Practicum  in  Organizational  Communication    “Ready  Badger”    

Portfolio  

 

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Acknowledgements  COMM  480:  Practicum  in  Public  Relations,  also  known  as  the  Parkside  Communication  

Consultants  (PCC),  would  like  to  extend  a  special  thank  you  toDr.  Tammy  McGuckin,  Dean  of  

Students,  Leslie  Heinz-­‐Walker,Dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Humanities,the  Communication  

Department,  Dr.  Peter  Knight  from  the  Department  of  Business,  Dr.  Derek  Riley  from  the  

Department  of  Computer  Science,  John  Mielke,  Director  of  Strategic  Communication,  and  Dr.  

Adrienne  Viramontes  from  the  Department  of  Communication.  We  would  also  like  to  thank  

graphic  designers  Janette  Ream  and  Geoff  Kenyan,  along  with  all  the  Computer  Science  

students  associated  with  the  project,  the  App  Factory  and  everyone  else  who  contributed  to  

making  our  public  relations  campaign  a  success.      

 

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Table  of  Contents  Acknowledgments………………..……………………....2  Table  of  Contents…………….…….……………………...3  Research  Chapter…………………………………….…..4  Executive  Summary…………………..…………..….5,16  PCC  Research……………………………………………….6,7  Planning  Chapter……………………………………….…8  Press  Release…………………………..……………….……9  Press  Conference  Itinerary…..………………….10,11  Press  Conference  Invites……..……………………….12  Spec  Sheet………………………………………………….…13  Implementation  Chapter…………………………….14  Final  Report………………………..…………………..15-­‐25  Survey  Analysis…………………..……………………16,17  Word  of  Mouth………….……………………………18-­‐20  Recommendations………………….……………...20-­‐22  Traditional  Marketing……………….…………….22-­‐24  

 

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References……………………………….……………..…..25

 

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Research  

 

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Executive  Summary  In this project the students enrolled in Comm 480 were tasked to create a media

campaign in order to officially announce the release of the “ReadyBadger” App to the

residents of the seven counties of Southeastern Wisconsin. “ReadyBadger” will be

released on the first day of Severe Weather Awareness Week (April 11-15, 2016). The

team working to promote this media campaign consists of Public Relations students

within the Communication Department at the University of Wisconsin Parkside

(Parkside Communication Consultants: PCC). The major goals of this campaign are to

introduce the App and its capabilities;increase the amount of overall downloads, and

attract a wide variety of media coverage. Ultimately PCC is anticipating 100,000

downloads, which would represent 10% of the population forthe Southeastern

Wisconsin counties.

Benefits of the App include the ability to provide weather conditions, traffic updates,

disaster resources, location and contact information for hospitals, police, fire stations,

and identifying volunteer opportunities in the local community. In an effort to achieve

these goals, we have created many different promotional materials. These materials

include a promotional video, a public service announcement, and a logo (in

development) in order to convey the message that “ReadyBadger” is an app with

multiple, efficient functions for any Wisconsin resident. In order to showcase all of these

materials effectively, PCC, in conjunction with UW-Parkside, is hosting a press

conference on April 12th at 11:00 A.M. in the Student Ballroom where local media,

Emergency Managers, as well as state and local representatives will be present.

 

 

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PCC  Research  

Our primary mode of research for the “ReadyBadger” application was collecting

information that would help us to create a media campaign that would introduce the app

to the public. We began by reading and analyzing the marketing report, which was

created by Dr. Peter Knight’s marketing class. We then interviewed App Factory

programmers and developers in order to get a much more detailed understanding of the

scope and capacity of the application and how it can serve multiple markets and many

of the residents in Southeastern WI. Finally, we experimented with the “ReadyBadger”

app itself as well as other similar mobile applications such as the Weather Channel,

First Aid, and FEMA. Based on the information in the report, we were able to identify target audiences,

which consists of property owners, parents, and commuters. We then arranged a

meeting in which we could meet with the application programmers to discuss the

purpose and functions of ReadyBadger. During the meeting, we were given a

demonstration on how the application functions as well as given a tutorial on how to

properly use it. We were informed about their preferred target audience, estimated

completion date, and outcome goals.

