The Tusk Media research department conducted pre- and post-campaign surveys, a focus group, and campaign response forms to evaluate perceptions of the FBI career opportunities among the target market of CSUF students. Pre-campaign findings showed poor knowledge of and little consideration for FBI careers. Post-campaign research found increased awareness, knowledge, and consideration of FBI careers after the RETHINK campaign. Specifically, awareness of FBI career opportunities and the website increased over 200%, and consideration of the FBI as a career choice had a net increase of 13%. The "Ask an Agent" event also increased consideration of FBI careers among attendees.

1. CAMPAIGN

2. 2

3. MISSION
STATEMENT
The overarching goals of the Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) Tusk Media campaign were to:
1. Increase the number of competitive candidates for Special Agent and Professional Staff positions.
2. Increase awareness and consideration within the target market at CSUF of FBI Special Agent and
Professional Staff career opportunities.
3. Increase awareness and participation in the FBI’s Internship programs.
4. Generate creative marketing strategies for future FBI recruiting campaigns.

4. Organizational Chart
Nicole Martin Emily Ransom
VP, Tusk Media CEO, Tusk Media
Creative Media/Advertising
Research PR/Promotions Finance
Department Department
Department Department Department
Jody Weisberg Mickey Steinmeyer
Jackie Hesketh Anthony Madrigal
Jennifer Porterfield
Department Head Department Head
Department Head Department Head
Department Head
Heidi Hong David Bradley
Arlene Calderon Ryan Brueckner
Associate Associate
Associate Associate
Johana Montano Charles Pendleton
Seon Augustine Corey Cafaro
Associate Associate
Associate Associate
Dalya Taman Jeudy Mom
Hana Muhammad
Associate Associate
Associate
Presentation Agency
Department Mentors
Bridget Perez Professor Sage
Department Head
Jennifer Batka
Associate
Katie Moffett

5. TUSK MEDIA

7. TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Executive Summary 9
Research 13
Media 27
Creative 33
Promotions 45
Public Relations 55
Finance 59
Campaign Results 61
Recommendations 63
Appendix 65

9. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Since its birth in 1908, the Federal Bureau of The target market is the most technological
Investigation (FBI) has become an American icon and
savvy, most diverse and hardest to
one of the world’s most recognizable brands.
convince. The big question is: Is there
Unfortunately, current perceptions
a common denominator that makes
have largely been distorted as a result of Hollywood’s
marketing the same message to multiple
exploitation via movies and television.
The following statements exemplify the target market’s cultures within the target market possible?
perceptions:
The answer is YES. The RETHINK
• I do not fit the WASP Hollywood stereotype (3.5%)
• Muslims are discriminated against (4.1%) campaign is the embodiment, or if you will,
• Non-whites don’t fit (4.5%)
the means to connect multiple cultures with
• FBI lacks gender diversity (3.8%)
• Too dangerous/hate weapons (16.2%) the same effective message.
• It’s a government thing and that can’t be good (11.5%)
9

10. Research A post campaign focus group was conducted to
The Research Department at Tusk Media further understand the target market’s perceptions
used a pre- and a post-campaign survey, a of the FBI. Our questions were developed to elicit
focus group and campaign response forms to thoughtful responses from the participants on what
evaluate our target audience’s attitudes and was beneficial about our campaign. Our use of
perceptions toward the FBI. outdoor media (chalking) was the most effective
according to our participants.
Our pre-campaign research concluded that our
target audience is simply not aware of career/ The data collected by Tusk Media’s Research
internship opportunities the FBI has to offer. department shows that the RETHINK campaign was
Most of our target audience values salary, effective as our results show in the detail that follows.
health/life insurance benefits, job security
Creative
and advancement opportunities as the most
Creatively, our message was simple – RETHINK! In
important when choosing a career or a job. We
using this tagline we were able to influence potential
used this information to create a campaign that
employees of the FBI to RETHINK their current
highlighted the benefits and opportunities a
career, prospective employer, or their future as a
career with the FBI offers.
working professional. Furthermore, we wanted to
To ensure we reached our target market we
highlight careers with the FBI that utilized critical
used our research results to shape our creative,
language skills. We believe that this message was
advertising, promotions and public relations
delivered in all advertisements, and other promotional
activities throughout this campaign.
10

