The Office of

Sustainability
Practices

Marion Donahue
Grand Valley State University
CAP 220
Public Relations Campaign Plan Book

Table of Contents
Introduction

Secondary Research

Methodology

Audience Analysis

Target Audience

Conclusion

Primary Research

Method

Results

10

Discussion

13

Conclusion

14

Tactics and Strategies

15

Objective 1

15

Objective 2

16

Objective 3

17

Budget, Timeline, Evaluation

19

Appendix A

23

Appendix B

24

Appendix C

34

Appendix D

35

Appendix E

36

Appendix F

37

Appendix G

38

References

39

Link

41

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The goal of this campaign is to raise campus-wide awareness regarding The Office of
Sustainability Practices (The OSP) at Grand Valley State University and to increase positive
student involvement in sustainability measures. A public relations campaign book will be put
together individually for The Office of Sustainability Practices. The Office of Sustainability
Practices is has been nationally recognized for their achievements, but has not had much success
in gathering awareness of students on each campus. This office offers grants, internships, and
many programs that are both beneficial to students and our environment.
The problem that needs to be addressed is rather broad, but definitely has a solution.
Yumiko Jakobcic, who works for The Office of Sustainability Practices at Grand Valley State
University in Allendale, explained the issues the office is having with getting the credibility and
awareness they deserve. Jakobcic stressed that nobody really knows what exactly the office
does, besides recycling around campus. A major reason for the office being unrecognized is
because it recently changed the name of the office, which led to issues in their social media as
well. Another issue is the budget is really small and few people working for the sustainability
office. Jakobcics main concern is that she wants to target the current students, both
upperclassmen and lowerclassmen, and inform them on what the Office of Sustainability
Practices actually does and what they have to offer.
Although, there are many issues with the office currently, there is definitely some
strength they hold. As mentioned earlier, they have been recognized nationally for their grand
achievements. They already have almost a thousand followers on twitter, a Facebook page, and
students involved from related majors. Three objectives that could be used to solve this problem
along with other issues will be examined. The first objective is to create a uniform social

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strategy. The second objective is to use campus involvement to aid awareness and participation.
The last objective would be to use multimedia production to increase awareness.
The awareness will be measured by surveys taken by students. Surveys have already been
passed out before this campaign has even taken place to see how much students really know
already. After this campaign, another survey will be sent out to see how much student
involvement has increased. This project is very important; because it will do more than give
students hands on experience with the OSP but it will also better the school and the people
enrolled here. It is important to identify the problems the OSP is facing because it may help
other programs around campus going through the same problems.
The importance of this campaign is not only to raise awareness of the office itself, but
also to give insight of why sustainability is important to the campus. Sustainability is key to
growth, adaptation, and prosperity in a rapidly changing world. This campaign will engage
students to learn more about the office and what is does for the student body. Elements of this
campaign encourage sustainable lifestyle changes in student lives.

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Secondary Research
The Office of Sustainability at Grand Valley mainly struggles with the lack of their
identity being publicized, but also has other issues that tie together with their unknown name.
Their office only has four employees, and two of them are students. Their social media is run by
one of the students, so their information is not always timely and relevant. The main goal of this
campaign is to get their name out there.
In order to successfully execute this plan, secondary research on the objectives is
necessary. Research needs to be done to find out whether or not the objectives are obtainable or
not for the client. The research of the success of these objectives in previous campaign will
determine whether or not to engage them in this campaign.
The three objectives that are to be used are to create a uniform social strategy, use
campus involvement to aid awareness and participation, and to gain awareness through mass
media productions. Mark Weiner, the CEO of Prime Research in North America, said that
objectives should be meaningful, reasonable, and quantifiable (Weiner, 2009). In order to
continue with this process, the objectives need to be tested whether or not they will be
successful, based on past studies on each objective in public relations campaigns.
Methodology
To begin the secondary research for this campaign, Grand Valley State Universitys
library was used. The research articles found on the objectives chosen were particularly easy to
locate. The first step was selecting Databases by Subject. The subject for this secondary
research was Advertising and Public Relations and the database that was most useful was
Ebsco. Each search performed the Boolean method. In order to fine-tune the results found,

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peer reviewed and scholarly journals were selected for each search in order to build
credibility.
The first search was done in order to find out the types of effective objectives in public
relations campaigns. This is important to research because in order for an objective to be
successful in a setting, it must focus on the right audiences. Effective public relations campaign
objectives was typed in the search field, and a few resources popped up. These articles not only
had information on effective objectives, but also how to choose an audience for each.
In order to get more information on specific audience analyses for the special event
objective, another search was necessary. This search was public relations events AND
audience analysis. More specific results came up to get further results for this objective.
Lastly, the secondary research for the film objective was done with Ebsco as well in order
to get more detailed information on the audience analysis for public relations videos. The search
used was Public relations campaigns AND film OR video. This was also a successful
search and there were relative articles found immediately.
Audience Analysis
Audience analysis is important because public relations professionals must know what
their target audience is thinking in order for the campaign to be thinking. Contributing to the
campus involvement objective, some research was found on audiences for successful events in
campaigns. As most know, as times change so does the technology so it is important to choose
the most efficient methods. According to Sidney Roslow and Lucette Comer (1993) in order to
measure audiences correctly, the older techniques must be modified and newer techniques must
be developed (p. 34).