Once we had an overview of the app, we then were able to attain the beta for

iOS and Android versions to download onto our personal devices to become more

acclimated with the app. Some of the competitor’s of the ReadyBadger app include the

FEMA app, Weather Channel app, and the First Aid app. The FEMA app provides more

local specialization of news, the Weather Channel app offers weather related

information and the First Aid app offers injury information and checklists. What sets the

 

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ReadyBadger application apart from these other applications is that it provides all

disaster-related tools in one mobile app while being specifically tailored to Wisconsin

residents in all counties.

After speaking with the program developers and our research on the purpose

and function of the application was complete, we then began our media campaign plan.

 

 

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Planning  

 

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Press  Release  UW-Parkside releases new “ReadyBadger” App By Parkside Communication Consultants FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 4th, 2016 Kenosha, WI- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is holding a press conference to highlight the official release of the new “ReadyBadger” App.The press conference will be held on April 12th at 11 A.M. in the Ballroom located in the Student Center at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. “ReadyBadger” will be available for iOS and Android download on April 11th, 2016 during Wisconsin Tornado& Severe Awareness Week, to highlight weather and natural disaster awareness. “ReadyBadger” Features “ReadyBadger,” is the latest app developed by UW-Parkside’s Computer Science students, who worked in conjunction with Southeast Wisconsin County Emergency Management representatives. “ReadyBadger” will allow anyone in the state of Wisconsin to find emergency preparedness information specific to a particular county. It also allows for the user to submit a digital damage report in an effort to increase the speed with which County emergency managers can assess damages and respond to disasters. The app is designed to help residents prepare for and respond to weather and non-weather related disasters along with the option to prepare for future local emergencies. With that comes weather conditions, traffic updates, disaster resources, location and contact information for hospitals, police, and fire stations, as well as identifies volunteer opportunities/emergencies in county as they occur. About App Factory The App Factory is a developmental space for computer programmers.The UW-Parkside App Factory is a new creative, professional, interdisciplinary group on campus that develops mobile apps for community clients throughout southeastern Wisconsin. The App Factory provides conceptual designing and prototype mobile app development services to help find solutions and strategies for technology challenges. Contact Information Dr. Adrienne Viramontes Email: viramont@uwp.edu Phone: (262) 496-9147 ###

 

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Press  Conference  Itinerary  Chancellor  Deborah  Ford:  (1-­‐2  min)  

• General  welcome  to  guests  • Overview  of  the  mission  of  the  university  and  how  this  app  applies  to  civic  engagement  

 (or  whatever  you  think  is  fitting)  

2  Emergency  Managers  (5  min  total)  

• What  motivated  this  project  • Talk  about  their  role  within  EM  and  how  it  fits  into  our  daily  lives  • What  was  the  problem  that  brought  them  together  with  the  App  Factory  

Dr.  Riley  (5  min)    

• Overview  of  the  App  Factory  and  his  role  • What  kind  of  research  it  took  to  develop  the  app  • What  kind  of  process  he  undertook  to  lead  students  to  create  the  app  

Rihannon  Weiss  (1-­‐2  min)  

• Creative  process  that  was  involved  for  creating  the  program  • What  kind  of  opportunity  and  what  this  means  as  a  potential  professional  

Dr.  Fay  Akindes  (1  min)  

• Community  based  learning  and  its  relationship  to  this  project  as  a  whole  • Relationship  between  the  Arts,  Humanities  and  Sciences  

Video  (1  min)  

 

Kelsey  Krimmer(and  Kyle)  (2-­‐3  min)  

• COMM    480:  Capstone  course  for  the  PR/Org  Comm  minors.          • Our  goal  for  the  “ReadyBadger”  project  was  to  create  a  media  campaign  for  the  release  of  

the  app.    We  followed  the  four-­‐phase  model  for  PR,  which  is:  research,  planning,  implementation,  and  evaluation.  

Kyle  

• Participating  in  this  class  has  sharpened  our  professional  skills  as  we  have  engaged  in  the  practices  of:  research,  event  planning,  time  management,  strategic  planning,  graphic  design,  professional  writing  and  managing  messages.      

