Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 12

-------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step Book
Presented to:
Safe Kids Buckle Up and Chevrolet
Choreographed by:
Loyola University New Orleans PRSSA Bateman Team 2008

--------- ------- --------------- -----------


----
- -- - -
- - --

----
----

- ----
-----

-
- - --

1 1 2
--- - --
--- ------ -----
--

-----
--

---

-
-------------------
--

---
Shannon Corrigan Daniel Mazier Andrea Mulcrone Kelly Rayner Kelly Roth

-------------------------------------------------------
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 1 1 2
------ ----- Table --- - --
--- of Contents

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
-------

--
- --
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Table of Contents
Executive Summary - - 1
Situation Analysis - -1
Research
Secondary Research - - 2
Primary Research - - 2
Target Audiences - - 4
Key Messages - - 4
Challenges and Opportunities - - 4
Objective Stratigies, Tactics and Outcomes
Objective 1 - - 5
Objective 2 - - 7
Objective 3 - - 8
Objective 4 - - 9
Conclusion - -10
Appendix - - 11
Stepping Up: Planning - - 13
Strapping In: Research - - 21
Buckled: Execution - - 73
Ready To Go: Evaluation - - 96
Recommendations - - 113
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 1 2
Executive Summary ---
1
- --
------ ----- ---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
& Situation Analysis -------------------
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Executive Summary
The 2008 Loyola University New Orleans PRSSA Bateman Team presents the step book for the hot new moves of our
Step Up/Strap In campaign. Our step book recounts our creative journey from choreography (research), to rehearsal
(objectives and strategies), to live stage performance (implementation), and finally to our encore performance
(evaluation). The Step Up/Strap In campaign synchronizes the rhythmic sounds of traditional African-American step
dance with an educational bassline to get tweens, parents and faculty tapping to a seat belt safety beat.

Our research found that previous messages about seat belt safety did not rank high on the charts among 11 to 14
year-olds, an age group labeled “tweens.” Our team saw this as an opportunity to add a twist to a classic dance. The
Step Up/Strap In campaign turned a solo act into a collaboration with local hip-hop personalities, members of the
predominantly black sorority Delta Sigma Theta, representatives of Safe Kids Worldwide (SKW) and our corporate
sponsor, Chevrolet.

In February, our campaign hit the stage at four local tween scenes and three public and private schools to turn up the
volume on the importance of seat belt usage. The fresh moves of our Step Up/Strap In campaign created a buzz that
attracted local media, influenced local schools to integrate seat belt safety discussions in the classroom, encouraged
parents to initiate seat belt safety talks with their kids and got New Orleans tweens stepping up to make life-changing
decisions.

Just as the New Orleans hip-hop culture is known for its creativity and influence, our vehicle safety campaign
resonated among locals with the same colorful passion. We invite you to join our Step Up/Strap In entourage and
experience how our 2008 Loyola Bateman team has shown Safe Kids Buckle Up (SKBU) how to step to a new beat.

Situation Analysis
According to a 2005 statewide survey in Louisiana, seat belt usage in the New Orleans area has decreased approximately
six percentage points over pre-Hurricane Katrina levels. Consequently, Louisiana has a fatality rate of 2.14 people per
100 million miles traveled, making it one of the most dangerous places to drive in the United States, according to the
National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Ready to rock with our research findings, we encouraged tweens to make responsible decisions regarding seat belt
usage. Our surveys indicated that a low number of students said they always buckle their seat belts. Our surveys and
observations of school carpool lines proved that a high percentage of parents wear seat belts while a much lower
number of tweens buckle up. This discrepancy between driver and passenger usage denoted a lack of enforcement or
communication between parent and child.

Because of the unique situation in New Orleans resulting from ongoing hurricane recovery efforts, our team
understood the need for positive, encouraging messages. According to Teach for America, an organization dedicated to
providing education to impoverished children, 83 percent of the approximately 33,000 students in Orleans Parish
public schools are African-American. Our research also revealed that car crashes are the number one cause of death of
African Americans from birth to age 14, making Orleans Parish public schools likely partners for our program. To
maximize our reach to tweens with the greatest need, we focused on the low socioeconomic demographic found in
public schools. We partnered with two public schools and one private school, using the percentage of students eligible
for free lunch as an indicator of the economic status of the students. With 76 percent of students eligible for free lunch
in Orleans Parish public schools, our target schools exceeded the average with a combined average of 86 percent of
students receiving free lunch. Our partnership with a private school ensured the reach of our message to tweens of all
social strata.

