Empowering Heroes

The Goal and Campaign Objectives

The Situation

The Research

The Target

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SWOT

15

Strategy

17

Big Idea

19

Media Mix

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The Goal and Campaign Objectives

The objective of this campaign is to execute a strategic integrated marketing communications plan that will bring
together volunteers with a one of a kind effort. Our overall goal is the expansion of volunteers by targeting and building
awareness with local residents. The following research suggests to incorporate these key points to achieve our goal.

Excite, motivate, and incorporate the sense of self-gratification that volunteers need.

Empower and create a sense of heroism in the volunteer.

Create instant gratification and accomplishment for the volunteer.

The Situation
Downtown Johnson City

A wave of excitement and energy is building in downtown Johnson City as revitalization begins to take on a brand
new meaning in the richly historic commercial district. Buildings
are being renovated and cleaned, businesses are booming

and the streets are taking on new pedestrian life. No matter what the reason, downtown Johnson City is increasingly
becoming the place to be. However, with that road to fresh
energy comes a major problem-litter.

A Nationwide Movement

The Clean Street Crusaders has been created in
response to the 58 year long, Keep America Beautiful (KAB) non-profit organization dedicated to community
improvement through litter prevention, waste reduction, and
beautification. In documenting the problem of litter, the
KAB conducted a series of research studies evaluating the
efficacy of litter control programs. Assessment of the KAB
research noted that there are unquantifiable benefits to

litter reduction, such as the improved ability to attract new

businesses and increases in revenue from local residents
and tourism. The types of literature identified and reviewed
include litter composition studies, attitude surveys from
downtown business owners, litter messaging, cigarette butt
liter, and the efficacy of litter receptacles. Questions that
were considered during the review process include:

1.

Influence on littering behavior

2.

Cost of litter to state and local governments

3.

Identifiable reasons people litter

4.

Key finding of research studies to influence volunteer participation

The Clean Street Crusaders will focus on the clean-up and pick-up of cigarette butts,
bottles, and litter-defined as uncontained solid waste.

The Cost of Litter Is Substantial

Litter has a number of negative consequences including substantial
costs to businesses and governments, and reduced property values. The
KAB research estimates the cost of litter show that $11.5 billion are spent
on abatement and clean-up activities each year, with businesses paying
$9.1 billion, and this number probably underestimates the true cost.

The Cost of Cigarette Litter

Cigarette litter is a widespread litter problem-both in Downtown
Johnson City and nationwide. Johnson City residents and business owners
have to pick up the tab as it requires additional clean-up initiatives, and
business owners bear the expense of the clean-up. Cigarette butt litter
decreases appeal and can decline tourism, foot traffic, and business and
housing developments.

So Why Does This Matter?

The presence of litter in a community takes a toll on the quality of life, property values, and housing values. KABs 2009 National Visible Litter
Survey and Litter Cost Study found that litter in a community decreases property values 7%. Once litter is in on the ground, it attracts more litter. A
clean community, by contrast, can discourage littering and improve community appearance and quality of life. Nationwide research estimates that there
are 51.2 billion pieces of litter on our nations roadways, and the large majority of this litter is less than 4 inches. Cigarette butts remain the most littered
item in the U.S. and across the globe. The overall littering rate for cigarette butts is 65%, and tobacco products comprise 38% of all U.S. roadway litter.

Research
Downtown Johnson City Business Owners Weigh-In

Increasing amounts of litter in a business district
creates a sense that no one cares, leading to more community disorder and crime. A survey was conducted to
randomly selected Johnson City Downtown business owners
and merchants to find out their personal perceptions and

opinions regarding the issue of downtowns litter problem,

their knowledge of the Dirt Patrol clean-up initiative, now
to be called Clean Street Crusaders, their thoughts about
the name of the initiative, their willingness to participate and
support the clean-up effort, and how they would contribute.

Majority of the participants surveyed believed the downtown had a significant litter problem and cigarette butts were consistently
viewed as the primary problem.

All participants in the survey agreed to help the on-going clean-up of litter. Of the owners surveyed who had their own water supply,
100% agreed to allow the Clean Street Crusaders access to their water source if needed.

Most agreed to donating supplies when needed, and offering their goods to volunteers when applicable.