Dr.  Adrienne  Viramontes(1  min)  • Great  opportunity  to  be  a  part  of  a  CBL  project.    

 

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• “ReadyBadger”project  allows  us  to  practice  professional  communication  skills  for  a  mobile  app  that  prepares  and  benefits  each  Wi  resident.        

• Encourage  downloading  the  app  

Q&A  

   

 

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Press  Conference  Invitations  University of Wisconsin-Parkside releases new application “ReadyBadger” to promote the awareness of weather caused disasters and prevention plans as of April 11th, 2016

Senders Address: 900 Wood Rd, Kenosha, WI 53144

Recipients Address:

Dear (Insert Name),

You are cordially invited to attend an upcoming press conference hosted by the Parkside Communication Consultants, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. This event will take place on April 12th, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. in the Student Ballroom.

This press conference is being held to commemorate the release of the new “ReadyBadger” application developed by the UW-Parkside’s App Factory.

“ReadyBadger” will allow anyone in the state of Wisconsin to find emergency readiness information specific to their county. It also allows for the user to submit a digital damage report in an effort to increase the speed that emergency managers can make disaster declarations and respond to disasters. The app is designed to prevent weather-related disasters along with the option to prepare for future local emergencies. With that comes weather conditions, traffic updates, disaster resources, location and contact information for hospitals, police, fire stations, and identifies volunteer opportunities in your community. This app is your one stop shop for all local weather and disaster information.

 

 

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Spec  Sheet  READY BADGER MOBILE APPLICATION Spec Sheet �Ready Badger Wisconsin is an emergency broadcast application built for the state of Wisconsin. �The application incorporates all safety protocols informing citizens on what measures should be taken if an emergency or disaster were to break out. � Users can get information on local disaster resources such as hospitals, fire departments, and police departments. �Through the Ready Badger application, users can read documents on disaster preparations and precautions. Users can receive alerts on nearby disasters and dangerous weather. �Step-by-step tools are provided to making an emergency plan so that everyone is prepared for the worst case scenario. Custom lists can be made to refresh one's memory in the moment of a disaster. �Users can submit disaster damage reports including a picture of the scene and estimated costs from damage. �From Racine to Eau Claire, all counties have been incorporated into the Ready Badger application. �The application can be downloaded on the App Store or Google Play; look up “ReadyBadger” in the search box

     

 

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Implementation      

 

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Parkside  Communication  Consultants  

Final  Report  

Ready  Badger  Mobile  App  

5/4/16  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Executive  Summary  

In  the  spring  2016  semester,  COMM  480:  Practicum  in  Public  Relations,  teamed  up  with  the  

App  Factory  in  order  to  create  a  media  campaign  for  the  release  of  the  new  “ReadyBadger”  mobile  

application.    This  project,  in  conjunction  with  particular  Southeastern  Wisconsin  Emergency  

Managers,  allowed  PCC  members  to  conduct  research,  engage  in  event  and  strategic  planning,  

develop  recommendations  for  a  media  campaign  for  the  app,  and  finally,  evaluate  final  results.      

In  this  final  report,  PCC  elaborates  on  their  recommendations  for  advertising  “Ready  

Badger”  in  order  to  encourage  Wisconsin  residents  to  download  the  app.    Therefore,  these  

recommendations  are  presented  briefly  here,  and  elaborated  fully  in  the  following  report.    In  order  

to  successfully  market  “Ready  Badger”  Emergency  Managers  are  encouraged  to:  

• Understand  that  based  on  our  survey  research,  “word-­‐of-­‐mouth”  advertising  is  the  

most  influential  and  popular  way  residents  learn  about  new  mobile  application.  

• Understand  that  social  media  is  another  form  of  “word-­‐of-­‐mouth”  

communication/advertising  

• Continue  with  public  presentations  as  the  main  form  of  advertising,  but  using  tools  

(like  posters  with  QR  codes),  which  will  make  it  possible  for  all  attendees  to  

download  the  app  immediately/on  site.  