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When researching how to find audiences for the campus involvement objective, one
article written by Maria Tajtakova and Daniel Aries- Aranda in 2008 was found. The article
briefly touched on how to generally draw college student audiences. Educational projects should
compromise marketing or social objectives. They suggest using a target audience involved in the
educational program (p. 181). The targeted audience may think, how will this event benefit me
academically or socially? This is usually the case for students on campus. It is hard to get
student involvement without incentives. Another study found on public relations events titled
Promoting Special Events: How to Avoid Competing With Yourself (2001), said providing
exciting visuals to accompany coverage of an event will not only guarantee local coverage, but
also a story ripe for exposure to the nation (p. 20). The targeted audience may think, I will join
this event because it visually grabbed my attention. The majority of people do things because
they were attracted to it. Since the Office of Sustainability Practices will sponsor this event, this
article on sponsorship events written by Russell Lacey, Julie Sneath, and Angela Close in 2007
will be relative. The attitudes of people who go to sponsorship events are favorable of the
sponsor and think about purchasing or getting involved with the sponsor (p. 1). In the campaigns
case, the client really only wants awareness and there are not any products to be sold. These
outcomes were predictable prior to the research.
The audience targeted for social media in campaigns is a little broader. This is because
the majority of people, especially the current generation is on a variety of social media platforms.
Rather than focusing on whom to target for social media, the clients social media should focus
on how it should grab viewers attention. In an article titled How to Create an Effective
Campaign, Andy Hillier (2012) said social media is comparable to a one-size-fits all approach
meaning if researchers interrogate people on how they communicate, they may find out that

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some do not use Facebook or Twitter (p.24). Currently, there are hip trends where some
people abandon social media, but for the majority it is an overpopulated source of information.
One research article found, titled Conducting Effective PR Programs for Management
Consultants: A Formula for Success (2003), said it is important to be accessible in public
campaigns, especially social media. It is critical to understand that public relations is part of a
relationship-building effort, especially with media (p.10). The audience analysis for social
media is people who may think, How can I easily access their information? Especially in
times like today, people want things fast and they want it now.
The audience analysis for the mass media production objective must also be considered.
One study done by Majorie Fiske and Leo Handel (1946), suggested that the audience analysis
on motion picture attendance did not vary much between men and women, but younger people
watch films more often than older folk do. Also, it showed that people with more free time can
attend or watch films (p.130). The audience may think, Can I watch something to gain
awareness rather than physically having to go to an event? or Will I have time for this? One
of the more common ways to watch videos is through Youtube. A study done on building an
organizations identity using video by Richard Waters and Paul Jones suggested that seven out of
10 adult Internet users use Youtube. People typically use Youtube for entertainment purposes,
so videographers make their videos in hopes to entertain their audience and grab their attention
(p. 254). This audience may think, Will I be entertained by watching this? It is rare to find
some one who watches something to become bored, therefore it is important to make sure the
video will keep the audiences attention.

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Target Audience
An important step to having a successful public relations campaign is to choose an
accurate target audience. Hillier (2012) said there are two groups for selecting a target audience,
the end audience and the intermediate audience. The end audience is the group of people that the
campaigners ultimately want to reach and the intermediate audience is the group of people that
can help reach that end audience (p. 24). In this case, the end audience will be the new coming
students interested in the Office of Sustainability Practices and the intermediate group will be the
current students and faculty involved with the OSP. For this campaign, the target audience
remains the same for each objective. The target audience is students ranging from freshman
class to senior class. The major focus is on GVSU students 18 years old to 24 years old, both
male and female of all races. Based on the psychographics of this target audience, they might be
concerned with the environment and the appearance of the campus or values being involved on
campus. The target audience behaviors include students that tend to join clubs on campus or
regularly attend campus events.
Conclusion
The results from the secondary research showed positive results. Social media, events,
and mass media productions seemed to have worked in the past with the right approaches. The
three chosen objectives aim to successfully gain awareness of the OSP. In order to target the
student audience effectively with the chosen objectives, each must be engaging, entertaining,
accessible, and beneficial to the targeted audience.

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Primary Research
In order to gain knowledge on the best routes to take to gain awareness for The Office of
Sustainability Practices (OSP), a few research methods were used. First, there was a survey sent
out. Then, a focus group was conducted in order to get a more in depth understanding. The
survey and focus group both focused on campus events and social media. This research was
important because in order to have a successful campaign that reaches out to the student body, it
must be understood what the students respond best to. Each method focused on questions that
related to how to successfully reach the student body to gain their awareness on The Office of
Sustainability Practices.
Method
The first method used was the survey (Appendix A). The survey was created on
Surveymonkey.com and was sent out to Grand Valley students. The survey was sent out through
Facebook, Twitter, email blasts to classes, and directly given to friends. 100 students took the
survey and gave valid responses.
The next method used was the focus group. First, the moderators guide (Appendix B)
was created in order to develop a plan and flow for the meeting. The moderators guide included
an introduction, the ground rules for the meeting, general questions, specific questions, and a
conclusion. The participants chosen were roommates of the researchers. There was not much
randomization with this selection, but there was an equal distribution of knowledge between
them about the client. The group of eight students met at the Mary Idema Pew library at 6 pm on
October 29, 2914. Marion Donahue was the moderator, Kori Mobley was the recorder, and
Rachel Staff and Katelyn Kaczanowki were the observers.

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Results
Survey
The survey results showed variety and were very useful. Out of the 100 responses, five
of them were freshmen, 22 were sophomores, 35 were juniors, 35 were seniors, and three were
fifth year seniors. The range of majors of each participant was very broad, but most majors were
Advertising and Public Relations majors or some variety of a School of Communications major.
A large amount of respondents were allied health science majors, nursing, marketing, and
psychology as well.
As far as the participants knowledge of the Office of Sustainability Practices went, the
majority had never heard of it. Seventy-five respondents said that they had not heard of it, 24
said they have, and one person skipped this question. Out of the people that said that they have
heard of it, the survey showed that those people either heard of it because of CAP 220, or they
were made aware by of the trashcans labeled on campus. The survey showed that 17 people
were not interested in learning more about the OSP, 25 were not interested, 45 respondents were
indifferent about learning more, 9 were interested, and 3 were very interested in learning more.
The questions about social media on the survey gave meaningful information to work
with. That meaningful information would be the numbers drawn from the survey results. When
asked which social media was used regularly, 89 people said Facebook, 82 people said
Instagram, 68 people said Twitter, 67 people said Snapchat, 24 people said LinkedIn, 20 people
said YikYak, two people said Tumblr, two people said Pinterest, two people said Google Plus,
and zero people said Myspace. Out of the social media sites listed above, 35 people preferred
Facebook, 31 preferred Twitter, and 31 preferred Instagram (Figure 1).

