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COMPONENTS

Build awareness. Spark a movement. Support a nonprofit.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Research Message & Brand Goals Inverted Pyramid Landing Page

Questionnaire Brand platform

Key terms and phrases

Core facts about cause

Campaign objectives and desired outcomes

5W’s Promotional copy

Related links

Image, graphic or video

Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Social Media Opinion Piece Online ad Html Email Summary & Conclusions

Facebook post

Twitter post

Short piece in your voice geared for placement on site or blog

Facebook ad with goal of increasing visits to campaign site

Goal-based email to friends, family and colleagues

Final thoughts

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PART 1: RESEARCH

What is your awareness campaign? What is the definition, history and general ideas and theories surrounding your public awareness issue?

My awareness campaign focuses on requiring companies to label their foods if they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs).GMOs are prevalent throughout America’s food supply and have been for at least the last 15 years. These foods have had the genetic composition altered in a lab to make them more resistant to drought, require less pesticides, and ultimately make growing them easier on the farmer. What isn't truly known is the long term safety to the consumers and the environment in regards to GMO foods. In the past, there has been fights that consumers have the rights to know the nutritional values of their foods, and to know where their food is produced. Don’t the consumers also have the right to know if their food is one that naturally occurs or if their food was formulated in a lab?

What do you want to make your audience aware of about this issue? Do you want to inform or persuade?

This awareness campaign is twofold. First, I want to inform the audience of the prevalence of GMOs in their foods. In addition, I think it is important to understand the lack of research behind the safety of long term use of GMOs as a food supply. By informing the audience and making them aware of the situation surrounding GMOs, it is my hope to persuade the audience to take action and demand that foods be labeled GMO if they contain any GMO ingredients.

What are some of the statistics related to your public awareness? GMO foods have been in the American food supply for approximately 15 years. So American’s have been consuming GMOs without knowing it for that time. At this time, 64 countries require GMO foods to be labeled, while 26 have banned GMOs outright. Studies are showing that over 90% of Americans would like to see GMO foods to be labeled. If the American people disproportionately want GMO labeling, why is Congress currently pushing a bill, backed by industries such as Monsanto that would halt any states from being able to require GMO labeling?

What solution would you implement to change the problems surrounding your public awareness campaign?

While banning GMO foods is ideal, the American people at the very least have a right to know what is in their foods. I would like to require the labeling of all GMO foods. In addition, processed foods that contain GMO ingredients should also be required to be labeled as such. By labeling foods with GMOs, the rights of the consumer are being respected and the consumer is able to make a choice in regards to the foods they eat.

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What organizations, business or individuals are working to change the problem and improve the issue? How do they approach their strategies? Give two examples.

Clif Bars: This company also makes Luna bars. The company opposes GMO foods and requires certification from its ingredient suppliers that all ingredients are GMO free. In addition, Clif Bars has donated money to help fund ballot initiatives to require GMO labeling.

Chipotle: This restaurant made a major announcement this year that it is banning all GMO foods from its ingredient list. This is a major win for those against GMOs and those who are fighting for consumers’ rights to require labeling of GMO foods.

How will knowledge about this campaign help your audience make a difference? What can they do to get more involved in the issue?

Knowledge is power, and by learning about America’s food supply, the consumer gains power to understand their rights. Consumers have a right to know the origin of foods they are consuming. Consumers can become more involved by becoming advocates for the foods supply. They can join larger campaigns such as Just Label It. They can donate to The Non-GMO project. In addition, as American’s we have a right, a duty to inform our Congress People of our views. This is an instance in which letters to Congress voicing your opinions, questions, and concerns regarding GMO food and the need for labeling. You can also become involved simply by buying only non-GMO foods.

What are some valid resources with interesting and accurate information about this cause? List three.

Just Label It: www.justlabelit.org The Non-GMO Project: http://www.nongmoproject.org Institute for Responsible Technology: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/

Select an organization (or multiple organizations) that will benefit most from your messaging and efforts. This would be a group (or groups) you will direct audience members to for engagement, fundraising or volunteering.

