social media has further leveled the playing

field between brands and consumers, allowing for one-to-one communication on a scale that was previously

impossible. Young professionals expect brands to not only listen to their attempts to engage on social media,

but also for brands to take the time to respond individually without PR-heavy cookie cutter language. St. Jude

would benefit greatly from allowing its current highly-professional personality to become more personable

and approachable.


ModernYoung professionals are not willing to bend over backwards to connect with brands and expect that brands

will have done their research to understand this demographic. In this particular case, that means a whole-

hearted embrace of digital and social media, interaction, and open online engagement. It also means that

St. Jude must be comfortable using new technologies to accept donations and drum up event awareness and

attendance. While St. Jude is—and should be—proud of its history, it must show that it is both of and for the

modern age in which it operates. Young professionals are incredibly forward-thinking and hopeful for the

future and would prefer to support a nonprofit that embraces and personifies a similar air of modernity and

progressiveness.


Integrated Communication Strategy Statement

• Established, reputable nonprofit capable of spurring meaningful medical progress and immediate patient support

• Consistent progress in research and treatment of childhood diseases

• Tax deduction for donations• Volunteering is a great résumé-

builder• Contribute to St. Jude’s goal of

raising childhood cancer survival rates to 90% within the next decade

• Confidence that hard-earned dollars and volunteered time being put to good use

• Supporting sick children and their families today, many others as St. Jude shares its research

• Gain appreciation for the healthy children in your life while helping those who aren’t

• Feeling of satisfaction and empowerment for having made a meaningful impact in the lives of others

Rational Factors Emotional Factors

Strategy StatementSt. Jude is where every ounce of support to a worthy cause makes

a meaningful and noticeable impact now and in the future.

Rationale: St. Jude has a great starting point in that it possesses several brand attributes important to

Millennial donors, including corporate responsibility, a consistent mission and vision, and highly effective

service to those in need. At the core of the current plan to reach young professionals will be an effort

position St. Jude as a trustworthy nonprofit where hard-earned dollars and precious time go further and do

more than elsewhere.


Creative Brief

Why are we advertising?

To position St. Jude as the elite fundraising program in the young professional market, building an affinity

for St. Jude among Millennials by using innovative tactics to authentically engage and activate this crucial

demographic and cultivate strong base of life-long St. Jude supporters.

Whom are we talking to?

Young professionals, age 21 through 30, in the United States. This audience represents the older segment of

the highly-sought-after Millennial generation.

What do they currently think?

Some have never heard of St. Jude. Those who have know St. Jude helps children with cancer but little more

and have no strong reason to support the organization.

What would we like them to think?

St. Jude is a leading treatment and research nonprofit supporting children with catastrophic diseases and

their families. St. Jude makes significant and meaningful positive impacts now and will continue to do so in

the future and I am in a position to support that effort.

What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey?

Young professionals can personally contribute to St. Jude’s mission in a way that makes a meaningful and

lasting impact in the lives of sick children and their families.

Why should they believe it?

St. Jude has made incredible progress in the treatment of childhood diseases since its doors opened. Young

professionals are eager to be involved in charity and volunteering efforts and understand their collective

power. Together, young professionals and St. Jude can make unprecedented progress towards St. Jude’s

goal of increasing the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90% in the next decade.

Are there any creative guidelines?

Young professionals will be engaged within their own sphere of influence. Creative assets and tactics must

be optimized for sharing within an online environment, leveraging young professionals’ social networks to

advocate for St. Jude.

Partner: St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalType: Integrated marketing communication campaign

Date: 8/1/14Pages: 1


Communication PlanThe overall goal of this campaign is to position St. Jude as the elite fundraising program in the young

professional market and to stimulate that experience into a collection of lifetime connections with St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital. With a total budget of $15 million, Ignite IMC will launch a year-long

integrated marketing campaign running from August 2015 through July 2016. Through exciting in-person

events, efficient and effective fundraising, and engaging online experiences, Ignite will position St. Jude to

raise a total of $30 million over the course of three years.

Objectives, Strategies, and TacticsObjective 1: Increase the average event fundraising total to $100,000 for events completed from August 2015 to July 2016 for a total revenue of $3M in year one with the potential to grow to $30M raised in 3 years. [Budget: $6,451,800]

Strategy: Forge a deeper personal connection between young professionals and the work being done at St. Jude to help create brand affinity and stimulate life-long connections.

Tactic 1.1: St. Jude “Champions“ patient advocate program

Participants (“Champions”) in this program will be connected directly with a patient and his or her family.

They will have the opportunity to become deeply familiar with one touching story and will be encouraged

to share that story within their social networks. Through these stories, Champions will be able to expertly

communicate the St. Jude mission through the highly-personal context of a single patient’s story.

Ignite IMC and St. Jude will provide new Champions with a welcome kit that includes a profile of a St. Jude

patient and his or her family and materials that will help the new Champion make the most of this unique

opportunity to affect change, such as ideas for raising awareness and special St. Jude creative assets (high-

quality photos, banner and flyer templates, etc.) to help them do so. Each Champion will have his or her

own dedicated fundraising URL where they can accept donations to be given to St. Jude in honor of their

patient and family. Champions will also have a dedicated section on the St. Jude Community site (see Tactic

2.1 for details) where they can exchange stories, share fundraising ideas, and gather support for their

initiatives.

