Office of Youth and Adolescent Health
Develop an integrated communications campaign to promote abstinence before marriage
Project
Rountree Group’s approach to developing an integrated communications campaign to help the Georgia State Department of Human Resources promote abstinence before marriage
Objective
The objective was to communicate the benefits of abstinence and encourage abstinence before marriage through the Office of Youth and Adolescent Health. The agency was tasked with developing an integrated communications campaign to reach the target audience.
Implementation
A slogan and logo were developed with the help of information from youth-oriented websites and chat rooms. The agency pinpointed 88,732 marketing products (lanyards, CD-holders, T-shirts, pencils, pen/highlighters) depicting key messages. These products were distributed at statewide speaking events and delivered to 144 teen youth centers across the state.
In addition, Rountree Group identified and conducted seven speaking engagements throughout the state promoting the positive benefits of abstinence.
Advertising; newspaper placements (35), billboards (31), movie screen advertisements (93 screens) were placed in high-traffic areas across the state. Planned radio advertisements aired in five cities for the back-to-school season. Ad placements were in May (Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month) and in June and July, when youth were out of school for the summer.
Website update included new artwork that is appealing to youth
Results
Distributed evaluation forms’ feedback confirmed the speaking engagements and marketing products enhanced current abstinence education programs and that the message, logo and slogan were appealing to the vast target audience.
Designed an educational, fun and interactive youth road show to educate youth regarding the positive benefits of abstinence; spoke to more than 350 youth statewide.
Planned radio advertisements aired more than 400 times in five targeted cities reaching more than 250,000 listeners in August and September for the back-to-school season. More than 50 percent planned to air as PSAs.
Statewide movie theatres displayed 93 advertisements. We secured a 50 percent discount, saving the client $5,455. Media impressions totaled 107,962.
31 billboards were placed throughout the state.
13 radio interviews and one live television interview on WGCL-CBS Evening News in Atlanta.
Secured vendor donations and PSA time totaled more than $15,000.
Our flexibility through client contact changed and our ability to recognize the need for each representative to add their personal contribution to the campaign proved successful.
Though facing great difficulty in constructing a unified message to a broad target audience, we completed speaking engagements and distributed marketing products with rave reviews.
While hampered by client’s availability, persistent communication resulted in 13 radio interviews and one live television interview.
Our third client contact recognized us for our “dedication to the project and to the teens of Georgia,” and added that we were “terrific” in handling the difficult transitions/changes DHR had facing the staff throughout the year.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Georgia experienced a 12 percent decrease of teen pregnancies.