Communication Checklist

SGT. STAR Sargent STAR is an interactive virtual guide to the Army. He was created to help answer questions regarding joining the Army, and what people do after joining. There are several versions of SGT. STAR, each showing that it was designed to reach a younger audience through social media and interactivity. RESEARCH
What do we know about the current situation? o Currently Sgt. STAR is a tool devised to provide the most up-to-date information in an interactive format. More specifically it is designed as a 508 compliant tool so that anyone that may have a disability can hear Sgt.. STARs response as well as read it. o Based on the current format and types of responses provided the tool can be used by high school students interested in joining the Army after graduating, informing friends and family of interested recruits, and councilors. The responses seem to answer common questions that a new recruit may ask or be curious about asking, but nervous to hear the responses from an actual person. What do you need to know and what tools will you use to find out (onl ine survey, focus group, interviews, etc.)? o Currently we need to look at the analytics to see what type of people are interacting with Sgt.. STAR, if its being used frequently, if there are current questions that there are not proper responses to, and an online survey seeking feedback and comments on the particular tool. Has it always been this way? o Based upon the nine interviews discussed about the Sgt.. STAR program it would appear it was built for a particular mission in mind, and since that time continued on towards it. The particular mission is identified in the What do we know about the current situation? question. There are suggestions that though Sgt.. STAR can provide audio feedback based on your questions that they are attempting or planning to develop a tool that allows users to speak into a microphone and ask Sgt.. STAR questions. Are there any other Sgt.. STAR versions? o Currently Sgt.. STAR comes in three forms: The www.goarmy.com Web interface, the Facebook Army app interface, and a fully interactive lifesized version found at recruiting events. Based on the following YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUdTupZXyqc&feature=player_embedded#!) it would appear that the previous information about Sgt.. STAR is slightly outdated as the recruiting event version allows users to verbally interact with it. o It also has a large answer bank, additional visual examples, and provides a bit of added conversational in-betweens.

STRATEGY
Who are the decision makers and the stakeholders in this situation? o The Army o Potential Recruits

Communication Checklist
o Family o Friends o Counselors What do we need to accomplish? o We need to help the army communicate and streamline the communication process for recruitment. How will we know if we are successful? o We will know if we are successful if the new communications tool is effective o We will also know that we are successful if the new communications tool is efficient o Additionally, our success can be seen in a growth in the popularity of the new communications tool. What behavior are we trying to achieve? o We are trying to achieve better communication tactics in the army and in the recruitment process. What steps will take us there? o Strategic advertising campaign in magazines that appeal to college students. o E-mail press release blast to people who could potentially use this communications tool (men in the army, potential recruits, their families). o Greater emphasis on promoting the communication through social media. o Focus on getting media attention.

IMPLEMENTATION Who are the stakeholders? o In order of most to least crucial stakeholders: potential recruits; parents; friends of potential recruits; school counselors. What is our ultimate goal? o To expand SGT. STAR's potential demographic reach, find appropriate recruits while avoiding candidates unfit for military duty, educating and availing ourselves to those directly involved in the potential recruit's decision-making process (especially parents, of course), and encouraging potential recruits to suggest SGT. STAR and materials related to SGT. STAR to their friends. What are the steps to reaching that goal? o Increased Internet presence on social networks, advertising on popular online videogames with military content, distribution of materials to potential recruits and their friends, information packets for parents, and informational packets for school counselors. As explained further in the "Implementation" section below, the expense of television advertising does not at first glance justify its use. But this question must be settled during the research phase. o Budgetary implications: This campaign should fall well within realistic budgetary boundaries. However, the budget would increase substantially if research suggests a television campaign would be highly successful and that campaign were implemented. This question need only be addressed if research suggests the potential exists to do so. Messaging based on identified target groups o Potential Recruits Create social networking channels appropriate to the target age group. Use Internet advertising on sites attractive to potential recruits, such as online videogames sites and other sites to be determined during research.

Communication Checklist
SGT. STAR should seek as many links as possible on professional and appropriate military recruitment resource link pages; advertising on such sites with high traffic is recommended. Due to the prevalence of Internet use by the target age group, a television campaign seems unnecessary and too costly to justify the expense. However, this should be confirmed during research to ensure it would not in fact justify its cost before being ruled out.

Parents While information packets for parents should be supplied to recruits for parents' use, those packets should also be directly mailed to parents. The packets should describe the purpose of SGT. STAR, subtly emphasizing our mission to avoid deceptive recruitment techniques without drawing undue attention to what should be a non-issue. Specific messages for this group: Your son or daughter contacted SGT. STAR with questions about a possible military career. The enclosed information will describe the SGT. STAR program and military career information so that you may discuss this important issue with your child." Friends of Potential Recruits Distribution of additional pamphlets and information packets for the potential recruit's friends. Create incentives or additional incentives for recruits to spread the word to friends, as well as rewards for those friends who enlist. We should encourage, with some measure of restraint, all potential recruits to discuss their thoughts about their career choice with friends and to offer materials supplied to them when asked. And, of course, they should refer interested friends to SGT. STAR. Our chief ally, again, is the natural word-of-mouth communication that occurs between friends. School Guidance Counselors These stakeholders would be provided information packets with a cover letter emphasizing that the materials have been supplied solely as a resource for students who express interest in a military career. It should be made clear that we do not wish for counselors to use our materials under any other circumstances, nor to "sell" a military career, but merely as a tool by which those already interested can find answers to their questions. An informational web page for guidance counselors should be created and added to the company website (see below). Specific message for this group: "When students express interest in a military career, let SGT. STAR help answer their questions." Also: "Have your own questions about SGT. STAR?

