2. 1
Table of Contents
About PICC…………………………………………………….....2
About Pass the Budget……………………………………….....3
Executive Summary……………………………………………...4
Marketing Proposal……………………………………………..5
SWOT Analysis………………………………………………….6-7
Marketing Strategy………………………………………………8-9
Strategic Public Relations Proposal…………………………10
Goal, Objective & Tactics ……………………………………….11
Stakeholders……………………………………………………....12
Media Plan………………………………………………………..13
Local Media Contact Sheet……………………………………..14
Sample Press Release: Local Media …………………………15
Teacher Organization Contact Sheet …………………………16
Sample Press Release: Teacher Organization………………17
Feature Story……………………………………………………..18
Appendix………………………………………………………….19
Pre Maymester Meeting Notes/ Discussion Points……………20
C-SPAN Classroom…………………………………………...21-22
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About PICC Maymester
Founded by Ambassador Carolyn Curiel in 2010, the Purdue Institute for Civic
Communication (PICC) is based on the idea that a more complete education -- one
that offers applied, translational and experiential learning -- will improve success after
graduation and help to make students better contributors to society. The PICC
classroom experience introduces students to real-world situations in an intimate and
personal setting. These experiences help to build critical thinking skills and the
capacity to convey complex ideas and knowledge in an accessible way.
The PICC Maymester is a unique, multidisciplinary class designed to marry Purdue’s
STEM and humanities programs through an intensive two weeks of instruction and
practice in an exceptional venue: Washington, DC. This class is graciously hosted at
the C-Span studio and facilities by PICC co-instructor Brian Lamb, the innovator who
pioneered and championed the creation of the public service television network 35
years ago. Lamb further assists the PICC program by directing classroom activities
and providing insightful lectures.
In the 2015 Maymester, students were tasked to consider the intersection of
education, entertainment, and digital communication in relation to a topic that
continues to draw national attention: the federal budget. In two weeks, seventeen
students, representing majors from across the spectrum of Purdue’s curriculum
(including Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
Political Science, Philosophy, Mass Communication, Public Relations and Strategic
Communication, Agriculture Business, General Communication, Industrial
Engineering, History, Computer Science, Business, and Agriculture Sales and
Marketing) worked and learned in Washington D.C. The student experience was
storied and varied: they had the great pleasure of meeting with industry leaders from
throughout the public and private sector.
Having learned from these interactions, PICC Maymester students produced an
interactive web game named Pass the Budget. This website was built to educate
eighth graders on the very complicated federal budget process in a fun and
entertaining way.
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About Pass the Budget
What is it?
Pass the Budget is an interactive web-based game designed by the 2015 PICC
Maymester to educate junior high students about the federal budget. The game is
designed to be a supplemental educational tool to be utilized by educators to engage
their students in a fun and entertaining way.
Why is this needed?
In 2014, PICC partnered with Penn Schoen Berland—a market research, political
polling, and strategic consulting firm—and conducted a poll about civic knowledge,
civic participation and civic confidence. The poll found out that on average Americans
scored 66 percent on their civic knowledge competency test. It is the hope of the
designers of Pass the Budget that by engaging Americans at a young age, we can
inspire and empower individual students to recognize and fulfill their ability to influence
their nation and its course.
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Executive Summary
In this branding book, the Marketing and Design team offered a strategic branding
proposal. This proposal includes two strategic initiatives: a public relations plan and a
marketing plan. In order to successfully produce these two plans, the Marketing and
Design team analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities (“SWOT”)
of Pass the Budget. The group then divided into two teams: a public relations team
and a marketing team, who developed their own concurrent strategies.
The first part of this proposal book is the strategic public relations plan. In it we offer a
media kit of Pass the Budget. This media kit includes a key public map, a media
selection plan, a regional media contact list, two press releases and one feature story.
This content contains all the relevant information related to the product. Through the
media channels we selected, the public relations team envisioned our messages
would generate awareness to the right audience, establish the positive long term
relations with the appropriate publics, as well as initiate, grow, and maintain
anticipation for our product.
The second part of this proposal book is the strategic marketing plan. Our marketing
team compartmentalized the marketing of Pass the Budget into two desired phases:
an initial testing and analysis phase in cooperation with Purdue University's
'Continuing Education Program,' and a second larger distribution stage. This second
stage would be developed through a wide spectrum of channels, including educational
conferences, teacher e-mail lists and websites, assorted other social media outlets,
and—if possible—C-Span's Classroom initiative. Our primary target for all of these
initiatives is not the student, but rather the educator and administrator. These
individuals are directly involved in the process of finding and acquiring supplemental
educational material.