Awareness of the Champions patient advocate program will be raised via online banner ads, email

marketing, and social media promotion (owned, earned, and paid using the hashtag #StJudeChampions)

driving consumers to a webpage on StJude.org that provide additional information and the opportunity to


sign up for the program.

Evaluation 1.1

Google Analytics data will be used to analyze traffic to the Champions program landing page as well as the

efficacy of specific online banner ads and social media channels of driving traffic to the site. A subscription

to the social-media-driven analytics service Simply Measured will be used throughout all tactics in this

campaign involving social media. For this tactic, Simply Measured will provide data on the reach and

impressions generated by St. Jude’s social media promotion as well as the most socially active Champions.

MailChimp will provide analytics on email marketing efforts, including open rate, click-through rate, and

conversions. Finally, .

Tactic 1.2: “Champions’ Festival” fundraising events

St. Jude will organize 25 “Champions’ Festival” fundraising events across the United States to help

Champions program advocates raise money for St. Jude and their sponsored patient and family. The

locally-rooted food and drink events will take place in 25 cities across the United States where Millennial

populations are largest, including Austin, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Denver,

CO; Washington, DC; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; San Francisco, CA; and Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX (The

Nielsen Company, 2014).

Tickets to the event will be available on a dedicated page on StJude.org which can be accessed via the

vanity URL ChampsFest.co. Tickets for the Saturday and Sunday will be sold for $18 per day or $32 for the

weekend. For this price, attendees will be granted access to a festival filled with local restaurants offering

samples of their best dishes; local breweries, distilleries, and vineyards offering samples of their beverages;

and local artists and craftspeople displaying and selling their goods. Food and beverage providers will be

charged $500 to set up a booth while arts and crafts booths will be charged a smaller fee of $300 to set up

a booth and will pledge to donate 25% or more of all proceeds to St. Jude. Food and drink samples will be

offered in exchange for tickets. Five tickets will be included with the price of admission and additional tickets

will be available for sale at $1 each with all proceeds going directly to St. Jude.

The Champions’ Festival will be heavily promoted through the use of print and outdoor advertising, online

banner ads, email marketing, social media promotion (owned, earned, and paid using the hashtag

#ChampsFest), and display ads on the music streaming service Pandora. Additionally, full-page interactive

ads will be placed in the electronic versions of magazines popular with young professionals: WIRED, Sports

Illustrated, and Rolling Stone.

Evaluation 1.2

The Champions’ Festival will be evaluated primarily by number of attendees and funds raised. With 25

events of an estimated average attendance of 15,000 each, Ignite anticipates a total attendance of

375,000 across all events and a net fundraising total of $3,050,000.


Each of the promotional tactics stated above (each flyer, each email, etc.) will have a unique discount

code and trackable URL (where applicable) that will offer consumers a $2 discount on their ticket price and

also allow Ignite to track the conversions from each channel. MailChimp will measure open rate and click-

through rate on promotional emails and Simply Measured will be used to evaluate the reach and impressions

generated by social promotion tactics.

Tactic 1.3: St. Jude Hero of the Week

Each week, this web- and social-driven tactic will highlight one St. Jude supporter (not required to be a

Champions program participant) who is going above and beyond to support the St. Jude mission. A Hero of

the Week webpage will be developed within the St. Jude Community webpage (see Tactic 2.1 for details).

Hero of the Week nominees will be collected via this page and the winner will be featured, along with a

short profile, on the webpage as well as through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

This tactic is intended to highlight the people who are making a difference and moving the St. Jude mission

forward. Current and potential St. Jude supporters will be able to see that a single person can make an

appreciable (and appreciated) difference, inspiring others to do the same. Ignite’s survey found that some

Millennials believe that a large and relatively well-known non-profit like St. Jude doesn’t need or wouldn’t

notice their support. The Hero of the Week tactic will show Millennials that their help is noticeable and

effective in supporting the St. Jude mission.

Evaluation 1.3

The St. Jude Hero of the Week program will be evaluated primarily on the reach of its message. Google

Analytics will be used to track visits to the Hero of the Week page and Simply Measured will be used to

monitor social reach and impressions. Ignite will also monitor and track the number of nominations received

over time to evaluate awareness of this tactic and general levels grassroots support for St. Jude.

In addition, the results of a post-campaign survey (see “Campaign Evaluation”) will be compared to Ignite’s

pre-campaign survey to shed further light on how Millennials’ attitudes towards St. Jude and their expressed

likelihood to offer support have changed as a result of this campaign.

Tactic 1.4: “Eat. Shop. Give.” retail, restaurant, and bar partnerships

In an effort to extend the impact of the Champions Festival throughout the year, St. Jude will partner with

local restaurants, bars, and retail stores in each of the 25 major cities where the Champions Festival takes

place. Window decals will advertise that these locations have partnered with St. Jude and provide ongoing

support throughout the year by donating the proceeds from certain menu items and products to St. Jude. A

special “Thankful Thursday” event a week before Thanksgiving will help to bolster the existing Thanks and

Giving campaign by donating a percentage of proceeds (agreed upon per business) from all sales to St.

Jude. This event will receive additional promotional support, in the form of a large and targeted postcard

mailing campaign, above and beyond that listed below.


St. Jude will also list participating businesses on its website to advertise their participation and attempt to

deliver them additional customers. Businesses will also receive a small plastic sign to be displayed near the

registers, host stand, or bar. Bars and restaurants will also receive a supply of promotional coasters. Social

media and email promotion will further ensure awareness of the program and will advertise any special

events or promotions businesses may decide to run to generate additional funds.

