Creative BriefB6: Alexis Schaefer (Team Leader), Kiersten Kuc & Veronika Sebek

National Park Foundation

Why Are We Advertising?To ignite Wandering Connection-Seekers’ interest in the National Park Foundation’s goal of preserving the natural landscape of the United States.

Who Are We Talking To?Wandering Connection-Seekers are college students ages 18 to 22 who want to align themselves with a cause and use their already-extensive social networks to communicate things they’re passionate about. They’re curious and perceptive; they look for meaningful interactions as a way to broaden their horizons. They seek new experiences and want to explore new places. They’re passive activists – not looking to devote large amounts of time to volunteerism, but willing to lend their voices. Wandering Connection-Seekers recently left behind their high school friends, families and hometowns. In college, they’re branching out and developing their own worldview.

What Do We Know About Them? I want to change the world for the better, but I don’t have enough money to donate to causes I care about. I’m so busy and overwhelmed that volunteering for an organization just isn’t something I can add to my plate. What I really want is some time to relax, get away from the hustle and bustle, and think about what really matters to me. I’ve always found the outdoors to be a place where I can do that. When I come back, I feel energized to make a change. I use social media to do this because it’s a convenient way to share my opinions and feel like I’m doing my part.

What Do We Want Them To Take Away?By vocalizing your support for the National Park Foundation, you are helping to preserve your place of escape.

Support● The National Park Foundation works to protect America’s national parks through

conservation and preservation efforts, connects all Americans with the natural landscapes, culture and history, and inspires lifelong engagement

● The National Park Foundation has a multitude of programs, such as the Resource Recovery & Protection Program, that work to preserve the natural landscape of the U.S.

● The National Park Foundation raises millions of dollars every year to support 400 national parks across America under the National Park Service

ToneExploratory, purposeful, empoweringCreative Sparks

● Your trail starts here

● “It’s nearly impossible to get lost these days. So you have to find adventure within yourself.” - Conrad Anker, American rock climber and mountaineer

● “Nature puts you at peace by helping you realize that the stuff we care about has such little significance.”

Creative Brief Analysis

Introduction

The National Park Foundation is looking to connect with Millennials and increase awareness. The target audience currently has minimal understanding of the National Park Foundation, what it does and what services it offers.

We ourselves were unfamiliar with the National Park Foundation until we received the client. We began by conducting secondary research on Millennials, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation’s programs, values and goals. We then conducted primary research to determine how the target views the Foundation, social causes and national parks in general.

Through secondary research, we found that the national parks have nearly 300 million annual visitors, the majority of whom are baby boomers. “The organization realized that if it wants to stay relevant, it has to reach out to Millennials in a language they understand: social media.” This indicates that our client is embracing the Millennial perspective.

In our primary research, we asked both male and female college students about their opinions and attitudes about travel, social media, philanthropic causes, nature and national parks. Our peers feel that it is important to preserve the natural landscape of the United States. They explained that they have a personal connection with nature and the benefits it offers.

The TargetWe specifically decided to focus on college students for a few reasons. We first considered targeting young professionals, but we found that they have minimal vacation time and are too focused on their careers to consider travel. We didn’t think it was plausible to ask them to lend their voices to the cause because people at this life stage are very focused on their careers. They prefer to donate money or volunteer sporadically. This does not connect well with the awareness campaign our client has in mind.

We also considered targeting Famillennials, who are still young and passionate about identifying with a cause. They want the best for their young children, and are willing to support causes that will benefit them in the future. However, they are too busy to devote a considerable amount of time to their social media networks, whereas college students naturally fit their social media habits into their daily routines.

Finally, we considered targeting Newlyweds, as they are in the “honeymoon stage.” They actively seek opportunities to travel the country and identify with the cause of preserving the national parks. We realized, however, that they are adjusting to a new lifestyle and have little time to focus their attention away from their careers, spouses, families and friends in this period of transition. Next we needed to narrow our target. We began by researching college students’ feelings toward travel, nature and activism. In our secondary research, we discovered that the National Park Foundation supports conservation efforts in national parks, as well as the preservation of historical structures. When we interviewed members of the target audience, they indicated that they connected most strongly with the environmental goals of the National Park Foundation. We

discovered that they’re less interested in learning about and visiting historical places than older generations. They prefer to travel to places that offer an escape from their busy lives.