In the future, we hope to expand our public relations and marketing plan further. With
the initial plan in place, we are optimistic the product will have a successful future.
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SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Pass the Budget is bolstered by three primary strengths of design: diversity, simplicity,
and accessibility. First, each of our three teams—Research/ Content,
Marketing/Design, and Technology—are comprised of a diverse group of students
who individually bring unique attitudes, attributes, and approaches to our project. This
allowed the aforementioned teams to address the questions of content, design, and
structure through a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional approach. Second, the design
of this game is founded on the core tenets of simplicity and functionality to actively
target our desired 8th
grade audience. In conjunction with this 'simple' ideology, Pass
the Budget is formatted to comply with the educational curriculum standards set by the
State of Indiana Board of Education. User accessibility—Pass the Budget's third
strength—is made possible through the ever-increasing prevalence of and access to
computer technology in school classrooms for educational use. Pass the Budget can
be accessed from both computers and mobile devices, so as long as they are
connected to the Internet. Finally, Pass the Budget is intended to be an openly
available and free-to-use website, thus making the product accessible to classrooms
limited by smaller budgets.
Weaknesses
There are four primary constraints in the Pass the Budget program: time, commitment,
experience, and accuracy. First and foremost, the very brief window of time—
approximately five weeks, of which two have been spent in Washington, D.C. actively
working on the project—allotted for the design, composition, and implementation of the
program creates considerable friction. This shortened design cycle limits the number
of features that can be implemented, the detail and specialization of the content that is
included, and unfortunately precludes extensive testing (and the subsequent revision
process) of any final product. Second, the pending graduation of certain members of
the project team and the accelerated, shortened class period create a circumstance of
minimal long-term commitment to the product beyond the completion of the
Maymester program. This lack of commitment creates a scenario where long-term
implementation and distribution goals can be neglected, preventing attainment of the
project's full potential. Third is the lack of experience within the three student teams.
Although each is filled with members who have diverse backgrounds from a myriad of
fields (including public relations and computer science), the vast majority of the
program's participants are working in an area significantly outside their areas of
expertise. Lastly, Pass the Budget is an imperfect representation of the reality of the
actual federal budget. This includes oversimplifying the budget proposal process, as
well as the consistency and make-up of the bodies of Congress.
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Opportunities
Pass the Budget is fortunate to be superbly positioned to capitalize on a number of
significant opportunities. The two primary opportunity categories include growth
potential and partnerships. The design of Pass the Budget provides for growth
potential. These stretch-goals are planned benchmarks for growth and maturation of
the product: such as pivoting the content to better cater to the 8th grade audience
following further research, adding additional 'levels' to make the simulation more
complex. Additional research and development will allow Pass the Budget to be more
marketable to a larger number of schools. Pass the Budget is accessible to all
students with access to computers: with more time the game could be enhanced with
features that accommodate for those who are visually impaired or do not have English
as their primary language. In addition to growing the product, continued research and
development within the classroom will provide for additional grassroots publicity. Pass
the Budget is superbly positioned to capitalize on partnerships. For example, the
class that has produced Pass the Budget is made possible through the Daniels Fund,
a generous endowment that provides opportunities for the underserved to be educated
in an innovative way. Moving forward, Pass the Budget may take full advantage of
potential partnerships with Purdue University's College of Education, which is
committed to new initiatives and innovation within the classroom. In addition, the
opportunity to cooperate with non-for-profit organizations like C-Span (through the 'C-
Span Classroom' program) is within reach.
Threats
There are a number of threats to the success of Pass the Budget: a competitive
marketplace, distribution, lack of research, and project creep. First, the core
fundamentals of Pass the Budget are not unique: there are quite a number of other
'budget games' on the internet. Second, all of these similar games (including Pass the
Budget) suffer from the same problem: distribution. How do we get the product into
the hands of the desired user? An example that comes to mind is that of an
advertising billboard in the middle of a cornfield: it will remain unknown and unseen,
even if it has a wonderful message! To overcome this inadequacy, the project is
dangerously dependent on the involvement and support of partners. Third, the
amount of research regarding the target audience is woefully incomplete. Without
comprehensive testing in the hands of 8th
grade students, the impact and efficacy of
the product will be an unknown. It is entirely possible that the products is just not
interesting, attractive, or engaging for 8th
grade students. Finally, project creep may
derail Pass the Budget. Non-essential features or directives can disrupt the intended
focus of the program and move the project from the interests of the target audience.