Evaluation 1.4

This tactic will be evaluated primarily based on how much money is raised from the sale of featured menu

items and products. Google Analytics will track visits to the tactic’s landing page, Simply Measured

will monitor social media reach and impressions, and MailChimp will monitor email opens, clicks, and

conversions.

Objective 2: Increase visits to StJude.org by 30% between August 2015 and July 2016. [Budget: $5,026,200]

Strategy: Provide a dedicated online space where users, particularly young professionals, can share their stories, experiences, photos, videos, events, and encouragement.

Tactic 2.1: Create a dedicated St. Jude Community website section to host forums, discussions, and user-generated content.

Online interaction comes naturally to Millennials. Much of this conversation occurs on social media, but

the conversations are often disjointed and fleeting. Ignite IMC will provide St. Jude with an owned platform

where supporters, especially young professionals, can share their stories, experiences, videos, events, polls,

and general encouragement around the St. Jude brand.

The St. Jude Community will be developed on St. Jude’s existing website at StJude.org/community. The

functionality will be based on the familiar forum and discussion board format of posts and threads and

will be styled to fit with the St. Jude brand and provide a cohesive experience with the rest of the website.

Community members will be encouraged to share their stories about and experiences with St. Jude. The site

will give St. Jude supporters one central place to go for information, support, and community organization.

Threads and comments will feature a “Like” button that can be used to show agreement or support. A St.

Jude Community Manager can then easily find the most popular topics within the Community and highlight

these through social media (see Tactic 3.2 for more information).

In addition to being an open forum for online interaction among all St. Jude supporters, the Community will

also act as the hosting platform for several other tactics within this communications plan, including:

• A sticky “Announcements” thread where St. Jude can post important general information;

• A sub-forum for Champions patient advocate program participants where they can share their


experiences with the program as well as ideas for raising awareness and funds in honor of their

patient and family;

• Sticky threads for each Champions Festival event where prospective event attendees can find more

information and discussion about their city’s event;

• A nomination and recognition page for the Hero of the Week; and

• A page highlighting participants in retail/restaurant/bar partnership program.

The St. Jude Community will be promoted most heavily in the digital space to provide an easy click-through

call to action: online banner ads, social media (owned, earned, and paid), and email.

Evaluation 2.1

This effort will be evaluated primarily by the volume of activity on the St. Jude Community site, including

visits and unique visitors as measured by Google Analytics, number of registered users, and number of

threads and comments. Top referral sources to the Community page will be tracked and promotional budget

will be reallocated between channels as necessary to ensure efficiency. Google Analytics will track visits to

Community pages, Simply Measured will monitor social media reach and impressions, and MailChimp will

monitor email opens, clicks, and conversions. The Community will also provide value as a source of user-

generated content (UGC) that can be repurposed for or promoted on social media and other channels.

Tactic 2.2: Dedicated @StJudeCommunity Twitter account

To help encourage conversations within the community of St. Jude supporters and amplify the best content,

a dedicated @StJudeCommunity Twitter account will be created. This account will be used to seek out those

sharing stories about St. Jude online and engage them in conversation. The account will promote the St. Jude

Community website and encourage social media users to take advantage of the site as a place to share

more in-depth stories that might not resonate with their general social media audience and receive advice

and support from a community of people familiar with the St. Jude mission. @StJudeCommunity will also

share (with permission) the most popular stories and content from the Community.

Evaluation 2.2

Simply Measured will be used to track the audience size, reach, and impressions generated by the Twitter

account, but as the primary goal of this account is to generate web traffic for the St. Jude Community

website, the primary evaluation metrics will be visit and pageview data from Google Analytics.

Tactic 2.3: eMagazine advertising

To drive additional web traffic to the St. Jude site as a whole and the Community pages in particular, full-

page interactive ads will be placed in the digital versions of magazines popular with young professionals:

WIRED, Sports Illustrated, and Rolling Stone. The ads could include a live “What’s Hot” feed of the


most Liked threads on the Community site; images featuring young professional St. Jude supporters; and

links to StJude.org, the Community site, and St. Jude’s social media profiles. These ads will target young

professionals on their frequently-used mobile devices where the call to action can be immediately followed.

Evaluation 2.3

The eMagazine ads will be evaluated primarily based on the number of impressions generated and the

volume of referrals back to St. Jude’s web properties. In addition, the post-campaign survey will include

questions to investigate where young professional St. Jude supporters first heard about St. Jude.

Objective 3: Increase social media engagement with St. Jude 100% between August 2015 and July 2016 [Budget: $1,925,000]

Strategy: Through a combination of social advertising, purposeful outbound engagement, and careful content curation, raise awareness and engagement with St. Jude’s social profiles.

Tactic 3.1: Promoted Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts around and for events and campaign tactics

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are among the largest and most-used social networks and are home

to large young professional audience. Ignite will help St. Jude’s social content reach farther within this

audience’s sphere of influence by providing paid support on key posts. Examples include posts promoting

events like the Champions’ Festival, announcing the launch of the St. Jude Community website, or welcoming

a new retail or restaurant partner into the program described in Tactic 1.4.