• Begin  to  think  critically  about  the  role  that  social  media  will  play  in  the  realm  of  

Emergency  Management  in  Southeastern  Wisconsin  

Survey  Analysis  

In  order  to  make  recommendations  to  Emergency  Managers  about  how  to  get  a  large  

portion  of  the  population  to  download  “Ready  Badger”  mobile  app,  a  survey  was  conducted  in  order  

 

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to  gather  information  about  how  adults  learn  about  new  mobile  applications,  which  they  later  

download.  

PCC  employed  a  convenience  sample  by  sending  the  survey  link  to  Facebook  accounts  and  

other  social  media.    Additionally,  the  UW-­‐Parkside  community  was  also  sent  the  link.    There  is  great  

potential  in  collecting  hundreds  more  responses,  which  will  broaden  the  results  even  further.    

However,  given  the  timeframe  we  had  remaining,  we  believe  the  148  participants  are  a  relatively  

good  representation  of  the  average  Wisconsin  resident.  

There  were  148  survey  participants  in  total:  47  males  and101females.    Of  the  148  

participants,  113  represented  several  Southeastern  Wisconsin  counties.    When  asked  how  they  

discovered  new  applications,  participants  were  invited  to  choose  multiple  options  in  order  to  

understand  what  and  where  would  be  the  most  fruitful  places  to  advertise  “Ready  Badger”  app.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“How  do  you  discover  new  applications?    Select  all  that  apply:”  

 

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1   An  application  discovery  application  

     

7   5%  

2   Browsing  the  App  store  

     

63   43%  

3   Recommendation        

88   60%  4   Word  of  mouth      

 

100   68%  5   Ad  on  App  store      

 

13   9%  6   Magazine  Ad      

 

8   5%  7   Brochure/Flyer      

 

4   3%  8   Billboard      

 

4   3%  9   TV  Show      

 

14   10%  10   TV  News      

 

10   7%  11   TV  Commercial      

 

14   10%  12   Radio      

 

19   13%  

13   Newspaper/Magazine  Article  

     

19   13%  

14   Web  search  engine        

24   16%  15   Internet  Ad      

 

26   18%  16   Google  Play      

 

27   18%  17   You  Tube      

 

17   12%  18   Facebook      

 

51   35%  19   Twitter      

 

20   14%  20   Instagram      

 

18   12%  21   A  particular  website      

 

5   3%  

22   Other  Social  Media  Platform  

     

2   1%  

23   Other        

11   8%    

 

 

Based  on  the  above  chart,  roughly  65%  of  participants  learn  about  new  mobile  apps  based  

on  “word  of  mouth,”  which  encompasses  “recommendations.”  56  males  and  130  females  learn  

about  new  mobile  apps  through  face-­‐to-­‐face  communication.    

 

 

 

 

 

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Word-­‐of-­‐Mouth  

Primarily,  “word-­‐of-­‐mouth”  is  the  exchange  of  information  from  person  to  person  by  

oral  communication,  which  could  be  as  simple  as  telling  someone  the  time  of  day.  

Storytelling  is  a  common  form  of  word-­‐of-­‐mouth  communication  where  one  person  tells  

others  a  story  about  a  real  event  or  something  made  up.  According  to  Jansen,  Zhang,  Sobel,  

and  Chowdury,  “Word  of  mouth  (WOM)  is  the  process  of  conveying  information  from  

person  to  person  and  plays  a  major  role  in  customer  buying  decisions”  (Richins  &  Root-­‐

Shaffer,  1988).    A  lot  of  times  Apps  get  the  exposure  through  people  telling  each  other  

about  it  and  encouraging  others  to  download  it.    Jansen,  Zhang,  Sobel,  and  Chowdury  note:  

“Positive  WOM  is  considered  a  powerful  marketing  medium  for  companies  to  

influence  consumers.    WOM  communication  functions  based  on  social  

networking  and  trust:  People  rely  on  families,  friends,  and  others  in  their  

social  network.    Research  also  indicates  that  people  seem  to  trust  seemingly  

disinterested  opinions  from  people  outside  their  immediate  social  network,  

such  as  online  reviews”  (Twitter  Power:  Tweets  as  Electronic  Word  of  

Mouth,p.  1,  2008).  

