Organizational Goals and Objectives
Marketing and External Communication
Goal 1: Texas Cooperative Extension employees will correctly identify and effectively brand the agency’s programs and offices for greater public awareness.
Statement of Support: To obtain recognition for its work, the agency’s name must be associated with its programs and personnel. Major obstacles in branding the agency are local programs being identified as county Extension and faculty identifying with the university rather than the agency.
Objective 1: Employees brand Texas Cooperative Extension programs with the agency name and logo (rather than the county or department) as their primary identity.
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Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Provide updated guidelines and training to ensure employees know and correctly use the agency identity. |
2007–2008: Based on agency’s strategic branding initiative, complete revision of a Web version of the agency’s marketing guidebook, with a library of examples and online testing component for employee training.
2009–2012: Extension marketing guidebook updated annually in PDF format on the agency Web site. |
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Establish agency-wide compliance effort led by administrators, and reinforced by district Extension administrators (DEA), regional program directors (RPD), associate department heads (ADH), and communications specialists. . |
2007–2012: Agricultural Communications monitors identity compliance in agent and specialist media work and reports inadequate identification back to employees and supervisors until corrected.
2007: Identity compliance is communicated as a goal by the director to employees.
2007–2008: Information or training received by all DEAs, RPDs, ADHs, and communications staff on their supervisory roles in upholding compliance expectations.
2007–2008: Correct agency identification increases to 100% in printed materials produced on campus and in county offices, and in monitored media work. |
Objective 2: Implement agency name change as part of Texas A&M Agriculture’s strategic branding initiative.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Ensure that agency faculty and staff are fully informed about the strategic branding initiative and that they receive the materials needed to help implement the program in their units, counties, and regions. |
Year dependent on any change–Working within the guidelines of the initiative, Agricultural Communications provides new logos and branding guidelines and materials to faculty and staff via the Web immediately after name change approval.
Year dependent on any change–Agricultural Communications provides all employees with guidelines on using existing stocks of printed materials and transitioning to the updated identity by email, immediately after name-change approval.
Year dependent on any change–Agricultural Communications provides printed marketing identity materials with the updated identity within 30 days of name change approval and continuously thereafter. It is expected that a stream of identity materials will be produced during the 30 to 90 days following the name change scheduled for rollout in January 2008. |
Objective 3: A steady, reliable supply of identity materials is available to faculty and staff.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Define a set of standard identity/ marketing materials for agents and specialists, based on agency’s strategic branding initiative. |
2007-2008: Standard materials are made available to agents and specialists at no cost via the Extension Resource Center.
2007-2008: Administration establishes an annual budget for continued production and supply of standard materials. Funding provided to make standard materials available to agents and specialists at no cost via the Extension Resource Center. (Estimated cost per year: $20,000 to $40,000)
*Contingent upon funding. |
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Identify a set of optional marketing/ promotion items for agents and specialists. |
2007–2008: Administration and communications marketing specialists identify appropriate items from faculty input. |
Identify a set of optional marketing/ promotion items for agents and specialists. |
2007–2008: Administration funds production or purchase of items with cost-recovery by purchases from county programs and specialist or other groups. |
Objective 4: Adequate signage is available to county and district offices (assuming name change in 2008).
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Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Extension offices have external and internal signs with the correct agency identity. |
2007–2008: Multiple banners and/or exhibit signs for use at events are made available in every district and urban county office. Pending funding. Basic Extension exhibit materials provided for every county. (Estimated cost: $10,000)
*Contingent upon funding.
2007–2008: County offices are required to have internal and external signage with the correct agency name and logo.
2007–2008: Replacement of incorrect signage is financed by Extension centrally or through cost-share with counties. |
Objective 5: A marketing communications specialist position is focused on identity issues.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Develop and fill position. |
2007–2008: A position is restored to Agricultural Communications to help support the identity program, guidelines, training, monitoring of compliance, the creation and maintenance of identity materials, and other marketing tasks.
*Contingent upon funding |
Table of Contents
Index of Organizational Goals and Objectives
Marketing and External Communication
Goal 2: The capacity to target communications and agency marketing efforts to key audiences will be developed.