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Social'Media'sites'Students'prefer'
Twitter*
32%*

Facebook*
36%*

Instagram*
32%*

Figure'1

When students need to find out more information on an campus event, 62 people said
they go to Grand Valleys website to find out more information, 18 people said they used
Facebook, 15 people said they used Twitter, and 1 person said Orgsync.
When asked which types of campus events the students went to most, 37 people
responded sports events, 32 responded club or organization events, 25 responded events that
relate to their major, three responded that they do not attend any campus events, and one person
said theater events. When asked what they enjoy most about campus events, 19 people skipped
this question but the majority of people said receiving free stuff or to be social.
The results of this survey showed the best way to best reach college students and whether
or not hosting a campus event would be successful. It also showed that the OSP has a long way
to go before gaining the amount of awareness they desire.
Focus Group
The focus group results were broader because it was qualitative data that needed to be
interpreted. For the most part, the participants had unison answers. The basic results gathered
from the beginning of the focus group were the majors and years of the participants. There were
two sophomores, three juniors, 1 senior, and 2 fifth year students. Their majors were Education,
Allied Health Sciences, Comprehensive Science for Arts and Education, Psychology, Computer

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Science, Exercise Science, and Public Administration. This gave a wide range of student
personalities.
When the group was asked whether or not they have heard of the OSP, all but two
participants were clueless what the organization was. One participant even joked, Is it an office
that needs to sustain? The group agreed that the OSP would be beneficial to students by
teaching how to live a more sustainable life, especially around campus. One participant said that
the OSP could benefit her by teaching more about recycling and different clubs on campus. All
participants agreed that they would live a more green lifestyle.
The participants were pretty involved in campus events. Three of the participants are
involved in campus sport clubs, one participant is in a fraternity, and the others responded that
they go to campus events if their schedules allow them time. The respondents said that they go
to campus events mainly to socialize, be around people with similar events, meet new people,
watch sports, or for class. See Figure 2 for more information.
The group had a broad range of types of events they attend. Two participants are in
intermural sports. One attends fraternity events. One is involved in several clubs on campus.
The remaining participants just went to sporting events as spectators. The group agreed
immediately that participation whether it is physically on campus or virtually has an effect on
their awareness of an event. Some participants did not have much interest in going to events
even if there was a reward for going. Others said they are more likely to attend an event if there
is an incentive like free food or a free shirt. One participant mentioned she would go to an event
if it were required for class. When asked what the last campus event attended was, three
participants said the homecoming football game; one participant said her intermural game, and
lastly the study abroad fair.

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Types'of'campus'events'participants'
are'involved'in'

Clubs*
Sports*
Class*related*
Greek*life*

Figure'2

All students actively agreed that they use social media regularly. All participants agreed
that they use Twitter the most. Six of the participants mentioned Instagram, five mentioned
Facebook, and two mentioned Snapchat. The group decided that if they were to be contacted by
the OSP at all, they would prefer email or Facebook. If the participants wanted to go somewhere
to find information on a campus event, the majority of the group said that they use the Grand
Valley website. The next most useful source they mentioned was just word of mouth on campus
and then Facebook or Twitter. When they were asked if they think social media can promote the
OSP, they agreed it was possible but it would be more effective if they offered free giveaways.
The group said they would like to hear about the OSP first through something on campus then
use to social media to read up more about it later.
Discussion
The survey reached out to a larger sample of the student body, so it seemed well rounded.
Instead of sending the surveys out to friends and classmates, choosing a more random selection
of students for the focus group could have a variety of responses. However, the participants were
all taking different types of courses. The results from both research methods gave a clear idea as
to how to best contact to the student body. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will all be good

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social media sources. If there is going to be an on campus event, it should be full of incentives in
order to get the student body involved. Since the research showed the majority of students have
not heard of the OSP, ways of getting their awareness through social media and events will have
to be successful.
Conclusion
The research methods used showed significant results as how to reach the student body
effectively. In order to gain awareness of students on campus, there must be rewarding events to
attend, visuals on social media, and some sort of advertising that will draw attention. These
results can be used for further recommendations in this campaign, such as when and where to
post something on social media pertaining to the OSP. Another recommendation could be to use
Kirkhoff to host the campus event because students said they notice organizations most there.
This research can be used to further improve the impact and awareness of the OSP on campus.

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Strategies and Tactics

Objective 1
The first objective of this campaign is to create a uniform social strategy. In order to
successfully gain awareness in a world of growing technology, it is important to have an
attractive presence on the Internet. One strategy for this objective is to use the current target
audience to attract and promote The Office of Sustainability Practices through social media. A
tactic to work with this strategy would be to have the current employees in the office and
students who actively participate in this to conquer social media sites and promote the office.
Results from the primary research conducted showed that students at Grand Valley most
frequently use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The current target audience will send out viral
tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts, emails, and blog posts encouraging their friends online to
add or follow the OSP on their social media sites.
The second strategy is to rebuild the organizations image to be attractive to students.
The OSPs online appearance will have to be redone. There are currently two Facebook pages
for the organization with two different names, so the older one will have to be deleted. In order
for the OSP to successfully gain awareness, there must only be one identity in the social media
world so it is easy to locate. The more recent page will have to be published all over Grand
Valley affiliated pages in order to get more friends on Facebook. Results from the primary
research done shows that students go to an organizations Facebook page to learn more about an
event on campus, so it must be easily located and easy to read.
The third strategy is to create a social trend online to gain awareness of current GVSU
students. The tactic included in this strategy will require a creative hash tag. In order to keep
their brand awareness after the social media sites are updated, the hash tag will begin. People

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involved in the OSP will add #GVGoesGreen when they post on social networks. This will link
to the OSPs personal pages where the students can learn more about the organization. This hash
tag will also attract the viewers
because it relates to their school and
making their school green. An
example of a possible Twitter post
including the trending hash tag is
shown to the right (Figure 3).