When students come to college, they are looking to get involved. An overwhelming majority of students view college as a time to explore their interests and affiliate or connect with a cause. For this reason, college students are a receptive audience to the cause of the National Park Foundation.

We discovered that Millennials value brands with a social media presence. More specifically, we found that Millennial cause-awareness drives heavily from digital channels. A portion of our qualitative research focused on their perception of causes. We found that college students believe in the power of their voices, and are receptive to messages from philanthropic causes.

When it comes to making decisions, most Millennials seek peer affirmation. This affirmation is based on both face-to-face conversations and what peers are talking about on social media. This relates directly to cause campaigns: “Their social nature means they want to find ways to actively engage in cause campaigns in ways that allow them to do so with their friends or family.” Because of this, we felt that the best way to connect with Millennials is by targeting those with active social media voices and using them to spread the word about the National Park Foundation.

At this point in time, our target is facing life changes. Some are recent high school graduates, finding a new home at their college or university. Others are seniors, getting ready to head off into “the real world.” The reality of life is sinking in for them and they’re overwhelmed by classes, activities and the job search. As a result, many feel that they want to run away from their problems, “get lost,” and take advantage of their youthfulness to avoid their amassing responsibilities. This is one of the reasons that Millennials have a great desire to travel.

Through our analysis and research, we narrowed our target to college students ages 18 to 22 that enjoy travel, appreciate nature and want to leverage their strong social media presence to have their voices heard. We named them Wandering Connection-Seekers because they have an innate desire to explore new interests and places. They’re looking for something to attach themselves to, whether it’s a cause or an organization. They’re connection-seekers because they look to make connections across different social and digital platforms with people, places and brands. A member of our target is engaged on three or more social media platforms and they post at least five times a week. They’re busy, multitasking individuals. They’re confident in their voices and their abilities to persuade their peers.

We based our consumer insight on the overlap we found between the consumer’s busy lifestyle, need for relaxation and appreciation of nature’s benefits and the National Park Foundation’s focus on preserving the natural landscape.

Barriers

The National Park Foundation faces several barriers that we must overcome for the campaign to be successful.

It’s difficult to ask our already-involved target to take time out of their busy schedules and spread the word about the cause of the National Park Foundation. This is why we plan to ask them to lend their voice in a low-involvement way. College students integrate social media into their everyday lives, so it is not far-fetched to ask them to support our cause online. They’ll be doing something very small to ensure the protection of something important to them.

Our interviews also revealed that while college students were familiar with the National Park Service, they had never heard of the National Park Foundation or the services the organization supports. To overcome this barrier, we need to both inform and connect college students to the Foundation’s cause.

In addition, we recognized that some people are uncomfortable using social media to share their opinions and feelings about social causes. They’re hesitant to promote politicized ideas through their social networks in fear of alienating their followers or provoking arguments. Through our qualitative research, we found that our target goes through a certain thought process before sharing something on social media. They consider: Will it benefit my peers to see this? Are people going to like it? Is it worth their time to read? To overcome this barrier, we chose to narrow our target to college students confident in the power of their voices. They identify with the underlying cause of the Foundation and want to do their part to preserve the environment.

ConclusionThrough our research, we determined that the National Park Foundation is facing an issue with awareness in the Millennial age group. Our target sees nature as a getaway from their busy lives and recognizes the importance of protecting that space. By leveraging the voices of passionate college students on social media, the National Park Foundation can connect Millennials to its cause.

Briefing the Creative Team

● Start by playing “4 Hours Mountain Stream - Relaxing Nature Sounds” from YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsqep7_9_mw

○ Encourage team to participate in our planned visualization exercise○ Have a discussion about what feelings they have afterwards○ Transition to how our target appreciates those feelings of relaxation and the

benefits that nature can provide them

● Proceed to present supporting research about the target audience○ Use Facebook page to go over traits:

■ Zoom in to different parts:● Name: Wandering Connection-Seeker● Profile picture: what the target looks like● About section: major, extracurricular activities, jobs● Recent posts: show things they share/social media habits● Likes/Groups: show their interests

● Explain our qualitative research insights that college students are stressed about their academic and extracurricular commitments, and see nature as an escape to relax and reflect

● Slide with insight: voice recording● Slide with takeaway: visual (included below)● Slide with tone: visual for each word● Slides with creative sparks: visuals

Target Profile Picture: Takeaway Picture:

Discussion Guide

PURPOSE

Discover college-aged students’ feelings about social causes, nature and travel.