11. activities. For example, our print advertisements Q&A session with two FBI special agents.
incorporated more than 10 languages specific to the
Public Relations
FBI’s need for candidates possessing critical language
The Public Relations Department was successful in
skills, along with information regarding job security and
developing relationships with the campus newspaper,
salary. This approach was consistent throughout all
volunteer center, and campus online radio station.
advertisements coupled with FBI brand recognition and
These networks provided us with media support to
a color scheme that was identifiable.
further aid us in our efforts to create a buzz about the
Promotions
RETHINK campaign. Multiple press releases were sent
The Promotions Department developed a strategic plan to local media, and PSA’s were created to alert the
using the research results to promote our RETHINK local media about our agency’s efforts. Based on the
campaign to the target audience. Promotional tactics success of the final event, Tusk Media confident the
included; three promotional events, flyers, e-mail blasts, result will be increased applications from CSUF.
and viral marketing. These strategies were implemented
Media
to create awareness about the FBI’s career/internship
The Media Department exclusively utilized on-campus
opportunities.
media to reach the target market. A significant
Our largest promotional event was our “Ask An Agent percentage of the media budget was spent online and
in the campus newspaper.
Day!” The event was very successful in drawing a
substantial crowd of interested candidates. At the
event, students were able to participate in a panel style
11

12. Specifically the Media Department employed one-quarter page advertisements in the Daily Titan
newspaper, sudoku sponsorship opportunities in the Daily Titan, ad rack advertisements, online banners,
flyers, and t-shirts.
The total media effort delivered a total of 273,000 impressions, a 13.2% increase over the stipulated
deliverable.
Budget
The finance department was challenged to deliver a benefit over and above
its investment of $2500 in the RETHINK campaign. The results showed the
Campaign achieved a value added benefit equaling 36.4% more than the
budgeted investment.
12

13. RESEARCH
Pre-Campaign 4. Identify the target market’s interests, behaviors,
needs, and desires
The objective of our campaign is to not only negate
false perceptions but to also highlight the various career 5. Measure the effectiveness of the campaign
(comparing pre- and post-research results)
opportunities the FBI has to offer. The surveys and the
focus group we conducted conclusively support our
Defining the Target Market
assumption that the FBI lacks consideration among the
CSUF students between the ages of 21 and 36
Target Audience.
who are U.S. citizens with a diverse background.
Objectives:
Within that target, we focused on students with
diverse backgrounds and students who possess
1. Measure the target market’s perception of the FBI
critical language skills.
2. Measure the target market’s awareness of the FBI
careers Web site, www.fbijobs.gov
3. Measure the target market’s awareness of FBI career
opportunities
13

14. According to the Institutional Research and Analytical Studies from CSUF, in spring 2008 there were
36,018 students. Approximately 70 percent of the student body were ages 21 thru 36. The same
research reveals considerable diversity among the student population. Approximately 90 percent of CSUF
students are U.S. citizens.
14

15. 15

16. Competitive Set a variety of media. The FBI along with other federal
agencies and private sector firms continue to create
Recruiting the target market is not an easy
new and innovative ways to communicate their career
task. The FBI must compete with other
opportunities.
federal agencies and private sector firms,
Strategies & Tactics
such as the CIA and local law enforcement.
The need to recruit qualified, diverse, and
Two primary research methods were used to complete
experienced individuals is always necessary.
the research objectives: surveys and a focus group.
Targeted recruitment programs, such as the
Surveys were used as the primary research method
FBI’s “Collegiate Marketing and Recruitment
to complete the pre-campaign research. Surveys,
Program,” have been created to communicate
campaign response forms, and a focus group were
career opportunities to the target market.
used to complete the post-campaign research.
Developing relationships with universities
The pre- and post-campaign surveys were distributed
and colleges to maintain a connection with
to the target market online and in-person. The
eligible candidates has become a priority in
campaign response forms were completed at the
the recruitment process for all federal agencies
conclusion of our final promotional event.
and private sector firms. A constant reminder
Volunteers were recruited to participate in the post-
is necessary to create interest among the
campaign focus group through the pre-campaign
target market. Some recruitmant examples
survey.
include local law enforcement presentations,
“Career Day” participation, and advertising in
16

