PR 471C ProposalFinal

The Petrified Forest National Park
& REI Campaign Proposal
NAU Fall 2016 Public Relations Capstone
Nicole Dalton Alannah Don Sammi Gurrieri Haley McCormick. . .

Executive Summary 2
Fact Sheet: Petrified Forest National Park 3
Situation Analyses
National Park Service 5
Petrified Forest National Park 7
REI 9
SWOT Analysis 11
Campaign Goals 12
Target Audience Evaluation 13
Focus Group Research 17
Communication Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics 22
Evaluation 36
Table of Contents
1

Executive Summary
The purpose of this public relations campaign is to equip leaders at the Petrified Forest
National Park with new means to attract millennial visitors to the park. Upon thorough research,
it has been concluded that most millennials lack awareness of the park’s significance and oppor-
tunities. This campaign is focused on increasing awareness and promoting life-long steward-
ship of the Petrified Forest National Park.
The objectives of this campaign are two-fold. On one hand, the campaign seeks to up-
date the park’s current messaging and engagement through social media by creating positive,
interactive, and “sharable” content for younger audiences. On the other hand, the campaign
intends to cultivate meaningful relationships with its younger visitors by highlighting current park
activities, such as hiking and camping, and by proposing new ways to enjoy the park, such as
concerts and art walks.
2

Petrified Forest National Park Fact Sheet
• The Petrified Forest is located in Holbrook, Arizona.
• The park’s wilderness makes up about 50,000 acres.
• As of 2004, the park has over 218,533 acres total within park boundaries.
• Annual visitation to the park is about 800,000 people.
• The park is open year round except for on Christmas, Dec. 25.
• The Petrified Forest has one of the most continuous sections of Triassic-aged rocks in the
entire world.
• Many of the fossils at the Petrified Forest were once the bones of reptiles and amphibians
that lived in the area between 200 and 230 million years ago.
• The fossils discovered at the park show that the Petrified Forest was once a tropical forest.
• John Muir named the Blue Forest and influenced President Theodore Roosevelt to make the
land a national monument in 1906.
• President Theodore Roosevelt created the Petrified Forest National Monument on Dec. 8,
1906.
• Theodore Roosevelt declared the Petrified Forest to be a national monument in order to
protect the petrified wood for research.
• The petrified forest became a popular tourist destination after WW2, when road trips and
use of Route 66 increased exponentially.
• Petrified Forest National Park is the only park in the National Park system that is a part of
the Historic Route 66.
• Evidence shows there are over 13,000 years of human history in the Petrified Forest
National Park.
• People first came to the area that is now the Petrified Forest National Park after the Ice Age
ended.
• Ancestral Puebloan people used petrified wood as tools, projectile points, knives, and
scrapers.
• Early inhabitants of the Petrified Forest area most likely farmed corn throughout the terrain.
• A series of droughts in the 1200s, led ancestral Puebloan people to move away and build
large pueblo communities. The Puerco Pueblo is a pueblo site located near the Puerco
River, and has hundreds of rooms.
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• Newspaper Rock is a series of over 650 petroglyphs covering a group of rocks. Ancestral
Puebloan people between 650 and 2,000 years ago created the petroglyphs, which are
symbols/writing.
• Theft of petrified wood continues to be a large problem for the Petrified Forest.
• Although the park is known for its fossils and petrified wood, most of the park’s landscape is
made up of desert flora.
• Petrified Forest National Park is home to many fauna, as well as animals such as: coyotes,
bobcats, and eagles.
• The process of petrification, which makes up many elements of the Petrified Forest, occurs
through chemical decomposition.
• The park employs a number of different scientists, including: biologists, paleontologists,
and anthropologists.
• The Painted Desert Inn is almost 100 years old, and has gone through many changes.
• The original Painted Desert Inn building from the early 1920s was made of petrified wood.
• There is no overnight lodging available in the park.
• You can apply for special permits in order to have different experiences and events such as
weddings.
• The types of volunteering positions offered are Interpretation, Resource Management,
Administration, and Maintenance.
• Petrified Forest National Park’s Artist-in-Residence Program was founded in 2006 as part of
the park’s Centennial Celebration.
• Petrified Forest National Park is best categorized as a semi-arid grassland. Temperatures
range from above 100 degrees fahrenheit (38 degrees celsius) to well below freezing.
• The petrified wood’s colors come from three primary minerals. Pure quartz is white,
manganese oxides form blue, purple, black, and brown, and iron oxides forms the hues
yellow through red to brown.
• The forest is home to many trails, including: the Jasper Forest Overlook, the Blue Mesa
Trail, and the Crystal Forest Trail.
• The Petrified Forest offers two distance learning virtual field trips that allows students to
have a live video conference with a ranger.
• The Petrified Forest offers the Junior Ranger program for children, where if they complete
the provided activity booklet, they receive an official Junior Ranger badge and patch.
• The Petrified Forest is a participant in Geocaching, which is a worldwide game of hiding and
seeking treasure.
4