Figure'3

Objective 2
The second objective is to use campus involvement to aid awareness and participation.
In order for an organization to thrive on a college campus, there must be student involvement.
An organization must have a presence on campus in order to be seen by students. One strategy
for this objective is to gain student involvement through competition. In order to do this, a
campus event will be put together by the OSP. This event will promote free bike rental for a
week for students to ride on campus through the OSP. The students that rent bikes will have
their names entered into a raffle. Local bike shops will be engaged in this campaign in exchange
for free promotional advertising. The selected bike shop will donate a bicycle as the grand prize
for this raffle. This competition will not only gain awareness, but it will also promote their bike
rental service. It will be advertised by fliers handed out on campus, posts on social media sites
and the GVSU page.
The second strategy involves using the right time and place on campus to attract students
to engage in what the OSP has to offer. Research showed that GVSU students enjoy learning
about different clubs and organizations by passing by the prepared tables setup at Kirkhoff. If

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there is something that draws their attention, students will go up to the table to learn more about
it. For this tactic, the OSP will set up a table at Kirkhoff during prime hours of students traveling
through Kirkhoff with attractive banners and posters. The prime hours would be between 9AM
and 4PM because this is when the majority of students have classes on campus. Research also
showed that having free food set out for students also grabs their attention, so there will also be
baked goods set out for students to gain their awareness.
The third strategy was proposed after learning that students are more likely to get
involved on campus if there are incentives involved. This strategy will use incentives to gain
awareness and involvement. In order to attract students, this tactic will involve the OSP
providing green shirts at Campus Life Night. This campus event is a big student engager, so it
will have a good turn out. The OSP will hand out recycled bags for students to put all of their
freebies from other organizations in, while promoting sustainability and recycling at the same
time. See Appendix C.
Objective 3
The third objective is to use multimedia production to increase sharable content. The
first strategy would be to use student involvement in the multimedia production to increase
involvement. The tactic involved with this strategy would be to work with GVSU film students
and create a commercial promoting the OSP. The students would recruit students from other
clubs and organizations on campus to get a wider variety of students on campus involved. The
film students that take control of this project will be rewarded a $50 gift certificate.
The second strategy would be to obtain awareness of this event through writing. The
tactic would be to propose a press release from the OSP that informs students on campus about
the new film being produced about the Office of Sustainability. The press release will be

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distributed through The Black Sheep and the Lanthorn. Students will also be able to access this
press release through the organizations page on Grand Valleys website. See appendix D.
The third strategy will consist of student and faculty promoting the finished product on
campus. There will be fliers all around campus promoting the showing of this film at Kirkhoff.
The students and faculty involved will also post the date and time of the screening on social
media sites. The screening will engage students and also bring them to campus to learn more
about what the OSP has to offer. See appendix E.

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Budget, Timeline, and Evaluation

The budget is displayed in Appendix F and the timeline of these objectives, strategies,
and tactics is displayed in Appendix G. The recommended public for all of these tactics are
Grand Valley students. Each tactic requires different assets and tools, which will be further
explained.
The first objective of this campaign requires only social media. Therefore, it is an
inexpensive objective. Students will be using Facebook, Grand Valley Email, Twitter, and other
free social networks. The tools being used will be the social media sites referenced above. The
current environment for this will not need much adjusting, but will need to be open minded
toward new posts on their newsfeed and inboxes. This will be measured by seeing the increase
of follows on social networks.
The second objective of this campaign will require some assets. The OSP already has
bikes for rental, so no new bikes will need to be purchased. This event will be advertised
through social media sites and the Grand Valley page for the OSP, which again will not cost
anything. However, the handouts for this event will be costly. Members of the OSP will have to
order these 5.5x8 inch color handouts through the Grand Valley Digital Print Shop. Each
handout is $0.25 and there will need to be 200 printed in total. This will total to $50 for this
tactic. The environment will not have to adjust much because it is common for students to
receive handouts while passing through campus. This can be measured by recording the number
of bikes rented.
For the table presented at Kirkhoff, there will be a budget as well. There will be cookies
made for students. The cookie mix will roughly cost $2.50 at Meijer. Each packet of cookie
makes roughly 12 cookies, so there will need to be 18 packets purchased to bake 216 cookies

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total. This will cost $45 total. There will also need to be a banner made for this table. The
banner can be ordered from Vistaprint.com. A 2.5 by 6 banner can be purchased for $33.74
online and will be re-used for other campus events. This will be measured by sending out a
feedback request after the table is taken down at Kirkhoff. It will ask students if they enjoyed
their presence at Kirkhoff, what could be done better, and if it gained their interest in the OSP.
The third tactic will require recycled bags to be purchased as well. The recycled bags can
be customized and ordered from Bulletinbag.com. If 500 bags are ordered, they are only $1.50 a
piece, therefore it will cost $750 total. This entire objective will cost $878.74, which will be the
most expensive objective but will be spread out over time.
The last objective will require posters to be made to promote the screening of their new
commercial. 11x17 inch posters can be ordered from Uprinting.com for $0.82 a piece. If 50
posters are ordered, it will call $41 total. In order to reward the film students for participating
and making the commercial, they will be rewarded a $50 Visa gift card. The press release will
not cost anything to have it distributed through Grand Valleys Lanthorn and Black Sheep. This
objective will cost $91 total. The number of views on the video online will measure this tactic.
Overall, this campaign will add up after spending money on the print, news, and
incentives. After adding all of the numbers together, the campaign will roughly cost $1,014.74
to execute each tactic. If there is not a specific type of measurement for each tactic, it will be
shown through the number of followers gained on social media after each tactic has been
executed.
Evaluation
As stated previously, these tactics will mainly be measured by the gain of followers or
likes on the OSPs social media sites. The goal for this campaign would be to increase the