17. Pre-Campaign Survey Pre-Campaign Findings
Tusk Media’s Research Department delivered surveys We concluded that the FBI did not rank high as a career
via classroom visits, walk-ups, and e-mails. We visited choice due to the following results:
various CSUF colleges and departments distributing
Question 6 asked participants to rate their knowledge
surveys to participants in the target market who
of the career opportunities within the FBI. On a scale
possess critical language skills such as Farsi, Chinese,
of 0 to 5, with 0 being “Don’t Know” and 5 being “Very
and Arabic. Examples of classes with students
Good,” the average rating was 1.38 (between “Very
participating were Arabic 101, Chinese 201, Spanish
Poor” and “Poor”). Conclusively, the majority had very
203, and Chemistry 301B.
poor or poor knowledge of the career opportunities
Additionally, students who were studying informational within the FBI.
and technological skills were also approached. Some
Question 7 asked participants if they had ever
of the CSUF colleges visited included the Business and
considered a career with the FBI? 74 percent had not
Economics, Humanities, Sciences and Engineering
considered a career within the FBI.
Colleges. Other campus locations where we reached
Question 8 asked participants to rate the following
the target market include: the quad, the library and the
statement: the FBI offers a variety of career
Titan Student Union. 445 pre-campaign surveys were
opportunities that interest me. On a scale of 0 to 5, with
completed.
0 being “Don’t Know” and 5 being “Strongly Agree,”
the rating average was 1.34 (just a little over “Strongly
Disagree”).
17

18. Question 9 asked, if you saw a position that
you were interested in and qualified for, how
likely is it that you would apply for a position
with the FBI? On a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being
“Don’t Know” and 5 being “Very Likely,” 2.49
was the average rating of the target market,
which states that even if half of the target
market were interested and qualified, they still
would not apply for a position within the FBI.
18

19. 19

20. Post-Campaign Survey
Tusk Media’s Research Department delivered surveys via classroom visits, walk-ups, and e-mails with
instructions to go to surveymonkey.com to complete the survey online. The surveys were directed to the
target market to measure the effectiveness of the campaign and whether their perceptions of the FBI as a
career choice have changed.
Key Findings
Question 7 asked participants if they were aware of the career
opportunities within the FBI more now than they did eight weeks ago.
Thirty-two percent of the participants are more aware, proving the
RETHINK campaign effective.
Question 10 asked participants whether their consideration of the
FBI as a career choice, increased, lessened, or stayed the same in the
past eight weeks. Consideration of the FBI as a career choice had a
net increase of 13%, which is a significant improvement.
20

21. Pre-Campaign vs. Post-Campaign
Other significant improvements were seen between the pre and post-campaign surveys with the following
questions:
Have you heard of the FBI career Web site www.fbijobs.gov?
PRE 18% Yes
POST 49% Yes 270% Change
Have you ever been exposed to FBI advertisements?
PRE 17% Yes
POST 48% Yes 281% Change
Rate your knowledge of career opportunities within the FBI:
PRE 3% Good
2 % Very Good
POST 14% Good 403% Change
5% Very Good 294% Change
Rate your agreement with the following statement: The FBI offers a variety of career
opportunities that interest me.
PRE 6% Rating 4
3% Strongly Agree (Rating 5)
POST 12% Rating 4 178% Change
6% Strongly Agree (Rating 5) 293% Change
21