Our research indicated that effective communication with tweens demands fun rhythms and contemporary themes that
correspond with tween priorities. Our campaign uses inspiration from the local hip hop culture of New Orleans to add
soul to our message. Because tweens seek acceptance from older, respectable peers, we identified the need to use
positive, non-authoritarian role models to present effectively and creatively the Step Up/Strap In message.
1
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 1 1 2
------ ----- Research --- - --
---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Secondary Research:
Tween Research:
- According to Safe Kids, a tween is a child between the ages of 11 and 14.
- Fun, authentic messages are a key element of effective communication with tweens. Messages that appear preachy or
too authoritarian may cause tweens to ignore the message.
- Tweens are influenced by grassroots marketing tactics that allow them to discover messages within familiar settings,
whether online or at a mall, movie theater, sports event or concert.
- According to Children’s Market Research, 67 percent of tweens said they spend more than three hours per week on
the computer. Seventy-seven percent of tweens indicated that family is the most important thing in their lives
followed by friends (47 percent).
- Tweens are beginning to look for ways to define and distinguish themselves as individuals but still embrace the values
held by their parents.
Parent Research:
- Parents often know what they need to talk to their kids about but tend to lack the tools and skills that show them how
or when to talk to their kids about various issues.
- Communication that successfully appeals to parents are supportive and positive and do not blame them for the
problems affecting today’s youth.
- Parents may believe that the dangers facing their tweens happen outside their own families and communities.
Seat belt Usage:
- Seat belt usage in New Orleans has fallen 5.9 percent since Hurricane Katrina.
- Figures from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission indicate that seat belt usage in Louisiana has declined in 2007
after years of steady improvement, with the biggest drops coming in areas of the state hit hard by hurricanes Katrina
and Rita.
- Seat belt usage is 11 percent higher in states that have primary versus secondary seat belt enforcement laws. Louisiana
has primary enforcement laws for seat belt usage in the front seat and secondary enforcement laws for the back seat.
- 430,763 Louisiana public school students and 19,076 non-public school students were transported to school on school
buses in the 2005-2006 school year.

Primary Research:
To understand the diverse demographic ranges and lifestyles of tweens in New Orleans, we conducted 323 tween
surveys at three public middle schools, two private middle schools and the Hannah Montana and Soulja Boy concerts.
We also observed tween and parent behavior at morning and afternoon carpools at all five schools. We also interviewed
faculty and administrators and surveyed faculty and parents at all schools. After we analyzed our research findings, we
conducted seven focus groups of students at three of the schools.
Survey Findings (Check out Appendix page 28, A28)
- Forty-four percent of students surveyed travel to and from school with their parents; 34.8 percent ride the school bus;
12.4 percent carpool to school; 5.9 percent walk; 2.2 percent take public transportation and 0.3 percent are dropped
off by older siblings.
- Almost 45 percent of tweens surveyed say they always wear their seat belt, while 11.6 percent say they rarely or never
wear their seat belt.
- Seventy-seven percent of tweens surveyed say their parents or guardians always wear their seat belts.
- Forty-eight percent say their parents or guardians always remind them to buckle up.
- Almost 45 percent of tweens rated seat belt safety as very important, and 5.4 percent rated it as not important at all.
- Of the 86.4 percent of tweens who said that they have a computer at home, 66.7 percent use it most for downloading
music, 65.9 percent use it most for homework and 59.3 percent use it mostly for chatting with friends.
- About 68 percent of the 76.4 percent of tweens who have a cell phone say they use it “all the time.”
- Fifty-four percent of surveyed tweens have a MySpace page.
- Surveyed tweens’ favorite hangouts include a friend’s house, the movies and the mall.
- Almost 95 percent of tweens listen to the radio, with their favorite station being WQUE-FM/Q93.
- Sixty-seven percent of tweens surveyed say that their parents or guardians very strongly influence them.
2
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 1 1 2
------ ----- Research --- - --
---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Student Focus Groups: (A69)


- Many students do not like to wear seat belts because they are uncomfortable.
- Many students do not wear their seat belt in the backseat.
- Most students spend their free time at the mall, movies or skating rink.
- Very few educational programs presented by outside organizations take place during school hours.
Carpool Observations: (A69)
- Of 284 vehicles observed during morning and afternoon carpool at five schools, 46 percent of children were buckled
up.
Parent Surveys: (A31)
- About 76 percent of parents say they discuss seat belt safety with their children very often, and 78.9 say they strictly
enforce rules regarding seat belt safety.
- Eighty-four percent of parents say that they always buckle their seat belt, while 78.4 percent say their children always
buckle their seat belts.
- One hundred percent of parents think safety issues should be addressed in school and would like their children’s
schools to provide more educational programs.
- Approximately 72 percent of parents surveyed say they receive most of their news from television.

