ON AIR
Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign for the Air Guard and U.S. Department of Defense
Final Project Student Public Relations Agency Reynolds School of Journalism and Center for Advanced Media Studies University of Nevada, Reno December 2010
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Table of Contents
BluePrint Teams Situation Analysis Overview of On Air Audience Target Cities Map of Cities Sponsorship Tactics Video Contest Social Media Facebook Advertisement Internet Page Jump Press Releases Questionnaire Questionnaire School Events Promotional Materials Super Bowl Scholarship Documenting the Super Bowl Next Steps Timeline Evaluation Goals Conclusion Appendix A: Contest Rules Appendix B: Media Tools Appendix C: Contacts Appendix D: Tools
4 5 6 8 9 11 12 13 15 18 23 24 26 27 28 30 32 34 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 48 49 50 On Air | 3
BluePrint Teams
The BluePrint PR team would like to thank everyone who helped make this successful. We look forward to its implementation. For contact information please see Appendix C. Account Executives Wendy Firestone Nick Goff Danielle Longley Creative Patrick Connolly Lauren Kohler Kelsey Hand Rebekka Rizzo Chelsea Williams Social Media Michon Wynn Jazzmine Hudson Maggie Sherman Jenny Young Abbie Walker
Production Lauren Manix Alli Cernoch Matt Shuckerow Heather Chiapinni Aida Cloutier Media Relations Billy Lee Lindsey Felsch Rachael McCoy Katie Goodwin
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Situation Analysis
Air Guard members are making a positive difference in their communities. The stories vary from school volunteers to extensive work to help sick children. As important as these stories are, they are often overlooked and not reported. The goal of the campaign is to highlight these services and communicate to the public the positive impact Air Guard members have on communities across the nation. These messages will reach into communities and engage our important audiences leaving a lasting impression on potential Air Guard members into the future. Through the popularity of social media sites such as Facebook, with 500 million users and YouTube, with 2 billion videos watched every day, these stories can be shared with millions of Americans. The Super Bowl, which was watched by 42 percent of American households in 2010, provides a strong incentive for participation in this campaign.
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Overview of On Air
On Air is a national awareness campaign highlighting the positive impact Air Guard members make in communities across the nation. The campaign invites students to create and submit videos about how Air Guard members have positively affected people in the community. These personal stories create emotional empathy, which makes them a powerful tool for promoting the Air Guard. We have laid out a plan to target six key cities across the United States based on patriotism of the armed services, strong media reach, proximity of a National Football League team and existing Air National Guard bases. The strategically selected cities include: Seattle, New Orleans, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Madison and Reno (which offers proximity to BluePRint). Stories coming from youth will inspire a revitalization of the perception of the air national guard. This is why we have developed a tactic to reach high school students in our key markets with the idea that it will expand nationwide. School involvement will include posters and flyers encouraging students to enter the On Air campaign, as well as events to promote the contest and services of the Air Guard. Offering incentives is a great way to ensure submissions and with February just around the corner, we can provide tickets to a highly prized, American pastime-the super bowl. High school students are also always looking for a way to get money for college, so scholarships are another huge incentive. Leveraging the popularity of the Super Bowl and the need for college money, students will be more prone to create and submit videos.
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Overview of On Air
Distributing an in-house questionnaire to Air Guard members will provide a way to collect and organize information about what kinds of organizations members are currently working with beyond their time in uniform. This information will be used to help find people whose lives have been positively impacted or improved by Air Guard members. The Air Guard has the resources, abilities and opportunities to effectively launch the On Air campaign. This plan will break down the previously listed tactics into greater detail. Through these tactics, America will recognize how the Air Guard impacts communities across the nation and in turn will create a profound respect for those serving in the Air Guard.
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Audience
The primary target audience is high school students. This audience was chosen because they are the most capable demographic to share their stories in a technologically advanced fashion. The main goal of the On Air campaign is to highlight what the Air Guard does outside of their work duties in their community. In order to do so, we are asking high school students to submit video stories explaining how an Air Guard member has positively affected them. This will drive people to vote on these inspiring stories of Air Guard members that have changed these students’ lives. High school students are the most technologically advanced demographic due to their exposure to technology at a young age which makes them ideal candidates for the video contests. By targeting high school students the campaign will reach out to the most probable competitors. We anticipate at least 50 videos to be uploaded. As students vote on videos an On Air link will appear on their Facebook page. This feature will encourage the participant’s friends to become involved in the campaign. High school students are some of the most active users of social media. Social media has the ability to connect with individuals quickly and effectively. Because of this, the campaign will focus on implementation through social media. In September of 2005, Facebook began allowing high school students to join their website, prompting tens of thousands of high school students within a week. As of August 4, 2009 there were more than 4 million high school students that had a Facebook.