Thus,  world-­‐of-­‐mouth  is  performed  face-­‐to-­‐face  as  well  as  electronically.    In  other  words,  

social  media  Apps  such  as  Twitter,  Facebook  Instagram,  and  Snapchat  are  forms  of  WOM,  

but  have  even  more  power  to  advertise  and  influence  downloading  because  of  the  amount  

of  people  who  interface  simultaneously  through  social  media  sites.      

 

 

 

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These  social  media  platforms  have  grown  exponentially  over  the  past  few  years  

because  of  how  many  active  users  consistently  log  in.    Of  the  148survey  participants,results  

indicate  that  Wisconsin  residents  learn  about  new  mobile  applications  by  WOM  (including  

Facebook),  and  it  showed  that  WOM  is  the  most  effective  tool  to  achieve  downloads.      

Marketers  place  significant  value  on  positive  word-­‐of-­‐mouth,  which  is  traditionally  

achieved  by  creating  products,  services  and  customer  experiences  that  generate  

conversation-­‐worthy  "buzz."  

Recommendations  

Social  Media    

Parkside  Communication  Consultants  (PCC)  believes  there  are  three  different  marketing  

options,  which  will  be  most  effective  for  “Ready  Badger.”    The  following  will  present  the  reasons  

why  social  media,  traditional  marketing,  and  word  of  mouth  will  be  most  effective.  

  With  advances  in  technology,  social  media  has  become  a  big  part  of  our  society.  The  

Facebook  company  info  states  that  there  are  1.59  billion  monthly  active  users  as  of  December  31,  

2015  (newsroom,  fb).  Many  companies  and  organizations  have  begun  using  Facebook  as  a  form  of  

advertising  their  company  or  their  products.  PCC  believes  that  the  Emergency  Management  

Departments  would  benefit  from  making  one  central  Facebook  account  in  order  to  more  easily  

manage  messages  and  information.  Respectively,  PCC  understands  that  there  are  differing  practices  

for  each  specific  county  which  is  why  we  offer  two  different  options:  

 

 

 

 

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Option  1  

  Each  county  creates  their  own  internal  network  in  which  they  can  communicate  with  the  

other  counties  and  the  public.  This  internal  network  would  be  a  Facebook  page  for  each  county.  

Either  designating  one  person  from  that  county  to  run  the  Facebook  page  (which  would  require  

minimal  time/effort),  or  giving  everybody  access  to  the  Facebook  page  in  which  they  will  be  able  to  

post,  daily,  specific  information  regarding  their  county,  also  promoting  the  “Ready  Badger”  app.  

Most  beneficial  is  if  one  person  was  in  charge  of  this  Facebook  page  and  the  posts  that  are  

uploaded.  If  budget  was  an  issue  for  this  Facebook  administrator,  the  option  of  turning  this  into  an  

internship  position  for  a  current  college  student  may  be  a  possibility,  obtaining  a  new  intern  every  

semester  or  every  year.    

Option  2  

Designate  one  person  to  create  a  Facebook  page  for  all  of  the  counties  involved  in  the  app.  

This  person  would  be  the  only  one  allowed  access  to  the  page  and  he/she  would  collect  

data/information  regarding  all  the  counties  and  post  everything  to  the  Facebook  page,  announcing  

what  is  going  on  in  different  counties,  promoting  the  “Ready  Badger”  app  and  staying  connected  to  

the  public.  This  option  will  allow  only  one  person  access  and  may  still  follow  the  rules  and  

regulations  regarding  social  media  for  specific  counties.  If  budget  was  an  issue  for  this  Facebook  

administrator,  the  option  of  turning  this  into  an  internship  position  for  a  current  college  student  

may  be  a  possibility,  obtaining  a  new  intern  every  semester  or  every  year.  

 

Internships  

In  order  to  establish  an  internship  opportunity  with  the  University  of  Wisconsin-­‐Parkside,  a  

supervisor  or  director  must  contact  a  department  chair  or  internship  instructor  to  discuss  the  

 

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position,  job  description,  and  timeline.    Internships  can  be  paid  and  unpaid  (the  employer’s  choice)  

and  the  student  is  required  to  spend  a  minimum  of  5-­‐15  hours  per  week.    The  student  will  receive  

college  credit  for  the  experience  as  well  as  materials  that  help  to  build  his/her  resume  or  

professional  portfolio.      