Situation Analysis: U.S. National Park Service
Introduction
The United States had only been a country for over 100 years when President
Woodrow Wilson recognized that there was a pressing need for the preservation of the
nation’s monuments, reservations and environmental wonders. Therefore, a new governmental
department, the U.S. National Park Service, was to be formed.
Past, Present, and Future of Industry
The U.S. National Park service was initially established on March 1, 1872, when the U.S.
Congress passed an act announcing Yellowstone as a National Park. Announcing Yellowstone
as protected land began a movement of establishing National Parks across the country. The
U.S. National Park Service was built upon the motto to preserve nature in its original beauty for
current and future generations to enjoy. Furthermore, the U.S. National Park service was a way
for Americans to establish pride in things that they hold precious. Thanks to that drive, there are
currently 409 National Parks in the Unites States.
Currently, the U.S. National Park service is celebrating its centennial anniversary. This is
a great accomplishment for the U.S. National Park Service and it hopes that the next 100 years
will continue to serve future generations with amazing parks around the country. In order to do
that, it’s important to understand the current customer base of the National Parks.
Analysis of Current Customers
According to the National Parks website, in 2015, more than 305 million people visited
national parks. The most common visitors to the U.S. National parks are comprised of traveling
families with children during the summer season. The benefits of visiting National Parks for
families is that they can spend quality time together with educational opportunities for their
children. Thus, National Parks serve as great resources for families to stay connected and teach
their children.
During the seasons of fall and winter, National Parks are visited by the “Snow Bird”
demographic; which generally, are retired individuals who are looking to get away from their
colder home states and to travel. Additionally, retired individuals enjoy visiting National Parks,
because it reminds them of when their own parents brought them to visit when they were
children. The National Parks serve as a nostalgic reminder of their childhood.
A third group that makes up large portion of national parks visitation, are people visiting
from different countries. When international people visit America their goal is to see the best that
our country has to offer. Thus, our National Parks are a representation of what the United States
has to offer to the rest of the world. That is why preservation of these parks is important to the
reputation of the United States, and why positive messaging is so crucial to the success of the
National Parks system.
5

Current Messaging and Positioning
In terms of online presence, The National Park system has a Facebook, Instagram, and
Twitter. Having these social media account allow the organization to keep in contact with visitors
across the country, as well as engage new customers and encourage those new customers to
visit National Parks.
The primary messaging that the U.S. National Park service is using right now is a social media
campaign called “Find Your Park.” This campaign is set up for three different platforms: find
your park, share your park, and support your park. It allows individuals the opportunity to either
start getting involved, or get more involved in the U.S. National Park Service. There are two
different ways one can use the find your park campaign. First, one can go to findyourpark.com
and upload a picture of themselves with a plain background. Then, once they have uploaded
a photo, they can create a new background using their favorite park. For example, you can
upload a picture of yourself and then upload a background image of the Grand Canyon. This
is a desirable opportunity if you have a favorite park and want to celebrate the centennial
anniversary, despite your current location. The second way to get involved in the campaign,
is when you visit one of the national parks, you can take a photograph and use the hashtag
#FindYourPark for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
The Find Your Park campaign is relatively new, but has not replaced the previous
campaigns, which are still in motion. For example, the “Passports” campaign still has
momentum. One can get a National Park passport, and with that passport, can get a stamp
from a park ranger for each National Park visited. This is a special way for families to collect
memories at all of the different parks they have visited and plan to visit in the future. This is
also another way to keep visitors loyal to the National Parks and keep visitation numbers up,
therefore, creating a reliable messaging platform.
While the National Parks is dedicated to staying relevant and important to the United
States, there are some conflicts inhibiting the positive positioning of the parks. One of the
primary issues is that there has been reports of sexual harassment by male National Parks
employees against female guests and employees. Furthermore, the way that the National Parks
Service handled the sexual harassment case of the Grand Canyon boat men faced scrutiny
for its ineffective approach to the problem.While National Parks officials have released reports
on its dedication to fight sexual harassment and discrimination, this negative perception of the
parks still threatens visitation. Especially if women do not feel safe in the parks.
One of the reasons the National Parks Service is committed to engagement with current
and future consumers, is because there is a lack of interest in the National Parks themselves.
With the conflicts of transportation and awareness, new audiences simply do not have the
motivation to go to National Parks. This is a threat to visitation numbers, and thus funding and
preservation of these protected lands. Sustaining the National Parks requires an approach that
is audience-centric.
6