Name of Organization Purpose or Relationship to the Cause, Organization or Movement

Website url

Just Label It This is a large campaign fighting for the labeling of GMOs.

www.justlabelit.org

Right to Know GMO This is a coalition of 37 states in the US who have come together to support the labeling of GMO foods.

http://www.righttoknow-gmo.org/

GMO Free NY A New York State based grassroots organization whose goal is to educate and empower New York residents and to get laws passed requiring the labeling of GMO foods.

http://gmofreeny.net/home.html

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PART 2: MESSAGE & BRAND

Multimedia Collection

Brand Platform

Cause, Movement or Nonprofit logo or wordmark

Campaign Fonts Header

Subheader Body Copy

Rockwell Rockwood Rockwell

Extra Bold Extra Bold

Campaign Color Scheme

Primary Secondary Accent

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Key Words & Phrases

Key Words 1-2 word “bullet points” that best illustrate the strengths of the cause, nonprofit or movement.

Key Phrases 3-8 word short statements or tags that summarize the unique aspects of the cause, nonprofit or movement.

1)Frankenfood 1) Your Right to Choose

2)Genetically Modified 2) Right to Know GMO

3) Laboratory 3) DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act, also known as The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act

4)Monsanto 4) Just Label It

5)Food Labeling 5) Support GMO Labeling

Message Profile

High level profile of nonprofit organization, cause or movement

Name: Cause: Getting GMO Foods Labeled

Purpose: The purpose of my cause is to educate people on GMO foods in America’s food supply and to advocate for the labeling of GMO foods so consumers are aware of what they are actually consuming.

Affiliated events, initiatives, fundraisers

Just Label It

Citizen Petition before the United States Food and Drug Administration for the Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods.

Lobbying against the DARK Act. Right To Know GMO

Colorado-Glyphosate Strategy Meeting, Summer Family Picnic

Ongoing campaigns to contact legislatures GMO Free NY

Campaign to contact Congress to voice concerns and demand for GMO labeling

Rally in Albany, NY

State Level Petition

Digital assets of “main” organization, cause or movement (if applicable) [web and social media presence]

Web url: While the GMO labeling movement appears to be at a national level, it is actually more structured at the state level, in a more grass root movement. With that being said, one of the more vocal and active organizations is Just Label It. The url for Just Label It is: www.justlabelit.org

Facebook url: https://www.facebook.com/justlabelit

Twitter url: https://twitter.com/justlabelit

Other… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/justlabelit

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Promotional assets [current visibility – advertising, PR, awareness]

How is the cause, nonprofit organization or movement currently promoted? What marketing tools and outreach is currently used?

Just Label It relies heavily on social media to promote the labeling of GMOs. All platforms are quite active. Their Facebook page has 240,000 followers, Twitter has 40,000 followers, and their YouTube channel has 825 followers.

Core audience Who are the people who will help meet the organization’s objectives or aid in raising awareness?

The core audience is anyone who is concerned about the safety of our food supply. Those who eat or are interested in eating organically would fall into this category. While anyone who is concerned with the US food supply is considered an audience, there seems to be a rather large push from parents of young children. Because of this, parents may be a small niche to focus on within our larger audience. Just Label It has also done a good job marketing to celebrities who are now spokespeople for the organization.

Core target market(s) What is the organization or cause geographic reach? What areas do they focus on for promotion and outreach?

Just Label It has a national reach and focuses their promotion on national interest issues relating to GMO. My awareness campaign would focus more on the area of upstate New York known as the North Country. Many of these local awareness campaigns then align themselves with larger organizations such as Right To Know GMO.

Main messages [tag lines, popular affiliated phrases]

What is the primary mission and vision of the organization?

The primary mission and vision of Just Label It is to empower and education citizens by promoting organic foods and demanding the labeling of GMOs. By doing so, it is the hope of Just Label It, to ultimately let Washington know that the citizens want labeling of GMO foods.

Core Strengths What unique attributes does this cause, organization, or movement have that most appeals to supporters?

Core Strengths of labeling GMO foods are:

Restore customer confidence

Give customers the choice

Can lead to increased education

64 other countries have already mandated labeling

Can allow for GMO foods to be avoided in response to religious beliefs.

PART 3: CAMPAIGN GOALS & OBJECTIVES

What type of awareness campaign are you designing? (Choose 1-3)

Raising money (fundraising)

Increase public knowledge of cause or specific related organization

1 –Increase public knowledge of cause or specific related organization

2 –Increase online engagement

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Increase online engagement

Increase general engagement (volunteers, participation in programs, attendance at events)

Recruit members

Get donations (clothing, food, air miles, printing, pro bono services, etc.)

Event volunteers and attendance

Other?

3 –Raise money

What are your main campaign goals? What do you most hope to achieve with your awareness efforts? Provide at least three.

