PR Campaign Development Part 1, Exercise: 2 University Blood Drive

Q: Where would you find information on blood drives, blood banks, and blood donors in Australia? What statistics can you locate?

An excellent place to start would be with the Australian Red Cross (ARC). The ARC Blood Service has its own website which gives useful information on giving blood. The website also has a “contact us” link which gives further opportunity to ask questions which are not answered on the website. The link to this website is www.donateblood.com.au. This website also provides basic statistical information, however, for more detailed statistics I would utilise the websites “links” function which connects clients with a wide range of other health providers. In addition, I would also look at the ARC Annual Report to obtain statistical data.

Q: Who are your target audience/s?

The campaign will be targeted predominately at students, teachers and extended to friends and relatives of those who attend the university. As a requirement of the ARC, donors need to be aged 16 – 70 years old with a weight of over 45 kg. Donors aged 16 and 17 will need written consent given by a parent or legal guardian and be 50 kg or over. The target audience will also consist of those who have donated blood previously and those who are considering donating for the first time.

Q: How can you find out what they know about giving blood from experience, or what their current attitudes are about donating blood?

The best way to answer this question is to go directly to the source. I would develop a brief questionnaire which would be distributed randomly to my target audience. In addition, I would also contact the student representative body and try to get a time slot on the next meeting agenda to raise awareness of the survey.

Completed survey’s and one on one student interviews will form a major part of my market research. In addition, I would also explore the options of a student discussion database similar to the one we are utilising. This will be an effective, hassle free method of collecting information on target audience perceptions and attitudes.

Q: What can you find out about effective communication tactics to reach your audiences?

Through the Our Communities website, I would look at developing some material which could be distributed on campus in the form of flyers to be distributed on campus and posters to be strategically placed around campus. I would also utilise the student newsletter, online student discussion forums and the campus internet/intranet site/s. In addition, another cost effective way to get maximum exposure would be through email circulation to both the students and teachers at the campus.

Q: What kinds of messages appeal to the audience/s you’re targeting?

Messages for this target audience will need to be factual and succinct. Obviously the flyers will provide less background information than say the email distribution and information posted on the campus internet/intranet site/s. Flyer and poster design will need to be eye catching with stand out phrases to attract the attention of our target audience. The messaging will also need to be phrased simply with minimal jargon used.