Situation Analysis: Petrified Forest National Park
Introduction
Looking at the present landscape, a 218,000 acre expanse of painted desert and sloping
rock formations, it may be difficult to imagine the Petrified Forest National Park as a tropical
rainforest. But indeed, over 200 million years ago the park was once home to large water
basins, towering trees and some of the earliest known dinosaurs - and humans. Following the
Ice Age, ancestral Puebloan people migrated to the land now known as the Petrified Forest.
The first people to settle and call the land home used the vast terrain to cultivate corn, establish
communities and carve their ancient traditions and histories into stone.
Today, the only remains of this vast geological and anthropological history lay in the
park’s large fossil and petrified wood collection. While most visit the park for its rainbow-colored
wood – the product of chemical decomposition over the course of thousands of years - and
breathtaking desert expanses, many leave the park having caught a unique glimpse into life on
Earth more than 200 million years ago.
Past, Present, and Future of Industry
To protect its rich history and natural treasures, the forest was granted National
Monument status in 1906 and later, in 1962, National Park status.
Following World War II, as men reunited with their families after time abroad, park attendance
grew rapidly. The Petrified Forest National Park is the only park in the National Park system to
encompass a portion of Route 66. The park’s strategic location, coupled with the emergence
of a post-war “vacation culture”, created high-visitation rates. Today, despite a wholly unaltered
landscape, park visitation has fallen sharply since the post-war area. Currently, about 800,000
people visit the park each year – a sharp decrease not just from the post-war era but a
significant difference from the 5.5 million annual Grand Canyon National Park visitors.
The park’s current clientele is comprised of families, particularly grandparents traveling
with school-aged grandchildren. According to insight provided by Petrified Forest staff, many
visitors were unaware of the park’s location until they arrived – most were en route to or from
the Grand Canyon National Park. In addition to families, a large portion – about 42 percent
– of the park’s visitors are foreign, often hailing from Europe and Asia. While the park values
both demographics, it is looking to expand its customer base to millennials. Not only do
millennials constitute as the largest generation, outnumbering baby boomers, but they are
believed to be underrepresented and under-engaged by both the National Park Service and the
Petrified Forest National Park. Both organizations, believe this demographic is not only critical
to increasing park attendance, but for increasing awareness and promoting stewardship for
decades to come.
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To address decreases in park attendance and boost millennial engagement, the Petrified
Forest National Park participates in the National Park Service campaign Find Your Park. The
nation-wide campaign promotes first-time park visitation by highlighting unique national park
experiences through social media. In addition, the campaign offers short quizzes about an
individual’s ability level, interests and location, to promote engagement and suggest nearby
park ideas. The success of the Find Your Park campaign may be too soon to measure, but
our research and observations suggest that the Petrified Forest National Park is lacking within
the realm of social media. Although the park features a myriad of channels with well-developed
content, each of them poorly engages the park’s target audience. For example, the park’s
Facebook page includes 21,000 followers. Similarly, the park’s Instagram account features
2,400 followers. Neither platform receives significant traffic, as both channels average less than
100 “likes” on posts.
Millennials are widely regarded as the most connected generation, either through
social media or their smartphones. Research indicates that 81 percent of millennials are on
Facebook, and that 63 percent of millennials go online daily. Considering the significance of
social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram, we believe our most effective means of
millennial engagement can be achieved here. Arguably, effective social media is no longer a
luxury or something to be overlooked. In terms of the Petrified Forest National Park, we believe
it is critical to promoting awareness and stewardship for generations to come.
8

Situation Analysis: REI
Introduction
REI may be a chain that sells outdoor items, but it is so much more. In addition to
motivating people to get outdoors, the company promotes environmental consciousness. With
its will to make a difference in the communities it serves and influence the outdoor industry, REI
will be a successful business for many years to come.
Past, Present, and Future of the Industry
REI was founded in 1935 by Lloyd and Mary Anderson, who were determined to find a
different way to sell outdoor gear. The two founders noticed that a simple axe went for $20 in
the average gear store, which at the time, was a hefty fee. As mountain climbers themselves,
they recognized the importance of finding quality yet convenient sources for climbing supplies.
Lloyd and Mary concluded that the best way to lower the price of outdoor tools was to cut out
the middleman. Using Mary’s skills to translate Austrian magazines, Lloyd began ordering axes
directly from Austria at the small price of $3.50. Word got around and a a co-op with 21 other
people formed, creating a lifetime membership. With a loan of $30, the co-op started selling
gear at its first retail store in 1938. Thus formed the beginnings of REI. To this day, REI has
more than just axes in their stores, along with 129 stores and over 5 million active members and
customers.
REI does not just support the outdoor adventure community, but also conservation
efforts. Each year, REI donates millions of dollars to environmental support groups.
Furthermore, REI strives to reduce their own environmental footprint in its business practices.
One of the organizations that receives REI support is the United States National Parks Service,
specifically through the #FindYourPark hashtag, as well as a donation of $5 million dollars to the
National Parks. This environmental consciousness defines REI as an organization in not only its
branding but its actions.
REI’s current consumers are primarily comprised of self-identified adventurers. As a
reflection of the organization’s foundations, active mountaineers and outdoor explorers continue
to be the base of the REI clientele. However, this demographic has a broad spectrum that
ranges from families, outdoor groups, men, women, and children. Based on the store’s offered
products, there does appear to be a leaning toward men rather than women. Furthermore,
REI is primarily geared towards winter and extreme sports. Despite the focus on experienced
outdoors individuals, REI is an organization that is open to supporting newcomers who are
interested in an active and environmentalist lifestyle.
Another aspect of REI’s stakeholders are its members. For a $20 fee, one can
receive a lifetime membership which provides a portion of the annual profits to the member. In
addition, members receive exclusive discounts, events, and products. REI’s members are loyal
to the brand, and are active in the outdoors and conservation communities.
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The messaging of REI highlights the importance of the outdoors. One of its most
successful Public Relations campaigns was the Opt Outside program. This program took
place on Black Friday, and encouraged individuals to spend time outside with their loved ones,
rather than the normal holiday shopping. This was paired with the hashtag #optoutside, which
prompted people to post pictures of their time spent out of the store and in the fresh air.
This positive environmental messaging is carried through to REI’s social media
accounts; REI has a Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube page. The Facebook
page is the most popular, with over 1.5 million page likes, followed by Instagram, which holds
1.3 million followers. REI’s Twitter has approximately over 3,000 followers and their Pinterest
only has about 1000 followers. Finally, the Youtube page has the least 28,365 subscribers. The
Facebook page focuses on event promotion, while the Instagram focuses on locations and
sightseeing. All platforms receive a parallel amount of engagement traffic to their subscriber
count, with Facebook and Instagram being the most successful.
The #FindYourPark campaign is the current promotion of REI in connection with the
National Parks Service. This hashtag encourages people to not only visit National Parks, but
participate in activities held by said locations. In addition, there are free classes offered with this
hashtag campaign about: campsites, what to do, how to enjoy yourself, geological era, and brief
history of the park. There are currently no classes offered for the Petrified Forest National Park,
but there are plans for it.
Another platform that REI is currently utilizing is hikingproject.com. This is a website and
app that provides free hiking trails that can be linked to one’s social media account. The apps
are built through Google and then integrated into the app, and the app can work without WiFi in
order to track your hike. This provides comfort and ease to individuals who want to hike, but do
not necessarily have a convenient guide. It also offers freedom of exploration to those who want
more out of their outdoor experience. There are currently no display ads promoting this platform,
and Facebook is the only REI social media account that has promoted it.
10