According to our surveys of faculty, 54 percent say safety issues often are addressed in their classrooms; however, only
15 percent of faculty say they are very likely to discuss seat belt safety in the classroom. About 20 percent of faculty say
parents generally do not respond to information sent home.

According to our focus group of local public relations professionals, an effective way to reach a large number of tweens
is through their schools. The professionals also advised that successful events make audience members active. They also
suggested that we work with organizations and at locations where a related event is happening already.

Interviews:
Faculty and administration at the public schools we partnered with have found it very difficult to engage parents and
attested that even when schools offer some incentive, parents will not participate even if their participation will help the
student.

Robert Laird, Ph.D., a University of New Orleans psychology professor, specializes in researching contexts in which
children develop social and behavioral competencies. He has found that communication with 11- to 14-year olds is
tricky because they want to be independent but are still under the supervision and rules of their parents. Since family is
the biggest influencer of this age group, the best way to implement the campaign is to reach tweens as well as the
parents.

Safe Kids Volunteers:


- Safe Kids Buckle Up volunteers define an event in New Orleans as successful if attended by 15 to 20 parents.
- Safe Kids Buckle Up in New Orleans typically works closely with the Louisiana State Police and currently do not have
any programs of their own independent from the Louisiana State Police.
- Currently, NHTSA passed legislation that requires school buses manufactured after 2008 to be fitted with seat belts.
- Volunteers have found it very difficult to penetrate the New Orleans Public School System in the past and this
demographic is difficult to work with because of the low involvement of parents.
- Seat belt safety is low on the list of priorities for tweens in low-income areas in New Orleans because they perceive
other threats such as gun violence and crime to be more immediate and dangerous.

An interview with State Police Senior Trooper and Public Information Officer Joseph Piglia informed us that the State
Police programs focus on children and teens, but not tweens specifically. He also indicated that he has found it difficult
to work with Safe Kids Buckle Up because the coordinator in New Orleans relocated after Hurricane Katrina. With the
nearest coordinator in Baton Rouge, collaboration with SKBU is limited. Most seat belt safety events are sponsored by
the Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force and the Louisiana State Police with little support from SKBU.

3
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
12 1 2 Key Messages, Audiences &
--- - --
------ ----- ---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
Challenges/Opportunities -------------------
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Target Audiences
Primary Audiences
- Tweens between the ages of 11 and 14 in the New Orleans metro area.

Secondary Audiences
- Parents and primary guardians of tweens in the New Orleans metro area.
- Administration, faculty and staff members at public schools Benjamin Banneker Elementary and Lafayette Academy
and private school Academy of the Sacred Heart. The first two schools comprise the low socioeconomic demographic
while the other is a private, parochial school.
- Media outlets in the New Orleans metro area.

Key Messages
Tweens:
- Step Up/Strap In : Take responsibility for yourself and set the standard for your family and friends to strap in.
- Buckling up is the first thing to do when entering a vehicle.
- Seat belts are not to be shared—only one person to a seat belt.
- Tweens under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat.
- Stay strapped in! Do not stand in a moving vehicle. Remain seated and strapped until the car or school bus has stopped
moving.

Parents and Faculty:


- Make sure all passengers are buckled up before starting the vehicle.
- Tweens under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat.
- Enforce seat belt usage upon getting into the vehicle and until it stops.
- Encourage seat belt safety discussions.

