Division A - Public Relations Programs
Category 4 - Public Information
Florida reBuilds Campaign
Moore Consulting Group; Agency for Workforce Innovation
Award of Distinction
Research/Situation Analysis:
Florida has faced a shortage of trained construction workers due to
unprecedented growth and the 2005 hurricane season. According to a
study by the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI), there were
more than 13,000 construction job vacancies in Florida and many areas
faced delays with construction and repair projects due to hurricane
damages caused in 2005. After Hurricane Katrina, many Florida-based
construction companies moved their operations to the Gulf Coast region
because of the abundance of work and the amount of emergency funds
available for rebuilding efforts. Concerned about the negative impact
such a job shortage could have on Florida's growth, Florida’s
legislators and Governor Jeb Bush and Lt. Governor Toni Jennings
addressed methods for alleviating this lack of trained workers. During
the 2006 Legislative Session, the Florida Legislature allocated $12
million to study and address the shortage. AWI was tasked with creating
and overseeing a program that would raise awareness about the crisis,
educate job seekers about opportunities available in construction
trades and train individuals in careers in the construction industry.
Lt. Governor Jennings recommended that AWI call this new program
Florida reBuilds. AWI hired Moore Consulting Group (MCG) to conduct a
comprehensive marketing campaign, including media relations, public
relations and partner-recruitment efforts. MCG conducted a media scan,
including a Lexis/Nexis search of related Florida media coverage, and
researched articles related to damages that remained from the 2005
hurricanes due to the worker shortage. Finally, MCG, in conjunction
with AWI’s statistics and survey department, conducted an analysis of
information collected by AWI in 2005. AWI leadership accelerated the
original August 2006 - July 2007 timeline to complete project
objectives by December 31, 2006, due to an immediate need for workers.
Primary target audiences for this project included: individuals
interested in construction careers, trade associations, educational
institutions, construction companies, statewide media and Florida’s
general public.
Objectives: 1) Raise awareness about the
opportunities available in the construction trades among Florida
residents and encourage them to participate in the training program, as
measured by recruiting at least 4,000 individuals to the program. 2)
Conduct a successful media relations campaign, as measured by 50
stories (electronic and print) in Florida. 3) Raise awareness in the
construction industry, as measured by recruiting 48 partners.
Implementation: Objective 1) First, MCG developed
a logo and tag line for the project and ensured that these tools
resonated with the target audience by conducting three focus groups
that selected “Training Today. Building Tomorrow.” MCG developed
support materials, including a backgrounder, fact sheet, Top 50 Job
Vacancies in the State one-pager and Job Vacancies and Salary
Statistics for Florida. MCG also created collateral materials for the
program, including flyers in three languages for job seekers, builders,
educational institutions and trade associations, which were
customizable to allow for the inclusion of pertinent information from
participating partners. MCG developed a multi-purpose brochure for job
seekers and construction company owners/contractors and created
posters, web banners and promotional items (golf balls, koosies and
coolers) to raise awareness about the program. These materials were
included in a kit personalized for each partner and distributed
statewide at partner meetings, trade shows, via mail and at the
Workforce One-Stop Centers, the local employment resource centers. MCG
also developed a tradeshow booth and tabletop display for use at
industry events. Finally, MCG developed a fully integrated advertising
campaign, which included producing TV and radio spots (:20 and :30
versions in Spanish and English), partnering with the Florida
Association of Broadcasters to make the best use of advertising
dollars, and creating and placing print ads in strategic markets. 2)
Only five weeks after receiving the contract, MCG held a one-day
kick-off media event to launch the campaign in Miami, Tampa and Orlando
to provide statewide reporters information about the program and to
emphasize the shortage of trained workers. Additionally, MCG created a
template media kit for distribution to Florida's 24 Workforce
Development Boards to enable them to announce the program's launch in
their markets. To further the media outreach, MCG held editorial
meetings with eight key daily newspapers and trained AWI
representatives, training partners and program participants to meet
with the editorial staff. 3) MCG created a recruitment kit that
provided information about the crisis and targeted educational
institutions, vocational technical institutions, trade associations,
workforce/employment centers, construction companies and home
improvement companies to enlist their support for the program. The kit
contained promotional materials, a backgrounder, statistics on
Florida’s construction trades, a fact sheet, brochures and other
information. To meet the need to have localized training capabilities,
the first groups targeted were the Workforce Development Boards,
community colleges and technical institutes. MCG also developed a
template program that would enable the partners, particularly Workforce
Development Boards, to conduct events to help secure local
participation. These “Build-A-Job” events were used to raise awareness
about the program and to recruit local participation.
Evaluation: The program exceeded its goals for
each objective: Objective 1) Due to an aggressive integrated
communications program, more than 7,400 job seekers were recruited for
Florida reBuilds training. 2) Media relations efforts generated more
than 150 stories, including eight favorable editorials and resulting in
more than 58 million impressions. 3) As a result of partnership
recruitment efforts, more than 100 organizations partnered with Florida
reBuilds, including Lowes, Workforce Florida, Caterpillar, Florida Home
Builders Association, Florida’s 24 Workforce Development Boards and
Florida’s Community College Network. By meeting these objectives, the
campaign succeeded in providing targeted Floridians with the skills for
a rewarding career and bringing skilled workers to an understaffed
industry.
Budget: Research (including Lexis/Nexis): $400;
media kit creation: $261; partnership kits: $500; printing: $36,300;
signage: $165; staff time for qualitative research, writing and media
pitching: included in retainer; advertising: $125,000; travel: $7,400;
promotional items: $2,500 and media clips: $41. Total: $172,567—$77,433
under budget.