EVALUATION The concept behind Sgt. STAR is to interact with potential recruits using a new virtual new technology. This technology is an avatar that answers questions without being intimidating (historically recruits have been timid to ask questions in front of live Army recruits). In addition, this new avatar can answer some of the tougher questions that are difficult to answer such as: Will I have to kill people? What is your dont ask dont tell policy? etc. How will we measure this campaign? o Measuring new recruit enlistment rates through GoArmy.com

Communication Checklist
85% of Teenagers are online every day and the Army wants to be interactive with potential recruits. Measuring online activity STARts throughout the online reach of the campaign. o Individual landing pages for each of the online media forums will determine which social media outlets are most effective. This can be achieved through online tracking analytics such as Google Analytics, Woopra, Re-Invigorate and through the long-term on Alexa.com. o Facebook Page - Fan Page for Sgt.. STAR - Ask Sgt.. STAR - Statistical Data in the Chart below will determine the budget for Facebook advertisements and interaction through the fan page. Currently 64% of Males and 60.3% of Females using Facebook are between 14-34. Detailed Facebook Demographics: Male 9.8% 13.7% 17.5% 13.2% 10.2% 15.3% 10.4% 5.5% 4.5% Female 9.1% 13.2% 16.6% 11.7% 9.7% 15.4% 12.3% 7.2% 4.8%

Age range 14-17 18-20 21-24 25-29 30-34 35-44 45-54 55-63 64+ Source: Facebook.com ad platform. Percentages include those Facebook members who include a gender in their profiles. Data collected in May 2011.

MySpace - Ask Sgt.. STAR o Statistical Data in the Chart below will determine the budget for MySpace advertisements and interaction through the fan page. Currently 75.5% of Males and 73% of Females that use MySpace are between 14-34.

Detailed MySpace Demographics Age range 14-17 18-20 21-24 25-29 Male 14.8% 27.2% 14.7% 12.0% Female 19.6% 19.0% 14.8% 12.5%

Communication Checklist
30-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Source: MySpace.com ad platform. Percentages include those MySpace members who include a gender in their profiles. Data collected in May 2011. o Video Game Promotion o Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 release 11/8 - campaign to include the Sgt.. STAR to help cross-promote both the video game and the use of Sgt.. STAR at GoArmy.com Usage statistics can be recorded back to GoArmy.com through Microsoft and the games producer Activision. o Battlefield 3 to be released on October 25, 2011 has built in billboards throughout the game. Advertisers can use these virtual spaces to place ads within the game. What Statistical data can be pulled to show success? (percent increase in calls, revenue generated in dollars, perception of behavior change etc.) o Ultimately, to gain an understanding of the campaigns success, we need to see an increase in recruit enlistment that occurs through the website GoArmy.com - Tracking specific inbound links to the website can determine which channels are most successful and provide feedback as to where the Army needs to invest to continue success. What other indicators will we look at? o Website traffic - Goarmy.com o Impact on enlistment rates o Buzz on social media outlets o Increase of recruit enlistment in the month of May (The highest enlistment month for high school graduates in which a separate campaign can be launched to reach potential recruits in the month of May) What are people saying about the campaign? o Feedback from the interaction with Sgt.. STAR - A post use survey o Twitter - Twitter is a great tool for determining the buzz and branding around a campaign. Measuring the social media buzz, will increase with popularity and media exposure. o In addition, reading posts on Facebook and MySpace can help determine the direction of future campaigns, determine how Sgt.. STAR resonates with the target audience and which social media channels were most successful. o Data collected from Microsoft and Activision around the impact of the Sgt.. STAR campaign Determine if recruit enlistment improved following the release of Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3. o Also, feedback is necessary following interaction with the Sgt.. STAR avatar. The feedback collected will determine the success of each portion of the campaign by pinpointing successful areas to focus future efforts towards. Post survey o Determine how potential recruits, friends of potential recruits and family members feel about the Sgt.. STAR avatar. 6.8% 8.4% 12.1% 0.9% 3.0% 7.1% 7.5% 11.8% 1.1% 6.6%

Communication Checklist
Are you a Potential Recruit? Yes or No - If answered Yes, did Sgt.. STAR provide you with enough information to feel comfortable about joining the army? Are you a Parent of a potential recruit? Are you a friend of a potential recruit? Did Sgt. STAR answer your questions? What did you like about Sgt. STAR? What didnt you like about Sgt. STAR? Where did you hear about Sgt. STAR? Would you to speak to an Army recruiter at this time?