Challenges/Opportunities
Challenge: Throughout our entire campaign process, we repeatedly experienced unresponsiveness from the parents of
tweens, specifically those in the low socioeconomic demographic.
Opportunity: Because we witnessed a low parent turnout for school events during our research phase, we decided to
build further upon our message that tweens are at an age for responsible decision-making and therefore relied on the
tweens as a vehicle for reaching parents. We included parents in the educational process by sending tweens home with
seat belt safety education packets for parents and giving tweens an incentive to engage their parents by having parents
sign a pledge card to enforce seat belt usage in their vehicles.
Challenge: Clearview Mall, the location where 54 percent of tweens surveyed said they spend their time when not at
school, imposed a curfew regulation banning children under the age of 16 without an adult present just four days
before our event. The ban caused a violent reaction from two local tweens who threatened to incite gun violence at the
mall just hours before our planned event and thus instigated a police stakeout and media frenzy at the mall (A85).
Opportunity: This scare created a buzz around the city and directed attention to the necessity for safety awareness
among our youth. Because tweens only were allowed in with their parents, we were able to present seat belt safety
information through a more personal discussion between tween and parent. Also, this experience enhanced our two
events at Airline Skate Center because we maximized our interaction with families by engaging tweens and parents in
conversation rather than just speaking to tweens.
Challenge: We questioned our target audience’s access to popular communication tools such as cell phones and the
Internet due to the income levels of the low socioeconomic community. Also, registration on MySpace is limited to
users over the age of 18 and, with recent negative media reports, using another Web site such as Facebook seemed less
risky.
Opportunity: Our research found that social networking Web sites and cell phones were used widely among our tween
demographic. Since 54 percent of our survey sample use MySpace and 19 percent use Facebook. we created a public
MySpace page (www.myspace.com/safekidsneworleans) so tweens and parents could frequent our page without needing
to be a registered MySpace member. The MySpace page made seat belt safety fun and interactive, while creating a
long-lasting updatable forum for future seat belt safety discussion and for promotion of future Safe Kids events. 4
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
21 13 24 Objectives, Strategies,
--- - --
------ ----- ---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
Tactics and Outcomes
-------

--
---
------------------------------------------------------- 23
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Challenge: Our primary research revealed conflicting information about what parents say they do and what tweens
report parents do regarding seat belt safety. Only 44.7 percent of tweens say they always buckle their seat belts while
76.8 percent of tweens say their parents always buckle their seat belts. Our surveys also indicate that 78.4 percent of
parents say they always remind their tweens to buckle up, while only 48.1 percent of tweens say their parents or
guardians always remind them to buckle up. Our carpool observations further demonstrated this disconnect in
parent/tween communication--almost half of vehicles were driven by parents wearing seat belts with unrestrained
student passengers.
Opportunity: By asking parents to sign pledges to enforce seat belt usage in the front and back seat of their vehicles,
we reminded parents that they are an important influence for their tweens. We also held events in locations where we
could target parents and tweens to make seat belt safety something they could learn about and discuss together.

Challenge: The Safe Kids Louisiana State coordinator has had trouble working with Chevrolet dealerships in the past
and the three Chevrolet dealerships in the New Orleans area failed to respond to our request for a partnership.
Eventually Banner Chevrolet agreed to collaborate with us on one or more events, but the dealership withdrew less
than one week before the implementation of campaign. Here we faced another challenge as Banner Chevrolet was the
closest dealership to our event and thus other dealerships were reluctanct to partner with us because of geographic
limitations for their market and because of a restriction against automobile sales on Sunday, the only day Wal-Mart
could participate. Eager to show Chevrolet’s corporate sponsorship of Safe Kids Buckle Up, we had to find a
replacement for Banner Chevrolet in four days.
Opportunity: After working with a Loyola PRSSA Bateman alumna who made calls to friends locally and in Detroit,
we were able to quickly create a relationship with Bryan Chevrolet, another dealership in the New Orleans metro area.
Although the dealership could not host one of our events due to a pre-scheduled promotion, we secured two vehicles
and promotional materials for our event at Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas Street and showcased Chevrolet’s safety features
to event participants who watched the State Police rollover demonstration. Through the Wal-Mart event, we established
a cooperative partnership for Safe Kids to use in the future.

Challenge: Because the Safe Kids Worldwide office in New Orleans sustained significant damage as a result of
Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans metro area currently has no Safe Kids coalition and no coalition coordinator. The
closest coalition is located an hour and half away in Baton Rouge, and the Safe Kids Louisiana State coordinator has
focused most of her efforts in that area. Consequently, communication was limited and available resources were few.
Opportunity: After discovering that Safe Kids Buckle Up events rarely take place in the New Orleans metro area, we
developed a pilot program and developed recommendations for a future coalition (A114). We saw the lack of Safe
Kids publicity in the area as an opportunity to create a completely new sound with our campaign without the restraint
of pre-existing programs. Because many of the New Orleans Safe Kids Buckle Up resources were lost due to the
hurricane, we created and distributed innovative educational materials based on our research and targeted our tween
demographic and their parents directly using fun images and words.