Statement of Support: To market effectively, Extension must be able to reach specific audiences and track communication with them. There is currently no systematic, computer-based method of identifying audiences for this purpose.
Objective 1: Create a relational database of the agency’s key target audiences.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Key target audiences are identified. |
2007–2008: Administrators and program leaders identify audiences involved with the agency: political/government groups, supporters, and interest groups by September.
2007–2008: Administrators, program groups, departments, etc., provide names of members of key target audiences by January; collect information continuously after that. Contingent on acquisition of information management capacity in next strategy. |
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The Agriculture Program acquires the information management capacity (open-source database and personnel) to build and manage the database. |
ONGOING. Decision from Extension, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences administrators to establish and manage as an administrative function. |
Objective 2: Develop a program of sustained contacts over time to develop marketing relationships with key audiences.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Strategically distribute communications to key audiences. |
2007–2008: Distribution of Lifescapes, invitations, newsletters, letters etc., is targeted to different audiences using database. Contingent on database being established (Objective 1, above).
2009–2012: Database used to track all communications with key audience members, ensuring four or more contacts annually to maintain relationship. Contingent on database being established (Objective 1, above). |
Table of Contents
Index of Organizational Goals and Objectives
Marketing and External Communication
Goal 3: Build reputation for the Texas Cooperative Extension brand through media efforts focused on select, high-impact programs.
Statement of Support: Extension may enhance its public visibility and presence in the media by focusing its communications efforts on priority, high-impact programs.
Objective 1: Select programs for focused communication efforts.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Establish a systematic and strategic means of selecting programs for focused media work. |
2007–2008: Use the strategic plan and impact reports as a basis for establishing priority and impact on these programs: Water, Walk Across Texas, Junior Master Gardener, and Disaster Preparedness.
Reassess in early 2008, after initial marketing/media relations efforts with these program areas, and in light of agency’s strategic branding initiative.
2009–2012: Repeat process outlined above annually to have one or more program focus areas rotated out and replaced by another. |
Objective 2: Conduct an intensive communications effort for each selected high-impact program. .
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Incorporate priorities into regular news production through Agricultural Communications. |
2007-2008: Stories on priority programs marketed to additional target press, including magazines and special interest publications, increasing the number of media outlets reached by 10%.
2007-2008: Identify the number of stories reported and produced about priority programs in all media to establish a baseline.
Evaluate this approach in early 2008, in light of agency’s strategic branding initiative. Modify as necessary. |
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Conduct communication campaigns for one or more focus areas in selected metro areas or regions. |
2007–2008: Size, intensity, and expense of campaigns planned according to relevance to a mass audience, message, timing, and fiscal resources provided to conduct campaigns with in-house resources or by out-sourcing.
2007–2008: Campaigns planned to include methods such as print press publications; television and radio public service announcements paid for as advertising; placement of subject experts/spokespersons on broadcast programs; major events, exhibits, media tours; Web sites; advertising, promotions, billboards, etc. |
Objective 3: Involve all parts and levels of the organization in a coordinated focus on promoting the selected high-impact program areas.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Incorporate priority programs into all formal and informal communications efforts. |
2007–2008: Impact/evaluation personnel obtain impact data for each priority program area.
2007–2012: Agricultural Communications produces/updates an impact publication for each priority area on annual or biennial basis.
2007–2012: District Extension administrators, regional program directors, and county Extension directors highlight priority program areas at interpretation events.
2007–2012: Administrators and program leaders highlight priority programs with videos, presentations to external audiences, and program marketing materials on an annual basis.
2007–2012: Agricultural Communications features priority programs in Lifescapes (approximately 4 articles per year) and other communication vehicles.
2007–2012: County agents are provided with materials (e.g., column text) to feature priority programs in the course of their local media work |
Table of Contents
Index of Organizational Goals and Objectives
Marketing and External Communication
Goal 4: A positive reputation for Extension (what we want to be known for) through Agricultural Communications’ regular, ongoing news coverage efforts will be strategically developed.
Statement of Support: Agricultural Communications continues to provide news coverage for the whole agency, but to help in achieving strategic goals must also give special emphasis and re-direct more news resources toward priority goals.
