This document summarizes the research and strategy behind a social media campaign called "Challenge The Truth" aimed at countering violent extremism at Miami University. Research found that students lacked knowledge about violent extremism and ISIS. The strategy was to provide accurate, unbiased information on social media platforms to educate students and counter the exaggerated portrayals in the media. The campaign would create informative articles and use polls to engage students while revealing the facts about violent extremism.

1. Miami University
May 4, 2016
P2P: Challenging Extremism

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Design, pilot, implement, and measure the success
of a social or digital initiative, product, or tool that:
• Motivates or empowers students to become
involved in countering violent extremism.
• Catalyzes other students to create their own
initatives, products, or tools to counter violent
extremism.
• Builds a community of interest/network focused
on living shared values that counter violent
extremism through action.
THE ASK

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OUR PROCESS
RESEARCH
STRATEGY
TACTICS
ACTIVATION
ANALYSIS

4. RESEARCH

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In order to better understand the students
at Miami University and gain a baseline
understanding of violent extremism knowledge,
sentiment, and activism, we created a survey
using Google Forms. The survey asked questions
relating to awareness of violent extremism,
senitment relating to violent extremism, perceived
demographics of ISIS, and personal social media
usage.
In reviewing the results, which will be discussed in
the next pages, we found the general population
of students lacked sophisticated knowlege on
the topic of violent extremism. Knowing this, we
centered our iniative on the tactical execution
of educating university students on the current
landscape of violent extermism.
RESEARCH SURVEY

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FAMILIARITY WITH VIOLENT
EXTREMISM, ISIS + ISIL
HOW FAMILIAR ARE YOU WITH ISIS? HOW FAMILIAR ARE YOU WITH ISIL?
When comparing the two pi charts, there is a knowledge gap between ISIS and ISIL. Even though these two terms are
refering to the same group, there is a drastic difference. We take these responses together as a sign that students aren’t
really all that knowledgable when it comes to understanding violent extremism.
Very
Familiar
21%
Somwhat
Familiar
10%
Neutral
11%Somewhat
Unfamiliar
21%
Very
Unfamiliar
37%
Very
Familiar
21%
Somwhat
Familiar
26%
Neutral
37%
Somewhat
Unfamiliar
11%
Very
Unfamiliar
5%

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“They over dramatize it”
“Especially in America, we have a way of writing history
as if we’ve done nothing wrong. While ISIS is a horrible
institution, we have played a hand in their institution. The
media also has a way of sensationalizing everything. ISIS
isn’t a brand new group like the media tends to make them
out to be. The media is just as responsible for instituting
fear in the masses.”
“I don’t have a reason to believe that they do not”
“A large amount of the media’s coverage on ISIS/ISIL seems
to come from what the group itself puts out”
“They dont explain the situation, they only explain why they
are fear mongering the US audience by saying they are all
out just to kill Westerners”
THE MEDIA + ISIS
DO YOU THINK THE MEDIA ACCURATLEY
PORTRAYS ISIS?
WHY DO YOU FEEL THIS WAY?
`

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WORD ASSOCIATION
WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD
“TERRORISM” OR “VIOLENT EXTREMISM”?

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THE AUDIENCE +
VIOLENT EXTREMISM
... BUT when asked , “Would you consider joining an anti-
extremist social media campaign against ISIS/ISIL?” ,
84%
21%
of respondants moderately
or strongly care about violent
extremism ...
of respondants would consider
joining a social campaign to end
violent extremism.

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Before delving into counteractive tactics, we wanted to
dig deeper and found the heart of the issue. With the use
of scholarly articles and with the an in depth evaluation of
the basecamp articles provided, we were able to gather
impressive insights about the extremist landscape.
Currently, there are 15,000 ISIS foreign fighters from 80
different countries outside of Syria and Iraq, 2,000 of
which are from western territories. The reasoning ISIS
is so prominent in the extremist sphere is because they
make use of national holidays, uses historical symbols,
have deeply-held beliefs, and share core grievances with
oppressed individuals. Their narratives are centered
around fighting the enemy at home, fighting the far enemy
i.e. Western territories such as the US, and glorifying the
Caliphate in a way that leverages the feeling of economic
disenfranchisement and social exclusion of Muslim
communities. They promote the caliphate as a place
where they have a purpose and are part of a broader
transnational movement (1).
SECONDARY RESEARCH
15,000+
2,000+
FOREIGN FIGHTERS
RECRUITS FROM
WESTERN COUNTRIES
with
(1) Lavoy, P., Monti, A., & Wente, E. Why Is ISIS Winning the Narrative War? Retreived from https://asset1.basecamp.com/2015193/projects/11531424/attach-
ments/207539461/58a2eb939085e59c2d4cb09d83fc7e7d0010/original/Why%20Is%20ISIS%20Winning%20the%20Narrative%20War.pdf

