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RationalePaper
- 1. 1 Erin Bosman, Erin Brault, Jennifer Oppor, Emily Lovvik, Jack Delahunt Dr. Martha Fay CJ 355 8 December 2016 Rationale Paper Over the course of this semester,in our Strategic Message Design class, we have addressed concepts, theories, and strategies to communicate more effectively. We utilize these three areas to develop a hypothetical visual, collective we and inclusive messaging, and to create a unique identity for River Prairie. We plan to develop a unique identity through a memorable message and utilize social media to promote what River Prairie is yet to be. Our rationale for these strategies include an objective, an audience, and an intervention; it is our intention to also address exigence, the constraints and assets to this project, as well as the resources that are already available to River Prairie. In order to achieve a successful strategic messaging campaign for Altoonas River Prairie, our group proposes a three-pronged initiative which addresses sharing high-impact visuals with the public, selecting proper language that best resonates with the target audience, and building a unique reputation within a niche market to remain competitive. Based upon our existing knowledge of the River Prairie project and the city of Altoonas intentions, we have recognized a serious exigency: the improper usage of social media platforms which is detrimental to the attraction of ideal audiences. A lack of awareness about River Prairie is keeping the community from understanding the magnitude of the project or how they can be included in the development. By addressing this exigency, River Prairie administrators will find that their messaging campaigns have a broader reach and make meaningful connections with the audience. The following lists of constraints, assets,and resources will be helpful in ensuring that the exigency is optimally resolved. A few constraints faced by the developers of River Prairie include fast-approaching deadlines, an ineffective use of communication across social media platforms, a lack of top-down management styles, and noteworthy competition from venues or parks in Eau Claire. River Prairies assets are their excited
- 2. 2 community members who believe that this development will add to the Altoona area and the strategic partnering of River Prairie with Visit Eau Claire to share resources in a mutually beneficial relationship. Critical resources available to River Prairie include the vast expanse of land for construction, existing social media platforms that can be altered for increased impact, professional concept drawings, and ample funding. River Prairie will prove to be a successfulventure if it remains aware of the constraints, assets, and resources which affect the potency of their messaging campaigns among target audiences. Of the social media posts which are currently promoting River Prairie, there was an overwhelming lack of engaging visuals that could be used to create personalconnections with the prospective audience. Our group identified a strong need for a consistent use of images across the City of Altoona and River Prairies Facebook pages. During the initial meeting with Altoona administrators, it was brought to our attention that there are numerous concept drawings of various River Prairie facilities. We posit that these images would be highly appealing to the target audience as they demonstrate the impressive variety of amenities that community members will be able to enjoy. Sharing these images one- by-one as teasers would intrigue the audience and could be rejuvenated once the construction for River Prairie is complete because they could place a faux before and after by posting the concept drawing next to a photo of the finished facility. This would build trust among community members as they will see that Altoona city administrators had a plan and delivered upon their promises. A second concern that our groups proposal would address is the improper use of language which often feels distant and ingenuine for the average audience. A critical example of intangible language was the initial proposal to market River Prairie in association with the term conviviality. This suggestion, and the enthusiasm with which it was proposed, was worrisome because it showed a misunderstanding between the administrators and their audience. It also lead our group to believe that this idea was brought forth without having experimented with a focus group as the overwhelming majority of the class was not in agreeance that conviviality would be the ideal descriptor for this development. Furthermore, the danger of misusing language is that the audience will not be able to associate themselves with River
- 3. 3 Prairie and will lose interest in the development as it appears to not apply to their lifestyle. To resolve this concern, our group has chosen to reword future messaging to highlight the collective we which feels welcoming to everyone through its inclusive verbiage. All posts to social media and the various forms of marketing collateral that are distributed will be tailored to use we so that the target audience knows they are an integral part of a bigger picture. They are a member of the River Prairie family. People who identify themselves with an organization remain loyal to the products and services of that organization, so River Prairie can reap the benefits of prioritizing strong relationships with their target audience. The third strategy we have developed positions River Prairie within a specialized market so that they have room now, and into the future, to continue building a unique identity. Our message states that River Prairie is, Your Destination for Every Occasion which provides a space for individualization and appeals to the varying interests of niche markets. By selecting micro-messages that fit within a general framework, each target audience can be shown their own advertisement which will increase the popularity of River Prairie. Below our framework message of, Your Destination for Every Occasion we envision catchy phrases such as happy homes or luxury living to sell apartments,hottest hotels to attract vacationing families, or brand name bargains to draw attention to the strip mall. Professional images of each amenity will be highlighted in its respective ad. Social media campaigns can then be streamlined so that advertisements are sent out based on demographics or interests. The series of finalized ads would also make a gorgeous, interactive centerpiece for a new River Prairie webpage since it could be formatted as a series of photos like the Visit Eau Claire page or could be moving graphics in a slideshow like on the Altoona City page. Both of these options are captivating, professional, and will set River Prairie apart. River Prairie could truly become an impressive establishment in the Altoona community if city administrators quickly begin to improve upon their failing change management plans. For example, they are currently hoping for the best with a spray and pray tactic which is a communication strategy where managers or partners barrage employees with information (Fay, 2016). This technique is beneficial for getting information out in the open however is less effective with the assumption that employees will
