We’re KIND of a Bama Deal #

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Introduction Working with KIND on The University of Alabama campus has been #kindawesome. The UA team successfully implemented its communication plan from October 1 to November 7 with more than 30 UA PRSSA chapter volunteers collaborating to achieve each campaign objective. Focusing on the small details enabled the team to exceed their objectives in spreading KIND brand awareness through print materials, social media, campus events and on-campus media coverage.

OverviewLike most students on college campuses, students at UA are constantly on the go and searching for a satisfying snack that is both nutritious and tasty. According to a pre-campaign survey, 77 percent of 685 respondents admitted that they are too

Preparation

Team ObjectivesObjective 1: Increase brand awareness by informing 500 students that KIND snacks are the perfect snack for both health and taste by November 7, 2015. Objective 2: Get 300 students to attend KIND events to spread awareness about KIND bars by November 7, 2015.

A vital, measurable component of the KIND campaign included a 16-question survey, resulting in 685 respondents. The survey analyzed if students were aware the KIND brand had a presence on campus and offered a multitude of essential benefits. Only 57 percent of the survey respondents were aware that KIND bars were sold on campus. The KIND campaign team took this number to heart by creating a strategic communica-tion plan that brought the KIND brand to life while upholding its “AND” philosophy and “KIND-hacking” campus locations to influence students that KIND bars are the ultimate power snack.

ImplementationWhen determining what events to coordinate that best fit the team’s objectives, “We’re KIND of a Bama Deal” decided to choose strategic partnerships with other on-campus organizations that shared a similar mission and values with the KIND brand. The UA PRSSA team’s first partnership was a collaboration with Crimson Kindness, an on-campus organization com-posed of students passionate about spreading kindness. Together, “We’re KIND of a Bama Deal” and Crimson Kindness held a Kindness Poster Rally, where members of both organizations targeted campus hotspots by holding up encouraging posters adhering to KIND’s brand value of fun and living well anywhere. These posters displayed messages like “Be kind to yourself” and “You are #kindawesome” to hundreds of students. The Kindness Poster Rally ran from October 6 to October 9 and gen-erated on-campus media coverage from both Twitter and Instagram for The University of Alabama, UA Student Affairs and DEAF Hands Speak accounts.

busy to eat healthy. These insights helped the UA KIND campaign team to create a mis-sion empowering students to snack anytime, anywhere, without sacrificing fun along the way. The campaign goal of increasing KIND bar brand awareness was demonstrated through campus organization event partnerships, newsworthy social media postings and impactful print materials, highlighting the brand and its cheerful philosophy to UA stu-dents on a daily basis throughout the campaign.

Secondly, the team hosted a Twitter chat on October 14 encouraging its 70+ followers to participate in tweeting why they were #kindawesome to further spread awareness about the KIND brand and spark conversation.

For its third event, the team partnered with Project Health, a go-to source of health education information on the UA cam-pus. During the week of October 19-23, Project Health’s Health Hut ran a program on health literacy. The UA PRSSA team saw a valuable opportunity to distribute KIND bars on October 21 as the Health Hut promoted KIND’s healthy and tasty message, perfect for any student on the go between classes. More than 500 bars were handed out in a three-hour span.

Lastly, as the ultimate integration into student’s busy lives, the team decided to “Kind-hack” two on-campus libraries, An-gelo Bruno Business Library and Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering. On November 2 and 3, tables were set up at both libraries where students were able to grab free KIND bars and learn more about the product, enhancing brand expo-sure and changing attitudes. These libraries were selected based on their infamous busyness during the late morning and early afternoon hours. With so many students coming and going for multiple reasons, the team knew “KIND-hacking” these areas would put KIND bars straight into the hands of many students promoting the KIND “AND” philosophy.

We’re KIND of a Bama Deal

The University of Alabama is a public institution that accommodates the needs of over 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. At the beginning of the campaign, UA PRS-SA set out to raise awareness about KIND bars among at least 500 students. While 83 per-cent of participants of our pre-survey were already aware of KIND bars and the benefits of choosing it as their main snack food, there was still 17 percent of participants who were not. Throughout the campaign, UA’s chapter was able to use social media platforms to keep followers up to date on the KIND Campaign and where to find the tasty alternative around campus. The team knew social media would be their best communication strategy when they received 767 impressions just off their first Facebook post. Through the hacks, UA PRSSA was able to pass out KIND bars to more than 500 students, achieving both of its objectives initially set for a total distribution of over 1,000 bars.

Can I get a #rollKINDroll? The UA team encountered a speed bump or two when it came to coordinating events. Advocating or raising awareness for items is oftentimes mistaken for advertising. Because of this misunderstanding, the ability to gain permission for our hacks took a little longer than expected. With that said, we were able to successfully pull off passing out more than 1,000 free KIND bars to students visiting the Health Hut and diligently studying in various libraries across campus. In addition, halfway through the campaign, “We’re KIND of a Bama Deal” had a misunderstanding about KIND policies and therefore had to delete our social media handles. While this could be seen as a setback, we were able to turn the situation around and promote KIND bars on platforms with a higher following rate. Not only did we appeal to select people, but we were able to reach students in colleges and majors all across campus!

We did it! Throughout the month of October until the beginning of November, UA’s Public Relations Students Society of America chapter took on the KIND “No Compromise” Campaign. Through the duration of this campaign the team promoted the tasty treats through social media, posters and library hacks. As students realized how many places on campus sold KIND bars, they came to understand that their hectic lifestyle did not have to be met with an unhealthy diet. This chapter loved seeing students across campus tweeting out pictures of their KIND bars on the way to class!

Evaluation

Conclusion

Note From the Team