Evaluation 3.1

While these promoted posts will result in some audience growth, their main purpose is to increase reach

and resulting conversions. Accordingly, reach and impression metrics as calculated by Simply Measured

will be the major evaluative factor. Ignite will also measure click-through rate on promoted posts as well as

conversions (e.g.,. event registrations, Community sign-ups, donations) that are the direct result of promoted

social media content.

Tactic 3.2: Promoted account campaigns on Facebook and Twitter to grow social audiences

Organic audience growth on social media can sometimes be a slow process. Providing fans and followers

with quality content is one way to accelerate audience growth, and Tactics 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, and 3.3 will be

effective to that end. To help provide a faster rate of growth and significant audience growth, Ignite will

manage promoted account campaigns for St. Jude on Facebook and Twitter, specifically targeting the young

professional demographic. With a larger audience, St. Jude will have a far larger platform and greater

organic reach and growth potential for future social media initiatives. This tactic will position St. Jude for

continued success in the social media space even after this campaign has ended.


Evaluation 3.2

This tactic will be judged primarily by audience growth and cost per Facebook like or Twitter follow. Ignite

anticipates an initial spike in growth immediately following ad launch as stagnant fans and “lurkers” (those

who check in with St. Jude occasionally but haven’t liked or followed) are activated. This will be followed

by more gradual but consistent growth. Ignite will also monitor the organic reach, organic impressions,

and engagements (e.g., post likes, comments, retweets, mentions) achieved by St. Jude’s social content as

increased audience size should contribute to corresponding growth in these metrics.

Tactic 3.3: Leverage user-generated content from St. Jude Community site

Sharing quality content on social media is one of the best possible ways to quickly grow your audience and

continually engage in quality conversations. While Ignite and St. Jude will continue to create a steady stream

of quality content, user-generated content (UGC) will also be gathered, repurposed, and shared on social

media. The St. Jude Community site will be one of the primary sources of this UGC.

Within the Community site, St. Jude supporters will be sharing fundraising ideas, pictures from events, and

stories surrounding the St. Jude mission. Ignite will surface the best of this content to be shared with the

broader community on social media, giving supporters a larger platform from which to share their ideas

and inspirations and giving St. Jude a nearly endless source of content sure to resonate with social media

audiences. UGC will account for roughly 25% of the social media content shared by St. Jude, limiting the

risk of compassion fatigue by amplifying the inspirational voices of supporters and further strengthening this

community.

Evaluation 3.3

The success of UGC social media content will be evaluated by the engagement on these posts as measured

by Simply Measured. Google Analytics will be used to track any referrals back to the St. Jude website,

including the Community site, as well as any conversions (email subscriptions, donations, event registrations,

etc.) that may occur as a result of this content.

Objective 4: Build awareness and buy-in of campaign internally [Budget: $203,150]

Strategy: Create awareness around campaign and educate internal audience about objectives, tactics, and avenues for involvement

Tactic 4.1: “Hope Begins with YOU” campaign kickoff event

To build awareness around Ignite IMC and St. Jude’s partnership and to educate all internal stakeholders

about the campaign’s objectives and upcoming tactics, Ignite will organize a company-wide event in early

September 2015 as the campaign gets underway.


These events will be created around the theme “Hope Begins with YOU” with the intention of showing

internal audiences that it is their work, individually and collectively, that enables St. Jude to make a

difference in the lives of sick children, their families, and the world as a whole.

Everyone from administrative staff to doctors and fundraisers will be invited to attend the event at the

Memphis Cook Convention Center right in St. Jude’s home town. The event will be free to attend for all

employees and will feature keynote addresses from St. Jude CEO William Evans and Marlo Thomas,

daughter of Danny Thomas, founder of St. Jude Children’s research hospital. Marlo Thomas will tell the story

of the founding of St. Jude and the vision for the future, energizing employees and reinvigorating them with

the greater mission in mind. CEO Evans will then briefly announce the partnership with Ignite IMC before

going on to introduce the objectives and highlight the key tactics laid out on this plan. All employees (even

those who are unable to attend) will receive a brief one-page summary of this campaign, a “Hope begins

with ME” t-shirt, and free tickets to attend the Memphis Champions’ Festival.

Evaluation 4.1

Event attendance will be the first major indicator of this tactic’s success. While the event is free, it is

understood that not all employees will be available to attend the event due to staffing concerns and other

potential issues. The extent to which this tactic delivers on the objective of internal awareness and buy-in

will also be evaluated using employee surveys to be administered before and after the campaign. These

surveys will explore, before and after Ignite’s campaign, employee attitudes towards St. Jude in general,

familiarity with the overall mission, familiarity with Ignite’s campaigns on behalf of St. Jude, and opinions on

the success of these campaigns.

Tactic 4.2: Campaign posters and recap emails

To ensure this campaign and upcoming tactic deployments remain top-of-mind for all internal audiences,

posters will be created to hang throughout the St. Jude campus, primarily in employee-only areas. These

posters will highlight upcoming or recently launched programs and will tell employees how they can get

involved and offer their support. These posters will be changed out every 7-9 weeks to ensure the most

recent information is displayed.

As new campaign tactic posters are distributed, Ignite IMC will provide CEO William Evans easily-

understood summary data recapping campaign progress and successes to date. This will show that St. Jude

is committed in a big way to moving its mission forward and is making large, visible strides towards that end.

Evaluation 4.2

As with Tactic 4.1, Tactic 4.2 will be evaluated using employee surveys to be administered to employees

before and after the campaign. Recap emails specifically will be evaluated by open rate and click-through

rate to read further details recapping in-progress and recently completed tactics.