22. Campaign Response Form
People who attended the Q&A on “Ask an Agent Day Event!” completed a total of seventy-seven
response forms. The following questions are the most relevant:
How did you hear about this event?
Posters/Flyers 58%
Word of Mouth 38%
Prior to attending this event, had you considered a career with the FBI?
Yes 50%
No 50%
Having attended this event, would you now consider a career with the FBI?
Yes 69%
No 9%
Don’t Know 22%
The posters and flyers distributed were effective in communicating the Q&A event. Word of mouth also
played a major part in spreading the word about the event.
Fifty percent of those who completed the response form had not considered a career with the FBI. After
the Q&A, sixty-nine percent of the fifty percent now considered a career with the FBI.
22

23. A Q&A session with FBI agents is an effective way in communicating FBI career opportunities and the
“Ask an Agent Day Event!” clearly proved that. There are many individuals within the target market who
have questions about FBI career opportunities. Providing a forum to interact with FBI agents is critically
necessary in making a connection between the target market and the FBI. An answered question can
make all the difference.
Post-Campaign Focus Group
Tusk Media’s Research Department conducted a post focus group in order to further understand the
target market’s perceptions and views of the FBI. Our questions were developed to elicit thoughtful
responses from the participants on what was beneficial to our research. Five potential FBI candidates
participated in this focus group and the results concluded the following:
• All participants majored in subjects valuable to the FBI. These majors included Sociology, Biology,
Chemistry, Computer Science and Criminal Justice
• One participant spoke Spanish fluently, while another spoke Russian and Ukrainian fluently. The rest
of the focus group did not have any critical foreign language skills besides English, but wanted to
learn, particularly the Asian languages such as Japanese.
• Integrity, Law Enforcement, Security and Secretive were the first words that came to their minds
when they heard the term “FBI”.
• Participants were extremely knowledgeable and informative about the FBI as an employer. Most
agreed that the media may have “dramatized” the FBI resulting in a distorted image of the agency.
23

24. • One participant stated that the FBI agents she met were “down to earth”, warm and friendly. The rest
have not met or spoken to an FBI agent.
• Although most of the participants knew about the benefits offered by the FBI, they stated that
personal happiness ranked number one as the most important factor when choosing a job or
career.
• All agreed that they wanted to apply for the Special Agent career positions.
• The Internet was the media used widely amongst the participants. News sites such as CNN.com
and Ted.com and the Cal State Fullerton Web site were frequently visited. Along with Facebook,
Myspace, and Twitter.
• Television was the second widely used media; shows such as CSI, Criminal Minds, Without a Trace,
Heroes and 24 are some examples of programs that were enjoyed by the focus group.
• Television, radio and outdoor ads were more effective in catching attention and interest than print and
online ads. Outdoor ads were particularly memorable, followed by television, then radio.
• Participants appealed more to advertisements with meaning in the message; a third responded that
sex appeal was used too often in ads, which in turn rendered the ad as ineffective.
• All participants except one have not seen any FBI advertisements prior to the current campaign.
• During the current campaign, participants responded that the chalking and outdoor ads were the
most effective of the current campaign advertisements. They were not exposed to the ads placed in
the school newspaper and Daily Titan Web site.
• Majority of the participants were unaware that the FBI searched for potential employee candidates.
• The focus group participants were very interested in applying for an internship with the FBI. One
focus group member has already applied and is pending a background check.
24

25. Focus Group Participants:
Two Females
Three Males
Major, Level
First Female: Double major in Psychology and Criminal Justice, Junior
Second Female: Double major in Criminal Justice and Sociology, Junior
First Male: Criminal Justice, Senior
Second Male: Biology major with minor in Chemistry, Junior
Third Male: Computer Science, unknown
Ethnicity
Caucasian: 4
Hispanic: 1
25

26. Research Results
The data from our pre-campaign research conclusively confirms our thesis that the FBI is not very
well known as an employer and that our target market at CSUF is not educated regarding the career
opportunities offered by the FBI. Results also show that previous marketing efforts by the FBI failed to
connect with our target market. We do not know the reasons why past advertising and marketing efforts
failed, but we can conclude that the FBI was fundamentally unsuccessful in connecting with the students
at CSUF.
The data collected from our post-campaign survey conclusively demonstrates that our RETHINK
campaign has has successfully achieved campaign objectives. We successfully were able to expose our
target market to the numerous opportunities, careers, and benefits the FBI has to offer.
26