National Park Service PFNP REI
Strengths • Competent with Instagram
and Facebook
• Good engagement with
followers
• Diverse and interesting
content
• There nearly 60 national
parks, meaning they can
appeal to different people
and groups
• Park activities/interaction
• Visitors can excavate
grounds
• Various hiking trails for
different ability levels
• Camping
• Philanthropic
• Well-known company
• Consistantly named one
of the best companies
to work for (Fortune
Magazine)
• “Green” company
Weaknesses • Marketing towards
millennials
• Transporation
• Cross-country roadtrips
are not as popular
• Millennials are more
likely to travel, but less
likely to do so via car.
• Lack of awareness
• Location - inconvenient for
many millennials to travel to
• Social media content and
followers
• Negative perceptions
associated with the park
• Competitive market
• Stores located in only
part of the U.S.
• Limited women and
children sections
Opportunities • Younger demographic
• New ways to experience
the parks - parks are no
longer just place to “look”
at. Visitors have the
opportunity to hike, bike,
and explore the parks on
their own.
• Social media engagement
and campaigns
• Apps to enhance visitor
expereience
• Free overnight camping at
the park
• Positive marketing
• Additional franchises
• Expansion of women and
children’s departments
• Improving social media
numbers
Threats • National scandals - sexual
harassment at the Grand
Canyon
• Limited funding
• Lack of interest - people no
longer feel the need to visit
the park.
• “Bigger” parks such as the
Grand Canyon
• Disinterested millennials
• Other outdoor stores
such as Sports Authority,
LL Bean, and Patagonia
• Poor economy
• Horse abuse scandal
SWOT Analysis
11