Objectives, Strategies, Tactics and Outcomes


Objective 1: To increase the percentage of tweens in the New Orleans metro area who always buckle
their seat belts by 10 percent within a three-week period during February.
Strategy 1: To inform tweens of key seat belt safety messages.
Rationale: Just Kids, Inc. conducted a study of tween behavior that shows tweens seek new responsibilities and
independence from their parents and are influenced by grassroots marketing tactics that allow them to
discover messages on their own. Our research also indicated that tweens are more responsive when they
feel comfortable in their surroundings. Therefore, we wanted to target tweens at their favorite hangouts.
Of 288 students surveyed, 54 percent spend time at the mall, and 57 percent of students go to the movie
theater. In numerous focus groups, students also mentioned Airline Skate Center as a frequent hangout.

5
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 13 24 Objectives, Strategies,
--- - --
------ ----- ---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
Tactics and Outcomes
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Tactic 1: Implement educational programs in local schools (A77, 79, 108). We collaborated with members of the
Delta Sigma Theta sorority to show students exactly how to step up and take responsibility for their safety. Bateman
team members and sorority women performed a step routine with Step Up/Strap In chants and then taught the routine
to students. Aside from being fun dance instructors, the college students were positive role models who provided key
vehicle passenger safety messages. Local rapper Dizzy, a.k.a. Raw D.I., and D.J. Raj Smoove, who served as captivating,
contemporary personas for tweens at educational programs, reinforced our key messages.

Tactic 2: Implement educational event at Clearview Mall. We stepped into the mall on a Friday night so that tweens
and parents could receive educational print materials on seat belt safety. We hooked participants with our
informational packets and used raffle prizes as incentives for tweens and parents to sign pledge cards.

Tactic 3: Implement educational event at the Airline Skating Rink. Even though we had an earlier gig at the mall, we
headed to the area skating rink on the same Friday night to share our message with a different crowd. We distributed
educational materials on seat belt safety to tweens and parents and held a drawing as an incentive for participants to
sign pledge cards (A86).

Tactic 4: Create educational event with local Chevrolet dealership at Wal-Mart. We wanted to showcase how legit Safe
Kids Buckle Up’s corporate sponsor is about passenger safety, so we contacted our corporate sponsors at Bryan
Chevrolet. During the interactive event, two Chevrolet employees opened up a 2008 Suburban and a 2008 Malibu and
showed participants that Chevy is serious about safety. We also asked participants to roll up to the event in their own
vehicles during the “Show Us Your Chevy” contest. While our friends at Chevrolet took center stage, we showcased
our educational materials and discussed the importance of seat belt safety. The event also featured a newsworthy
vehicle roll-over simulation by the Louisiana State Police and a raffle drawing for a free night at the Sheraton New
Orleans (A86).

Strategy 2: To encourage seat belt usage among tweens through the establishment of positive, relatable role
models.
Rationale: Research from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) VERB youth media campaign and
Just Kids, Inc. suggests that tweens do not respond well to authoritarian messages and are engaged better
when spoken to as peers. During focus groups, a number of students expressed interest in attending
college in the future. Therefore, using college students to deliver our seat belt safety messages allows tweens
to relate to college students on a peer level and thus listen to seat belt advice. Tweensafety.org suggests that
“the power of a message often lies in the source” and that tweens seek positive influencers outside of their
immediate family.
Tactic 1: Devise a reusable educational program using local college students and National Pan-Hellenic Council
organization members as positive role models for encouraging seat belt usage. Since our collaboration with Delta
Sigma Theta was a hit, we wanted to take our in-school educational program on tour. The training packet offered
college representatives guidelines on how to approach tweens for discussion and enumerated trends, myths, facts and
key messages to be conveyed to tweens during the show.

Strategy 3: To reinforce seat belt usage through increased visibility and repetition of key seat belt safety
messages.
Rationale: Since only 42.5 percent of surveyed tweens claim to always buckle their seat belts, providing visual
reminders can increase the number of students who always buckle up. Because only 48.9 percent of tweens
claim their guardians always remind them to buckle up, these reminders will encourage tweens to buckle
their seat belts without being overbearing or invasive.
Tactic 1: Develop “Step Up/Strap In” slogan. After test-driving our slogan with a group of tweens, we found tweens
are unlikely to listen to that played out message and responded well to our hip new way to encourage responsibility and
seat belt usage with our slogan (A83).

