STATE OF LOUISIANA CAMPAIGN TO SAVE COASTAL LOUISIANA

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STATE OF LOUISIANA CAMPAIGN TO SAVE COASTAL
LOUISIANA

• Strategic Public Awareness Campaign

Presented by
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CAMPAIGN PLANNING PROCESS

• Step I Research and Materials Review
  (February 2002)
• Step II Stakeholder Interviews
  (February/March 2002)
• Step III Scoping Meeting (March 2002)
• Step IV Focus Groups (April 2002)
• Step V Working Sessions (May 2002)
• Step VI Final Public Awareness Campaign Plan
• (May 2002)

SIX-STEP PROCESS
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INFORMING THE CAMPAIGN

• Stakeholder Interviews
• Leader Briefings
• Research
• Scoping Session
• Focus Groups
• Strategy Development Sessions

RESEARCH-BASED
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KEY FINDINGS
KEY FINDINGS

• Threatened, dynamic system requiring complex
• solutions
• Vast territory of world ecological and
  economic
• significance
• Area where preservation and productivity
  coexist
• Problem does have a solution

STAKEHOLDERS
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KEY FINDINGS

• The threat to the unique habitat that supports
  many
• species has not been exposed to the rest of
  the world
• The national environmental community has not
• made this problem a priority
• There is no sense of stewardship on state or
  national
• level
• There are significant external factors that
  are
• exacerbating the problem

STAKEHOLDERS
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KEY FINDINGS

• The state has relied on soft imaging to
  define what
• could be lost
• There are critical links to what happens in
  Louisiana
• to the nation and rest of the world
• When pressed, most people cannot describe the
• problem
• This Louisiana corridor is of strategic
  importance to
• the U.S. economy

STAKEHOLDERS
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KEY FINDINGS

• ? Problem viewed as national, not Louisiana
• problem
• ? Stability of costs for energy/products viewed
  as
• very important national issue
• ? Louisianans need to embrace stewardship of
• resource
• ? There is a lack of recognition of impact
• Louisiana has on rest of nation
• ? Simple message necessary

FOCUS GROUPS
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KEY FINDINGS

• ? Level of enthusiasm for issue and support
• for solution is high
• ? Most do not understand severity of the
• problem
• ? Federal government is responsible to take
• action and pay
• ? The problem does have a solution

FOCUS GROUPS
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KEY FINDINGS

• Level of enthusiasm for issue and support
• for a solution high
• Louisiana cultural issues not important
• Issue viewed as of world ecological
  significance
• and economic importance to the nation
• Creation of problem viewed as unintentional
  no
• blame assessed

FOCUS GROUP PENNSYLVANIA
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KEY FINDINGS

• Disappointment expressed that issue has not
• received media coverage
• Energy production and environmental protection
  
• both viewed as important
• Assets of coastal Louisiana unrecognized
• other states given credit for Louisianas
• contributions

FOCUS GROUP PENNSYLVANIA
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KEY FINDINGS

• General understanding of issue
• Issue not viewed as of world ecological
• significance
• Little belief that nation or world will care
  or rate
• this anything but Louisianas problem
• Lack of recognition and undervalue impact
• Louisiana has on rest of nation
• High recognition that area is a productive
  resource
• and must remain productive

FOCUS GROUP LOUISIANA
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KEY FINDINGS

• Congress needs to deal with issue, as it is
• wider in scope than the state legislature
• Leading political figure should take lead and
• rally the population behind important issue
• State should pay fair share for restoration
• but concerned about funding sources
• Environmental concerns tied to health issues

FOCUS GROUP LOUISIANA
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GENERAL PERCEPTIONS

• ? Louisiana does not get the respect from the
  rest of
• the nation for the services it provides
• ? The culture is most valued and a national
  treasure
• ? There is a lack of unity of purpose across the
  state
• ? Some feel that the problem cannot be fixed and
• that nature will take its course
• ? The U.S. does not appreciate the need for the
• wetlands to be commercially active

LOUISIANA
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GENERAL PERCEPTIONS

• ? Band-aid approaches have been costly,
• wasteful and have not solved the problem
• ? Little confidence that if billions of dollars
  are made
• available that it will be spent wisely
• ? If the problem is not solved today, the cost
  will be
• enormous tomorrow
• ? Lack of awareness of the magnitude and
• severity of the problem