Campaign Goals
National Park Service
The main goal for the U.S. National park service is to continue the success it has had
for the last 100 years. At this time it is difficult to keep younger generations, like millennials,
engaged and interested in National Parks. By making it a priority to engage millennials, the
National Park Service will be able to continue its success and tradition for decades to come.
Petrified Forest National Park
The main public relations goal for the Petrified Forest National Park is to emphasize
its national value through increased visitation, and engagement with its clientele. The target
audience, millennials, must be able to use social media in order to connect with and create
positive word of mouth for the Petrified Forest National Park. A user-friendly form of social media
engagement should draw in more park attendance.
Another important goal is to provide the Petrified Forest National park with more positive
messaging, particularly regarding park preservation. This messaging will shift away from past
authoritarian perceptions of the park. The Petrified Forest National Park should be a known
place that one can truly explore freely and have endless possibilities of activities they could do.
REI
REI’s main goal for its partnership with the National Parks Service is to foster a strong
social media presence that relates to and connects with its customers, particularly millennials.
REI not only wants millennials to visit National Parks, but to engage with, care for, and promote
awareness for the parks. This will be accomplished through social media based meetups and
the promotion of hikingproject.com. When marketing towards millennials, there needs to be a
emphasis on positive messaging. This includes the National Parks and REI, who can be seen as
a negative example of privatization.
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Target Audience Evaluation
In order to grow current visitation rates, and create loyal visitors for the future, the Petrified
Forest National Park and REI would like to attract more millennials to the park. Millennials are
the largest generation, outnumbering the baby boomers. This makes them an ideal group to
appeal to in order to generate more visitation and engagement for the park. The following is
a compilation of millennial demographics and psychographic research, which highlights the
generation’s values and outlines ways in which these can be applied to an effective public
relations campaign for the Petrified Forest National Park and REI.
Who Are millennials?
• Millennials are best defined as individuals in the current age range of: 18-35, or in other
words, people born between the years 1980-2000.
• Millennials are the largest generation at 92 million as compared to: Generation X at 61
million and the baby boomers at 77 million.
• Millennials are America’s most racially diverse generation.
• A third of millennials, aged 26 to 33, have a four-year college degree or more. Which makes
them the best educated demographic of young adults in American history.
Why is this demographic important?
Millennials are currently the largest generation in our population and are the biggest
demographic to have as a target audience. Furthermore, they are proven to be environmentally
conscious and value businesses that do pro-environmental and social services. Therefore, the
Petrified Forest National Park has a high chance of appealing to them. The problem exists in
getting their attention.
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Buying Habits
• Millennials make 21 percent of consumer discretionary purchases.
• Millennials have $200 billion dollars in buying power.
• Millennials are reluctant to buy their own products for example: cars, luxury items, and
homes. This change in society is now becoming known as “The Sharing Economy.”
• Millennials turn to the most cost effective things or the best deal.
• For the most part, millennials care about where their money goes and the brands/
organizations they support. However, an important thing to note is that unlike earlier
generations, writing a check or donating to charity is not enough for millennials, they want to
see how their actions and contributions help society and others.
• Most millennials respond to positive branding.
• 80 percent of millennials want brands to entertain them.
• 40 percent of millennials want to participate in the co-creation of products.
• 70 percent of millennials feel the need to report good or bad feedback to companies.
• When it comes to volunteering, millennials value hands-on experience and giving.
• Only 1 percent of millennials actually buy things based on advertising.
• 33 percent of millennials rely on blogs to give them information on a product they are
interested in buying.
• 73 percent of millennials make purchases on their smartphones.
Labor
• 68 percent of adult, male millennials are civilian employed, 2 percent are in the armed
forces, 8 percent are unemployed, and 22 percent are not in the labor force
• 63 percent of adult, female millennials are civilian employed, 6 percent are unemployed, 31
percent are not in the labor force.
• Millennials have the highest level of student loan debt, and compared to other generations,
millennials have the highest rates of poverty and unemployment.
• A growing number of millennials are choosing to live at home with their parents.
• The median annual household income of millennials as of 2013 is $61,003. This represents
a lower wealth and personal income than baby boomers and Generation X.
• 53 percent of millennial households already have children.
• 86 percent of millennials live in the metropolitan area.
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Technology
• Millennials are “digital natives”.
• 81 percent of millennials are on Facebook, and their median friend count is 250, which
on average is higher than the friend counts of older age groups.
• 55 percent of millennials have posted at least one “selfie” on a social media site, unlike
other, older generations who are less inclined.
• Since 2006, blogging has dropped in usage by millennials, while simultaneously rising in
popularity for older adults.
• Millennials are exchanging “macro blogging” for microblogging with mediums such as
Facebook and Twitter, which have the platform of status updates.
• There is no skew in cellphone usage between teenagers and young adults.
• 63 percent of millennial, teenage internet users go online every day.
• 36 percent of teens go online several times a day
• 7 percent go online about once a day
• 26 percent of teens go online weekly
• 11 percent go online less than weekly
• About seven out of ten, or 69 percent, of teens ages 12 through 17 have a computer.
• Adults with higher income and education levels are the most likely to have access to
wireless internet.
• Millennials are known for being tech savvy and connected, either through social media or
smartphones. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to be on their phones all the
time, but rather that companionship is an important value to them.
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Millennial Values
Politics
• 50 percent of millennials describe themselves as political independents.
• However, millennials vote heavily Democratic and have distinctly liberal views on many
political and social issues.
• 29 percent are not affiliated with any religion.
• Unlike previous generations, millennials value a work/life balance. They want to work for a
company with similar values and supportive work environment.
• 26 percent of millennials are married. When at the age that millennials are now, 36 percent
of Generation X, 48 percent of baby boomers and 65 percent of the members of the silent
generation were married.
• 69 percent of unmarried millennials say they would like to marry.
• 19 percent of millennials say most people can be trusted, which is low when compared with
31 percent of Gen Xers, 37 percent of silents and 40 percent of baby boomers.
• 49 percent of millennials are optimistic about America’s future.
Health
• 83 percent of high school seniors say that it is not good to smoke compared to 69 percent in
1998.
• 24 percent of millennials think that being “healthy” is more than not being sick it is about
eating right and exercising.
Environment
• Millennials want furniture in their homes that is environmentally sustainable.
• Millennials are willing to spend more money on products if they are more environmentally
friendly.
• 66 percent of global respondents say they’re willing to pay more for products and services
that come from companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact,
up from 55 percent in 2014, and 50 percent in 2013.
• The majority of millennials see themselves as global citizens who have a responsibility to
make the world better.
• About 70 percent of millennials have purchased a product because it supports a cause.
• 21 percent of millennials are more likely to grow their own food.
• 9 percent of millennials are more likely to use a borrowing/sharing service than buy a major
product.
• Millennials are more likely to install a system for solar, geothermal or wind energy (8 percent
vs. 4 percent).
• Millennials are more likely to make all-natural cleaning products (16 percent vs. 13 percent).
Travel and Leisure
• Travel and experience is of growing importance to this generation.
• Millennials have more travel experience under their belts than previous generations, but are
more likely to travel abroad or by plane than by car/road trip.
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Focus Group Results
Our Focus Group was conducted on Friday, Oct. 28, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
in room 310 of the Communication Building of Northern Arizona University. Haley acted
as moderator, Alannah acted as co-moderator and note taker, Sammi observed and
took notes on the results, and Nikki provided supplies and focus group materials.
The purpose of our focus group was to understand the millennial student
perspective on The National Parks Service, Petrified Forest National Park, and REI. In
addition, we wanted to obtain feedback on what public relations tactics and social media
platforms appealed the most to this demographic, and which tactics are ineffective.
Participants answered a questionnaire and were asked questions by the moderators.
There were 13 participants for the focus group, four male and nine female. All were
aged 18 to 21, and most, 92.3 percent, were students. Most spent their free time either
with sports and recreation or TV and movies. In addition, all but one of the participants
enjoy spending time in the outdoors.
While participants of the focus group were familiar with and had visited at least one
National Park, none have visited the Petrified Forest National Park. Their perception
of the Petrified Forest was that it was a bunch of rock trees that did not make up an
appealing landscape. In addition, 11 out of 13 participants have heard of REI, and have
positive connotations with the organization.
We tested social media examples from the National Parks Service, Petrified Forest
National Park, and REI with the participants. They were provided samples from the
Facebook and Instagram accounts from the respective organizations. Participants
wrote their reactions, likes, and dislikes in response. Participants overall did not like the
Petrified Forest National Park’s social media, and felt that it was not engaging. However,
participants liked the REI and National Park Service social media.
When asked what would better engage them with the park, participants stated that an
incentive would be the best motivation; including, but not limited to, student specific
discounts, park specific events, and more photo opportunities.
The following section outlines the exact results of the focus group, and the conclusions
drawn from the data.
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What are some ways you enjoy spending your free time?
The majority of the participants enjoy spending their free time in sports and recreation, or with
TV and movies.
What national parks Have You Visited?
As shown in the above graph, the majority of participants, six out of thirteen, have visited the
Grand Canyon National Park.
How many of you enjoy spending time in the outdoors? (Have them raise hands.)
What do you like about it?
About half of the participants said that they do enjoy spending time in the outdoors. They felt
that being outdoors is healthy and good for you, and that it’s a good opportunity to get fresh air
or boost your mood. The participants who enjoy spending time in the outdoors felt these were all
benefits to spending time there.
What outdoor activities do you like to do?
When asked which outdoor activities participants like to do, they listed the following: hiking,
camping, walking, and skiing.
What words come to mind when you think of national parks?
When thinking of national parks, participants associated the following words: Lots of walking,
pretty, quiet, beauty, preservation i.e rules, protecting the landscape, protecting animals, fire
watch, peaceful.
18