6
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 13 42 Objectives, Strategies,
--- - --
------ ----- ---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
Tactics and Outcomes
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Tactic 2: Create a MySpace page (A73). All popular artists use MySpace to reach their followers, and the 2008 Loyola
Bateman team is definitely a hot group. We created a MySpace page (complete with seat belt information, music and
slide shows of pictures and videos taken during events) to make the topic of seat belt safety fun and interactive, while
creating a long-lasting,updatable forum for future discussion and promotion of Safe Kids events.

Tactic 3: Use a mass text-messaging program (A74). According to surveys, 76.4 percent of tweens participating in our
programs use mobile phones so we spread our step from schools to cell phones with text message reminders to Step
Up/Strap In before and after school. We collected students’ phone numbers during post-event surveys.

Tactic 4: Collect signed pledge cards at events (A75). After hearing our seat belt safety messages during events, tweens
and parents were encouraged to commit themselves to vehicle passenger safety by signing pledge cards. We designed
the pledge cards so that the pledgee kept half of the card with their signed pledge, and we kept the other half with the
pledgee’s contact information which enabled us to increase the number of people receiving the Safe Kids e-newsletter
and allowed us to hold drawings to reward their responsible decisions.

Tactic 5: Place sandwich board signs in school carpool zones to remind tweens and parents of their signed
commitments to seat belt usage and enforcement.

Objective 1 Outcome: Success


During our campaign, we collected pledges from 273 tweens who committed to always wear seat belts in the front and
back seats, and we observed an 18 percent increase in seat belt usage during carpools. We also saw through our
post-event surveys a significant increase in the number of tweens who ranked seat belt safety as very important after
our educational program with a 19.2 percent increase at the Academy of the Sacred Heart and a 17.5 percent increase at
Lafayette Academy. However, when we calculated results from Benjamin Banneker Elementary, our overall results from
our educational program surveys did not reach our numeric goal with a nine percent decrease in the number of
students who say they always buckle their seat belts. During our in-school program, students at Benjamin Banneker
Elementary were extremely disruptive and less willing to participate than students at the other schools. Students
resented filling out a second survey, causing our team to believe that their irritation skewed the overall results of our
programs. Nevertheless, we reached 369 students through our educational program with messages from sources we
know they respected. Dizzy, a.k.a Raw D.I., and D.J. Raj Smoove have expressed how much they have enjoyed being a
part of the campaign and have committed to being a part of the program in the future (A97, 99-100).

Objective 2: To increase the number of parents and primary guardians who say they strictly enforce
seat belt safety issues by five percent in the New Orleans metro area within a three-week period during
February.
Strategy 1: To inform parents of relevant seat belt safety issues and to provide them with the knowledge to
enforce the correct vehicle passenger safety rules.
Rationale: Our surveys indicate that 65.6 percent of tweens are very strongly influenced by their guardians, but only
48.9 percent of tweens claim their parents always remind them to buckle up. Availability of information is a
problem for parents. As one parent explained, no information is readily available about seat belt safety,
particularly correct vehicle passenger safety behavior. Visual reminders can remind primary guardians to
tell their children to buckle their seat belts. Because only 48.9 percent of tweens claim their guardians
always remind them to buckle up, these reminders can serve as encouragement for tweens and parents alike
to incorporate seat belt safety into their daily habits.
Tactic 1: Create educational event with local Chevrolet dealership at Wal-Mart. (Review Objective 1, Strategy 1, Tactic
4 for details)

Tactic 2: Create a MySpace page in order to make the topic of seat belt safety fun and interactive. (Review Objective 1,
Strategy 3, Tactic 2 for details) 7
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 13 42 Objectives, Strategies,
--- - --
------ ----- ---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
Tactics and Outcomes
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Tactic 3: Collect signed pledge cards at events. (Review Objective 1, Strategy 3, Tactic 4 for details).

Tactic 4: Place sandwich board signs in school carpool zones to remind tweens and parents of their signed
commitments to seat belt usage and enforcement.

Objective 2 Outcome: Mixed Results


We were disappointed to find that we could not overcome the obstacle of low parental involvement that teachers and
local volunteers complained about during our research phase. Once we analyzed our data from the schools, the number
of parents who said they strictly enforce seat belt safety remained almost the same post-campaign, so we did not reach
our goal of increasing this number by five percent. We may not have seen a significant increase among parents at these
schools because our initial survey results were extremely positive with 79 percent of parents saying they strictly enforce
seat belt safety. However, we were successful in engaging parents with the seat belt safety message. As we stepped
through our events, we received 189 parent pledges that stated the parents would always enforce seat belt safety in their
vehicles. Because parents were largely unresponsive during our research phase, we developed detailed informational
packets for tweens to share with their parents and provided students with a contest incentive in hopes of encouraging
their parents to fill out surveys. The number of surveys we received from parents increased by almost 50 when we
offered an incentive, indicating that our vehicle passenger messages reached them. Overall, because the majority of our
initial research came from parents who were attending school functions and already were active in their children’s
educations, it is difficult to determine if our survey results accurately measure the effectiveness of our reach to parents
(A98, 101-102).