27. MEDIA
With a budget of $2,500, Tusk Media developed a Objectives
media plan that achieved significant awareness and
Select one or more media vehicles that reach an
interest in the FBI as a realistic career opportunity.
optimum number of prospects by achieving:
It was extremely important that Tusk Media create a • A minimum of 250,000 impressions
media plan that was both strategic and creative. The
• An optimum amount of frequency
FBI campaign brief and media objectives were used
• The lowest cost per thousand
as a platform to develop an innovative and effective
• Minimum waste
campaign.
Via the research we discovered the most common
places our target market congregate on campus. We Strategies
used this information to strategically place our media
Utilize on-campus media vehicles that are
where students spend time and would be more likely
consumed most by the target market.
be exposed to the ads.
27

28. Tactics
Tusk Media is confident that our integrated marketing communication (IMC) plan was both efficient and
effective. We used on-campus media vehicles to reach our target market who possess critical language
skills. We utilized ¼ page newspaper advertisements, sponsorship opportunities in the Daily Titan (CSUF’s
campus newspaper), web ads on the Daily Titan Web site, outdoor ads, and flyers were passed out to
students at promotional events to get students to RETHINK their career path as well as direct them to the
FBIjobs.gov Web site.
Daily Titan Newspaper
CSUF is a commuter school and the majority of students come to campus with the sole purpose to
attend class and then exit the campus quickly thereafter. In order to keep up with campus news and
events many students read the Daily Titan. With a readership of over 13,500, the Daily Titan was a
powerful media outlet that played a vital role in the success of the campaign. In order to make a lasting
impression on the target market, the media department ran ¼ page black and white ads in the Daily Titan
the week of November 10th and the week of the 17th.
Planned Dates: Actual Dates:
November 12
November 12
November 13
November 13
November 17
November 17
November 18
November 18
28

29. Sudoku Puzzle Sponsorship
The Daily Titan features a Sudoku puzzle every weekday in the classified section. Since most students
pick up the paper specifically to complete the puzzle, we felt this sponsorship was a key element in
our media plan. Next to the Sudoku puzzle is a vertical advertisement using our RETHINK campaign,
ensuring readers would see our ¼ page ads while reading the paper.
Planned Dates: Actual Dates:
November 6
November 10
November 10
November 12
November 12
November 13
November 13
November 17
Daily Titan Online
Our research revealed that the Internet is the number one medium consumed by our target market. By
running web ads on the Daily Titan Web site, we achieved over 75,000 impressions.
Run dates: November 7th – December 7th
29

30. Daily Titan AdRax
Outdoor advertising is a powerful medium that helps achieve an optimal level of impressions. The AdRax
distribution bins contain an 11x17 poster and are displayed at eye level, capturing the attention of anyone
walking by. The AdRax purchased for our ad was located outside the Titan Student Union; where most of
the foot-traffic takes place on campus.
Run date: November 6th – December 6th
30

31. Results Media Flowchart
31

32. 32

33. CREATIVE
The FBI would like to increase representation of diverse Also students who might be interested in working
ethnic backgrounds and intelligence presence within in Professional Staff positions or being an FBI
the Bureau as well as those who are proficient in a Honors Intern.
foreign language critical to national security. To achieve
Objective
this, the FBI must first increase awareness of career
To establish the FBI as a realistic career choice
opportunities within the Bureau among their target
among the target market.
market. The goal is to build positive perceptions of the
FBI while continuing to increase awareness of career
Strategy
opportunities with the FBI among qualified candidates
with critical skills. The current priority is on diversity and To convince: the target audience (defined above)
critical language skills. To consider: the FBI as a realistic career choice
Target Audience Instead of: selecting other federal agencies and/or
private sector firms
Students and alumni ages 21-36
Because: the FBI offers challenging advancement
Primary focus on diversity and/or students with critical
opportunities and superior employee benefits
language skills
3