Communications TimelineTo ensure all campaign tactics are deployed in a timely manner and all goals and objectives are met (or

exceeded), Ignite IMC will roll out campaign tactics as shown in the Communications Timeline below.

While some tactic deployments are firm (for example, Champions Festival dates), others are more flexible.

For example, promoted social media account campaign activity may fluctuate from month to month as

inventories and ad unit costs change. Ignite IMC will notify St. Jude of any and all necessary deviations from

the timeline below and will manage tactics such that all goals and objectives are met regardless of tactic

timing.

The Communications Timeline can also be viewed in Appendix B or online at http://bit.ly/IgniteTimeline.


Budget SummaryRather than an charging hourly fee, Ignite IMC charges a 9% agency fee based on the total campaign

budget. This fee covers all day-to-day campaign planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting,

including administrative costs and any work necessary to ensure your campaign runs smoothly and delivers

on all goals and objectives.

The Budget Summary can also be viewed in Appendix C or online at http://bit.ly/IgniteBudget.


Creative ExecutionsChampions program online banner ads (Tactic 1.1):


Champions’ Festival t-shirts (Tactic 1.2):


Champions’ Festival Pandora and online banner ads (Tactic 1.2):


Promoted Facebook posts (Tactics 1.1 & 2.1):


Champions’ Festival promoted tweets (Tactic 1.2):


Hero of the Week site mockup (Tactic 1.3):


Retail/restaurant partnership program poster (Tactic 1.4):


St. Jude Community site mockup (Tactic 2.1):


T-shirts for “Hope begins with YOU” event (Tactic 4.1):


Tactic posters for St. Jude offices (Tactic 4.2):


Measurement & EvaluationFocus Group ResultsTo thoroughly evaluate this campaign plan and gather additional opinions, beliefs, and attitudes with regard

to St. Jude and the young professional target market, Ignite IMC organized a focus group. The focus group

took place on Sunday, November 30, 2014 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. via a recorded Google Hangout.

There were six participants, four male and two female, ranging in age from 25 to 30. Participants

represented four cities from across the country: Washington, D.C.; Boston, MA; San Diego, CA; and

Austin, TX. While the online focus group platform does present certain limitations in terms of observing

body language and other factors, it affords the opportunity to speak with participants from very different

geographic locations, which Ignite felt would provide more useful feedback regarding tactics within this plan

that will be deployed at various locations across the United States.

All participants were employed full-time and expressed an active use of social media and other digital

communications and entertainment platforms. Participants were given an electronic Starbucks gift card in the

amount of $15 prior to their participation and were asked to pick up the beverage of their preference, find a

quiet place where they would be uninterrupted for the duration of the focus group, and log in to the Google

Hangout shortly before the 7:00 p.m. start time.

The focus group began with an Ignite IMC moderator welcoming the participants and thanking them for

agreeing to participate. The moderator explained that the groups purpose would be to openly and honestly

discuss

• the young professional demographic,

• opinions and attitudes towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,

• Ignite IMC’s assumptions and findings about the intersection of the young professional market and St.

Jude’s needs, and

• Ignite IMC’s communication plan and creative executions.

Each participant was provided a PDF document one week prior to the start of the focus group to allow time

for it to be reviewed. This document included

• a list of the questions to be discussed;

• a copy of Ignite’s Communication Plan, including objectives, strategies, and tactics; and

• high-quality representations of each of Ignite’s 10 creative execution examples.


Before the first question was asked, the moderator reviewed the PDF document and its contents. The

moderator expressed that the discussion would be as natural and free-flowing as possible while still allowing

all participants the opportunity to have his or her opinions heard. To accomplish this, the time immediately

following each question would be designated as time for each participant, one at a time, to offer a quick

expression of their thoughts and opinions. After that, the conversation would be allowed to flow naturally

as participants discussed their opinions together. The moderator was to step in occasionally to ensure

the conversation remained on-topic and to encourage a deeper dive into particular topics of discussion

that were both relevant to the focus group’s objectives and a source of quality conversation amongst the

participants.

The focus group participants were asked seven total questions from which discussion would organically

evolve:

• What do you currently know about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital? Are you familiar with their

mission and their work?

• Where have you seen St. Jude’s marketing messages before? What did you think about them?

• How would you describe the Millennial generation as a whole? Are there any characteristics you

think are common to the generation as a whole?

• Do you think most Millennials are interested in donating non-profits and charities? What kind of ways

besides a financial donation do you think Millennials would be likely to show support?

• What are your opinion’s on Ignite IMC’s Integrated Communication Strategy Statement (ICSS) for

St. Jude? Does it accurately represent the factors involved and present a viable strategy for reaching

young professionals?

• What are your thoughts on the tactics and creative executions presented in the Communication

Plan?

• Do you think that the tactics proposed by Ignite will be successful and result in increased engagement

and support activity towards St. Jude from young professionals?

Note: before beginning questions about Ignite IMC’s ICSS and Communication Plan, the moderator gave a

short presentation outlining each of these elements, including individual objectives, strategies, and tactics.

The following is a discussion of the focus group’s responses to each question. The complete moderator’s

guide used for this focus group can be found in Appendix D.