INTRODUCTION

Hello, my name is __________. I am a student at the University of Missouri conducting research for one of my journalism courses. If you are willing, I would like to ask you a few questions about

your feelings on the National Park Foundation and other social causes. There are no wrong answers, so don’t be afraid to be honest and share your opinions. Thank you for participating! Causes:

1. Are you passionate about any causes? What motivates this passion?2. How do you contribute to those causes?

a. PROBE FOR: volunteer, donate money, grassroots advocacy3. What makes you want to get involved with a cause?

a. PROBE FOR: social reasons, personal connection to the issue, resume builder, emotions

4. What organizations or causes are your peers involved in? How well do you think they are connecting with college students, and what can they do to improve?

Social Media:1. What types of social media do you use? What do you use them for?

a. PROBE FOR: social (peer affirmation or connectivity), news, pop culture, engagement with brands/organizations

2. What kind of content do you like sharing on social media? a. PROBE FOR: photo, story, video, news, social activities, causes, quizzes,

articles AND how often they post3. What thought processes do you go through before sharing something?

a. PROBE FOR: motivated by favorites and likes? want to change people’s opinions? start discussions?

4. Do you feel that your voice can influence others? How can you use your voice to reach others?

a. PROBE FOR: who do they think they can reach (peers or beyond), medium of communication (word of mouth, social media)

Life Stage:1. What are your biggest stressors right now, and how do you prefer to deal with them?2. Do you feel like you are more encouraged to align with a cause in college than in the

past? What causes you to feel this way?a. PROBE FOR: passions, goals (what you want to accomplish)

3. At this point in your life, do you feel that it’s feasible for you to travel for recreation or relaxation? Why do you feel this way?

a. PROBE FOR: vacations/trips that aren’t to visit family, trips that are for educational purposes, try to steer away from typical college spring break trip

Travel: 1. What feelings do you associate with travel?2. Where do you like to travel? 3. Who have you traveled with in the past and who do you prefer to travel with now?4. Have you ever been to a national park?

a. PROBE FOR: Who did you go with? How was your experience (positive or negative feelings)?

b. If not, do you have the desire to go? What reasons do you or don’t you want to go?

5. Why do you travel?

Nature1. What thoughts and feelings come to mind when you think of nature?2. What are your feelings on preserving the natural landscape of the United States?3. What comes to mind when I say the National Park Foundation?4. What do you want to get out of an experience in nature?

a. PROBE FOR: sense of self, relaxation, sightseeing, escape

Primary Sources

We spoke to college students who appreciate nature and travel, and have a strong social media presence.

Jackie Welsh (20)Matt Wasckiewicz (21)Jamie Ras (21)Abigail Censky (20)Emily Woodward (21)Lizzie Deely (20)Cary Murray (20)Marie Holzer (20)Grace Carballo (20)Matt Kuc (24)Schuyler Rath (21)Morgan Lees (20)Shannon McAvoy (20)Arielle Towsley (20)Grant Kramer (21)Rielly Dunn (20)

Bibliography

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Castillo, M. (2014, March 24). New Logo Reintroduces the National Park Service. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/new-logo-reintroduces-national-park-service-156475

Clark, D. (2013, April 26). The Millennials Who Want to See the World. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/millennials-world/story?id=18971171

Front-Page. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http://www.nationalparks.org/

National Park Foundation. (n.d.) Timeline [Facebook page]. Retrieved March 14, 2015, fromhttps://www.facebook.com/nationalpark

National Park Foundation. (n.d.) Tweets [Twitter page]. Retrieved March 8, 2015, fromhttps://twitter.com/goparks

National Park Foundation. (September 2013). 2013 Annual Report of the National Park Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http://www.nationalparks.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/files/annual_report_fy13_web.pdf

theblondeabroad. (2014, December 1). The mountains called and reminded me that it’s time for a new adventure. #iphone #travel #snowboarding #wanderlust [Photograph]. Retrieved March 15, 2015, from https://instagram.com/p/vwlJCQo5MJ/?taken-by=theblondeabroad

Three. (n.d.). 5 essential iPhone apps for the great outdoors. [Photograph]. Retrieved from March 15, 2015, from http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/The_Great_Outdoors