Winner: City of Arlington, Texas
Campaign: 2007 Clean Air Campaign
In 2007, the City of Arlington, Texas, launched a Clean Air Campaign designed to educate the public on the importance of reducing air pollution. The effort, which spanned
July to October 2007, aimed to develop a partnership with a local organization while utilizing city resources to expand awareness.
But, as with any campaign, there are always challenges. With the 2007 Clean Air Campaign it was "to create awareness messages that were short, concise and relevant to our
audience, while also providing easy and practical applications people could incorporate into their daily life," says Michelle Rice, special projects coordinator of the City's
management resources department.
Cleaning Up Their Act
Using research amassed from the EPA, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the North Texas Clean Air Coalition, the campaign developed slogans and messages. The
City teamed up with the Parks at Arlington Mall, targeting Parks' 5,280,000 visitors with their clean air messages, which were placed at city facilities that customers
patronize. The messages also urged citizens to visit the clean air Web site, where they could request a free clean air tester kit.
Working with local agency The Fowler Group, the City executed an outreach program that included banners, backlit signs, PSAs and 50 promotional posters with brochure
inserts.
A Breath of Fresh Air
During its campaign period, the City of Arlington met its goal of reaching 5.2 million visitors with its clean air message. Hundreds of brochures were picked up, requiring
that the team replenish them on a weekly basis. The City also reported that online requests for clean air tester kits skyrocketed from 67 in 2006 to more than 1,500 in 2007.
Lessons Learned
"Hire an expert," says Rice. "If your campaign deals with a specialized topic, research and find out as much information as possible, but don't try to make yourself an expert
in the subject."