What makes you want to visit a national park?
Participants named the following reasons as motivation to visit a National Park: Pretty, hiking,
climbing, “literally nothing”, getting away from the city, it’s a cool place to say you’ve been, photo
opportunities.
Who has heard of Petrified Forest National parks? (Have them raise their hands)
Eleven out of 13 of the participants (or 80 percent ) has heard of Petrified Forest National Parks.
(For people who raised their hands) What comes to mind when you think of
Petrified Forest National Parks?
When picturing the Petrified Forest National Park, participants thought it was “A bunch of trees
that were basically rocks.” In other words, they thought it was a forest of rocks. Participants also
noted the science and history of the park, as well as tourism.
(If no one raised their hand.) What national parks have you heard of? Why do you
think you’ve heard of those?
Participants who haven’t heard of the Petrified Forest National Park were more familiar with
Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks.
Who has been to Petrified Forest National Parks?
None of the participants have been to Petrified Forest National Park.
Would you be more motivated to go to a national park if they had a student dis-
count?
Eleven out of 13 participants would go to a national park if they offered a student discount.
Participants unanimously agreed that a 25 percent off discount would be the most reasonable.
Furthermore, one participant stated that the discount should depend on how far the drive is, in
order to make up for gas payments.
Who has heard of the organization REI?
Eleven out of 13 participants had heard of the organization REI.
What comes to mind when you think about REI?
When asked what words come to mind when REI is mentioned, participants named the following
words and phrases: Outdoors, outdoor supplies, winter coats, excursions, athletic, granola,
environmental, Flagstaff, slack liners.
19

What is your favorite social media platform? Why?
As shown in the above graph, the most popular social media platform among participants were:
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Participants who named Instagram as their favorite social media platform liked it because it’s
user-friendly, and has a non-cluttered format of showing pleasing visual content. Furthermore,
participants appreciated the ability to keep up with their friends and peers in a quick way as
opposed to long Facebook statuses. In addition, participants stated that there’s no drama with
Instagram unlike other social media platforms. Finally, participants liked the ability to edit and
place filters over their own pictures. Most of the participants were favorable toward Instagram.
Participants who stated that Twitter was their favorite platform liked it because it allows them
to speak their mind in a less formal way. Participants also use Twitter as a learning tool, and a
place to receive news and current events
Participants who stated that Facebook was their favorite platform enjoyed it because there is
always something new, and felt that it has a lot more content than other platforms.
Participants who named YouTube as their favorite platform appreciate its high quality and cre-
ative diversity.
When organizations use social media, what do you like to see? What do you not
like?
The participants agreed that they like to see something relatable when it comes to social media.
They like when organizations use humor, however, not humor that is too cheesy. They also
like when organizations make their posts appealing to the eye and nicely organized. It was an
overall consensus that the participants don’t like when organizations post the same ad over and
over again and are too aggressive with their selling. They also don’t like when organizations
have incorrect relevance.
Do any of you follow a national park on social media?
Only one person followed a park and that was the National Park Service.
Participants said they don’t like following parks because they only post pictures of the same
thing over and over again. They would prefer to follow accounts like National Geographic or
famous photographers that take pictures of all different parks so they get a variety.
20

Here are some social media examples from Petrified Forest National Park and
REI. We’d like you to write down what you like and what you dislike.
The participants prefered Instagram over Facebook because of the diverse and
engaging aesthetic. They felt that Instagram was more relatable and diverse compared
to Facebook. The participants said that Facebook is too promotional and not engaging
enough. Between the Petrified National Forest, the National Park Service and REI it
was obvious the participants thought REI had the best social media. They felt it was
engaging and really shows off people doing outdoor activities which the participants felt
was interesting. On the other hand, participants felt The Petrified National Forest had
the worst social media. They felt it was unengaging and ineffective.
PFNP NPS REI
Instagram:
• Not engaging/boring
• Not relatable
• Good us of “fun facts” for
captions
• Ineffective use of hashtags
Instagram:
• Aesthetically appealing
(National Geographic quality)
• Good use of hashtags
Instagram:
• Diverse
• Engaging and eye-catching
• Relatable - depicts people
participating activities
Facebook:
• Not engaging - mediocre
content and appeal
Facebook:
• N/A
Facebook:
• Too promotional
21