Objective 3: To increase the likelihood of vehicle passenger safety discussion in schools by 10 percent
during a three-week period during February 2008.
Strategy 1: To inform faculty of relevant seat belt safety issues and provide them with the knowledge to
enforce the correct vehicle passenger safety rules.
Rationale: As our target audience spends a majority of their time in school, teachers and in-school programs are
time-efficient ways to reach them with educational messages. Teachers could help us share safety messages
while meeting expectations of parents who unanimously expressed in surveys their belief that safety should
be taught in school. However, according to faculty surveys, only 19 percent of teachers currently teach the
importance of vehicle safety, and 21.7 percent of faculty members are likely to discuss seat belt safety
within the classroom.
Tactic 1: Implement educational programs in local schools. (Review Objective 1, Strategy 1, Tactic 3 for details)

Strategy 2: To reinforce and further the discussion of seat belt safety within the schools along with
establishment of a permanent relationship with Safe Kids Buckle Up.
Rationale: No Safe Kids Buckle Up educational programs exist in schools in the New Orleans metro area at a time
when, according to Applied Technology Research Corp., overall seat belt usage is down since Hurricane
Katrina. Even before the storm, however, fatality rates in Louisiana made it one of the most dangerous
states to drive in nationwide
Tactic 1: Create a relationship between Safe Kids Buckle Up and schools in the New Orleans metro area. From the
first time we stepped into the schools that hosted our educational program, the 2008 Loyola Bateman team had
administrators’ and teachers’ feet tapping to our new beat. By sharing our messages with faculty as we spread seat belt
safety to their students, we engaged teachers and showed them the importance of vehicle passenger safety. We enabled
administration and faculty to become involved through Safe Kids sign-up sheets, which allowed school employees to
sign up for Safe Kids e-newsletters and permanent Safe Kids membership.
Tactic 2: Provide detailed guidelines to the local Safe Kids Worldwide coalition to continue fostering relationships
with schools in the metro area. Since our preliminary research implied that our in-school programs would be
successful, we started making plans for the future before our beats ever hit the airwaves. Not only did Dizzy, a.k.a Raw
D.I., and D.J. Raj Smoove commit to the Step Up/Strap In program, but Delta Sigma Theta members also expressed
interest in future in-school programs. We duplicated all educational programs and curricula to be provided to the
coalition so that they may repeat successful events in the future. 8
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 13 24 Objectives, Strategies,
--- - --
------ ----- ---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
Tactics and Outcomes
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Objective 3 Outcome: Success


After we developed and distributed informational packets to teachers about Safe Kids Buckle Up and important vehicle
passenger safety messages, 85 teachers committed themselves to the Safe Kids Buckle Up initiative and signed up as
members. We also developed our educational program with the intention of it becoming a pilot program for
continued use by schools and organizations that work with tweens. During our collaborations with these schools, we
developed relationships with the administrators and faculty members and were invited back for future programs. Our
fans’ appreciation was obvious—and hard-earned.

Objective 4: To increase the media coverage of Safe Kids and the issue of seat belt safety in New
Orleans.
Strategy 1: To inform local media of current seat belt safety issues.
Rationale: An in-depth audit of local and national media coverage on seat belt safety showed that the issue has been
covered recently in relation to the dramatic decrease of seat belt usage in the New Orleans metro area since
Hurricane Katrina. However, coverage was limited and consisted of only two articles and an editorial in
the past year and a half. Because New Orleans lacks a Safe Kids Worldwide coalition and coordinator, the
media is crucial to spread the message of seat belt safety. According to our surveys, 72 percent of parents
receive news from television, making television news casts significant targets during our campaign.
Tactic 1: Create a news release with information concerning local statistics and survey findings (A94, 95). We created
a news release to send to a number of local media outlets, including all of the local news stations.