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Target Cities
Effective public relations campaigns focus on specific communities. For the On Air campaign six cities were chosen as base points to put the tactics into effect. The cities were chosen based on research that shows high levels of patriotism and strong media reach. There are also Air Guard bases within close proximity to the focus cities, and all have connection to football teams in the National Football League.
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Target Cities
Seattle, WA: Metro Population: 3,407,848 NFL Team: Seattle Seahawks Air Guard Base: 194th Region Support, Tacoma New Orleans, LA: Metro Population: 1,235,650 NFL Team: New Orleans Saints Air Guard Base: 159th Fighter Wing, New Orleans Boston, MA: Metro Population: 4,522,858 NFL Team: New England Patriots Air Guard: 102nd Intelligence Wing, Otis ANG Base Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: Metro Population: 6,599,850 NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys Air Guard Base: 136th Airlift Wing, Fort Worth Madison, WI: Metro Population: 561,505 NFL Team: Green Bay Packers Air Guard Base: 115th Fighter Wing, Madison Reno, NV/Sacramento, CA Metro Population: 420,000 NFL Team: San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders Air Guard Base: 152nd Airlift Wing, Reno On Air | 10
Map of Cities
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Sponsorship
College students experience trouble paying for school. The cost of tuition, books, and furnishing a dorm room can create a large financial burden upon students and their families. Based on company principals and past philanthropic history, the following companies are likely to be interested in creating a corporate partnership with the 2011 Super Bowl. • American Airlines- Headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area, American Airlines is the official airline of the 2011 Super Bowl. American Airlines’ most notable charity partnership is with the Susan G. Komen foundation. “The positive environment we create by vigorously embracing diversity and inclusion is its own reward. We celebrate our accomplishments and are proud to reflect upon the energy and commitment it takes to earn them.” • Flip Cam- Shoot Anything. Share Everything. Flip Cam has created a program called, Flip for Education, Shoot. Share. Educate. This program provides discounted pricing to teachers, k-12 schools, School Districts and Higher Education in the United States. Videos provide a hands-on way for students and teachers to engage deeper as well share their learning experiences with others. Flip Cam is affiliated with Digital Wish, which strives to provide the ideal tool for integrating video into classrooms. Whether recording lessons for professional development, using video to motivate active learners, or creating a class show, Flip video cameras are the perfect video capture/share resource. • McGraw-Hill Companies: “McGraw-Hill provides people with the information and insights they need to adapt and grow in changing times.” Textbooks are one of the most expensive non-tuition costs of attending college, with some books costing up to $200. McGraw-Hill is one of the largest textbook distributors. An example of an already existing McGraw-Hill scholarship is the William C. Brown/ James H. McGraw Greater Dubuque College Scholarship competition. They give away $10,000 scholarship towards any 4 year degree as well as any free print or digital products by McGraw-Hill. • Bed Bath & Beyond: Offers the MasterCard Tuition Sweepstakes. The winner receives a $50,000 check, $10,000 to a college of your choice and a $5,000 gift card to Bed Bath & Beyond to furnish your dorm room.
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Tactics
Questionnaire Our goal is to use a questionnaire to find out what Air Guard members are doing in their local communities, what service organizations they are affiliated with and what their civilian jobs are. This survey will be created by bluePRint and sent to Air Guard members through existing distribution channels. This survey will serve the dual purpose of gathering information about Air Guard involvement in their communities and to inform the Air Guard members about the upcoming On Air campaign. School Events Some of the most compelling stories of how Air Guard members are changing lives in their communities are likely to come from youth. BluePRrint will focus on major high schools in each targeted city to announce the On Air campaign and encourage students to share stories about Air Guard members making a difference in their local communities. To create a media buzz (and a visual local media would want to capture) we recommend sending a local NFL player to the event along with at least one Air Guard member in uniform to bring students posters outlining the contest and rules. By using information gathered in the questionnaires, we hope to find Air Guard members in each community who are making a difference. We will then tell his or her story to the students as an example of the kinds of stories they should share. The combination of an NFL player’s presence and the reward of Super Bowl tickets is sure to intice students to participate.