  For  this  particular  internship  PCC  recommends  a  Communication  Major  (who  takes  classes  

in  how  to  write  for  social  media,  professional  writing,  public  relations/organizational  

communication,  etc.    You  may  hire  an  intern  for  a  particular  job,  but  find  that  he/she  might  be  able  

to  do  many  different  things  that  will  benefit  your  organization  in  ways  you  had  not  originally  

expected.    Additionally,  the  English  Department  has  students  who  are  earning  a  certificate  in  

professional  writing  and  who  have  similar  and  different  forms  of  training  as  the  Communication  

students.  

Traditional  Marketing  

Posters    

 

PCC  learned  that  some  emergency  managers  give  presentations  to  public  audiences  about  

emergency-­‐related  topics.    These  public  presentations  would  be  an  ideal  place  to  display  a  large  

poster  with  a  QR  code  to  ensure  easy  access  to  download  “Ready  Badger”  on  the  spot.  A  QR  is  a  

machine  readable  code  used  for  storing  URLs  or  other  information.    They  are  used  to  take  a  piece  of  

information  from  a  transitory  media    

 

and  put  it  in  your  cell  phone.      Placing  these  codes  on  posters  will  make  immediate  downloads  

possible.    These  posters  should  be  placed  all  throughout  Wisconsin  in    

 

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strategic  locations  such  as  grocery  store  community  boards,  bus  stops,  drug  stores,  restaurants,  

college  campuses,  and  coffee  shops.  Without  the  QR  code,  the  posters  will  be  less  useful  as  a  

marketing  tool.        

Brochures    

 

Brochures,  which  also  contain  QR  codes,  should  be  designed  to  provide  more  detail  than  the  

poster,  but  a  basic  rundown  of  all  of  the  capabilities  of  “Ready  Badger.”  These  brochures  should  be  

placed  in  buildings  that  attract  target  audiences  such  as  university  campuses.        

These  brochures  should  especially  be  placed  on  college  campuses  to  encourage  students  to  

download  the  app  so  that  they  can  be  prepared  for  every  situation.  It  would  be  helpful  to  hand  

these  brochures  out  at  orientations  for  UW  system  schools.  When  doing  this,  parents  may  also  be  

encouraged  to  download  the  app  because  of  their  concern  for  their  children  who  will  be  attending  a  

university  away  from  home.    

Billboards  

 

Billboards  would  be  a  great  attraction  for  the  computer  audience.  Although  pricey,  this  

would  be  an  effective  way  to  get  downloads.    Following  are  the  prices  for    

 for  LAMAR  Advertising  in  the  Milwaukee  Area:  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Digital:  

 

Daily   Three  Days   Weekly   Two  Weeks   Four  weeks  

$  480   $  1260   $2,520   $4,536   $6,720  

 

 

Bulletin  (non-­‐digital  billboards):    

 

Single  

Panel*  

Three  

Panels  

Six  Panels   Twelve  Panels  

$4,000   $10,800   $19,800   $39,600  

*panels  =  amount  of  billboards*    

 

 

LED  Dynamic  Message  Signs    

 

These  are  the  signs  on  the  highways  that  tell  drivers  how  long  to  the  next  exit,  or  list  the  

amount  of  people  killed  in  a  drunk  driving  accident  in  the  past  year.  

   

In  conclusion,  PCC  makes  the  above  recommendations  based  on  research  findings  about  

Wisconsin  residents.    We  understand  that  budgetary  and  other  limitations  that  could  apply.    In  

short,  the  most  effective  strategies  are  up  to  managers  who  understand  their  particular  county  

needs.    

 

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References  

 

Jansen,  Bernard  J.,  et  al.  "Twitter  power:  Tweets  as  electronic  word  of  mouth."  

Journal  of  the  American  society  for  information  science  and  technology  60.11  (2009):  2169-­‐

2188.  

Richins,  M.  L.  "Root-­‐-­‐Shaffer,  T.  (1988)."  The  Role  of  Involvement  and  Opinion  Leadership  

in  Consumer  Word-­‐-­‐of-­‐-­‐Mouth:  An  Implicit  Model  Made  Explicit.