Tomorrow evening broadcasters will turn off their analog TV signals. With the exception of some low-power stations, all TV stations in the U.S. will transmit their over-the-air programming via digital signals.
Of course, you already know this, thanks to a comprehensive communication campaign that began almost two years ago, a campaign that should serve as a best practice for public communications.
I certainly hope the communicators who developed the campaign plan to submit it to the major awards campaigns — IABC, PRSA, AMA, etc. In my mind, it’s sure to bring home multiple wins.
The DTV Transition communications have all the elements of a successful communication plan:
- Well-defined objectives (awareness and action) and supporting metrics (number of coupons requested and used)
- Multiple audiences (broadcasters, analog TV owners, cable/satellite companies, retailers, all U.S. residents)
- Challenges to overcome (inaction, objections from broadcasters, policial shennanigans)
- And strategic use of the full spectrum of communications (TV ads, local news stories, cable and satellite bill inserts, in-store signage, etc.)
Best of all, the DTV awareness campaign uses one of my favorite communication strategies — it uses the product (TV) to sell the product through a series of PSAs, screen graphics and story placements that began in late 2007.
The professionals driving this awareness campaign know that tomorrow evening, regardless of their efforts, there will still be households in the U.S. who are impacted by the analog shut-off because they elected not to purchase the converter boxes.
Not because they didn’t know about it.
Tags: communication awards, communication campaigns, communication strategy, Rink Strategic Communications, Susan C. Rink, Susan Rink