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Tactics
Super Bowl Leverage the popularity and media power of the Super Bowl to encourage community members to create, submit and vote for videos by using an all expenses paid trip to the Super Bowl as an incentive. We anticipate a prize of this magnitude will propel the campaign beyond the borders of the six cities we have chosen to target. Attendance and participation in the Super Bowl will be the final tactic as a reward for the most compelling video submission that garnered the most votes. Documenting the Super Bowl Due to the video contest being the main aspect of this campaign, another aspect of the Super Bowl prize is to have the winner and the Air Guard member featured in the winning submission document their experience at the Super Bowl. Both the winner and Air Guard member will be given a video camera and asked to document everything from arriving in Dallas, going to the game and their departure. The video will be documentary style and will allow the winners to share their experience with those who helped them win. The video documenting the Super Bowl will then be uploaded to the Facebook page. This will serve as a follow up to the On Air campaign and will allow the Air Guard to evaluate how many people are still following the campaign.
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Video Contest
Through social media sites, high school students will be given the opportunity to tell their story about an Air Guard member who has made a positive impact on their life or the life of someone they know. Members of the Air Guard will visit the 6 target schools, reference (pg. 30), to introduce the On Air campaign to the students. The submission video must be one minute or less. Participants must be a current high school student between the ages of 13 and 18. Videos must be about an active or retired Air Guard member who has served or impacted the community or the life of the individual, i.e. a firefighter who saved a family and their belongings from a house fire or a high school teacher who guided a student from a broken home into the path of graduating. Contest video submissions will be accepted from December 19th, 2010 until January 10th, 2011. Video participants must have a personal YouTube account to submit videos. They must link their YouTube account and video to the video submission tab on the Air Guard Facebook page, the link will read “Video Submission.” Part of the submission includes, their name, e-mail address, location and the link to their video. Blueprint PR drafted the video contest’s rules and regulations and understands that you may need to alter them due to legal terms and conditions. Please reference Appendix A for the complete listing of the suggested rules and regulations.
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Video Contest
On Air campaign members will accept videos through YouTube and upload them on to the Air Guard Facebook page to be viewed and voted on by fans. When videos are accepted, an e-mail confirmation will be sent to the contestant asking for more specific details about the Air Guard Member in the video. Voting will begin on January 11th and continue through the 17th. Viewers will be able to cast one vote during the 7-day voting period. Voters must be a fan of the Air National Guard Facebook page in order to submit or vote for a video. Although the winning video will ultimately be chosen by the On Air campaign members, voting will attract Facebook users to the Air Guard Facebook page. For every video or vote submitted, an update will be posted on the fan’s homepage. These updates will lead to more page activity, leading to more fans. The more action on the page, the better the search engine optimization. After the contest ends on January 17th, On Air campaign members will have five days to choose the winning video. Once the winning video is chosen, four Super Bowl tickets will be given to the person who submitted the video as well as to the Air Guard member they featured (see page 34). In addition, a scholarship will be awarded to the creator of the winning video (see page 36).
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Video Contest
E-mail Confirmation: This e-mail will be sent to any fan who submits a video. It is a questionnaire that will be used to gather information about the fan and the Air Guard member featured in the video. Example: Congratulations, your video has been approved. Thank you for participating in the On Air video contest. You may view and share your video at any time through the Air Guard Facebook. Voting begins January 11th and ends January 17th. Please follow these few simple steps to view and vote on your video: 1. Go to www.facebook.com/airnationalguard. 2. Click on the video tab. 3. Find your video or view others. 4. Choose your favorite and click vote, you can only vote once during the voting period. 5. You may also tag and share your video. Please fill out the information below in order to participate in the contest: 1. Your Name. 2. City, State. 3. Is this the e-mail you would like to be contacted at? 4. Who is the Air Guard member in your video? 5. What is his/her rank? 6. Is he/she active or retired? 7. What is the Air Guard member’s current job (both military and civilian)? 8. What is your relationship with this member?