Strategy 2: Encourage media coverage by creating visually appealing, interactive events that have regional
relevancy.
Rationale: Step dance is an exciting form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an
instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and
hand claps. A step dance may be performed by an individual but is generally performed by groups that
resemble military formations. Stepping is traditionally practiced by historically black fraternities and
sororities nationwide. However, the high concentration of African Americans in New Orleans makes
stepping a familiar and exciting activity for youth. Additionally, New Orleans is renowned as a center for
nurturing musical creativity and for cultivating rising hip-hop artists. Because safety is not traditionally
endorsed by rappers, using a local rapper to disseminate seat belt safety messages at our educational events
makes the event newsworthy and relevant to our primary target audience. The Safe Kids Louisiana
Coordinator also told us that Safe Kids Louisiana rarely elicits media coverage. In fact, the coordinator
indicated that she worked with the same media outlet and contact throughout her employment with Safe
Kids so any innovative material and any outreach to additional media would encourage coverage. Also, our
research found that television and newspapers were the most common news sources for parents so media
coverage would allow our seat belt safety messages to reach an audience that has proven to be inaccessible.
Tactic 1: Invite local media to all Safe Kids Buckle Up events.

Tactic 2: Create press materials for all events and educational programs.

Tactic 3: Create educational event with local Chevrolet dealership at Wal-Mart. (Review Objective 1, Strategy 1, Tactic
4 for details)

Tactic 4: Implement educational programs in local schools. (Review Objective 1, Strategy 1, Tactic 3 for details).

9
---------- ------- ---------------
---- ------------

- -- - -

----
----
-- -

-----

- ---
-
- --
1 13 24
------ ----- Conclusion --- - --
---

--
-

-----
--

---
-
-------------------
-------

--
---
-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Objective 4 Outcome: Success


News about our campaign was broadcast at 5, 6 and 10 p.m., the same Thursday that the events took place. The
34-second clip opened with Dizzy, a.k.a. Raw D.I., signing autographs for students, then cut to a group of tweens
performing their newly learned step routine alongside Bateman team members while chanting, “Step Up/ Strap In!”
Hooked on our seat belt safety message, WDSU-TV showed up to our Wal-Mart event three days later. The result was
a 40-second clip that appeared within the first five minutes of the Sunday evening broadcast and included an interview
with State Police Senior Trooper and Public Information Officer Joseph Piglia, a demonstration of the rollover vehicle,
a close-up of our Step Up/Strap In logo and the Safe Kids Buckle Up banner. Our 74-seconds of coverage on New
Orleans’ second highest rated television newscast resulted in a combined $600 in PR value. Favorite local radio station
WQUE-FM aired a 30-second PSA about seat belt safety and reminded listeners to stop by our events during imple-
mentation weekend. Our educational event at the Academy of the Sacred Heart attracted coverage from the Clarion
Herald, the official weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which reaches more than one-third of New
Orleans households. Our story earned front page placement in “The Kids Clarion” section in the March 15 edition.
Our February events also captured the attention of the local Radio Disney station, which taped an interview with two
of our Bateman team members for their 30-minute “Kids Concern Show,” which aired on March 29 and reached over
40,000 tweens and parents. In the end, our media coverage resulted in more than 640,000 impressions, an estimated
$8,650 in PR value and a 29 to one return on investment for the project (A103-107).

Conclusion
The 2008 Loyola Bateman team was privileged and pumped to challenge tweens to take their lives into their own hands
and feet while amplifying the importance of seat belt safety in the New Orleans metro area.

In our final verse, we found that being committed to seat belt safety is more complicated than simply learning a dance
routine—it is making that routine part of your daily life. The Step Up/Strap In campaign furthered the commitment to a
safe seat belt routine by getting 500 tweens, 160 parents and 85 faculty members to sign pledges to practice proper seat
belt safety behaviors. With the cooperation of local media outlets, such as WDSU-TV, Clarion Herald, WQUE-FM and
Radio Disney we were able to reach an additional 640,000 people with our key messages.

Our educational events in public and private schools allowed tweens to learn about seat belt safety in a fun environment
from opinion leaders like Dizzy, D.J. Raj Smoove and members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, who expressed interest in
participating in future Step Up/Strap In events. Our events at established tween and parent hotspots enhanced the reach
of Safe Kids Buckle Up key messages and showcased the corporate citizenship of our sponsor Chevrolet and, since our
team members have become devoted to the success of the organization and its future, we have provided a list of our
recommendations for furthering the Safe Kids Buckle Up mission.

Empowering a generation to step up to a responsible lifestyle sounds good no matter how you spin it. We enjoyed
showing you how the 2008 Loyola New Orleans PRSSA Bateman team left encouraging footprints on New Orleans.

10

Вам также может понравиться