Knowledge of St. JudeAll participants expressed that they had at least heard of St. Jude. Beyond that, knowledge varied a great

deal. One participant stated “I know I’ve heard something about them before, and can remember they’re

some kind of charity, but that’s about it.” Three other participants knew St. Jude was a non-profit engaging

in cancer research, of which one also knew that St. Jude patients aren’t charged for treatment. The two


remaining participants were actually familiar with the Thanks and Giving campaign from a television

commercial.

When the moderator relayed a few particulars about St. Jude, including their exact mission, details of their

operation and philosophy, and St. Jude’s operating budget and fundraising efforts, participants appeared

to be genuinely surprised. This is consistent with the findings of Ignite’s survey, which found that 47.3% of

Millennials are uncertain about St. Jude’s mission and 20% are actually completely in the dark.

St. Jude MarketingOnly two participants expressed any recollection of St. Jude marketing tactics. Both had seen television

commercials for St. Jude’s Thanks and Giving campaign. One of these participants noted “they must be

doing pretty well because there were, like, five different celebrities in the commercial.”

Both participants viewed the television commercial favorably. They were drawn in by the appearances from

several high-profile celebrities and noted that seeing a St. Jude patient who had lost her hair made a strong

emotional impact. However, neither said they donated to St. Jude as a result of the commercial and in fact

hadn’t thought much about St. Jude again until the focus group.

Given that the focus group took place shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday, Ignite is somewhat surprised

that only two of the six participants were familiar with this campaign, given the increased marketing volume

from St. Jude during this time of year and the fact that many consumers enjoy more leisure time around

the holidays, during which they may spend more time than usual watching television. However, the draw

of spending time with family and the generally overwhelming volume of advertising occurring during the

holidays may contribute to decreased attention or recollection of particular ads like St. Jude’s.

MillennialsBeing Millennials themselves, the focus group participants offered some very interesting opinions on the

generational cohort. Their observations were keenly self-aware, showing knowledge of misconceptions

about their generation as well as more accurate descriptions that some might find surprising.

For example, all participants were aware of the characterization of Millennials as entitled and self-

centered, sometimes referred to as the “Me” generation. Unsurprisingly, all participants also disputed this

characterization while admitting its truth for some smaller segments of their generation. The group quickly

went on to discuss the Millennial generation’s diversity and awareness of social issues. One participant

pointed out that she felt Millennials as a whole “are much more progressive than older generations, at least

when it comes to social issues.”

When it comes to media and communications, all participants said they use social media in at least some


capacity. Of the six participants, all have accounts on Facebook, four on Twitter, five on Instagram, three

on Pinterest, and two on Snapchat. Four participants said they check their social accounts at least once per

day. Of the remaining two, one said he “signs on to Facebook every once in a while—maybe once a week”

while the other was a self-described “Instagram and Snapchat addict,” posting on each of these accounts

at least once per day if not more. Asked to elaborate as to why he chose to use social media only sparingly,

the aforementioned participant said he was “busy enough already...besides, I don’t need my whole life

documented online for everyone to see.”

Millennials and non-profitsAsked specifically about how interested they believed Millennials were in supporting non-profits and

charities, the focus group unanimously agreed that Millennials are “more interested than most people might

think” in philanthropic pursuits. One participant mentioned that, in her experience, Millennials are “not so

much the ‘drop a dollar in the donation jar’” type when it comes to supporting nonprofits, but prefer to be

more involved. This observation is consistent with Ignite IMC’s survey results, which indicated that 63.6% of

Millennials research a charity or non-profit before making a donation.

While two of the six focus group participants said they would personally prefer to just donate money in

support of a charity or non-profit, the remaining four said they’d more readily take actions like buying a

product where proceeds go to a cause, volunteer at or participate in a fundraising event, or help raise

awareness using their social media accounts. As the discussion for this question was coming to a close, one

participant offered up this observation that is particularly relevant to St. Jude: “with Millennials, I feel like it’s

less about whether they want to support charity and more about finding the right charity to support.”

Integrated Communication Strategy StatementPresented with Ignite IMC’s Integrated Communication Strategy Statement for St. Jude (“St. Jude is where

every ounce of support to a worthy cause makes a meaningful and noticeable impact now and in the

future.”), focus group participants described it as “comprehensive” and “a good fit” given St. Jude’s needs

and the characteristics of the young professional audience. One participant noted that “it might be more

effective to focus on the immediate impacts of supporting St. Jude because we want to know exactly what

our effort is going towards.” Another valuable piece of feedback received was “based on what we’ve talked

about so far, it sounds like Millennials are looking for more of a relationship, so I would make sure you

emphasize that this isn’t just a one-time thing and St. Jude wants to keep in touch.”


Communication Plan & TacticsAfter taking a moment to refresh their memories using the provided PDF document, focus group participants

were asked their opinions on Ignite’s Communication Plan, tactics, and the 10 provided creative executions.

The consensus of the group was that the plan overall “does a good job of setting up young professionals to

have a more intimate relationship with St. Jude than with a lot of other charities.” Three of the six participants

specifically mentioned the Champions patient advocate program as a great idea, saying “I’d sign up for that

in a heartbeat” and “like we said before, that’s a great way to connect supporting St. Jude with something

more immediate or tangible.“ The group also liked the Hero of the Week concept; one participant noted “I

think that’s a great way to show that St. Jude cares about you and wants more than just your money—they

want a long-term relationship.”