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Social Media
On the following page is a mock version of the Air National Guard Facebook page. This page will be the welcome tab for non-fans of Air Guard. The video shown is an introductory video of the contest and rules. There will also be an introduction of the contest and rules written on the Facebook page for both fans and non-fans of the Air Guard. Example: Submit the winning video! We want you to post a video about a member of the Air Guard and how they have played a role in your life. Videos will be voted on by you and other Facebook users, and ultimately reviewed by selected members of the On Air campaign. The creator of the winning video will receive 4 tickets to the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas, TX and the video will be aired as a commercial during the Super Bowl! Get your cameras rolling and let’s see what you’ve got!
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Social Media
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Social Media
On the following page is the Facebook Fan/Voting Tab. This page is what the fans of the Air Guard Facebook page will see. The video with the most votes will appear in a larger video submission box in the middle of the page. Underneath that will be the most viewed video submission. Once the video submission period is complete, this will become the top rated submission. Underneath that, the fan can scroll through all the videos, view them and vote.
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Social Media
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Social Media
High school students can be directly targeted through the use of Facebook advertisements. The advertisements are considered “pay per click.” For example, the Air Guard can set a budget of $300 for the month and once the $300 worth of clicks are made, the advertisement stops running. It may be viewed on any high school student’s Facebook page, but the Air Guard’s budget is only affected if the student clicks on the advertisement.
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Facebook Advertisement
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Internet Page Jump
On the Air Guard website, the image below will be linked to the Facebook page that allows for viewers of the webpage to become fans of the Air Guard Facebook page. It will give direct access to the Facebook video page and allow fans to access all content including videos, commenting, pictures and submitting video entries. This link will allow people to directly vote on the Facebook page from the Air Guard website, using the viewership of the Air Guard website to become fans of the Facebook page. This image also can be placed on any sponsored website such as high school websites, retail stores, NFL sponsors and other National Guard sites.
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Internet Page Jump
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Press Releases
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Questionnaire
The goal with the questionnaire is to find out what Air Guard members are doing in their local communities. This will include the service organizations they may be affiliated with and what their civilian jobs are. The questionnaire has been created by bluePRint and should be sent to Air Guard members through existing distribution channels. It will serve the dual purpose of gathering information about Air Guard members’ involvement in their communities and to inform them about the On Air campaign. This questionnaire should be distributed via email to Air Guard members in the six major cities we have chosen to target: Seattle, Dallas, Madison, Boston, New Orleans and Reno/ Sacramento. To ensure timely responses, it should be distributed from the Air Guard, either by Sergeant Parnell at the Department of Defense, or an Air Guard distribution method already established. You will be able to use the results from the questionnaire to better understand the types of community service and participation Air guard members are involved in. Knowing this, you will be able to more specifically locate individuals who have worked with and been positively impacted by Air Guard members and encourage them to share their personal stories. This will also be a way to find Air Guard members interested in participating in High School events and sharing their stories to encourage youth to create videos for the On Air campaign.
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Questionnaire
The questionnaire results should be compiled into a national report. This report will become property of the Air Guard and Department of Defense, but should also be edited and distributed to national media outlets. With this report, you will be able to pitch major broadcast stations, morning talk shows, major dailies and print publications, as well as local daily news stations about the positive service individual Air Guard members are doing in their communities. The results from the questionnaire should also be used across social media platforms. By knowing the most common organizations Air Guard members are affiliated with, you can recognize the organizations by linking to them in the online environment. You should also upload the results report to the On Air Facebook page and create status updates including specific information about the community service Air Guard members take part in. Featuring the results on social media will encourage conversation and fuel online media coverage.
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Questionnaire
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School Events
Some of the most compelling stories of how Air Guard members are changing lives in their communities are likely to come from youth. BluePRrint will focus on major high schools in each targeted city to announce the On Air campaign and encourage students to share stories about Air Guard members making a difference in their local communities. To create a media buzz (and a visual local media would want to capture) we recommend sending a local NFL player to the event along with at least one Air Guard member in uniform to bring students posters outlining the contest and rules. If unable to obtain the involvement of a NFL player an Air Guard member or members will attend the event. By using information gathered in the questionnaires, we hope to find Air Guard members in each community who are making a difference. We will then tell his or her story to the students as an example of the kinds of stories they should share for the video contest. The combination of an NFL player and Super Bowl trip or scholarship as a prize, is sure to create interest among high school students. By connecting with pre-existing events put on by each high school, such football games, pep rallies, or assemblies we can encourage schools to participate in the contest. BluePRint envisions the NFL players and Air Guard members arriving in a helicopter or the Air National Guard Hummers, again creating a great visual for the media to capture. After a quick description of the video contest and the example of the Air Guard member who has made a difference in their community, posters with information regarding the video contest will be passed out.