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Using Twitter as their main communication hub, ISIS is able to recruit
individuals who have a certain set of characteristics. In our research, those
most likely to be targeted are young males who lack a sense of belonging; they
lack deep rooted family connections. These at-risk individuals are generally
generally younger siblings who have been abused by their older siblings.
They often feel helpless and thus can be exploited by religious zealots. These
at-risk youths are angry and fall prey to the promise of a strong and caring
brotherhood, which ISIS tries to represent (2). Part of the main success in
converting these at-risk youths is by being active on Twitter and engaging with
these individuals. Part of the allure is in the successful tactic of tweeting about
mundane things, such as Nutella. This poses a “strange duality, a schizophrenia
that they’re showing this dark, brutal side, but they’re also trying to show, at
least as they might see it a more humane side to Western audiences” (3).
SECONDARY RESEARCH
(1) Lavoy, P., Monti, A., & Wente, E. Why Is ISIS Winning the Narrative War? Retreived from https://asset1.basecamp.com/2015193/projects/11531424/attach-
ments/207539461/58a2eb939085e59c2d4cb09d83fc7e7d0010/original/Why%20Is%20ISIS%20Winning%20the%20Narrative%20War.pdf
(2) Hudson, R. A. (1999). The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism: Who Becomes A Terrorist and Why? Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/Soc_
Psych_of_Terrorism.pdf
(3) Sreenivasan, H. (2014). Duality and Mission of ISIS on Social Media. Retrieved from http://www.zimbardo.com/downloads/2003%20Evil%20Chapter.pdf

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TARGET AUDIENCES
Student at Miami University
Only somewhat knowledgeable
on violent extremism and ISIS
Believe the media does not
accurately portray ISIS
“Lone wolf” individuals who
lack social circle
Without a calling
(lack of responsability)
Age 15-30
Age 18 - 25
DIRECT AUDIENCE
“UNCOMMITTED AUDIENCE”
INDIRECT AUDIENCE
“AT RISK YOUTH”

13. STRATEGY

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THREE INTERSECTING VIEWS
ISIS
AUDIENCE
MEDIA
When looking at the current landscape of violent
extremism there is a disconnect between the media,
ISIS, and US citizens. It’s no secret that the media often
exaggerates stories for more intriguing headlines and
profit. ISIS then feeds the media to spread terror and gain
power. In the middle of this, US citizens do not question
the media and believe the headlines to be accurate.
This misinformed environment creates a seemingly
endless loop of hatred and violence that needs to stop.
Education is the answer and this starts with Challenge The
Truth. By revealing accurate unbiased facts, the Challenge
The Truth Initiative reveals the misconceptions of ISIS
and violent extremism portrayed in the media and creates
informed citizens – combating the exaggerated, biased
media, and stripping ISIS of it’s allure.

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THE BIG IDEA
Provide accurate unbiased facts to reveal
the misconceptions of ISIS and violent
extremism portrayed in the media creating
informed citizens ready to take action.

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By combating the exaggerated, biased media and educating the
audience on the truth of ISIS and violent extremism, we strip ISIS
of it’s potential fear and allure resulting in ...
GOALS
1. The prevention of future radicalization of uncomitted
audiences AND
2. The inspiration of uncommitted audiences to engage in
sharing the truth and other CVE initiatives.