Examples

Increase fiscal donations

Get more of my family and friends get involved, support, donate

Promote X organization via my social media channels

Increase engagement on organization X social media

Promote [specific event] for X organization

Other…

1-Raise awareness for the current situation of GMO labeling in the United States, especially compared to other countries.

2-Increase the involvement in citizens writing (online or in writing) to our representatives in Washington to voice our wishes in regards to GMO labeling.

3- To increase donations that will support sending representatives from the campaigns to Washington to speak on behalf of the citizens.

PART 4: INVERTED PYRAMID

Campaign Title We Have A Right to Know: Label GMO

Who Overview of the cause Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are foods that have been altered in the lab and can be found throughout the United States’ food supply. There has been no long term testing done on the safety of these GMO foods. Currently, GMO foods are not required to be labeled. It should be mandated that these foods have a label specifying that they contain GMO ingredients so that the consumer has the choice to consume GMO foods or not.

What What makes the cause unique and important

This cause is important because as citizens of this country, we have a right to know what is in our foods. There has already been mandates calling for nutritional information, ingredient lists, and countries of origins to be shown on our foods. The labeling of GMOs is no different, it boils down to the consumers’ right to know.

Where What region do you want to focus on for your cause?

While we would ultimately want to join with a national umbrella, the focus of this campaign would be the upstate New York area known as the North Country.

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When Use compelling argument or statistic to help establish a sense of urgency

Labeling of GMO foods needs to occur immediately. These foods have been infiltrating our food supply for approximately 20 years, with no long term safety studies being conducted. Currently, approximately 80% of the processed food on our shelves contains GMO ingredients. In addition, over 90% of the corn and soybeans grown in the United States start from GMO seeds. To date, over 64 other countries have enacted laws mandating the labeling of GMO products and thus giving their citizens a choice in what they consume. Three states have passed laws requiring GMO labels within the state, with another dozen or so states contemplating the same action. Unfortunately, Congress is busy passing a bill known in Congress as The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, but is known as the DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act by advocates of GMO labeling. This bill will override any state passed laws requiring GMO labeling and would effectively halt the process of GMO labeling. This is all being done in Congress when polls are showing that approximately 90% of Americans would prefer GMO labeling.

Why Why is this cause important? Why should people care?

There has been increased awareness of what we are eating. People are becoming more educated in what exactly is going into our bodies and the bodies of our children. These GMO foods have not had long term testing conducted to confirm the safety of their consumption. If 80% of the processed foods and some of our fresh whole foods are or contain GMO, don’t we as citizens have the right to know this, especially when there hasn’t been thorough testing conducted? It also begs to question, 64 countries, including most of the European Union, has already mandated labeling, why is the United States dragging its heels so much?

How How will [donations, engagement, volunteering] make a difference for this cause?

By increasing awareness of the GMO situation in the United States, people will be better educated and thus empowered to make a stand. It is imperative that our government is made aware of the wishes of this country. With this education and empowerment, that 90% of America who believes that the labeling of GMO foods is the best option, can and will be heard. Citizens must let their representatives know their wishes, loudly, clearly, and persistently. Monetary donations can also make a difference by providing funding for events that increase exposure to the cause and allow for representatives of the organizations to travel to our government representatives on our behalf.

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Additional Info

More about the cause, its history, value, impact

The impact of labeling GMO foods is more than just providing citizens with a choice. Labeling foods that contain GMO ingredients gives us a voice. It allows people to not choose GMO foods and by not choosing these foods, it speaks to the corporations such as Monsanto which is one of the largest seed producing companies, with those seeds being GMO. The citizens have demanded that ingredients be prominently displayed, that nutritional values be accessible, and that we know the country of origin on our foods. It only makes sense that we would demand to know if our foods have been genetically modified.

Closing Info

How people can learn more, help or get involved, attend, donate and engage? Promote link(s) to the organization or campaign.

There is a wealth of information surrounding the issue of GMO foods and the need for labeling. Visiting any of the sites below will provide plenty of background.

Just Label It

GMO Free NY

Right to Know GMO

GMO Free USA

PART 5: LANDING PAGE

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PART 6: SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT

Facebook post 1

[35-50 words + photo]

Corn on the cob…a healthy barbeque side! GMO corn is severely lacking in nutrients compared to its non-GMO counterpart. As consumers, we have the right to know all aspects of the food we consume. Demand legislation that mandates GMO labeling!