LOUISIANA
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GENERAL PERCEPTIONS

• ? Lack of awareness of the magnitude and severity
  
• of the problem
• ? Louisianans do not care about their natural
  resources
• ? Outsiders dont feel a connection to Louisiana
• ? This is a manmade problem, not a natural
  disaster,
• and the same people who created the problem
• must now be held accountable for its solution

NATIONAL
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GENERAL PERCEPTIONS

• ? Lack of trust that funds will be spent without
• political waste
• ?Problem is not on a scale with other world
• issues
• ? If Louisiana doesnt provide the resources,
• someone else can

NATIONAL
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CHALLENGES

• Lack unity of purpose across the state
• See it as a state problem of little concern to
  
• outsiders
• Overcome history of poor stewardship
• Hard to imagine others will find such value in
  
• wetlands, such as eco-tourists
• Cynicism regarding the handling of large funds
  to
• solve problem
• New generations not aware of major natural
• disasters

LOUISIANA
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CHALLENGES

• Illustrate the issue on the same scale as
  other
• world challenges
• Most people do not understand severity of the
• problem
• Wetlands do not have a reputation for being of
  
• unique strategic importance to the nation
• Draw attention to the urgency of issue without
  
• making it appear as a hopeless cause
• Personalize/dramatize the issue beyond
• the state

NATIONAL
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CHALLENGES

• Problem has not been adequately covered in the
• National media
• No single best way to deliver message local
• news, personalities, documentary programming
• viewed as desirable
• Create a value-laden brand for area recognition

NATIONAL
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OPPORTUNITIES

• Level of enthusiasm for issue and support
• for solution high
• Crisis affords opportunity to establish the
  threat
• surprise factor may help embarrass nation
• Federal Government is seen as responsible to
  pay
• Design a consistent message that focuses on
  the
• value of the state to its citizens, the nation
  and
• the world
• Provide rich educational opportunities for
  students

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OPPORTUNITIES

• Build momentum for a fixed, easy to
  understand,
• goal
• Establish new eco-tourism industry
• Support for domestic energy security high
• Relief in feeling that problem has solution
• Cause viewed as worthy of donations
• Cost to repair damage not an issue
• Energy production environmental protection
  both
• Viewed as important

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MESSAGES

• Place issue in context of world problem
• Clear, consistent message to speak with one
• voice on coastal restoration issues
• Promote the big issue, the major image, avoid
  the
• many details piecemeal approach is confusing
• Build excitement, momentum and pride
• around the message within the state

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MESSAGES

• Build partnerships to deliver messages
• Message must use multiple delivery
• mechanisms
• Must utilize popular, dynamic media to deliver
  
• messages
• Emphasize Louisiana as the lifeline between
  the
• Gulf and the United States
• Issue must be personal to be real

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COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

• Brand the coastal erosion issue
• Identify target audiences
• Stratify messages under the brand to appeal to
  
• self-interests of target audiences
• Provide tools to ensure for uniform message
• delivery

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COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

• Create a network of cooperating organizations
  to
• deliver message to the grassroots
• Position the message for public acceptance
  about
• stewardship, legacy, tone of contrition and
  balance

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TARGET AUDIENCES
IMPLEMENTATION
ADVOCACY
EDUCATION
AWARENESS
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TARGET AUDIENCES

• IMPLEMENTATION
• Governor and Staff
• Louisiana Congressional
• Delegation
• Congress
• Louisiana State Legislators
• Louisiana Cabinet Members
• and Agency Heads
• Coastal Restoration Committees
• Executive Branch
• Federal Agencies
• Media Partners
• Army Corps of Engineers
• (Federal Task Force)
• User Groups/Stakeholders
• Business and Industry

IMPLEMENTATION
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TARGET AUDIENCES

• ADVOCACY
• Cooperating Organizations
• Spokespeople (Entertainers and
• Sports Celebrities)
• Agricultural Interest Groups
• (Hypoxia issue)
• National Environmental and
• Conservation Groups
• National and State Media,
• Editorial Boards
• Gubernatorial Candidates
• Port/Navigation Leadership