- 4. 4 understand the message being revealed (Fay, 2016). Underscore and explore is a communication strategy that utilizes core messages developed by the management team which is linked to organizational success (Fay, 2016). Underscore and explore allows for employees to express any misunderstandings and potential obstacles (Fay, 2016). It is essential that River Prairie develops core messages to represent the project as whole. These messages need to be properly conveyed to all partners of this project with the ability to be fully understood. We find it most beneficial for River Prairie to develop core messages and share those as soon as they are available. It is important the the communities surrounding this project know what is offered through this development. The River Prairie development will provide a variety of amenities to Altoona and the surrounding communities however we believe the purpose of the project has been lost. We feel that the intended purpose of this project is to bring communities together and to provide a unique, friendly, and lively atmosphere in a safe location. We have decided that there has been a lack of messaging to convey this specific purpose to the River Prairie Development. The participation with regards to this development has also been lacking meaning (Fay, 2016). We feelthis disconnect is due to ineffective communication with stakeholders as well as community members. The River Prairie development could create participation from all audiences with proper, effective messaging and rhetoric. Another evaluation we have made is the unrealistic expectations put forth by the city administration (Fay, 2016). These expectations include having all individuals be interested and invested into this development, wanting to fill the empty lots with businesses, etc. The rate that the construction is going with this development is relatively slow and majority of individuals have yet to hear about the project. The expectations made for this project have become unrealistic due to the lack of effective messaging and communicating with the surrounding communities. In our revitalized proposition we would like to make the suggestion for River Prairie to reimagine and rethink the expectations and messaging that are currently in place and we believe are not effective.
- 5. 5 This triple-tactic campaign is the ideal solution for River Prairies strategic messaging plan because our group has analyzed the needs assessment and responded accordingly. Community members voiced their love of current amenities to include public parks, retail options, restaurants and cafes,and local food options. Additionally, survey-takers mentioned that they feelsafe and at home in Altoona while valuing their proximity to ample resources in Eau Claire. The development is already going to be a unique spot for a range of demographic groups to explore. Just by education levels alone, there are individuals with high school diplomas, some college, Associates degrees,Bachelors degrees,Masters degrees and Doctoral degrees. By addressing ways to make messaging campaigns more aesthetically pleasing and interactive, the River Prairie development will be associated with modernity. We also asked participants where they obtained their local entertainment news and found that 37% preferred social media sites for keeping up-to-date. While this number may seem low, it was directed at selecting a singular, preferred choice but does not include those who may opt for social media as their second choice for entertainment news. Our solution will be valuable to River Prairie because it posits that colorful imagery and interactive web formats will pull the newest addition to Altoona into the 21st Century. To create a personalized strategic messaging campaign for Altoonas River Prairie, our group proposes a three-pronged initiative which addresses sharing high-impact visuals with the public, selecting proper language that best resonates with the target audience, and building a unique reputation within a niche market to remain competitive. Based upon the sheer amount of research and thought that went into this proposal, we posit that this series of tactics will be a meaningful upgrade to River Prairies current social media campaign. We hope to see River Prairie grow into a thriving entertainment destination for years to come! Works Cited Fay, M. (2016, Fall). Key Concepts in Organizational Change. Microsoft Powerpoint. Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
- 6. 6 Please paste the following grading criteria onto the end ofyour paper. Rationale Paper: 50 points _____/ 20 points: Explanation of Choices: How well does the author explain her/his choices concerning rhetorical goal and strategy? Does the author use specific information from the needs assessment and specific examples from the final communication piece to provide support for the explanation? _____/20 points: Use of Communication Concepts: Does the author select appropriate communication concepts to help explain the choices made in the message? Are the concepts clearly explained using correct terminology? Does the author correctly cite sources for the concepts? _____/ 10 points: Clarity of Writing: Was the essay well organized? Is it appropriately introduced and concluded? Were paragraphs clearly structured including topic sentences? Were sentences clear and easy to follow? Are conventions of grammar observed? Does the essay show evidence that it has been proofread?