The Champions’ Festival tactic was particularly well-received with the focus group. One participant liked

how “the local focus of the events made them seem more meaningful and impactful than some kind of huge

national event. It makes St. Jude seem more relatable.” Participants noted that the Champions’ Festival was

a great way to leverage something young professionals already enjoy doing and make it a way to support a

good cause at the same time.

The group also offered constructive criticism regarding the St. Jude Community site and the restaurant/

retail partnership program. One participant noted that “something like the Community idea will take time

and effort to get running like you’d want it to.” She went on to say that it might be worth placing additional

ad support towards the Community and @StJudeCommunity Twitter account as a way to “kick start” the

growth of the Community. Several participants were also critical of the initial name and creative supporting

the restaurant/retail partnership program, which was initially “Eat. Drink. Give.” They mentioned that, while

catchy, the inclusion of “Drink” in the title and creative might not be the kind of image St. Jude would like

to project and could be taken the wrong way. Accordingly, Ignite has since changed the program title and

creative to reflect the retail aspect of these partnerships: “Eat. Shop. Give.”

Predicted Impact of CampaignAll focus group participants agreed that the presented plan and tactics seemed like they would help St.

Jude increase engagement and support activity like donations and volunteering. One participant said “it

seems like there’s something there for everyone,” while another stated “I think there’s a good progression

from more casual involvement to the kind of lasting relationship that St. Jude is looking for.” Given the

hypothetical scenario of being presented with all of Ignite’s tactics as options for supporting St. Jude, all six

said they would be willing to participate in at least one, and five of the six participants also said they could

think of at least one friend with whom they would likely share that involvement.


Campaign EvaluationIn addition to the evaluation methods previously described for each individual tactic, Ignite IMC will

evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign as a whole through a few methods.

Continuous evaluation of the campaign will be possible through the use of tools like Simply Measured,

Google Analytics, and MailChimp analytics. Each of these tools will be used at the individual tactic

level, but will also be used to gauge overall progress throughout the duration of the campaign. Just a few

examples of the metrics Ignite will be monitoring throughout the campaign are:

• Social media audience size

• Social media engagement volume

• Social media engagement rate

• Total website pageviews

• Total website unique visitors

• Ignite tactic site pageviews (Community site, Hero of the Week page, etc.)

• Ignite tactic site unique visitors (Community site, Hero of the Week page, etc.)

• Social media referrals to St. Jude website

• Social media conversion rate

• Email open rate

• Email click-through rate

• Email conversion rate

In addition to these measure, Ignite IMC will use of pre- and post-campaign surveys to evaluate the impact

of the campaign as a whole. To achieve statistical significance with this survey, Ignite IMC will seek a

minimum of 1,200 survey respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 for each survey. In addition, for a

true point-to-point comparison, the pre- and post-campaign surveys will be identical, gauging knowledge of

and attitudes towards St. Jude. The questions on the surveys ascertain the following:

• Age

• Gender

• Current donation, volunteering, and other supportive activity for non-profits and charities in

general

• Current attitudes towards and opinions of non-profits and charities in general

• Awareness of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

• Knowledge of St. Jude’s mission and work

• Current donation, volunteering, and other supportive activity for St. Jude in particular

• Current attitudes towards and opinions of St. Jude in particular


• Exposure to and opinion of Ignite IMC’s communications plan tactics

• Extent of any support to St. Jude as a result of Ignite IMC’s communication tactics

• Self-evaluation of the efficacy of any support given to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital


ConclusionWithin a complicated landscape, integrated marketing communications (IMC) is a way to bring brands

together with the audiences in the best position to engage with and support them. IMC as a whole is a way

to deliver the right message to the right audience at precisely the right time. When it comes to igniting the

fuel within each of us to realize change in the world, there is no one who does this better than Ignite IMC.

The non-profit landscape and the Millennial generation are, without a doubt, challenging to navigate. But

where others have seen road blocks, Ignite IMC sees opportunity. By leveraging our digital, social, mobile,

creative, and advertising expertise in ways supported by extensive and targeted research,we have laid out

a plan to deliver St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital a highly engaged and supportive audience of young

professionals that will fuel enthusiastic and genuine support in the short and long term.

From recognizing unsung heroes with the Hero of the Week initiative to forging deeply personal connections

through the Champions patient advocacy program, Ignite IMC has crafted a communications plan that will

help St. Jude connect with young professionals in a way that progresses from casual support to life-long

advocacy. This multi-platform approach will enable St. Jude to connect with young professionals in a way

the organization has previously been unable to achieve. Tactics that encourage the kind of one-to-one

communication young professionals crave with any brand will make St. Jude a top-of-mind non-profit that

enjoys affinity and advocacy from an audience with enormous influence and constantly growing economic

power.


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AppendicesAppendix A - Online SurveySurvey conducted via SurveyMonkey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WSFWMCN. Responses were

collected between October 23, 2014 and November 6, 2014. A total of 88 responses were received, of

which 55 (62.5%) were in the Millennial demographic. The complete survey and results to quantitative

questions are on the following pages. Complete results, including responses to open-ended questions, are

available at http://bit.ly/IgniteIMCSurvey.


Appendix B - Communications TimelineA high resolution copy of the Communications

Timeline can be downloaded from:

http://bit.ly/IgniteTimeline


Appendix C - Budget SummaryA high resolution copy of the Campaign Budget can be downloaded from: http://bit.ly/IgniteBudget.