IMPLEMENTATION
ADVOCACY
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TARGET AUDIENCES

• EDUCATION
• Student Population
• Louisiana Interfaith Community
• Present and Future National
• Administrations
• Federal Agencies
• National and State News Media
• Congressional Committees
• House Resources, Transportation, Energy
  Commerce, Appropriations
• Senate Energy Natural Resources, Environment
  Public Works, Appropriations
• Upstream/Energy Reliant
• States

IMPLEMENTATION
ADVOCACY
EDUCATION
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TARGET AUDIENCES
AWARENESS Public At-large
IMPLEMENTATION
ADVOCACY
EDUCATION
AWARENESS
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BUILDING A BRAND

• Must be an issue of national concern
• Must resonate to broadest slice of the public
• Should lend itself to image creation
• Must be true

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BRANDING THE CAMPAIGN

• Americas WETLAND outright choice in PA
• focus group
• Americas WETLAND favored in LA focus group
• Brand should build on the fact that this is
• a big issue for America, not only Louisiana
• Brand critical as most in both focus groups
  could
• not identify Louisianas beneficial impact on
  nation
• Words like Coast, Mississippi, Delta,
  Conservancy,
• Life found to be confusing not clarifying

Americas WETLAND
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• World Ecological Significancelifecycle, habitat,
  conservation, stewardship
• Economic Energy Security
• energy, lifeline, transportation, food

CORE THEMES
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PROPOSED BRAND
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World Ecological Issue
Americas Economic Energy Security
BRAND CORE THEMES
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CAMPAIGN GOAL

• Raise public awareness of the impact
• Louisianas wetland loss has on the
• state, nation and world and gain support
• for efforts to conserve and save
• coastal Louisiana.

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CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
I. Design a powerful, consistent and effective
identity and brand along with images and core
messages to define the problem and the impact of
the loss of Louisianas wetlands.
BRAND AWARENESS
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OBJECTIVE I Prime Strategies
Design campaign identity, support materials
and refine key messages Print materials
Electronic products (PSAs, Ed videos)
Americas WETLAND Toolkits to agencies,
stakeholders and Cooperating Organizations
Create Web site for world audiences
BRAND AWARENESS
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CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
II. Create outreach opportunities and utilize
comprehensive print and electronic media
strategies to increase news coverage, educate the
public and engender campaign support.
OUTREACH / MEDIA / POLICY
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OBJECTIVE II Prime Strategies
Protocol briefings Link to Southern
Governors Association State/National/World
media campaign Develop media partners TV
special/documentary specials Publications
special sections Support policy to build
awareness and develop funds for restoration
OUTREACH / MEDIA / POLICY
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CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
III. Develop a strong and active Cooperating
Organizations network to support dissemination
of campaign messages and information to key
audiences.
REACHING CRITICAL AUDIENCES
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OBJECTIVE III Prime Strategies
Identify, select Cooperating
Organizations Enlist celebrity support
Cultivate allies, traditional advocates
Conservation Eco/Enviro Youth Sportsmen
Outreach to impacted communities
REACHING CRITICAL AUDIENCES
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CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
IV. Build an educational infrastructure through
opportunities that engage youth and adults with
Louisiana coastal land loss issues.
EDUCATION PROGRAM
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OBJECTIVE IV Prime Strategies
Americas WETLAND Summit Special conference
tie-ins Americas WETLAND Festivals
Louisiana Festivals designation Revival Tour
Americas WETLAND Trail World Education
Program The Vanishing Habitat Student
projects Web engagement activities
EDUCATION PROGRAM
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THE ESTUARIANS
RESPECT OUR HABITAT

?DELTA ?EDDY (Dolphin) (Eagle) ?SHELLY ?
SALTY (Star Fish) (Shrimp) ?MUDDY ?ROCKY
(Moccasin) (Raccoon) ?REED ?SANDY
(Reptile) (Speckled Trout)
CAMPAIGN CHARACTERS
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CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
V. Develop funding opportunities to support the
campaign and long-term restoration activities.
FUNDS DEVELOPMENT
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OBJECTIVE V Prime Strategies

• Develop Americas WETLAND Trust
• Individual donors
• Estate giving
• Land recovery programs
• Corporate gifts
• Federal funds
• Media fundraising support

FUNDS DEVELOPMENT
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STATE OF LOUISIANA CAMPAIGN TO SAVE COASTAL
LOUISIANA

• Strategic Public Awareness Campaign

Presented by