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number of followers and likes by double. If this is achieved, then the campaign has been
successful.
The social media posts and email blasts in the first objective will be evaluated in October
and then again in January after it has been executed twice. The number of likes and
followers will have to be noted before each execution, and then compared afterward. The
number of Facebook likes will have to be compared as well after deleting the old Facebook
page and making it more user friendly and attractive. The Twitter trend will be measured by
how many people use the #GVGoesGreen in their tweets. These tactics are similar and will be
measured through comparison before and after executions.
The bike rental tactic will be measured and evaluated in November and December of
2015. There will clearly be a rise in the number of bike rentals than usual, but the number of
bikes rented for this competition will be a good measurement of how many people got involved.
The number of people getting involved with the OSP after this event will also be a way to
measure and evaluate how successful it was. The OSP will have a table present at Kirkhoff in
September and October of 2015 and again in March and April of 2016. These two will be
evaluated the month after completion. The members can send out surveys to students asking
about their experience, what they think could be better, and if it encouraged them to get involved
with the OSP. The results will be evaluated and used to better their presence on campus.
For the Campus Life Night tactic, the success will be measured by the number of students
becoming involved after seeing their presence at this big event. The number of social media
interactions will also be measured after this event occurs in September of 2015.
The media production tactics go hand in hand. The film students that were asked to
participate will be asked to give feedback on their experience with working for the OSP to find

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out if the production grabbed their attention or encouraged them to get more involved with
sustainability. For the screening, the number of people attending will need to be counted as well
as the video views online.
The majority of these evaluations rely heavily on counting the increase of participation
before and after the campaign has occurred. If these events are successful, it will be useful to
continue them year after year to draw the incoming students in.

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Appendix A
Survey and Results
(See following 8 pages)

23*

[SURVEY PREVIEW MODE] The Oce of Sustainability Practices Survey

12/1/14, 12:14 AM

The Office of Sustainability Practices

1. What is your class standing?

Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Other (please specify)

2. What is your major?

3. Have you heard of Grand Valley's Office of Sustainability Practices before?

Yes
No

4. If yes, what do you know about the office already?

5. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being very interested), how interested are you in learning more
about The Office of Sustainbility on Grand Valley's campus?

6. Which social media networks do you use regularly? (You may choose more than one)
Facebook
Twitter

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Instagram
Snap Chat
Google Plus
LinkedIn
Yik Yak
MySpace
Other (please specify)

7. What social media network do you prefer?

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Other (please specify)

8. Where do you go online to retrieve information about campus events?

Grand Valley's website
Twitter
Facebook
OrgSync
Other (please specify)

9. What type of campus events do you go to most?

Sports Events
Club/ Organization events
Major related events
Other (please specify)

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10. What do you enjoy most about campus events?

Prev

Done

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Survey Findings
1. What is your class standing?
40"

35"

35"

35"

30"
22"

25"
20"
15"
10"

5"

5"

3"

0"
Freshmen"

Sophomores"

Juniors"

Seniors"

Other"

2. What is your major?

Advertising and PR
Liberal Studies
Communication Studies
Allied Health Sciences
Business
Information Systems
Psychology
Undecided
Political Science
Math Education
Biomedical Sciences
Criminal Justice
Sport Management
Health Communications
Public Administration

Elementary Education
Film and Video
Journalism
Fine Arts
Natural Resource Management
Nursing
Marketing
Social Work
Sociology
Accounting and Finance
Biology
Exercise Science
Spanish
Management Information Systems

3. Have you heard of Grand Valleys Office of Sustainability Practices before?

75"

80"
60"
40"

24"

20"
1"
0"
Yes"

No"

Skipped"

"

4. If yes, what do you know about the office already?

Not much, but I know they partner
It finds way to save money and be
with a lot of departments to help
more sustainable on campus and
their reach.
teaches students how to be more
sustainable
That you guys are awesome at
keeping gvsu as green as can be and
Hardly anything, I've just heard of it
you practice sustainable tactics
nothing
recycling
They do the trash/recycle stuff
Nothing
recycling efforts
???
Class
They conduct sustainability practices
They are working on making GV a
They try to engage students in
more sustainable campus.
sustainability practices. They help
Just from class info
with the recycling and compost
From an in class assignment
programs.
n/a
it exists
NA
Very much
Nothing
Just that they work with
Trash cans at fresh, fuel, and kleiner
sustainability...?
No
That we have one
Nothing really!
Just that it talks about ways to be
They do more than recycling
sustainable
5. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being very interested), how interested are you in learning more about

the Office of Sustainability Practices on Grand Valleys campus?

50"

"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"

45"

45"
40"
35"
30"

25"

25"
20"

17"

15"

9"

10"

"

3"

5"

1"

0"
1"

2"

3"

4"

5"

Skipped"

6. Which social media networks do you use regularly? (You may choose more than one)

"
100"
90"

89"
82"

80"

68"

70"

67"

60"
50"
40"
24"

30"
20"
10"

20"
2"

2"

0"

2"

1"

0"

7. What social media network do you prefer?

1"
1"

35"

31"

Facebook""
Twitter"
Instagram"
Yik"Yak"
Pinterest""

31"

8. Where do you go to retrieve information about campus events?

"

"I"don't""

1"

OrgSync"

1"

Email"

2"

Twitter"

15"

Facebook"

18"

GVSU"

62"
0"

10"

20"

30"

40"

50"

60"

70"

9. What type of campus events do you go to most?

3" 1"1"

Sports"
Club/"Orgs"

37"

25"

Major"related"events"
None"
Theater"

32"

Group"exercise"classes"

10. What do you enjoy most about campus events?

They are so enlightening!