All agreed to posting the logo in their front window as a sign of participation and support of the Clean Street Crusaders. Only one
owner agreed to monthly monetary donations.

100% of the downtown business owners believed the name of the clean-up initiative, The Dirt Patrol, brought about negative connotations.

One owner said, The name Dirt Patrol brings attention to the fact that it is dirty.

Why Do People Litter?

Research indicates that one in five observed individuals were littering. 81% of
littering was intentional, e.g., flicking, flinging, or dropping. Litterers gave the following reason for their behavior:

Laziness 35%
No bin nearby 19%
Habit and forgetfulness 14%
Inconvenience of keeping the waste 14%

Cigarette smokers discount the impact of cigarette butts because of their small
size and surveys from the last decade indicate that most people do not consider
their own contributions to cigarette debris to be significant enough to warrant a
change in personal behavior.
63% of cigarette butt littering is attributable to individual motivations. Mostly it is
lack of awareness about the environmental impact and insufficient ash receptacles. Furthermore, individuals are much more likely to litter into a littered environment. And once there, it attracts more litter. By contrast, a clean community
discourages littering and improves overall quality of life.

The Broken Window Theory

The Broken Window theory holds that little things matter. Fix problems as littered streets while they are small, and theyre less likely to escalate. Focusing on small improvements, like removing cigarette butt litter, creates safer and more economically vibrant communities. Volunteers
can make a visible difference in just one day of service. Businesses, residents and visitors to Downtown Johnson City will reap the rewards of a
cleaner environment. Clean Street Crusaders will bring together volunteers to clean-up and pick-up the litter in an effort to improve the overall
quality of life benefiting the community at large.
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So, Who Are The People That Litter?

Along roadways, motorists (52%) and pedestrians
(23%) are the biggest contributors to litter. Research shows
that individuals under 30 are more likely to litter than those
who are older. In fact, age and not gender is a significant
predictor of littering behavior. KABs preliminary research
identified groups of people whose norms are critical to
change in litter dynamics; motorists, pedestrians, and gatekeepers. Those people present a clear market segment for
focused messaging and campaigns. Involving these individuals in clean-up activities can help to raise awareness about
litter as an issue, and to increase their commitment to prevent
litter.

The traditional viewpoint of a volunteer is someone
who has lots of time to spare and is looking for something
to do. Although this perception may have been true in the
past when many women stayed out of the workplace and
gave their energies to charity, the stereotype no longer fits.
Women still volunteer more than men, and people between
the ages of 35 and 44 are the likeliest to volunteer. Those

members of the likeliest group also are likely to be balancing careers with raising families, not to mention taking care of
aging parents, going to the gym, and keeping up with email.


One of the myths of the volunteer world is that daytime volunteers are an endangered species. There is so
secret about where to find middle-aged, adult volunteers
available for weekday assignments: recruit from the large
segment of the workforce who does not work normal hours.
In fact, logic shows that normal hours are relative, and think
about all the jobs that require shift work, predominantly evening hours, weekend days, or odd or flexible schedules. A
whole sub-category involves people who are self-employed
or work on commission. For example: consultants, artists, anyone who works from home, sole practitioners in fields such as
accounting or public relations, real estate agents. It is probably worthwhile to point out that the higher a person rises in
a company, the more flexibility s/he has in allocating his or her
schedule as top executives are more likely weekday recruits
than secretaries who have less choice.

Target Audience
Volunteering Statistical Profile
National Demographic
Gender:

Women: 30.1%

Men 29.3%
Age:


Race:

Age 35-44 (most likely to volunteer)

Early 20s (least likely to volunteer)
White 27.8%
African American 19.4%
Asians 19.6%
Latinos/Hispanics 14.7%

Domestic lifestyle:

Married People 32%

Never Married 20.3%

Other 20.9%

Parents with kids under 18: 33.6%

Parents with any age: 23.5%

The median hours spent annually volunteering is 52 hours.

Age 65 and up median hours spent volunteering is 96 hours.

Age 16 to 34 median hours spent volunteering is 40 hours.

33.8% volunteer for religious organizations

26.5% volunteer for educational/youth services

13.6% volunteer for community/social services

Of the 65.5 million adult volunteers, most said they serve

through religious organizations than any other.

Survey shows that those most likely to volunteer have home ownership, high
education levels, and lived near high concentrations of nonprofit organizations.