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Marketing Strategy
What is the product?
Our product is an educational and entertaining website entitled "Pass the
Budget." The website entails a stylized and simplified simulation of what it takes to
pass the federal budget. The website is divided into different functioning sections.
Initially the user will encounter a 'splash' page, which introduces the user to the
website and provides links to the game itself, educational material, and information
about our organization.
When the user starts the game, they are presented with the following scenario:
the student is the President of the United States, and is charged with creating,
tailoring, and submitting a budget for acceptance by Congress. To add a degree of re-
playability, the student encounters a Congress comprised of randomized interests and
beliefs. This randomization creates the constraints that the student must be cognizant
of while crafting and constructing their budget submission. The actual process of
submission is carried out by using a system of sliders relating to particular positions.
Having arrived at their final budget position, the student submits their proposal to
Congress. Based upon the beliefs of Congress, the budget will either be accepted or
rejected. If the proposal is rejected, the student can make additional alterations to
their original budget proposal and resubmits it. If the budget is accepted, the student
is shown the consequences of their approved budget.
In addition to the game, the website has educational material relating to the
budget, relevant links to the subject matter, and information about the Purdue Institute
for Civic Communications program (including student bios). The supplemental
education material is designed to be utilized by educators to multiply the impact of the
Pass the Budget game. This material will also include lesson plan recommendations.
Who is the product for?
Pass the Budget is designed to be used and enjoyed by 8th Graders who are
learning about the functions of government. As the game is an educational tool, a
secondary--if not equally as important--customer is the classroom instructor (or school
system). A tertiary customer would be found in the partnerships that are necessary for
effective distribution.
How do you plan on distributing it?
The ideal location for the use of this product is the classroom. Cooperation
and partnerships with third-party organizations--such as Purdue University's College of
Education and C-Span Classroom--are critically necessary to achieve all levels of
distribution. Localized testing of the product is contingent upon the cooperation of
educational researchers. Widespread distribution of the product will be contingent
upon the cooperation of reputable non-profit organizations committed to educating the
public.
To complete the testing phase, Pass the Budget needs to be vetted by industry
professionals and considered both educational and fun by students. Cooperation with
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Purdue University's College of Education will allow for the product to be tested within
individual classrooms, providing feedback and criticism of the product from both with
greater precision on our target audience.
Having successfully completed the testing phase, the product will be prepared
for a wider release. Key buy-in from large, reputable organizations like C-Span
Classroom maximizes the impact of the release of the product as well as reaches
larger audiences. This is mutually beneficial: Pass the Budget is benefited by C-
Span's reputation, while C-Span gains an educational resource developed for and
focused to their needs.
Market research has revealed that educators are more likely to utilize
supplemental educational resources when engaged face-to-face. With this in mind,
the wider release of the product should coincide with educational conventions or
events where many Social Studies, Civics, and Government educators are meeting
together to discuss and exchange ideas. Throughout this marketing process, social
media activation and engagement will be focused on educators, rather than students.
Why will this plan be successful?
Pass the Budget is uniquely situated: there is a need for educational material to
cover this very complicated and controversial subject. Educators crave additional
supplemental material--especially free material--that will engage and entertain their
students. Key partnerships are designed to be mutually beneficial.
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Goal, Objective and Tactics
Long Term Goal: To maintain healthy and productive long term relationships with all
the key publics for Pass the Budget.
Objective: To establish relationships and generate positive impressions with all the
key publics for Pass the Budget.
Tactics:
• Continue to provide entertaining, informative and easy to share content in text,
image and video for the strategic public
• Host events to peak the media’s interest
• Frequent update on owned media about Pass the Budget
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Stakeholders
12
Stakeholders for Pass the Budget
• C-Span Classroom
• The Daniels Fund
• Purdue University Continue Education Center
• Local Junior High School Teachers
• State/Nation Wide Councils
• Organizations for Social Studies
• Education Bloggers
• Education Website
• Indiana Department of Education
• Students
• Schools
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Media Plan
The public relations team of Pass the Budget chose to integrate traditional
media and social media in our media plan.
Traditional Media
Pass the Budget chose traditional media base on our target audience. Our traditional
media includes radio, TV station and local newspaper. By selecting those channels
and sending them the content we develop, we hope Pass the Budget can take the
information to the right audience.
Social Media
Building successful relationships with key publics requires two-way communication
instead of one-way communication. There is no better way to achieve this goal than
using social media to connect, interact, and bound with our key publics.