The community, the students, the
performances (if any), getting out of
the house.
Networking
The competitiveness and the
enthusiasm.
Meeting new people
Not long and interesting and
interactive
social
Broad range of event sss.
Career advice, practical advice
Being with friends
I've sat here for a few minutes and I
can't pinpoint what it is that I enjoy

most. Let's go with "they're

interesting"
It's a dry campus, so not too much.
You get to hang out with others.
free stuff
They usually pertain to your interest
or major.
When they end
The people
Meeting people
They're fun and you get to meet
people.
Entertaining
They include everyone
Free t-shirts

"

Free stuff of course. Having fun.

Learning more tips about my
potential career.
Meeting new people with similar
interests.
Free stuff/good info
Learning about topics I'm interested
in
Free tshirts
They look good on a resume
The atmosphere
I like tailgate cause I enjoy
consuming alcohol
The grand valley small school feel
The close knit environment of the
GVSU family
Networking with my peers. Free
food.
The people who share the same
interests as me
Free food
Networking
Free stuff
The people and the activity at the
event.
WOMEN
They are fun, and friendly. And
usually have food.
Free Food
Seeing other students and being able
to learn something new
Meeting people
Freebies!
Free to students
Social atmosphere
freebies
Interacting with other students.
Supporting stuff I believe in.
Beer
Everyone's invited
Free stuff
Feeling involved With the campus

The campus!
Meeting new people
They are fun and interesting for my
hobbies
Club sports
very welcoming
The amount of people I get to meet
through sports
Being around friends and other
Lakers
Meeting new people
A good atmosphere with many
Grand Valley students around
Seeing all the people
They bring the school together.
Hanging out with my friends and
making new ones.
Always well done
Flowers
Everyone at the event is excited to be
there
The opportunities through clubs and
organizations
Meeting people
Forming relationships with new
friends.
The people
Free food
Nothing
Learning more about things available
on campus. I went to a study abroad
fair casually the other day and it was
super helpful because I was too
nervous to go to the study abroad
office by myself!
Being around people
Fun
Networking
Meeting new people and learning
about other organizations
free food

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

24*

Appendix B
Moderators Guide and Focus Group Transcript

Introduction
o My name is Marion and I am the moderator today.
o The purpose of this discussion is to talk about gaining awareness about the Office
of Sustainability Practices at GVSU. I will be asking your opinions and your
experiences with this topic.
o I am part of a Grand Valley CAP220 class, and am performing this focus group
for Grand Valleys Office of Sustainability Practices campaign.

Ground Rules
o This session will last about 30 minutes.
o This session is being audiotaped and notes will be taken.
o Observers are present and notes may be sent in.
o There are not any right or wrong answers; we are simply looking for your
opinions.
o It works best if everyone talks, but you do not have to answer each and every
question.
o Please speak one at a time and avoid side conversations. We want to be able to
hear all of your comments.
o You guys may speak to each other about your experiences and opinions.
o Does anyone have any questions before we begin?
o Please turn off all electronic devices and refrain from smoking.

Background

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

25*

o Please take the next few minutes to get to know the people sitting around you.
o I am going to ask you to introduce a person to the group. I would like you to tell
us something about the person such as what they are majoring in, or if they have a
job.

Previous Experiences- General

o What is your major?
o What year are you?
o Have you ever heard of the Office of Sustainability at GVSU?
o If you do, what do you know about it?
o Would you like to know more?
o What benefits do you think you could get out of knowing more about this
program at GVSU?
o Do you go to campus events?
o Do you have social media?

Previous Experiences- Specific

o Why do you go to campus events?
o Which types of campus events do you go to most?
!

Sports, clubs, church, etc.

Do you think participation on campus (virtually or physically) has an

effect on awareness?

o Is there something particular that draws you to campus events?

o What is the most recent event you have attended on campus?
!

Why did you attend that event?

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

26*

Communication
o If you were to be contacted about information on the Office of Sustainability
Practices, how would you like be contacted?
o Out of the social media sources you use, which do you use most?
o Where do you go to find out more information about campus events?
o Do you think social media increase student participation and awareness on
campus?
o Do you think social media promote awareness for the office of sustainability?

Advertising/ PR
o What types of advertising would draw you to the Office of Sustainability
Practices (or Campus events in general) most?
o Are there any specific types of advertisements that you believe college students
respond well to?
o Would you rather learn about The Office of Sustainability Practices through a
campus event or through social media services?

Conclusion
o Thank you for taking the time to participate in this focus group. This has been a
valuable session. Your feedback will help assist in our further research regarding
the Office of Sustainability Practices. Thank you again for your time.

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

Focus Group Findings

Date: October 29, 2014 6pm
Where: Mary Idema Pew Library
Moderator: Marion Donahue
Recorder: Kori
Observers: Katelyn & Rachel
Participants: Tyler, Ashley, Emily, Lauren R., Lauren H., Allison, Caleb, and Kristopher

General:

Majors: Education & group social studies, allied health sciences, Comprehensive
Science and Arts for Education, Psychology, Comp Science and Arts for teaching
Special Education, Exercise Science, Public Administration.

Years: 3 juniors, 2 fifth year senior, 2 sophomore, 1 senior

Awareness of OSP:
o

Emily: Never heard of it

Ashley: heard of it but does not know much about what it does at GVSU

Tyler: Is it an office that needs to sustain?