Education level:

College grads 42.3%

High school grad only 17.9%

Less than high school degree 8.8%

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Understanding The Volunteer

Volunteers are individuals with unique feelings, motives, and ambitions. What inspires people to take action and
volunteer? Some people get pleasure from simply volunteering while others want to work with peers, further knowledge,
learn new skills, and pass the time. People volunteer for a variety of reason, including their desire to:

Help the community

Increase self-esteem
Make new friends
Try out a job
Polish their resumes
Develop new skills
Enjoy something they love
To feel needed
To share a skill
To get to know a community
To gain leadership skills
To do your civic duty
For recognition
To have an impact
For escape

Some people are uncomfortable with the notion that a volunteer benefits from doing volunteer work. There is a
long tradition of seeing volunteering as a form of charity, based on altruism and selflessness. The best volunteering does
involve the desire to serve others, but this does not exclude motivations, as well. Instead of considering volunteering as
something you do for people who are not as fortunate as yourself, begin to think of it as an exchange.
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The Decision To Volunteer

The Decision to volunteer is usually a two-step process- a person thinks generally about becoming a volunteer
and then a trigger event transforms this general thought
into concrete action. The trigger is often very simple: someone they know asks them to volunteer in a specific role, or
they learn about an opportunity through an organization to

which they belong. This two-step process suggests that it is

important to create broad local visibility and name recognition, so that when people are ready to volunteer they will
know who you are, and to target your recruitment, so you are
asking people who are ready to volunteer.

How To Recruit Volunteers

Recruiting the right people requires a commitment of time, energy, creativity and persistence, as well as a well-considered plan. According to the Center for Intergenerational Learning at Temple University, effective practices include:

Decide on the characteristics you want your volunteers to have

Develop a checklist of the most important requirements

Identify the barriers that may deter people from volunteering

Think about what could motivate elderly people to volunteer

Plan presentations that put a personal face on your program

Be sure your agency is ready to provide good customer service

Target a worksite with a campaign that shows employees you
really want their involvement. The were in the same neighborhood
approach makes sense to people. So do volunteer job descriptions that
make use of the skills employees demonstrate on their paying jobs.

Volunteering is the latest arena to benefit from an explosion of
choices and information delivered online. About 13% of nonprofit organization that were surveyed in a study conducted by VolunteerMatch.com
Develop connections with organizations that have credibility said Craigslist.org was useful in their recruiting efforts, and 10% named
with the groups you are targeting
Idealist.org. Smaller portions cited 1-800-Volunteer.org, VolunteerSolutions.org, HandsonNetwork.org and ServeNet.org
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Barriers in Recruiting Volunteers

There are many reasons why people in the community encounter barriers to volunteering. But in addition to general obstacles such as lack of time,
fear of committing to a role, childcare or other significant responsibilities, people often encounter other barriers which stop them thinking about volunteering.
Volunteer work is labor in an organizational context, unpaid and without any obligations, for the benefit of other and/or society. In order for a volunteer organization to function effectively, it is necessary that its individual volunteers perform and attend as relied upon. Volunteer organizations
are often confronted with nonperformance and nonattendance of volunteers as a result of the characteristics of volunteer work (e.g., the absence
of obligation), referred to as the reliability problem.
The reliability problem is not easily solved. For example, the reward structures that operate to motivate and retain paid workers (e.g., pay, promotion) are not available in volunteer organizations. Research suggests that volunteer organizations may do well to implement pride and respect
in their volunteer policy to address the reliability problem. Let people see the problem their volunteer work will address. People want to make a
difference and are often motivated by their heart to volunteer. Using videos, success stories, and photographs to show the social problems the
volunteers will address is key.

Other barriers to volunteering include:

A lack of understanding, that many volunteer-involving organizations are open to and encourage volunteers irrespective of their ability to read
or write in English, or disability, age, gender or background.

A perception that volunteer-involving organizations are not equipped to accept or manage people with special needs, (e.g., language barriers,
accessible work place for people with disabilities.)

A lack of existing volunteers

A lack of understanding that some volunteer activities can be done in flexible formats, (e.g., at different times, in different locations, remotely or
electronically, or even monetary donations)

The word volunteering may have other connotations (such as a military focus) for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds)

People with criminal records may not think that any organization will accept them as a volunteer.

