Team members from the Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Communications and Community Relations (OCCR) presented information about an award winning communication campaign at the annual National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) conference in July 2022.

The campaign, VaxUP FCPS, won a 2022 Gold Medallion--the highest award possible--from NSPRA. 

Below is the video and information presented at the conference. 

VaxUP FCPS Campaign - Conference Video 

VaxUP FCPS Campaign - Conference Presentation 

Research & Planning Tips

Data Identifies Audience

The data will make it clear exactly who the audience of your campaign needs to be to impact change. Look for the audiences who are aware or latent- their opinions can be changed which will drive outcomes.

Data Drives Objectives

Numbers used for SMART goals should never be random. They should flow from your research and be able to be explained. 

Data Gathering Never Ends

Research flows through the entire program- you are never “done” with this step- you may need to make adjustments.

Strategy Tips

Think Big

Alignment with national messaging strategy set the team’s frame of mind to think nationally, which helped propel the Polio story.
 

Monitor and Adapt 

As with any strategic plan, we constantly reviewed our strategies based on the data we were collecting. Two of our strategies were added and implemented well into the execution of our original plan. 

Leverage Established Relationships 

The 3rd Party Endorsement Strategy was critical to the plan. An existing strong partnership with the local health system and pediatric association gave us the tools to make this strategy strong and effective.

Implementation & Communication Tips

Communication Models Work!

• Priming - Educate and inform first, this creates awareness.
• Source Credibility - Third party endorsement/trusted advisor carries a message your organization cannot. Schools do not have the authority to say that vaccines are safe. This model ensures that schools are supporting public health but not owning it.
• Coorientation Model - Keeping schools safe and open was the one message all parties could agree on. This therefore became the core of our messaging.
• Diffusion of Innovation- Identifies where your audience falls on the spectrum of innovator to laggard and identifies what will cause an individual to adopt an idea/take action (more advantageous, compatible with previous experience, simple, easily tried, observable).
• EXXON/Mobil Model - COVID had made school districts responsible for public health and safety. This model promotes individual responsibility.

Relatable Human Interest “Hook” 

Your publics need an emotional connection to the campaign. Action is driven by taking your audience through multiple phases: awareness-emotion-association-action. 

The media need a face for the story. The more relatable the story (hook), the more publicity you will garner, and the more your audience will become “aware.” 
 

Branding Must Resonate With Target Publics

Campaign branding should reflect and connect the audience you are trying to reach. It must be relatable with your key audience.
 

Evaluation Tips

Measurement Is Art and Science 

Our currency is trust, so outcomes should be measured in trust. You can measure trust by:

• Triangulating data points
• Measuring sentiment
• Measuring non-related actions that take place as a result of the campaign

Determine Evaluation Measure At the Beginning 

Link your evaluation measure to your objective. Make it clear how you are measuring success throughout the campaign and whether you succeeded in your SMART goal. 

Go Beyond Program Outcomes

The outcome of the plan impacts other work you are doing now and/or what you may face in the future (no plan happens in isolation). Evaluate the plan in terms of next steps or impacts on current and future communications programs.

Questions?

For questions or more information contact Christie Scott, Acting Director of Community Relations, [email protected].