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School Events Each tactic for the school events will be a tool used to draw students to Facebook and YouTube. Using the their own Twitter account students will tweet about the Air National Guard event at their school and also post pictures of the event to their Facebook profile as well as create posts creating a buzz about the On Air campaign. Contest officials can also post information and photos concerning the school events on the Air National Guard’s Facebook. For the On Air campaign school awareness events, we will pitch to local media outlets using radio and broadcast within six major cities. In order to promote the event beforehand, we will contact one local AM and FM radio station in each city to created awareness of the school events and suggest they send a remote DJ to the event. Possible targeted radio stations are WBCN “The Rock” 98.5 in Boston, WERN 88.7 FM in Madison, Spirit 105.3 in Seattle and KCNI 105.1 in Sacramento. We will notify local broadcast stations; in particular Fox affiliates such as MyFox in Boston, with a press release and media advisory explaining the visuals and local connections. After the events, we will submit print stories to sports writers for local newspapers.
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Promotional Materials
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Promotional Materials VIDEOS
YOUTUBE
AIR GUARD
SUPERBOWL
SCHOLARSHIPS
A
ON IR facebook.com/onair
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Super Bowl
The concept behind the Super Bowl tactic is to provide an incentive for participation within the campaign. We believe that receiving any sort of viral or national media attention will drive this campaign. But by using the media coverage around the Super Bowl, we can showcase the community work the Air Guard does and it will be a great way to get the Air Guard the attention it deserves. The Super Bowl tactic has a few parts, the time leading up to the game, Super Bowl Sunday, and the time after the game. First, the family of the Air Guard member in the winning video as well as the submitter of the video will be able to fly out before the game, travel to the Air Guard Fort Worth base, and have meetings with local media and time to experience the Dallas area. The next part is the Super Bowl itself. We suggest that if the winning video submitter and Air Guard member are given video cameras to document their trip. Later, this will be posted on the existing Facebook video section of the On Air page. We recommend if there is already an existing Air Guard tailgate area, to feature the winning Air Guard member and the submitter of the winning video in the tailgate area to talk about the campaign and further discuss the community work of the Air Guard. If there is no designated area, we suggest one is created to drive more media coverage of the On Air campaign.
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Super Bowl
During the pre-game event of the Super Bowl, we suggest that the winning Air Guard member will be able to carry out the flag during the national anthem and be announced as the winner of the On Air campaign. After this time, the winning video, edited for time and content, should be shown in the stadium on the Megatron and as a commercial directly following the national anthem. This will be the final reward for the winning Air Guard member and submitter of the video and will also serve as the largest media draw and reach possible during this campaign. Tickets to the Super Bowl, transportation and hotel service need to be included, as we would like the incentive to be an all-inclusive package. The last part would be submitting the “home� videos that the winning submitter and Air Guard member had taken during their time and posting it on the Air Guard site.
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Scholarship
The purpose of the scholarship tactic is to serve as an additional sponsored reward for the winner of the video contest. We suggest that this scholarship be sponsored by the NFL because of the strong relationship that already exists between the Air Guard and the NFL. It is also another way of connecting the school events, football player appearances and Air Guard recognition. We suggest a donation amount of $10,000 for the winner of the On Air video contest. This scholarship is a way to allow the NFL and the Air Guard to gain national recognition for its community work and will serve as a positive representation for both organizations. The NFL receives great media coverage both locally and nationally. Sponsoring a $10,000 scholarship for a student with aspirations of higher education will show the great work that both NFL and the Air Guard comit themselves to in the community. This scholarship will serve as an extra incentive for the audience to participate in the campaign. It will lead to more videos and continuous traffic to the Air Guard Facebook page.
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Documenting the Super Bowl This tactic consists of two main parts. The first aspect of documenting the Super Bowl is to give both the submitter of the video as well as the National Guard member featured, a video camera. These video cameras will enable the winners to document their experience and share their stories with friends and family. The second aspect will be uploading the videos to the Air Guard Facebook page. Having established a following on the Facebook page already, “fans� will be interested to continue viewing videos posted by the contest winner. This will help to ensure that the On Air campaign lives past the initial video contest.