A perception that doing volunteer work may affect some benefit entitlements

Financial issues, including concerns that expenses associated with volunteering may strain their limited financial resources.

Difficulties with transportation

Competition for volunteers; it is likely that many other organizations are trying to recruit the same volunteer-minded older adults.
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Barrier Trends That Are Impacting Volunteers

Busy lifestyles, changing family structures and changing work patterns affect peoples ability to volunteer. In response, providing shorter volunteer
commitments, job sharing and flexible hours are more appealing. Try not to sign up volunteers for a 12 week roster. Rather break it down into smaller
chunks. Let volunteers know exactly how long they will be needed by setting start and end dates.

The sense of community has diminished, as has the concept of giving back. People will no longer volunteer for the sake of volunteering. In
response, find more creative way to recruit volunteers. Promote volunteering as if you are selling a fantastic product.

Baby Boomers are approaching retirement and will be looking for ways to put back into the community. They are a huge source of potential
volunteers that so far as been untapped. In response, offering them positions that interest them and lets them use the skills they have gained over their
professional career.

There has been a steady decrease in the number of young people volunteering. This can be attributed to them not understanding the benefits of
volunteering, or being considered too young by the organization and not approached. In response, look at the strengths of young people and the skills
they can bring to the organization.
Research suggests that if you can provide an environment in which volunteers can bring their friends, can meet others who share their interests, and learn
new skills, you can lure even the busiest people into helping.

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SWOT Analysis
In order to categorize and prioritize finding from a strategic viewpoint for the Johnson City Dirt Patrol, we propose the following SWOT analysis.
Such an analysis will help provide a structured evaluation of internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats that can
help or hurt our brand.
The following strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats represent our view of what will ultimately help guide our planning efforts for the
Johnson City Dirt Patrol IMC campaign.

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Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Community interaction
A cause with good civic minded appeal
Tax exempt
Wide range of age among volunteers
Making a difference to better the community

Confused image and name

No brand awareness
No website or social media
Need monetary donations, contributions and grants to survive
Negative perception from local residents of Downtown Johnson City
Lack of communication between downtown business owners and the city
Lack of cohesiveness between business owners and the city regarding the
need for litter pick-up responsibility

Opportunities:

Northeast State Downtown Johnson City campus will drive more foot traffic
Alliances with other non-profit organizations (Keep Johnson City Beautiful)
Partnership with correctional and community service organizations
The opportunity to inspire and help volunteers make an impact of their community
Potential local business image improvement
Press releases/non-paid media outlets like:
YouTube Video/podcast interaction
Increase trust with downtown business owners and residents
Attract additional businesses through positive campaign
Volunteer organizations like:
Parks and Recreation Centers
Churches
Young-life Organizations at every high school
Alpha Phi Omega
Habitat for Humanity
Relay for Life
Volunteer ETSU
The Well
The Wesley Foundation
16 different sorority and fraternities
ROTC
The Girl and Boy Scouts
High schools within region

Threats:

Brand association with DUI and criminal offenders

Vulnerability to economic crisis

Volunteers are decreasing due to barriers

Unwillingness of local residents to volunteer because of the
homeless community in downtown
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Strategy
Research Analysis

Assess the use of the word volunteer. The label of volunteer is not universally welcomed. Using terms like community service, helping out,
taking action, making a difference can make a better impact. Also, volunteer is a pay category, not a title. Therefore, never head a poster Volunteers
Wanted. What does this mean? Its unpaid

There has been a steady decrease in the number of young people volunteering. This can be attributed to them not understanding the benefits
of volunteering, or being considered too young by the organization and not approached. In response, look at the strengths of young people and the
skills they can bring to the organization.

Research suggests that if you can provide an environment in which volunteers can bring their friends, can meet others who share their interests,
and learn new skills, you can lure even the busiest people into helping.

Research suggests that volunteer organizations may do well to implement pride and respect in their volunteer policy to address the reliability
problem. Let people see the problem their volunteer work will address. People want to make a difference and are often motivated by their heart to
volunteer. Using videos, success stories, and photographs to show the social problems the volunteers will address is key.

