Division B - Printed Tools of Public Relations
Category 13 - Specialty Item
Your Forest. Managed. Media Kit
Kidd Public Relations, Florida Division of Forestry
Golden Image Award
Research/Situation Analysis:
Forests cover almost half of Florida’s total land area – more than 16
million acres. With Florida’s population expected to reach over 18
million by 2020, many of Florida’s forests are in danger of becoming
over developed or improperly managed. At the current rate, the state is
losing 1,200 acres of forest land per week. In addition to an explosive
growth rate, recent hurricanes, forest fires and invasive tropical
plants have had a devastating impact on Florida’s leading agriculture
industry – forestry. As such, the Division of Forestry saw the need for
a public awareness campaign informing Florida’s landowners about the
benefits and resources available to help with preparing and managing
their property. The closest resource for Florida’s landowners: County
Foresters. Our most formidable challenge for this project was getting
people to pay attention to an issue which had little to no short-term
effects. When looking at the bigger picture, not only do forest lands
contribute to the financial impact of our economy in the areas of
agribusiness, tourism and recreation, but they provide environmental
benefits critical to preserving our state. The booming growth rate not
only means more landowners – but these landowners are often new to the
world of Forestry. Because of this the role of the County Forester has
become more important than ever. County Foresters are tasked with
providing sound counsel and advice regarding land management and
planning to Florida landowners. Primary research showed that the
Division of Forestry’s 45 County Foresters were underutilized in the
areas of development and execution of land management plans. To
increase awareness amongst Florida landowners about the important role
that County Foresters play, Kidd Group developed a comprehensive public
awareness campaign: Your Forest. Managed. A critical component of this
initiative included a strategic statewide press event schedule,
targeting five major media markets. Creating and distributing a clever
media kit was key to achieving significant media attendance and thus
coverage for a public awareness issue with long-term implications. This
media kit would serve as the initial stimulus of the campaign and help
promote the primary message “Your Forest. Managed.” as well as the
secondary statement encouraging Florida landowners to utilize their
County Foresters for property management counsel.
Objectives: Develop a media kit which: (1)
secures attendance at the press conference from one major print
newspaper in each of the five target markets, (2) secures attendance at
the press conference from at least one major television network in each
of the five selected media markets, (3) helps garner coverage yielding
a minimum of 2 million impressions throughout the state, (4) works to
establish a relationship between County Foresters and at least one
local media contact.
Implementation: The first step required planning
and development of a compelling media kit that would grab the attention
of the news room and move reporters to action. To make Florida’s
long-term problem more of a reality, Kidd Group decided to bring the
forest straight into the offices of journalists across the state. To
get the media’s attention, each major television and newspaper outlet
in the selected target markets received a brown box marked, “Live Media
Kit: Open Immediately.” Reporters opened the box to find a baby pine
tree, planting pot and fresh soil inside. Planting instructions were
included for all recipients – of which step one directed them to attend
the Your Forest. Managed. press conference. Major media markets that
did not entertain a press conference received similar media kits. Their
“step one” however instructed them to tap into press conference
coverage via a statewide satellite feed. In an effort to promote sound
forest land management, it was critical that each baby tree was
delivered with precise timing to guarantee that it was not only alive,
but healthy. This required meticulous planning on our part. Kidd Group
contacted each news room across the state to ensure that addresses and
recipient information was accurate for a timely delivery. The response
across the state was overwhelming. Many reporters jokingly asked for
additional plants and directly informed us that the baby pine had been
safely planted into the pot provided. This media kit created a
significant buzz amongst reporters while giving these individuals a
sense of ownership in the fight for Florida’s forests.
Evaluation: (1) In a post campaign analysis, we
found that attendance from one major print newspaper in five target
markets was met and exceeded. A total of seven major print outlets from
across the state attended and covered the events – a 40 percent
increase from our original goal. This resulted in a total of 10 print
articles all of which featured the “Your Forest. Managed.” key message.
(2) Attendance from at least one major television network in the five
target markets was achieved and surpassed as well. A total of seven
major television networks attended and covered the press conferences –
another 40 percent increase from the stated objective. Additionally,
this attendance resulted in a total of 17 news spots. 100 percent of
television spots featured the key message. (3) Final results showed
that we garnered a cumulative 2,757,204 impressions – a 38 percent
increase from the original goal. (4) In all five markets, County
Foresters connected with at least one local media outlet. In many
markets, multiple relationships were formed resulting in an estimated
125 percent achievement of this goal.
Budget: Overall budget for media kits: $500.
Brown boxes negotiated at cost: $75. Planting pots and materials: $125.
Pine trees donated by the Division of Forestry: $0. Planting
instructions printed in-house: $0. Postage: $250. Total cost for media
kits amounted to $450, bringing us 10 percent under budget.