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TONE
EDUCATION
Rather than focus on misleading and
“click-bate” style headlines, we will
provide informative and accurate
articles with brief descriptions of
what topics are important.
CONTENT PILLARS
INFORMATIVE ARTICLE
To educate our audience our we will
provide informative and accurate
content to enable individuals to
learn more about the unbiased facts
regarding voplent extremism.
PEACE
Rather than promoting violent
extremism with more violence like
“carpet bombing”, we will provide
a peaceful message sharing that
education ends recruitment and
violence in the long term.
QURAN QUOTES
Realevent quotes from the Quran
expressing how Islam is not
manifested in the actions of these
violent extremists.
ACTION
Our call to action #ShareTheTruth
encourages the informed audience
to share the unbiased truth with their
social circles. The word of mouth
and network effects multiply the
Challenge the Truth message.
FACT V FICTION
Two answers to a simple statment.
Which is right? Fact V Fiction tests
individuals’ knowledge of ISIS and
violent extremism.
MESSAGING STRATEGY

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BRAND LOOK + FEEL
COLOR
We chose a blue color pallete because in color psychology blue is associated
with trust, intelligence, truth, peace, and calmness. To counteract the falacies
and violence of the media. The vibrant “start-up” blue adds energy, vibrancy, and
freedom. This is balanced with the sturdy time-tested Royal blue symbolizing
expertise and knowledge. Blues also highly accepted among males and being
that men are the primary rects of ISIS, we want to be sure to reach the target
audience.
White is often used as it is associated with light, goodness, and safety. Plenty
of white space to keep the message simple. Grey is added to the pallete as a
neutral color that lends additional depth and sophistication when needed.
TYPOGRAPHY
The font used is Roboto. Titles and page headings are
all caps ROBOTO MEDIUM, paragraph text is Roboto
Light, and subheadings are all caps ROBOTO BOLD. For
additional descriptions or emphasis Roboto Regular can
be used.
IMAGES
Images can be used for to convey powerful message
on their own or in conjunction with other information.
Images on their own can be vivid full color or black and
white. Images used as backgrounds should be vectorized
for effect and then taken to a 8-12% opacity.

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The Challenge The Truth Initiative ia a multichannel approach with offline to online elements and vice versa. After
engaging at the activation event or with other print materials on campus, the audience is encouraged to visit
ChallengeTheTruth.com to learn more. Social platforms will be used to share user generated content and new sharable
information. The intention is to create a large social tribe of individuals uniting to challenge the truth of violent extremism.
The two primary aspects to our online digital strategy are
social networks (Facebook, Twitter) and an interactive
website. The social platforms are a means to provide
digestible pieces of content to the audience with the goal
of creating the most impressions possible to disseminate
the actual truth. We encourage the audience to submit
user generated content and feedback. While the social
platforms are for snippets of content, the website will be
used as a knowledge repository and interactive education
platform.
We want to include an experiential aspect to the Challenge
The Truth Initiative to spur word of mouth. The most
effective form of communication is WOM, so it is crtical
that we get people talking about these serious issues. Our
goal is to create an event that will garner reactions from
passers-by, participants, and the networks of those who
interacted.
MEDIA CHANNELS
DIGITAL
OVERALL STRATEGY
EXPERIENTIAL

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DIGITAL
Our target market is on social media over an hour a day conservatively. The
most widely used social platfrom is Facebook followed by Snapchat and
Instagram. We will use Facebook because it is widely used and is a great
transport for news articles, images, and educational posts. Additionally,
Facebook has superior ad targeting to reach the at risk target demographic.
Although Twitter didn’t reasonate with our target audience as much as other
platforms, we thought Twitter was needed for two reason. The first being that
is where ISIS is most prevelanent and there needs to be counternarratives to
combat ISIS. The second being Twitter is a good medium to convey the brand
story and messaging we wanted to provide.
• Reach
• Shares
• Likes
• Impressions
• Clicks
• Hearts
• Retweets
• @mentions
• #’s
• Impressions
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
The prupose of the website is for it to be a repository of information where an
individual can go to to learn more about Challenge The Truth and sign up to be
part of the initiative to end violent extremism.
• Page views
• # of people who sign up to join the
Challenge The Truth Initiative
WEBSITE MEASURES OF SUCCESS