It is important to create broad local visibility and name recognition, so that when people are ready to volunteer they will know who you are,
and to target your recruitment, so you are asking people who are ready to volunteer.
Johnson City has the following outlets available to specifically target this campaign:

Press releases/non-paid media outlets like:

YouTube Video/podcast interaction
Increase trust with downtown business owners and residents
Attract additional businesses through positive campaign
Volunteer organizations like:
Parks and Recreation Centers
Churches
Young-life Organizations at every high school
Alpha Phi Omega

Habitat for Humanity

Relay for Life
Volunteer ETSU
The Well
The Wesley Foundation
16 different sorority and fraternities
ROTC
The Girl and Boy Scouts
High schools within region

Research discovered the current name The Dirt Patrol does not correlate the message strategy that will motivate and excite the target audience to
consider volunteerism.
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Introducing....

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Big Idea

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THE CLEAN STREET CRUSADERS- BE THE HERO!

Our strategy is to evoke the feeling of empowerment and heroism.
We have developed a strategy that speaks to the target audience and relates the message that volunteering is about community involvement and being
a part of something much bigger.
The Clean Street Crusaders name and slogan, Be the Hero, is developed in direct correlation to the analysis of the research conducted. In order to empower and motivate our target audience we tapped into current successful icons that have the idea of being a hero. Super hero movies, such as Captain
America, Spiderman, and Batman have been highly successful in todays market. Our strategy is to communicate to our target audience that we can all be
a hero within our community.

The Clean Street Crusaders will be a proactive group of merchants and residents that take pride and significant personal time to make downtown a
cleaner, safer, and more attractive environment for living and working.

The strategy will be to establish the Clean Street Crusaders brand and to motivate volunteer participation with a come along effect to merchant
participation.

The Clean Street Crusaders unique distinctive claim is that the Clean Street Crusaders is the only clean-up initiative in Downtown Johnson City that
addresses the number one item that is littered on the streets-cigarette butts.

Competitively, the Clean Street Crusaders offers volunteers the quickest impact because their efforts are visibly seen in only one days work which
will give the instant gratification research indicated thats needed.

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MEDIA MIX
Internet/Web Cost: $4500

The creation of www.VOLUNTEERCLEANSTREET.org will create an outlet to connect our audience and to strengthen the Clean Street Crusaders
(C.S.C.) as a brand.

Features of the web site will include a volunteer scheduling tab, photo gallery to show before and after pictures of the volunteers work, podcasts
and the ability to connect to Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin, and Flickr.

It will include general website content such as the history, about, contact, news, media, etc.

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Linking our website to these popular social media avenues will make the website more relevant to our target

Billboards

Our vision for the billboards is to create a three

piece story to be shown throughtout the summer.

The first billboard introduces the first superhero with

the idea to clean up downtown JC.

The second billboard tells the plan to fight the battle

against litter.

The final billboard allows the hero the Taste the

Victoryas they are able to experience instant gratification
and see a cleaner more beautiful downton.

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Flyer/Email/Newsletter

The Newsletter establishes recognition to

volunteers, builds awareness for up-coming
events and encourages future volunteering.
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Reaching out to teenagers in order to build

awareness and a teenage volunteer base.

Media Plan

Electronic Billboard cost: $6000

Junior Bulletin (Size)

176X648 (Dimensions)
3300lbs. (Weight)
55 amps (Wattage)

Direct Mail and Email cost: $2200

Childrens Buttons
Take home flyer for childrens folders to take home to parents.
Email press releases and CSC information updates

Radio cost: $2740

For our target demographic, 94.9 FM Tri-Cities would reach the majority of our target age group.

CAMPAIGN GRANDTOTAL COST $ 15,440

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Partnerships

In order to build a large volunteer base,

partnering with a large corporation such as
Lowes builds credibility and is a great avenue
for a free PR event.
98,5 WTFM will provide free sponsorship for
all media. In trade for 98.5 WTFM logo on all
CSC media.

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Social Media

Facebook

Twitter

Google

A YouTube subscriber channel will give our audience
information about events, volunteering, etc. and will give the C.S.C.
a voice. The integration of Facebook and Twitter will give C.S.C.
the opportunity to listen to our audience and respond in an open
environment that will establish credibility as an organization and
create audience interaction.
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Partnerships

Group Members:
Justin Gillispie
Jessica Jones
Stacy Larson
Danielle Sherfy
Seth Alley