Objective 1: Focus more of Agricultural Communications’ Extension news coverage and stories on topics that support Strategic Plan goals/priorities.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Achieve more coverage of program substance and impacts. |
2007-2008: The number of substantive program- and subject-related news releases is sustained at the 2005 baseline level.
2007-2008: The number of videos produced about substantive Extension programs averages 20 per year.
2007-2008: Online training modules developed for agents on how to obtain publicity and prepare stories locally |
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Position Extension experts with the media as informed sources and advocates. |
2007–2008: Media training offered to Extension specialists twice or more annually.
2007-2008: Resources for media training recommended for specialists and agents through the professional development curricula
2007–2012: Extension experts marketed to the media through online media query services (e.g., ProfNet) and direct contacts on an ongoing basis; counts of responses provided on weekly news reports |
Objective 2: Continue to build Agricultural Communications’ news bureau as a preferred information source for traditional and new media.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Strengthen the newly implemented regional news bureau concept. |
2007: The number of regional stories placed in other regions, statewide, or nationally maintained at 2006 baseline.
2007–2012: Provide consistent coverage of Extension and research events and accomplishments from centers without an on-site communicator. (Corpus Christi, Stephenville, Vernon, Temple) |
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Enhance media marketing effectiveness. |
2007–2012: Media subscriptions to AgnMore, media requests, and downloads from AgNews increase from 2006 levels. |
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Continue to experiment with and enhance “new media” efforts. |
2007: The results of current experiments with podcasting and blogging are documented.
2007: Use of Vocus software enhances ability to track media placements.
2007–2012: Online syndication (RSS) to additional outlets further developed, with number of outlets documented. |
Table of Contents
Index of Organizational Goals and Objectives
Marketing and External Communication
Goal 5: Marketing materials that strategically re-position the agency for the future by honing our image and message(s) will be produced and maintained.
Statement of Support: In addition to producing marketing materials about the agency, we must ensure the messages communicated in those materials position us for the future.
Objective 1: Develop and test a set of messages as the basis of marketing communications for 2007, subject to needs determined through agency’s strategic branding initiative.
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Achieve administrative agreement that is communicated throughout the organization as to who we are, what we do, and how we will express that consistently to the public in understandable terms. |
2007–2008: Messages tested with target audiences through focus groups and other means to determine effectiveness in communicating before use in marketing efforts. *Contingent on funding.
2007–2008: Messages created that are shown through testing to move the agency beyond stereotypes without alienating traditional audiences in building a stronger reputation for being contemporary, current with technology, relevant to urban interests, youthful, diverse, etc.
2007–2008: Capitalize on and extend our agency tagline–real learning for real life–in demonstrating relevance of Extension education. Or test a tagline that replaces this through the strategic branding initiative.
2007–2008: Focus strengthened on messages that document positive economic, environmental, human, and “public good” impacts in all communications. |
Table of Contents
Index of Organizational Goals and Objectives
Marketing and External Communication
Goal 6: Our capabilities to produce and market value-added educational publications and other materials will be enhanced and expanded.
Statement of Support: To compete effectively as an educational information provider, Extension must expand its production of high-quality, value-added publications and other print materials.
Objective 1: Increase the number of marketable for-sale educational publications produced.
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Strategy |
Timeline/Measure(s) |
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Administration develops incentives for program groups to produce for-sale materials. |
2007–2012: Additional potential sale products identified through the annual planning and scheduling process and solicitation of such products from program groups. |
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Agricultural Communications develops ideas for and solicits partners in producing creative, value-added products. |
2007: Texas Lawns book completed. |
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External marketing of the online TCE Bookstore is expanded. |
2007-2008: Improved Bookstore Web page is developed, tested, and rolled out. Site handles shipping costs as an add-on to purchases; these costs are no longer figured as part of publication price.
2007–2012: Promotional items for the TCE Bookstore are produced and provided to agents for marketing purposes.
2007-2012: Bookstore products are exhibited and sold at targeted conferences or events.
2007–2012: Intensive marketing efforts for one or two specific products having exceptional sales potential are executed annually. |
Table of Contents
Index of Organizational Goals and Objectives
________________________________
Contact:
Director
Texas Cooperative Extension
112 Jack K. Williams Administration Building
7101 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-7101
Ph: 979-845-7967
Fax: 979-845-9542
September 2007