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Next Steps
The bluePRint team suggests the Air Guard implement these next steps to successfully complete the campaign. Secure sponsors and corporate partnerships for the student scholarship and for the winners of the On Air video contest. Once the sponsors are secured, you will be able to announce the incentives and build interest in the video contest. Send the questionnaire to Air Guard members using existing lines of communication. Sending it from a high ranking official with a deadline for return will ensure the greatest compliance. Public Affairs Officers in the targeted cities will be able to quickly distribute information to local media outlets generating interest in the On Air campaign and video contest. Connect with Tommy Inglis of Brandcraft Inc. to set up the Facebook welcome page that has been developed for the Air Guard. Schedule school events in the target cities for the two weeks after winter break – January 3-14, 2011. Use the primary research gathered in the questionnaire to help you to find Air Guard members that can serve as examples for the students during the events. Once these initial steps are taken, you will be ready to inform local and national media of the On Air video contest. Use the stories gathered in the questionnaire as examples of the kinds of stories you expect to uncover during the video contest.
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Timeline
December 19 Video contest opens, submissions accepted. 19 Voting opens. 20 Begin making arrangements for the winners’ day at the Super Bowl. 27 Scan videos looking for compelling stories and share them with the media. January 3 3 10 14 13 17 18 21 22 23 29
School Events Share compelling stories with media. Share more compelling stories with media. End school events Remind all media that this is the last week for voting. Last day video submissions are accepted. Ensure all arrangements for Super Bowl are completed. Voting ends. Winning video is chosen. Arrange for contest winners to attend Super Bowl XLV. Arrange local media coverage, making contest winners available for interviews (radio, newspapers, television)
February 3 Wrap up local media coverage prior to Super Bowl 4 Arrange for national media coverage and other media coverage to take place in Dallas and at the Super Bowl. 6 Assist the winners in documenting their experience and uploading material to the Air Guard Facebook page. 7 Use footage gathered by the winners to create a short video to post online.
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Evaluation
Evaluation is necessary to determine the effectiveness of a public relations campaign. A successful evaluation includes goals that should be monitored regularly during the campaign. This will ensure the campaign is moving in the right direction. If there is a loss of momentum in the campaign it can quickly be reevaluated and new tactics implemented. After the completion of each tactic, it is important to make sure the outcome is supporting the end goal. Based on the success of similar campaigns we estimate nearly 50 submissions to the On Air video contest. We expect at least 100 new followers of the Air Guard Facebook page and other social media sites. We also expect 12 stories about the On Air campaign or the Air Guard in the local media of the six chosen cities (two in each city.) The success of the campaign will be measured through social media user interactions, the number of videos submitted and the number of votes on each video. We believe the analysis of these media will provide an accurate overview of the campaign’s presence and effectiveness. Earned media coverage and news stories placed on the Internet will also be monitored to see the public’s response to the campaign.
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Evaluation
Social media user interactions are measured by the On Air Facebook page and can be viewed by the “Administrator” of the page. The administration page analyzes monthly users, daily new “Likes” and total “Likes,” as well as daily comments. These interactions make managing the On Air Facebook page and evaluating the successfulness of the On Air campaign very easy. The number of videos submitted to the contest and the number of votes recorded will reflect the outreach of the campaign.
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Conclusion
We, the students of Blue Print PR at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, are thrilled to have this chance to increase the public’s awareness of the positive impact Air Guard members have in their local communities. This will be accomplished through a comprehensive integrated marketing communications campaign. It has been an incredible opportunity working with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop On Air and create the strategies and tactics that will make this campaign a success. We are confident that when young people upload videos telling the world about how an Air Guard member makes their community a better place, it will become a powerful public awareness tool. Providing the incentives of scholarships and a trip to the Super Bowl will ensure participation in the video contest. This plan includes many opportunities to create powerful visuals that will encourage the media to pick up the story of On Air and help promote the Air National Guard. The questionnaire will help the Air Guard identify organizations and individuals that are benefitting from the work Air Guard members do. The information gathered also provides information that Public Affairs Officers will be able to use to engage the media in the On Air campaign. The school events and the Super Bowl will provide additional visual opportunities for local media to connect with this exciting campaign.