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News Station Affiliates
WLFL-TV Channel 18
Jeff Smith, Managing News
Editor
Phone: 765-463-1800
Email: jeff.smith@wlfi.com
Gina Quattrocchi, Weeknight
News Anchor
Phone: (765) 463-1800
Email: gina.quattrocchi@wlfi.com
Dan Klein, Anchor and Reporter
Phone: (202) 225-5037
Email: dan.klein@wlfi.com
Radio Stations
WASK 98.7 “Oldies”
WASK Director of Programming
Phone: 765-447-2186
Email: mcgarvey@wask.com
WAK105 105.3 “Country”
WKHY Director of Programming
Phone: 765-447-2186
Email: strange@wkhy.com
WBAA 101.3 Public Radio Purdue
Stan Jastrzebski, News Director
Phone: (765) 494-5920
Email: sjastrz@purdue.edu
Newspaper
Lafayette Journal & Courier Gannett
Howard Witt, Executive Editor
Phone: 765-420-5242
Email: howard@howardwitt.com
Mikel Livingston, Education
Reporter
Phone: 765-420-5205
Email: mlivingston@jconline.com
Dave Smith, City Editor
Phone: 765-420-5295
Email: dsmith@jc.com
Purdue Exponent
Reed Sellers, Editor in Chief
Phone: (765) 743-1111 ext. 207
Email: editor@purdueexponent.org
Jake Gerken, City Editor
Phone: (765)-743-1111 ext. 253
Email: city@purdueexponent.org
Local Media Contact Sheet
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Public Relation Directors FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jessica Guo & Liz Bitzer May 22, 2015
Purdue Institute for Civic Communication
(765) 494-4600
picc@purdue.edu
Purdue University Undergraduates Launched Web Based Game To Explain
Federal Budget to Local Junior High School
West Lafayette, IN: Purdue Institute for Civic Communication (PICC) launched “Pass
the Budget”, a free online game offered to eighth graders aiming to enhancing their
understanding of the federal budget process. Eighth grade students from Lafayette
Tecumseh Junior High School will be using the newly developed game for the 2015
academic year in social science classes.
The web-based game offers an educational and entertaining way to learn about the
federal budget. Students assume the role of the President of the United States and
propose the federal budget to Congress. The game charges students with
manipulating the budget while being mindful of the values and beliefs of the simulated
members of Congress.
Katie Cahill—Graduate Teaching Assistant for Ambassador Carolyn Curiel’s
Maymester class—explained the motivation behind developing Pass the Budget.
“Increasingly students, particularly [those] in grade school and middle school, are
playing games on their phone's and other electronic devices. We wanted to capitalize
on this behavior by providing them with educational content that could teach them
about the federal budget -- a key issue facing all Americans, particularly the youth as
they become our future citizens,” said Cahill.
PICC Students had a two week intensive class in Washington D.C. where they met
with various governmental and business organizations: the Congressional Budget
Office, the minority Senate Budget Committee, representatives from the American
Institute for Enterprise and the Business Roundtable. These interactions cumulatively
provided a well-rounded perspective on the budget process. Further, it allowed the
complex information to be broken down and explained in terms that served the higher
purpose of civic education.
###
The Purdue Institute for Civic Communication (PICC) is a nonpartisan initiative for
applied and experiential learning at Purdue University, made possible by the Bill
Daniels Fund of Denver and a partnership with C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public
Affairs Network. The PICC is university wide and based in the Brian Lamb School of
Communication. Students in any major are eligible to participate in the PICC.
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Organizations for Teacher Contact
Indiana Teacher Organizations
Council for the Social Studies
Susan Tomlinson, President
Franklin Central High School
6215 S. Franklin Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46259
C: 317 341-1565
susan.tomlinson@ftcsc.k12.in.us
James E. Calabro, Board of Director
West Lafayette Jr.-Sr. H. S.