Communication Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics
Objective 1
Increase student awareness of Petrified Forest National Park.
Strategy 1
Optimize social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube) and develop social media
engagement.
Tactics
• Use #Find Your Park on social media accounts and in display ads that are Petrified Forest
specific.
• Utilize: Geocaching, Chimani, INaturalist, and Hikingproject.com to enhance the National
Park experience. And have Petrified Forest employees promote downloading these apps in
the visitor center.
• Create more opportunities for Instameets.
• Create videos/imagery that Millennials will be likely to share through social media.
• Create creative and colorful posts that will catch the Millennial eye.
• Promote use of geotags on Instagram and Facebook.
• Use Facebook Live and Livetweets during important events at the Petrified Forest National
park, or to provide seminars over the web.
22

Social Media Schedule
23
Date Facebook Update Facebook Image Instagram Update Instagram Image
Jan. 1 Happy New Year! We hope
that one of your resolutions
will be to visit more National
Parks!
We hope that one of your
resolutions will be to visit
more National Parks! #Fin-
dYourPark #HappyNewYear
#2017 #resolution
National Park Logo
Jan. 3 Seminar Promotion Did you know that there are
over 13,000 years of human
history in the Petrified
Forest National Park?
#PFNP #FindYourPark
#Fact #history
Photo of Artifacts
Jan. 7 Did you know that there are
over 13,000 years of human
history in the Petrified
Forest National Park?
#PFNP #FindYourPark
Seminar Promotion
Jan. 17 Before your visit to the
Petrified Forest, be sure to
download our app, which
has all of our resources
right at your fingertips.
Instameet promotion
Jan. 21 Looking for a dinosaur
experience? The Petrified
Forest is like our very own
Jurassic Park-without the
danger. #FindYourPark
Dinosaur Fossils The Petrified Forest is
like our very own Jurassic
Park-without the danger.
#FindYourPark #dinosaurs
#fossils #palentology
#science #outdoors #history
Dinosaur Fossils
Jan. 31 The Petrified Forest is a
free range park, meaning
that you can walk any-
where and create your own
adventure!
Wilderness photo The Petrified Forest is a
free range park, meaning
that you can walk anywhere
and create your own adven-
ture! #FindYourPark #PFNP
#National Park #outdoors
#adventure
Wilderness photo
Feb. 2 Happy Groundhog Day! We
may not have groundhogs,
but we have many other
ground dwelling mammals
that call the Petrified Forest
home.
Photos of wildlife Happy Groundhog Day! We
home. #groundhogday
#animals #cute #outdoors
#nature #wilderness #PFNP
Photos of wildlife
Feb. 4 Looking for a great hiking
resource at your fingertips?
Check out the hiking project
website and app for your
next trip to the Petrified
Forest! https://www.hiking-
project.com/
The Petrified Forest
National Park offers free
overnight camping, so you
can hike during the day,
and gaze at the stars at
night. #stargazing #camping
#outdoors #nightsky #sky
#stars #FindYourPark
Photo of tent at twilight

Date Facebook Update Facebook Image Instagram Update Instagram Image
Feb. 14 Although we are best known
for our fossils and petrified
wood, most of the Petrified
Forest's landscape is made
up of desert flora! It's like
nature's own Valentine's
Day boquet!
Desert Flora Although we are best known
for our fossils and petrified
wood, most of the Petrified
Forest's landscape is made
up of desert flora! It's like
nature's own Valentine's
Day boquet! #valentinesday
#PFNP #flowers
#FindYourPark #flora
#desert #nature #beautiful
#outdoors
Desert Flora
Feb. 17 Happy President’s Day! We
are particularily thankful
to President Theodore
Roosevelt, who established
the Petrified Forest
National Park as a national
monument so that we can
still enjoy it today.
Theodore Roosevelt Happy President's Day! We
are particularily thankful
to President Theodore
Roosevelt, who established
the Petrified Forest National
Park as a national monu-
ment so that we can still
enjoy it today. #Theodore-
Roosevelt #PresidentsDay
#History #PFNP #FindYour-
Park #NationalParks
Theodore Roosevelt
Feb. 18 Event Promotion Event Promotion
Feb. 28 Happy Leap Year! The
months are going by quickly,
so be sure to fit in a visit to
the Petrified Forest.
Remember, the best
hiking attire is one that
protects you from the sun,
and supports your your
walking. #hiking #outdoors
#recreation #hike #hiking
boots
Photo of person in proper
hiking attire
Mar. 4 Petrified Forest National
Park is one of the locations
for the world's largest
treasure hunt! Click on the
link to learn how you can
be a part of the adventure!
https://www.geocaching.
com/play
Instameet Promotion
Mar. 17 Happy Groundhog Day! We
home.
Photos of wildlife Happy Groundhog Day! We
home. #groundhogday
#animals #cute #outdoors
#nature #wilderness #PFNP
Photos of wildlife
Mar. 27 Happy Easter! Petrified Forest Rabbit Happy Easter! #Easter
#HappyEaster #Rabbit
#Animals
Petrified Forest Rabbit
Mar. 28 Sunset in the sky, sunset on
the ground.
Picture of colored rocks
at sunset.
Sunset in the sky, sunset
on the ground. #Sunset
#Colors #Landscape
#FindYourPark #PFNP
Picture of colored rocks at
sunset.
24

Strategy 2
Promote special student discounts universities to brand the Petrified Forest National Park as an
affordable vacation for students.
Tactics
• Promotions of discounts at Northern Arizona University, Coconino County, Community
College, Arizona State University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott Campus,
and Grand Canyon University.
• Offer a 15% off admission discount when someone presents their student ID.
• Promotions of discounts at Northern Arizona University, Coconino County, Community
College, Arizona State University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott Campus,
and Grand Canyon University.
• Work with NAU and CCC to provide free or discounted transportation to the park.
• Give visitors a chance to sign up to an email list for special events and deals, and then email
them a thank you note for helping to preserve the park.
27