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Conclusion
Using social media is a cost effective way to connect communities and also takes advantage of a powerful vehicle to spread the positive message about the Air Guard all over the United States and the world. Leveraging the more than 14,000 fans the Air Guard currently has will encourage youth to upload videos knowing that they will already have a huge viewing audience. Just one outstanding video has the potential of going ‘viral’ and could be shared throughout the digital world with a possible audience of millions. Thank you again for this incredible opportunity. The Reynolds School of Journalism’s bluePRint team is standing by ready to provide you with any additional information and assistance. We are committed to supporting the Department of Defense in any way possible to ensure the success of On Air.
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Appendix A: Contest Rules OFFICIAL RULES
One Entry Per Person NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. VIDEO CONTEST DESCRIPTION: Enter to win four 2011 Super Bowl XLV tickets and a scholarship courtesy Air National Guard and affiliated partners. 1. Eligibility: Contest is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (and the District of Columbia) who are 13 years or older at time of entry with parental consent. The contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. 2. Sponsor: Air National Guard affiliates. Neither Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook”), nor their respective parents, affiliates or subsidiaries are responsible for the promotion, administration or execution of this contest. 3. Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in this contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these “Official Rules” and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this contest. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. 4. Timing: The video submission period is December 19th, 2010 through January 10th, 2011. The voting period is January 11th, 2011 through January 17th, 2011. Two prizes will be awarded. 5. How to Enter: During the contest Period, visit the Air National Guard fan page and follow the links and instructions to participate in the contest. Submit one (1) entry on in order to receive one (1) entry into the contest (the “Submission”). 6. Submission Requirements: The Submission must contain: Name, Address, City, State, Zip Code, and Age. For All Submissions: Limit: You may submit one (1) Submission during the contest Period. Submissions received from any person, fan or email address in excess of the stated limit will be void. Submissions generated by script, macro or other automated means are void. Subsequent attempts made by the same individual to submit multiple entries by using multiple or false contact information or otherwise may be disqualified. Released Parties (as defined in Section 9, below) are not On Air | 44
Appendix A: Contest Rules
responsible for lost, late, stolen, damaged, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, garbled, delayed or misdirected Submissions; all of which will be void. In the event of a dispute as to any Submission, the authorized Facebook and YouTube account holder, at time of entry, used to register for the contest will be deemed to be the entrant and must comply with these Official Rules. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to the Facebook and YouTube account with the submitted address. The entrant may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. For purposes of this contest an on-line entry is “received” when the application’s servers record the entry information. Proof of sending (such as an automated computer receipt confirming entry or “thanks for entering” message) does not constitute proof of actual receipt of an entry for purposes of this contest. The Sponsor’s website’s database clock will be the official time keeper for this contest. Those who do not follow all of the instructions, provide the required information in their entry form, or abide by these Official Rules or other instructions of Sponsor may be disqualified. 7. Winner Determination/Odds: At the conclusion of the contest Period, winners will be randomly chosen from all eligible Submissions received. The odds of being selected as a potential winner depend on the number of eligible Submissions received during the Sweepstakes Period. 8. Winner Requirements: Decisions of the Sponsor as to the selection of the winners will be final. Potential winners will be notified through the email address submitted with their entry. If a potential winner does not respond within the timeframe stated in the notification email, the Sponsor may select an alternate potential winner in his/her place at random from all Submissions received during the contest Period. The Released Parties are not responsible for electronic communications that are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind, or insufficient space in entrant’s e-mail account to receive e-mail messages. Acceptance of any prize shall constitute and signify winner’s agreement and consent that Sponsor and its designees may use the winner’s, name, city, state, likeness, photo, Submission and/or prize information in connection with the Sweepstakes for promotional, advertising or other purposes, worldwide, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, including the Internet, without limitation and without further payment, notification, permission or other consideration, except where prohibited by law. Winners will indemnify Sponsor, Released Parties and any licensee of Sponsor against all claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and legal expenses) arising out of any breach of these terms. Prizes will be fulfilled after end of Sweepstakes. 9. Prizes: Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be permitted unless Sponsor, in its sole discretion, determines otherwise. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize with one of comparable or greater value, at its sole discretion. Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes and any other costs, expenses or fees associated with prize acceptance and/or use not specified herein as being provided. All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. 10. Release: By participating, entrant agrees to release and hold harmless the Sponsor and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, On Air | 45
Appendix A: Contest Rules