1105 N. Grant Street
West Lafayette, IN 47906-2400
H: 765-480-3927;
W: 765-746-0400
calabroj@wl.k12.in.us
Department of Education
Daniel Altman, Press Secretary
South Tower, Suite 600
115 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204-3420
P: 317-232-0550
E: daltman@doe.gov
Greg Bedan, Communication Specialist
South Tower, Suite 600
115 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204-3420
P: 317-232-7794
E: gbedan@doe.gov
Samanta Hart, Communication Specialist
South Tower, Suite 600
115 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204-3420
P: 317- 232-0536
E: hart@doe.gov
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National Organizations
U.S. Department of Education
Denis Bega, Director, Regional
Operations
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
T: 202-401-0418
F: 202-260-7465
Darlene Mayo, Staff Assistant
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
T: 202-401-0418
F: 202-260-7465
Kathrina Bridges, Staff Assistant,
TAF
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
T: 202-401-0418
F: 202-260-7465
Association of Elementary School
Principles
Kaylen Tucker
1615 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
P: 703 -518-6257
F: 703- 548-6021
E: ktucker@naesp.org
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Public Relation Directors FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jessica Guo & Liz Bitzer May 22, 2015
Purdue Institute for Civic Communication
(765) 494-4600
picc@purdue.edu
Purdue University Students Plan to Improve Civics Education in the State of
Indiana
West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University students involved in the Purdue Institute for
Civic Communication (PICC) were assigned a class project dealing with the federal
budget. PICC students decided to focus their efforts on supplementing the educational
material of the state of Indiana by developing an interactive website to teach students
about their civic responsibilities, including the budget submission process. To
accomplish this, PICC specifically targeted middle school students.
The primary mission of the game is to educate students about the federal budget
process and has been developed in accordance with the curriculum set forth by the
Indiana Department of Education. This game is meant to compliment the educational
material already being taught in the school by teachers. The game is intended to
provide a simplified introduction to the process through which the budget is created
and submitted to congress. Students assume the role of the President of the United
States, manipulating discretionary spending values in the hopes of getting their budget
passed through a simulated congress.
For more information and to get in contact with the students designing the game
please contact the above names. This game is free of charge as it is still in the
beginning stages of developing with goals to reach broader schools and improve the
overall social science education in Indiana.
###
The Purdue Institute for Civic Communication (PICC) is a nonpartisan initiative for
applied and experiential learning at Purdue University, made possible by the Bill
Daniels Fund of Denver and a partnership with C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public
Affairs Network. The PICC is university wide and based in the Brian Lamb School of
Communication. Students in any major are eligible to participate in the PICC.
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Public Relations Director
Jessica Guo & Liz Bitzer May 22, 2015
Purdue Institute for Civic Communication
(765) 494-4600
picc@purdue.edu
Undergraduates Dropping Civic Knowledge: Development of Pass the Budget
Seventeen undergraduate students from Purdue University were tasked with creating an educational and entertaining
way of learning about the Federal Budget. Middle school eighth grader students were selected as the target
audience with the hope that younger students would carry this learning experience forward into their adult lives. The
entire learning experience was designed in a way that was proven to be popular with students of all ages—learning
while playing a game.
Education. The one and only way that would leave a deeper mark on civic understanding
among average Americans. According to a national poll conducted by a group of undergraduate
students at Purdue Institute of Civic Communication (PICC), average U.S citizens are scoring
only sixty-six percent on their civic knowledge survey. These results reveal an absolute need for
the development of a new tool to assist educators in teaching civics.
“Entertainment and education are natural partners,” says PICC student Adam Toering,
“and we sought to use our Washington, DC experience to follow in the ‘edu-tainment’ footsteps
of great games like Oregon Trail. The budget is an entirely different kind of ‘animal’ when
compared to the narrative arc of the Western migration of settlers during the 19th
century, but
the philosophical influence of games like that on the education process cannot be understated.”
Toering, who plans to graduate with a degree in History from Purdue University in August of this
year, hopes to see more edu-tainment in the classroom at all levels.
But how can seventeen students with no web development experiences tackle this
project in such short time, and what gave them the creditability? The PICC Maymester Course
instructor and Executive Director of PICC Ambassador Carolyn Curiel divided the PICC
students into three different groups, and also brought in multiple crucial policy-makers who are
in charge of developing the federal budget. Jessica Guo, a PICC student, had this to say about
the experience: “Not only did we had three specialized groups of talented teammates, we also
had many exceptional professionals, like meetings with staff from the Senate Budget Office,
Congressional Budget Office, the Washington Post and etc. We knew from the beginning that
this website was going to be on the right track.”
With all of the efforts spent, Ambassador Curiel believed Pass the Budget can be utilized
in the civic education of the eight graders. The PICC team had the vision of testing the website
on nearby local high schools first, and would like to eventually bring the game to a national
level. We are looking forward to its impact on civic knowledge education. In the end, who
wouldn’t want to learn the budget by playing a game to be the President?