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EXPERIENTIAL
We implemented an gamified educational experience at location
around campus. Students who wanted to participate in the chance to
win a free #ChallengeTheTruth to End Violent Exremism T-shirt where
asked a simple question and merely had to think and respond true or
false, fact or fiction. With the prevelant use of #ChallengeTheTruth
students were spurred to think about their own discrepancies
in perception. In addition, a pamphlet was provided with more
information on violent extremism and ISIS, as well as where they
could join the Challenge The Truth Initiative is online. The physical
print elements had calls to action leading participants to further
engage via social platforms or ChallengeTheTruth.com
• T-shirts passed out
• Pamphlets passed out
• Impressions
• Word of mouth
• Qaulity of Conversations
DESCRIPTION MEASURES OF SUCCESS

22. ACTIVATION

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SOCIAL: FACEBOOK
CONTENT
We chose articles and quotes that shed the biased lens of the media
and revealed the truth of violent extremism and ISIS. Using Facebook
tools, we pre-sceduled our posts to optimize our posting. The posts were
schedule for the highest points of engagement during the week for our
audience.
PAGE DESIGN
The banner design aligned with our brand look + feel previously discussed.
The banner had a provacative image with the use of overlayed text to
create an impactful graphic.
BOOSTED ADS
To drive impressions and to
educate the audience on the
current landscape of violent
extremism and other ISIS related
topics, we used Facebook’s
promoted ad tools.
We scheduled a “like” campaign
for the month that the social
campaign was launched. In
addition, we promoted articles that
we saw increased engagement.
Once we found relavent,
interesting, and engaging content
we put our ad spend behind
promoted content.

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POLLS
College students are generally
interested in content that has
a quizzical/game-like essence.
To adhere to such interests, our
Twitter activation was design to
gamify the education process. By
creating polls that asked followers
to answer “fact” or “fiction” to the
posed question (which was about
the extremist sphere), we were able
to engage with our target market
and were also able to gauge
their knowledge on the violent
extremist landscape. We then used
these insights to share relevant
articles and other tactics as to
better inform our target market in
the areas that needed the most
attention.
PAGE DESIGN
To keep the initiative cohesive among
all digital and non-digital channels, we
continued with the brand look + feel
as discussed previously. The alluring
photo of ISIS recruits coupled with a
color/graphical overlay makes for an
alluring/intriguing brand identity. This
essentially draws in a curious crowd
and well as our targeted market to
where audience interaction occurs.
CONTENT
We used Twitter as our visual space.
We wanted to engage with our
follows in a way that educated them
on the misconceptions of the Muslim
faith and would encourage them to
#ShareTheTruth. This was achieved
by providing alluring visuals, primarily
ones that contained quotes derived
from the Quran. Additionally, we
pushed out shareable content that
promoted a more peaceful nation.
Running with the #PeacePush we
urged our followers to focus their
efforts on everyday acts of kinds
that would essentially create a more
harmonious society. The only way to
counteract violent extremism is by
generating buzz around peace, which
was one of the primary tactics of
Twitter.
SOCIAL: TWITTER

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WEBSITE
CONTENT
We wanted to expand upon the
information provided by social
media and the experiential
activation. We specifically mention
the intersection of ISIS, MEDIA,
+ YOU on our home page and
then go into more detail with a
“Fact V Fiction” page that points
out common misconceptions
and finally an about page named
“Challenge The Truth” that
describes what the purpose of the
intiaitive is.
DESIGN
The design follows the brand
look + feel guidelines as outlined
previously mixed with modern web
design principles

26. TACTICS

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EXPERIENTIAL MATERIALS
CHALLENGE THE TRUTH.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ISIS AND THE
LANDSCAPE OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM.
YOUR TRUTH MAY NOT BE ACCURATE.
ARE YOUR
ISIS FACTS
STRAIGHT?
WHAT IS THE
CHALLENGE THE
TRUTH INITIATIVE?
By providing accurate unbiased
facts, Challenge The Truth reveals
the misconceptions of ISIS and
violent extremism portrayed in
the media and creates informed
citizens – combating the
exaggerated, biased media, and
stripping ISIS of it’s potential fear
and potential allure.
Educate yourself, your friends
and your family. Together we can
take away the allure of violent
extremism, end ISIS’ recruitment,
and counter violence with
knowledge and peace.
Spread the unbiased truth
with #ShareTheTruth and point
out common misconceptions
about violent extremism with
#ChallengeTheTruth.
YOUR
CHALLENGE
/ChallengeTheTruth
@Challenge_Truth
ChallengeTheTruth.com
When designing the shirt we wanted
the shirts to be fashionable and
modern yet still convey our message.
We settled on the design you see
here. This design is optimized for
price efficiency with only one color on
each side and not additional pocket.
The pamphlets were designed to
intruige, inform, and activate those
who read it. The front cover asks a
provacative question followed by
relavent facts on the inside. Finally,
the back challenges the reader
to #ShareTheTruth and join the
initiative.