distributors, advertising/promotion agencies and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and its officers, directors, members, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the contest or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. 11. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Sweepstakes, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. If terminated Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, determine the winners from among all non-suspect, eligible Submissions received up to time of such action using the judging procedure outlined above. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual it believes to be tampering with the Submission process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or those of any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner and void all associated Submissions. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies (including attorneys’ fees) from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. In the event Sponsor is prevented from continuing with the contest by any event beyond its control, including, but not limited to, fire, flood, epidemic, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, communications or equipment failure, utility or service interruptions, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared), interference with the contest by any party, or any federal state or local government law, order, or regulation, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within Sponsor’s control Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend or terminate the contest. 12. Limitations of Liability: Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrant, printing, typographical or other errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the contest; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Submission process or the contest; (4) printing, typographical, technical, computer, network or human error which may occur in the administration of the contest, the uploading, the processing or judging of Submissions, the announcement of the prizes or in any contest-related materials; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail, e-mail, postings and/or any other kind of electronic communications; or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the contest or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. Released Parties are not responsible for misdirected or undeliverable Submissions or for any technical problems, malfunctions of computer systems, servers, providers, hardware/software, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission or any combination thereof. Released Parties are not responsible for any unauthorized third party use of any Submission. Under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain any award for, and entrant hereby knowingly and expressly waives On Air | 46
Appendix A: Contest Rules
all rights to seek, punitive, incidental, consequential or special damages, lost profits and/or any other damages. Entrants’ remedies are limited to a claim for money damages (if any) and entrant irrevocably waives any right to seek injunctive or equitable relief. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitations of exclusion of liability, so the above may not apply to you. 13. Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual direct damages incurred, including costs associated with entering this contest, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (3) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Nevada without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Nevada or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Nevada. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision of the Official Rules is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, the other provisions will remain in effect and will be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein. Entrants agree to waive any rights to claim ambiguity of these Official Rules. Headings are solely for convenience of reference and will not be deemed to affect in any manner the meaning or intent of the documents or any provision hereof. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any contest-related materials, privacy policy or terms of use on the website and/or the terms and conditions of the Official Rules, the Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control and the discrepancy will be resolved in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion. 14: Winners List/Questions: To request the name of the winner, send a self-addressed stamped envelope (stating the specific contest you are requesting the winners for) to Sponsor’s Winner’s Request at the address set forth in Section 2 above. Requests must be received within sixty (60) days from the end date of the applicable contest. All questions, comments or complaints regarding the contest should be directed to Sponsor at the address set forth in Section 2 and not Facebook nor YouTube.
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Appendix B: Media Tools
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Appendix C: Contacts Tommy Inglis Co-Founder of Shortstack Brandcraft Inc. (775) 303-6906 tommyinglis@gmail.com tommy@brandcraftinc.com www.brandcraftinc.com
Tommy Inglis is one of the creators of the Shortstack Facebook program which is an application for businesses to integrate all sources of social media onto a Facebook tab. BluePrintPR has worked with Tommy to create the OnAir video campaign tab. This tab needs to be linked to the Air National Guards Facebook Page. To implement the OnAir campaign please contact Tommy to grant administration to the Air National Guard Facebook page, or Tommy can guide you through the process of publishing the Facebook tab.
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Appendix D: Tools Air Guard We want students to submit a video with an National Air Guard member. Participants
have a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship or Super Bowl XLV 2011 tickets. Check out the Air Guard Facebook page for On Air video contest details on Thursday
Wall
OnAir
Air Guard Voting for the On Air video contest is now open. Submit your video of a National Air Guard member who has impacted your community. Don’t forget to vote on your favorites. on Thursday
Wall
OnAir
Air Guard Contact your local National Air Guard to find out about events happening at your school. You’ll have a chance to meet your favorite NFL player. On Air voting still open. Upload upload your videos and vote now. on Thursday Wall
OnAir
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Thank You
We would like to give a special thank you to Sergeant Lorenzo Parnell, Neisha Jenkins and all of our friends at the Air National Guard for this great opportunity. This has been a wonderful learning experience for each of us and we value the chance to have been part of the process. We strongly believe in this campaign and hope that our hard work will be able to assist in generating community awareness for the Air Guard. Again, we thank you for the opportunity to have worked with the U.S. Department of Defense and we are honored for this experience.
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