Objective 2
Have 10% of visitation be made up of students by 2018.
Strategy 1
Event promotion to take place at the Petrified Forest National Park
Tactics
• Art Walk/Art Show
Event features works from local artists and photographers.
Visitors have the opportunity to view and purchase works of art and expereince the park
at “golden hour”.
• Concert
Event features local food and alchohol vendors, as well as REI products..
Different “levels” of ticketing promote customer engagement.
First level: entry into event.
Second level: event entry and food/beverage coupons.
Third level: all of the above, plus an REI gift bag.
• Promotion of overnight camping
Create and promote stargazing tours and sunset hikes.
Encourages visitors to experience the park in non-traditional ways.
• Social media photo booths
Encourages visitors to take and post photos to social media at the park.
Visitors can share photos with PFNP to win prizes.

29

Strategy 2
Offer REI classes and seminars for students in Flagstaff.
Tactics
• Classes have discounts for NAU and CCC students.
• Partner with NAU and CCC to create seminars that are additions to class curriculums as a
field trip or guest lecture.
• Promote the free weekend overnight camping along with this.
32

Strategy 3
Promote the park’s anthropological and scientific value.
Tactics
• Partner with NAU anthropology and geology departments to have students visit/work in the
park.
• Promote field trip opportunities to NAU and CCC’s staff and administration.
• Have a once a week or day post about an interesting or scientific fact about the park, and
create a hashtag for these posts.
34

TO: SESES_Admin_Support@nau.edu
FROM: communityrelations@pfnp.com
SUBJECT: Undergraduate Learning Opportunities at the PFNP
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to introduce you to potential learning opportunities at the Petrified Forest National
Park.
Contrary to popular belief, the Petrified Forest National Park features more than just crystalized
wood; it is also home to the largest concentration of fossils and anthropological treasures in North
American, which offers abundant opportunities for research and learning.
Education and stewardship are among the cornerstones in which the Petrified Forest National
Park was founded upon. Today, they continue to be the primary missions of the park. Our
organization has reached out to your department due to your similar commitment to education
and preservation. In the past, your department has arranged class fieldtrips to various points
of interest around Arizona, such as the Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater, all of which have
provided students with valuable knowledge and hands-on experience.
In the future, we would like to encourage you to include the Petrified Forest National park on
your field trip itinerary. Not only does the park feature over 200 million years of geological and
anthropological history, but it offers unparalleled educational and hands-on learning experiences.
At the park, students will have the opportunity to participate in excavations, taxonomy, and more.
In recent years, some of the most ground breaking scientific discoveries have been made at the
park, and we invite you and your students to be a part of this.
I encourage you to share the information about this opportunity with your colleagues. Please let
me know if you have any questions or concerns; I hope to coordinate plans to visit the park with
you in the future.
Very Respectfully,
John Smith
Director of Community Relations
Petrified Forest National Park
Communityrealtions@pfnp.com
35

Evaluation
Currently, the Petrified Forest National Park struggles with engagement with a millennial
audience. Our research suggests that the largest obstacle is millennial awareness of the park as
a place of significance or an ideal place to travel. Furthermore, few would consider following a
National Park on social media.
This campaign has narrowed down the target audience to student millennials. There are
several colleges, i.e Northern Arizona University, Embry Riddle, Coconino County Community
College, in the Northern Arizona area with approximately over 40,000 students attending them.
Furthermore, there are many educational and recreational opportunities that can be set up with
local colleges in order to increase brand loyalty and attendance to the park.
Each of the objective’s successes will be measured using the following methods. In-
creasing student attendance will be successful if the ideal amount of a 10 percent increase in
attendance can be reached at the park. The second objective, to increase student millennial
engagement with social media, will be measured based on the likes, favorites, shares, and
comments on posts. A 5 percent increase in overall engagement by the end of 2017, as seen
through social media account analytics, would be the most realistic milestone for social media
engagement.
In order to determine if the tactics and strategies employed in order the achieve the
above objectives, Petrified Forest National Park and REI should encourage visitors to take
surveys, and analyze the content of social media posts about the two organizations. Surveys
should be directed toward park visitation experience, and whether or not a student discount was
their motivation in attending. PFNP and REI should also actively check social media, as it is the
most immediate feedback toward the improvement of tactics and strategies. If online opinions
are mostly positive, then the tactics will have been a success. Tactics and strategies should be
adjusted to fit the needs of the target audience in order to be most effective in achieving the
campaign objectives.
Additionally, with a park event, the success will be measured by attendance, social
media engagement, and vendor participation. About 1000 attendants should be the goal for an
art show or a concert. Also, there should be at least 10 artists showcasing at an art show, and at
least 15 vendors for a concert, along with three musicians or bands.
The budget of this campaign is as follows. The average cost of a Facebook advertise-
ment is $0.58 per click. The average cost of a Twitter advertisement is $2.25 per click. One hun-
dred to 500 flyers promoting student discounts or an event will cost about an average of $63.99.
Furthermore, the cost of planning an event divides to the following expenses. The cost depends
on whether or not vendors or artists will offer their services as pro bono for the parks service. It
can range anywhere from $30,000 and above depending on the size of the concert, amount of
vendors, artists, and accommodations. An art show would cost considerably less, but it would
again depend on size, artist commissions, and accommodations.
36

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