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For our experiential activation we
wanted to gamify the education
experience and generate organic
word of mouth marketing for these
who were not reached by our
Facebook or Twitter campagins.
We ordered t-shirts as participation
prizes for those who played Fact or
Fiction with facts relating to ISIS. In
addition to having long conversations
with those who stopped to play the
game, we passed out informational
pamphlets to all who walked past.
Our experintial activation took place
in two of the most heavily trafficed
areas of Miami University – the
university seal at the crossroads of
the largest academic quad and the
student center.
EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVATION

29. ANALYSIS

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Total Reach:
10,168
Post Engagements:
416
Page Likes:
128
Page Views:
207
Ad Targeting Critera:
Age: 15-25
Gender: Male and Female
Language: English (UK) or English (US)
Location: United States: Oxford (+25 mi) Ohio
Exclude people who like Challenge The Truth
People Who Match:
Interests: Islam, BBC News, Violence prevention, wallstreet journal, CNN,
Extreme, Politics, Breaking news, Video games or Suicidal Tendencies
School: Miami University
SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK
OUR INTERPRETATION:
We were very pleased with our large total. This is attributed to our targeting
and boosting of content that the audience was engaging with. It seemed that
informative articles and Quran quotes did the best in terms of performance
metics. In the future, we look forward to varying the types of posts we boost.

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TOP PERFORMING POSTS:

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Total Reach:
912
Engagement:
5.3%
Page Views:
209
Followers:
22
Mentions:
3
Retweets:
1
SOCIAL MEDIA: TWITTER
OUR ANALYSIS:
We saw lower engagement on Twitter primarily for two reasons. The first is
that it takes over a month from account creation before Twitter will let you
promote any content. We did not know this and it limited our ability to reach our
target audience on Twitter. We saw such success on Facbook because of our
ability to promote content to a targeted audience. This shorticoming left a large
portion of our budget unused. The second is that our target audience doesn’t
use Twitter as much as Facebook or other platforms.
TOP PERFORMING TWEETS:

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OUR ANALYSIS:
The priority of the campaign was not placed on the website. The website was
a tool used to build upon other information. Because of our small we decided
not to invest our talent into SEO, ad words, and other content marketing leading
towards the site. We believed that these efforts would have minimal ROI.
Pageviews:
126
Average Duration:
20 seconds
Pages/Session:
1.94
Bounce Rate:
87.7%
Subscribers:
2
WEBSITE

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EXPERIENTIAL
Total Reach:
2,500+
Impressions:
1000+
Pamphlets Passed Out:
240
T-shirts passed out:
90
In-debth Conversations:
13
Word of Mouth:
~1,500
OUR ANALYSIS:
We saw lower engagement on Twitter primarily for two reasons. The first is that
it takes over a month from account creation before Twitter will let you promote
any content. We did not know this and it limited our ability to reach our target
audience on Twitter. We saw such success on Facbook because of our ability
to promote content to a target audience. This shorticoming left a large portion
of our budget unused.
EVENT FEEDBACK:
“This is a great idea.”
“What a wonderful iniative. Best of luck!”
“I’m reading a book
on ISIS now and look
forward to learning
from you too.”

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10,168
912
126
+ 2,500
272.02
174.80
882.97
+ 217.26
13,706
IMPRESSIONS
11.3 cents
per IMPRESSION
=
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Experiential
Facebook Ads
Website
T-Shirts
Pamphlets
BUDGET + COST ANALYSIS
OVERAL BUDGET: COST ANALYSIS:
DIGITAL:
EXPERIENTIAL:
$1,547.05
$882.97
$217.26
T-shirts Pamphlets
$272.02
$174.80
Facebook Ads Website
33%
66%
Digital Activation