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The Importance of Digital and Analogue Communication
Mackenna Swing [email protected]
Ohio State University: English 4567S
4 May 2015
Note: This white paper is based on research from the authors
experiences working with the non-
profit organization Veggie SNAPS.
ABSTRACT
Veggie SNAPS is a non-profit organization started by Columbus
area farmers markets who work
together to provide individuals enrolled in the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) with a monetary incentive to purchase produce at
participating farmers markets. Veggie
SNAPS doubles customers money with a match up to ten dollars
with each visit. Customers are
then able to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables which had
previously been cost-prohibitive. As
Veggie SNAPS begins its third season this May, further
communication plans are being
developed to ensure the largest targeted audience is reached. In
my white paper, I examine
specifically the effects of currently employed analogue and
digital communication, as well as
examine the range of audiences receiving the information. At the
end of my paper, I will include
suggested communication plans in order for Veggie SNAPS to have
the highest success rate
possible.
Keywords
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Non-profit, analogue communications, digital communications,
farmers markets, Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Veggie SNAPS
1. Introduction
Veggie SNAPS is a program which targets a specific demographic.
The targeted demographic is
the vulnerable populations in living central Ohio in or adjacent
to food desserts, who use
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. During Veggie SNAPS
first two seasons, analogue
communications were mainly employed to promote and educate
people about the program.
Digital communications were not employed, the reasoning being a
belief that the targeted
demographic does not have consistent internet access.
Promotional pamphlets were created and
distributed, and news of the program was spread by word of mouth
among Veggie SNAP
ambassadors at participating farmers markets. During the 2014
season, 4,985 Veggie SNAPS
tokens were distributed among the six participating farmers
markets, and 4,338 were redeemed.
I believe that Veggie SNAPS is not reaching as wide of an
audience that it could because not
enough digital communications are utilized. Most forms of online
self-promotion take place
through social media outlets, which are in most cases, free of
cost. Aside from social media,
personal websites may also be easily developed at no cost, by
using beta versions of website
development websites like Wordpress and Weebly. Proper
utilization of these digital
communication affordances would result in a higher success rate
for the organization.
2. Problem with Sole Reliance on Analogue Communications
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After spending one full semester working with Veggie SNAPS, I
was able to see what
communication methods were being deployed, and which
communication methods were lacking
effectiveness. No social media was being used, aside from an
existing failed twitter account from
two seasons past. The only internet presence of Veggie SNAPS was
an informational PDF that
had been uploaded to the Franklin County Commissioners website,
with lists of participating
markets and dates.
The main question when developing communication plans is who is
the targeted audience? and
what is the best way to reach them? I believe a combination of
both digital and analogue
communications serves as the most effective, because very rarely
does the audience only have
access to just the analogue or just the digital world. By using
a combination of both, a wider
range and more diverse audience may be reached.
3. Smart Phones, Internet Access and Welfare
Today, many large multi-media corporations are beginning to
realize that in order to expand
cliental, they must increase the number of those financially
able to purchase their services.
Certain demographics, like those participating in SNAP, may not
have the ability to afford their
services, so many companies have created reduced-price internet
packages for low-income
families. Comcast has created an internet package that costs a
flat rate of $10 a month, and aims
to bridge the digital divide between users (Chappell). Along
with the purchase of this
discounted internet package, families will receive a voucher
allowing them to purchase a new
computer for $149.99 + tax (Chappell). Comcast is making their
product economically viable to
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a larger range of cliental, and in addition are expanding their
business across many economic
borders.
In terms of smart phones, a large range of discounted options
are available, with many wireless
companies offering bi-annual upgrade discounts, prepaid phone
options and competitive prices.
Many smart phones cost only a slight increase more than the
basic, non-smart phones. In many
cases, smart phones are the cheaper overall technology option
for welfare recipients, because a
smartphone allows them limited internet access for when
necessary, along with their own phone
number and email. It also more cost efficient than a landline,
and a smart phone provides
possible employers with contact information, without necessarily
needing to have a static home
address. Smart phones also serve a heavily discounted version of
a desktop computer, and in
many way are equally effective. Many wireless providers offer
prepaid value plans, such as T-
Mobile which provides unlimited data, texting and 100 minutes
for $35 a month (Prepaid
Phone Plans) and Virgin Mobile, which provides unlimited data,
talk and text for $35 a
month (Virgin Mobile).
4. What This Means
To assume the majority of people on welfare do not have internet
access, with reasonably priced
plans and services provided to them, would be making a gross
assumption. Although technology
tends to lean on the more expensive side, it has become a
necessary component to accompany
the analogue world. To assume a large amount of the population
cannot afford access to
technology because they are on welfare would be an incorrect
hypothesis.
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5. Funding
With the amount of funding and resources available to Veggie
SNAPS, through the Wholesome
Wave backing received this year and the additional funding
received from the City of Columbus
and Franklin County Commissioners, there are funds readily
available to develop a more
comprehensive communication plan, which includes the employment
of both more analogue and
digital communications.
6. Conclusion
In accordance with the data presented earlier, I believe that
Veggie SNAPS needs to hone-in on
their digital audience. The creation of the first real online
space for Veggie SNAPS, which I
spent my semester with the organization working on, will be in
my opinion a fruitful resource
targeted at an online audience. Along with the website, I would
encourage Veggie SNAPS to try
again with social media, by creating a Facebook page and
possibly a Twitter account to help
spread the word. Many farmers markets have Facebook pages
currently, and creating a
Facebook for Veggie SNAPS could allow for more online traffic
within the Columbus area
farmers market community. The online affordances of Twitter and
Facebook are only useful if
they are consistently updated and checked, and for almost no
cost I believe utilizing these forms
of online promotion could significantly expand online audience
of Veggie SNAPS.
References:
Chappell, B. (2011, August 5). Comcast Announces $10 Web Access
For Low-Income Families.
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Retrieved May 4, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-
way2011/08/05/139021923/
comcast-announces-10-web-access-for-low-income-families
Prepaid Phone Plans | Best Prepaid Cell Phone Plans | T-Mobile.
(n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2015,
from http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans
Virgin Mobile. (2015, January 1). Retrieved May 4, 2015, from
https:www.virginmobileusa.com/
cell-phone-plans/data-messaging-plans/overview/