Lauren R.: No, except for when Katelyn mentioned it to me

Lauren H: "Nope never heard of it."

Allison: "I've never heard of that."

Caleb: What is that?

Kristopher: I know what it is

Conclusion: Participants did not really know about the OSP, but did not have
much interest in learning more.

Benefits of awareness of OSP

27*

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*
o

28*

Ashley: It would benefit to know more about how to be sustainable. It would be

beneficial especially if you work in a field that requires sustainability. (Shared
background on information on sustainability that she learned in a general
education class)

Emily & Tyler agreed

Lauren R.: I might know more about the recycling here at GVSU. I might know
about different clubs

Lauren H: "I would have better knowledge of campus sustainability."

Allison: "I would know more about the whole thing about recycling."

Caleb: I would live greener. I dont know.

Kristopher: I would live a life that is better for the environment

Participation in campus events

o

Tyler, Ashley, and Emily participate in sport events

Lauren R. mentioned she goes to campus events when she is not working.

Lauren H and Allison: Said they both go to campus event when they can.

Caleb is in a fraternity

Social Media:
o

All actively use social media

Which social media sources do you use most?

o

Tyler: Twitter

Ashley: Twitter, but enjoys social media where she can look at pictures

Emily: Instagram

Lauren R.: Mostly Instagram, but also Facebook and Twitter

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

Lauren H: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Allison: "I use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat daily."

Caleb: Facebook and twitter

Kristopher: Facebook, twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat

29*

Specific:

Why do you go to campus events?

o

Emily likes to be around people that go to this school.

Tyler likes to go because he likes being active and playing sports. He also likes to
be with people with the same interest.

Emily also likes being around people with the same interests

Ashley goes to be social

Lauren R.: I usually go to campus events if its required for a class.

Allison: "I go to campus event to meet people, and if I have to go to one for
class."

Lauren H: "I go to be with my friends."

Caleb: I go to events to meet people

Kristopher: I either go to sporting events or I go to events that are required for

classes I take.

Which types of campus events do you go to most?

o

Emily: Dance troupe, clubs

Ashley: Intramural sports and clubs

Tyler: Intramural sports

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*
o

30*

Lauren R.: I dont go to very many, but when I do I guess they are related to my
major because they are class requirements ii. I think that the events make me
more aware of what is happening on campus. Especially events like Campus Life
Night and the Study Abroad Fair.

Lauren H: "I just go to the sporting event on campus."

Allison: "I go to the football games mostly, I did intramurals once, but I go and
watch my friends who are in them."

Caleb: events for my frat

Kristopher: Football or basketball games

Do you think participation on campus, virtually or physically, has an effect on

awareness?
o

All said yes immediately

Is there something particular that draws you to campus events?

o

Ashley: very confident, Free food & you got me!

Emily: free food, low pressure, dancing, music, friends

Lauren R.: Required for class

Lauren H: "All the excitement the event brings."

Allison: "No not really I just enjoy sporting event all around."

Caleb: no, not really

Kristopher: It has to be interesting, so usually sports

What is the most recent event you have attended on campus?

o

Emily: Dance troupe, homecoming football game

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*
o

31*

Ashley: Homecoming football game, intramural games, Kids food basket- GV

Nutrition club

Lauren R.: Study abroad fair

Lauren H and Allison: Both said campus life night

Caleb and Kris: GV Football game

Why did you attend that event?

o

Fun, involvement, school pride

Lauren R. went to study abroad fair because it was required for her LIB class.

Lauren H and Allison: Both said to see all the clubs that there are to offer and to
see if there was one they wanted to join.

Caleb: I went with a couple friends it was just something to do

Kristopher: I love football and I went with my friends

Communication:

If you were to be contacted about information on the Office of Sustainability Practices,

how would you like be contacted?
o

Ashley Tyler and Emily were hesitant about being contacted but agreed upon
email while Lauren R. said she would rather be contacted via text message.
Everyone agreed they would be less likely to delete the email or text if it stood out
to them in some way.

Lauren H: She said she would prefer email to any other way of contact

Allison: She said she would like to be contacted on Facebook.

Caleb: probably email

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*
o

32*

Kristopher: I guess Facebook.

Out of the social media sources you use, which do you use most?
o

Twitter

Lauren H and Allison: Both said they use Facebook the most.

Where do you go to find out more information about campus events?

o

Lauren R. Ashley, Tyler, Caleb and Kristopher all agreed on word of mouth and
the GVSU website. Ashley Tyler and Emily all agreed on Twitter

Lauren H: "I go on Facebook to find out the information for the campus events."

Allison: She said she just goes to the GV webpage to find out about all the events
that go on.

Do you think social media increase student participation and awareness on campus?
o

Ashley, Tyler, Emily, Lauren, Allison, Lauren H, Caleb, and Kristopher all agreed
yes.

Do you think social media promote awareness for the office of sustainability?
o

Everyone agreed it was possible but only if they offered things that interested
students such as free giveaways. No one noticed anything up until this point.

Advertising & PR

What types of advertising would draw you to the Office of Sustainability Practices (or
Campus events in general) most?
o

Social media

Lauren R: Probably things done through social media. Posters, or

recommendations from friends.

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

Lauren H: Said the free food is was draws attention.

Allison: She said the free give a ways they have.

33*

Are there any specific types of advertisements that you believe college students respond
well to?
o

Banners in Kirkhoff with bold titles and free food, pictures on social media

Lauren R: I think college students respond well to things they see on Facebook,
or on the GVSU site. They also like events that are free and beneficial to them in
some way.

Lauren H and Allison: Both agreed that student respond to the advertisements on
social media the most and that if there are free give a ways of some sort going
on for the event occurring that they are interested in.

Would you rather learn more about the OSP through Social media or events?
o

Allison and Lauren H: Said they would first like to hear and see about it on social
media and then go to the event to learn more about it.