The PICC Maymester is an intensive two-week course where students engage with and
question state officials, nationally recognized journalists and influential business professionals
from throughout the public and private sectors. For more information, visit PICC.PURDUE.EDU
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APPENDIX I
Pre Maymester Meeting Notes/ Discussion Points
Game/Design Ideas
• multiple choice series of questions (like Buzzfeed)
• matching terms
• Organ Trail, historical event turned fun and interesting
o To ask Tech team: Is this possible to make?
Marketing Ideas
• Make a crowding sourcing project, Pitch an idea?
• Pitch to media (w.post, c-span)
• Things to think about:
o Why does a single app stand out when there are many like it? (Clash of
Clans)
• Distribute to a group to test the idea
• The model of this project (distribution method)
o website (can be turned into an app)
• features
• glossary
Target Audience
• Students
• High School beneficial (Government classes)
• College
Tie to political, government class
• Market to media
• look at our students who used the app! they have higher scores!
• Initial consumer: school/administration/education user
o every student should develop a budget, students could compete
with peers
o schools could compete with schools
• meet with tech team!!!
2020
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APPENDIX II
C-SPAN Classroom Meeting Notes
Meeting Topic: Getting educational content in 8th grade classrooms and general
overview of C-SPAN Classroom.
Date: 5/19/2015
C-SPAN Attendees: Pam McGorry (Programs Specialist) and Josh Koning (Content
Specialist)
PICC Attendees: Adam Toering, Hannah Compton, and Mason Arnoldy
Notes:
C-SPAN Classroom is a membership service for social studies and civics
teachers. The service provides teachers with free educational resources for use in
high school and middle school classrooms. All content available through C-SPAN
Classroom contributes to the mission and programming goals of the overall C-SPAN
organization.
C-SPAN Classroom hosts a yearly competition for students, StudentCam, in
which participants submit a documentary video on a topic selected by C-SPAN. The
competition is open to middle schoolers and high schoolers across the country and C-
SPAN's goal is to receive submissions from every state, but this has never been
achieved. Valuable lessons learned during the promotion of the StudentCam to
educators were shared by the C-SPAN team.
C-SPAN Classroom also hosts professional development summits for teachers
of middle school and high school classes. In addition to these summits, the C-SPAN
Classroom team travels to educators across the country. Communicating in person to
educators is done to get ideas and develop relationships with teachers. Educators
often enter the C-SPAN Classroom fellowship and senior fellowship programs which
allow them to produce content and lesson plans for the C-SPAN Classroom website.
Content and lesson plans distributed by C-SPAN Classroom have always been
developed by C-SPAN and their fellowship projects.
They have no interactive games integrated in their lesson plans and have never
accepted content or lesson plans created outside of their fellowship network although
they have listened to pitches for content and plans developed outside of their network.
The C-SPAN Classroom team indicated they would like to learn more about PICC's
"Pass the Budget" project once it is further developed. C-SPAN Classroom is not
necessarily against including outside projects in their distributed content, but made
clear that it is highly unlikely prospect. It may be more likely that they simply tweet out
a link to "Pass the Budget," but not host it and push it themselves. An important note
about all C-SPAN Classroom content is that all lesson plans must be based in and use
C-SPAN footage.
Possibly the most valuable information discussed was the successes and
failures of C-SPAN Classroom's past marketing efforts. The primary failure discussed
was a large scale mass mailing list that promoted the StudentCam competition to
teachers in a specific state which in past years had no submissions. The effort
produced zero submissions from that state proving it was an ineffective strategy for
that market.
Successful strategies for C-SPAN Classroom have included social media and
digital ads on websites for teachers. A suggested hashtag for use on twitter is #sschat
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which social studies teachers use to share resources. A major opportunity is presented
in that teachers are always looking for and sharing free resources. There are also state-
wide and nationwide organizations and councils for social studies and civics teachers
which often release newsletters directed at their members. These organizations are
often willing to help non-profit organizations and include their stories and content in
newsletters.
Another often successful strategy used was searching on google for individuals
within school systems to reach out to personally. The individuals to contact must have
control over what materials are used in the classroom which may include social studies
directors. One on one interaction and word of mouth between teachers is the biggest
driver in spreading C-SPAN Classroom content.
Specific suggestions for the "Pass the Budget" game included building
relationships with education related bloggers, promoting on Linkdin and Twitter, and
share on sites like sharemylesson.com. The content of the game should be accurate,
but not over detailed. Show the process and cover the basics, but don't get too far in the
weeds. Since the fictional congress will not directly relate to reality and will be relatively
simplified, a built in aspect of an accompanying lesson plan should include a discussion
on why the results achieved in the game may not be achievable in reality.
22