Facebook Post 2

[35-50 words + photo]

Feeding families quality food is a priority. If you’re feeding your family processed food, you are most likely feeding them GMOs without even being aware of it. This is because 80% of processed foods contain GMOs. You have a right to know, contact your congressional representatives, and insist on GMO labeling.

Twitter Post 1 140 characters Educate and empower, know what’s happening with your food. Go to www.justlabelit.org to learn the story behind the GMO labeling movement!

Twitter Post 2 140 characters Help NY fight for our right to know. Get involved in the mission to mandate GMO labeling. Visit http://www.gmofreeny.net/newsandevents.html

PART 7: OPINION PIECE

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PART 8: ONLINE AD

Audience

Locations List of locations you would want the ad to appear on select audience profiles and searches

In terms of geographically we would like our ads to appear in:

Syracuse, NY

Watertown, NY

Clayton, NY

Sackets Harbor, NY

Carthage, NY

Lowville, NY

Alexandria Bay, NY These towns are high traffic areas in the North Country (Northern NY). Within these towns, the prime location would be at the various local restaurants that strive to get as much non-GMO food as possible. There are also locally owned grocery stores whose focus is on organic and non-GMO foods that would be prime locations to advertise. In terms of locations in regards to social media, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram would all be prime platforms for our ads. On these platforms, we can post ads not only on our page, but collaborate with other local pages/businesses/organizations to spread the word.

Age [i.e. 18-21, 25-30, 35-40 or you can list multiple]

Our target age is from 18-65. Any younger than that and the individual is often not the one making food purchasing choices. Older than that and individuals are often quite set in there ways and not willing to change regardless of information presented to them.

Gender [i.e. male, female, all] Both males and females would be within our target audience, although there may be a heavier emphasis on our female audience as they tend to be the ones making the food choices for the families, regardless of family composition.

Interests List 3 common hobbies or interests your audience would possess [i.e. 5k runs, philanthropy, volunteering, tri-athalons, fundraising, yoga, Zumba, working out]

Gardening

Movie/documentary watcher

Fitness, often with a slant towards the outdoors, such as hiking, boating, skiing

Marital Status [i.e. married, single, dating, engaged, in a relationship, divorced, etc.]

Marital status most likely will not be a deciding factor in our determining our target audience. We may consider those who are parents to be a slightly more concerned audience since they have the wellbeing of their children in mind.

Job Status [student, employed full time, employed part time, volunteer, etc.]

This is an issue that is relevant to all citizens regardless of job status. With that being said, we may see less interest in those who are unemployed or underemployed as they think buying non-GMO would be unattainable and therefore not worth the worry.

Education Level

[high school, some college, college graduate, post-secondary, doctorate]

All education levels would be considered part of our audience. There may be focus on those with higher levels of education, as there appears to be less concern of GMOs in general at high levels of education, although it is unclear if it is because of lack of concern, misunderstanding, or other causes.

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Facebook Ad

[Headline – 25 characters max]

American Demands GMO Labels

90% of America want GMO labels. 64 countries require labeling. Demand action, go to Just Label It to help!

PART 9: HTML EMAIL

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PART 10: SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS

Summary

And

Conclusions

What I Thought I Knew

As a mother, making the best food

choices for my family is priority. At

the time of the assignment, I had a

solid foundation in the realm of

GMOs. Despite my knowledge, I am

still shocked by the lack of labeling

and the apparent unwillingness to do so.

What I Found Out

I was surprised to find out that most

Americans support the labeling of

GMO foods (90%). I was quite

surprised to read that such high

percentages of our processed foods,

hovering around 80%, contained

GMO ingredients. Another

revelation was that America is

actually significantly behind in the

labeling of GMOs. There are 64

other countries worldwide that

require labeling of GMOs.

What I Sought to Find Out

I sought to find out the statistics

behind GMOs. That is, how

prevalent they were in our food

supply. I also was curious as to the

overall American attitude towards

GMOs. The governmental

perception of GMOs was also of interest.

What I Learned That I Didn’t Know

I was surprised to learn that there are

actually very few fresh produce items

that are currently GMO, those being

papaya, potatoes, sweet beets, and

corn. I found it quite disturbing that

almost 90% of the corn produced in

this country is genetically modified. I

had no idea the percentages were that high.

What I Want to Know More About

I am passionate about educating

myself in all aspects, and food is

just one of my focuses. I am

intrigued to know what difficulties

the 64 countries that label GMOs

went through in the process of

enacting laws requiring the labeling.