Emily, Caleb and Kristopher: Social Media

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

34*

Appendix'C'
Objective*2,*Strategy*3,*Tactic*1*
Recycled*bags*
(See*following*1*page)*

LIVE!SUSTAINABILY!
OFFICE!OF!SUSTAINABILITY!
PRACTICES!
2014!
!

!
!

!
!

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

35*

Appendix'D'
Objective*3,*Strategy*2,*Tactic*1*
Press*Release*
(See*following*1*page)*

November 19, 14
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Marion Donahue: donahmar@mail.gvsu.edu
Yumiko Jacobcic: jakobciy@gvsu.edu

Office of
Sustainability
Practices

Grand Valleys Office of Sustainability Practices Presents:

GV GOES GREEN
Allendale, Mich.,-- Join us April 6, 2015 in Kirkhoff Center for the first premiere
showing of the finished production of our very first commercial. Over the past semester,
film students have worked with a variety of students on campus to create a multimedia
production that expresses what the Office
of Sustainability Practices does for our
school.
It focuses on student involvement with the
organization and the environment. We
are currently working our hardest to get
more involvement from students of all
ages. This film did a good job of gaining
awareness of students from different
organizations and we are hoping that this
video will inform the rest of the student
body on what it is exactly that we do.
Come join us in the theater room at
Kirkhoff center April 6, 2015 at 8 pm!
About The Office of Sustainability Practices
The purpose of the Office of Sustainability Practices is to provide the necessary skills,
analytical tools, and resources to address global, national, regional, and local
sustainability issues. We offer courses, programs, internships, and project activities that
promote awareness about sustainable development and how sustainability best practices
can be applied to gain progress against these ongoing issues.
224 Lake Ontario Hall on the Allendale Campus
http://www.gvsu.edu/sustainability/
https://www.facebook.com/gvoosp
@GrandValleyOOSP
###

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

36*

Appendix'E'
Objective*3,*Strategy*3,*Tactic*1*
Movie*Screening*Flier*
(See*following*1*page)*

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

37*

Appendix'F'
Budget*
(See*following*1*page)*

The Office of Sustainability Practices

Campaign 2015-2016 Budget
Campaign(Tactic(
(

Item(

Provided(by(

Print(

GV(Digital(print(shop(

$0.25(

200(

$50.00(

Uprinting.com(

$0.82(

50(

$41.00(

Flyers'(5.5x8in,(
color(handouts(
Posters'(11x17in(
color(paper(gloss(
2.5(x(6(Banner(

Vistaprint.com(

$33.74(

1(

$33.74(

News(

Press(Release(

$0.00(

1(

$0.00(

Social(Media(

Instagram(

Lanthorn(&(Black(
Sheep(
Instagram(

$0.00(

$0.00(

Email(

GVSU(

$0.00(

$0.00(

Twitter(

Twitter(

$0.00(

$0.00(

Facebook(

Facebook(

$0.00(

$0.00(

Incentives(

Customized(
Recycled(bags(
Gift(Card(

Bulletinbag.com(

$1.50(

500(

$750(

$50.00((

1(

$50.00(

Meijer(brand(
Cookie(Mix'(12(
cookies(

Meijer(

$2.50(

18(

$45(

(
(

Visa(

Unit(Cost(

Quantity(

Total(Cost(

Total:($1,014.74(

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

Appendix'G'
Timeline*
(See*following*1*page)*
'

38*

Action
Create=a=uniform=social=strategy
Use$current$target$audience$to$attract$and$promote$through$social$media
Email$blasts,$tweets,$Facebook$posts,$blog$posts
Rebuild$image$to$be$attractive$to$students
Delete$old$Facebook$and$post$relevant$information$regularly
Create$constant$social$trend$to$gain$awareness$from$current$students
#GVGoesGreen
Use=campus=involvement=to=aid=awareness=and=participation
Student$involvement$through$competition$and$reward
Bike$Rental$Competition
Right$time$and$place$on$campus
Kirkhoff$booth$with$baked$goods
Incentives
Recycled$bags$at$Campus$Life$Night
Use=multimedia=production=to=increase=sharable=content
Student$involvement$in$film$production
Create$commercial$with$film$students
Generate$awareness$of$screening$through$writing
Create$press$release
Promotion$of$film$on$campus
Showings$in$Kirkhoff$and$link$online

Key
Planning
Executing
Evaluation

Jul*15 Aug*15 Sep*15 Oct*15 Nov*15 Dec*15 Jan*16 Feb*16 Mar*16 Apr*16 May*16 Jun*16 Jul*16 Aug*16

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

39*

References
Fiske, M., Handel, L. (1946). Motion picture research: Content and audience analysis. Journal of
Marketing, 11(2), 129-134. Retrieved from http://www.ama.org
Hillier, A. (2012). How to create an effective campaign. Third Sector, (722), 24-25. Retrieved
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Jakobcic, Y. (September 23, 2014). The Office of Sustainability Practices Awareness. CAP 220
Class. Lecture conducted from Grand Valley State University, Allendale.
Lacey, R., Sneath, J., Finney, Z., Close, A. (2007). The impact of repeat attendance on event
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Roslow, S., Nichols, J. A.F., Comer, B. L. (1993). Measuring place- based media. Marketing
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Tajtakova, M., Aries- Aranda, D. (2008). Targeting university students in audience development
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10.1080/02642060701842191
Waters, R., Jones, P. (2011). Using video to build an organizations identity and brand: A
content analysis. Journal of Nonprofit and Public Sector Marketing, 23(3), 248-268. doi:
10.1080/10495142.2011.594779

SUSTAINABILITY*CAMPAIGN*

40*

Weiner, M. (2009, November). Key to a successful PR strategy is the right objective. PRWeek,
12 (23), 26-26. Retrieved from http://www.prweek.com/us