Appendix D - Focus Group Moderator’s GuideObjectives:

• To gather opinions, beliefs, and attitudes with regard to St. Jude

• To gather opinions, beliefs, and attitudes with regard to the young professional target audience

• To test and collect feedback on proposed communication plan, tactics, and creative executions

• To gather constructive criticism that can be used to fine-tune the communication plan

Setting:

The focus group will take place online in the form of a Google Hangout. Participants will be asked to find a

quiet place where they would be uninterrupted for the duration of the focus group. A $15 Starbucks gift card

has been provided to each participant with the suggestion that they purchase the beverage of their choice to

make the focus group feel like a gathering at a local coffee shop.

Timeline:

The focus group is scheduled for November 30, 2014 at 12:00pm and is expected to last approximately 90

minutes. The opening, closing, and campaign presentation are expected to require four minutes, five minutes,

and one minute, respectively. This leaves 80 minutes for open discussion, or approximately 11 minutes per

planned question.

Checklist:

• System compatibility with Google Hangouts

• System compatibility with Hangouts On Air

• Private YouTube channel (for a private video recording of the focus group)

• Pens

• Notepad

• Copy of PDF provided to participants

• Stopwatch (or other method for ensuring ample time for each question)

Participants:

There will be six participants, four male and two female, ranging in age from 25 to 30. Participants

represent four cities from across the country: Washington, D.C.; Boston, MA; San Diego, CA; and Austin,

TX. Each has been provided a PDF containing a list of the questions to be discussed; a copy of Ignite’s

Communication Plan, including objectives, strategies, and tactics; and high-quality representations of each

of Ignite’s 10 creative execution examples.


Opening Script:

Good afternoon everyone and thank you for joining me today. My name is Kevin Kestler and I am the

founder and CEO at Ignite IMC. We are an integrated marketing agency currently working with St. Jude

Children’s Research Hospital to craft a plan to better communicate with young professionals. St. Jude would

like to find new ways of connecting with this group to not only increase donations but also to create long-

lasting and meaningful relationships with its supporters. Ignite has put together a plan to this end, and today

we’ll be discussing that plan as well as the current status of St. Jude and the young professional audience

they desire to reach.

To help us at Ignite ensure that the plan we’ve created will be as effective as possible, we need some help

from you. Over the course of this focus group, which should last about an hour and a half, I would like to

gather your opinions and attitudes with regard to four general topics:

• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and their current marketing efforts,

• the young professional demographic and their attitudes towards non-profits,

• Ignite IMC’s findings with regard to young professionals and non-profits and our resulting

communications strategy, and

• Ignite IMC’s resulting communications plan, tactics, and sample creative executions.

You each have been provided a PDF containing a list of the specific questions we’ll be discussing today;

a copy of Ignite’s Communication Plan, including objectives, strategies, and tactics; and high-quality

representations of each of Ignite’s 10 creative execution examples. Please feel free to refer to this document

as needed throughout this conversation.

A few simple ground rules before we get started:

• As each question is asked, I’d like to hear a short first impression from each of you, after which we

will open up discussion for everyone to contribute as they wish.

• Please be respectful of each other. All opinions and attitudes are valid here.

• As moderator, I will do my best to keep us to our scheduled hour and half timeline. Sometimes this

may mean digging deeper into a particular conversation; sometimes it may mean speeding things up

so we can keep moving forward.

• Finally, I’d like to remind you that this conversation is being recorded so that it can be transcribed.

While Ignite may include written excerpts or quotes from this conversation in our final presentation to

St. Jude, no identifying information will be included. Additionally, this recording will remain private

and will only be visible to Ignite IMC employees working on the St. Jude account.

Does anyone have any questions before we get started? [Answer any questions.] Alright, let’s get started.


Questions:

• What do you currently know about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital? Are you familiar with their

mission and their work?

• Where have you seen St. Jude’s marketing messages before? What did you think about them?

• How would you describe the Millennial generation as a whole? Are there any characteristics you

think are common to the generation as a whole?

• Do you think most Millennials are interested in donating non-profits and charities? What kind of ways

besides a financial donation do you think Millennials would be likely to show support?

• What are your opinion’s on Ignite IMC’s Integrated Communication Strategy Statement (ICSS) for

St. Jude? Does it accurately represent the factors involved and present a viable strategy for reaching

young professionals?

• What are your thoughts on the tactics and creative executions presented in the Communication

Plan?

• Do you think that the tactics proposed by Ignite will be successful and result in increased engagement

and support activity towards St. Jude from young professionals?

Closing Script:

Okay everyone, we’re approaching the 90-minute mark in our conversation. I’d like to be respectful of your

time, so at this point I’ll open the conversation to any final comments or questions. If there’s anything else

you’d like to add but perhaps hadn’t had the opportunity, now’s the time.

[Pause for any questions.]

As a reminder, this discussion has been recorded and will be transcribed to help Ignite IMC improve its

communications plan for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. You have all provided some excellent

feedback today and it will certainly be helpful to us as we finalize our plan. If you would like, I would be

happy to provide each of you a copy of the findings from this focus group as presented to St. Jude so that

you can see how your input was incorporated to improve the proposal. If you’d like me to do so, you can let

me know now or shoot me an email at [email protected].

This concludes our discussion. Thank you again for participating and have a great rest of your day!

wvu imc capstone - imc campaign proposal for st. jude children's research hospital

Marketing

jude campaign proposal

jude marketing

jude supporters

imc plan

imc page

appendix c budget summary

communication plantactics

campaign evaluation