Kanawha County Schools: Ready for the World Campaign
Overview
Since the pandemic, there have been significant and widespread shifts in the landscape of education. Parents and teachers everywhere are questioning the value of traditional schooling and wondering how to ensure that children receive the highest-quality education. Amidst this uncertainty, Kanawha County Schools (KCS) sought to roll out a campaign that would highlight its unique strengths and reassure caregivers that Kanawha County classrooms are truly a place to set their kids up for success.
With these goals in mind, 84 Agency developed a positive storytelling campaign centered around the key message “Ready for the World.” This four-month digital, TV, and radio ad campaign called attention to the wide range of resources and individualized services available to all within KCS, the commitment of the school district’s staff members, and its tech-forward mindset. From video to social content, the various components of the campaign emphasized the real-life impact that KCS has on its students and families, and how that impact meaningfully carries into the future.
Process & Outputs
After presenting the campaign concept and storyboards to the KCS team, 84 Agency conducted video shoots at a variety of KCS locations. The two-minute video we created from this footage showcased the KCS values of community, legacy, and innovation, and served as the foundation for the rest of the campaign collateral.
The campaign officially kicked off with the launch of this full-length “Ready for the World” video, which was shared organically and through a paid ad set on Facebook and Instagram. Two additional 30-second videos were developed from the footage we captured, along with radio and TV spots that utilized messaging from the video scripts. During the same period that the TV and radio ads aired (and beyond) 84 Agency executed a strategic social media campaign featuring posts that were consistent in tone and visual style—values-based and inspiring—with the other “Ready for the World” content.
We implemented a “pulsing” approach with this campaign, running an expanded series of ads for short bursts of time across multiple platforms in order to maximize frequency and reach among KCS’ target audiences: specifically, women and taxpayers in the school district. Women were prioritized, as data shows that they’re most likely to be the decision-makers regarding healthcare and education within their households.
Impact
Because the primary objective of the “Ready for the World” campaign was to strengthen commitment to the KCS brand, there was no specific call to action. We simply wanted to help KCS make a positive and lasting impression with as many people as possible!
In this, we were successful. Over the course of the campaign, the boosted content reached 275,744 people throughout the Kanawha Valley, with impressions up 791% from the previous 90 days. And, when the results of the paid and organic posts are combined, the full-length video was viewed by 134,854 social media users—roughly 52.8% of the Kanawha Valley.
Moreover, sharing a range of content without a specific call to action gave KCS an opportunity to promote themselves in a way that felt trustworthy and inspirational at a decisive political moment. In the November 2022 election, toward the end of the “Ready for the World” campaign, Kanawha County voters passed an excess levee that guaranteed KCS $308.3 million through 2029. The numbers—and vote—made it clear: Kanawha County residents, whose allegiance to the public school system was formerly in question, had been convinced of the value of supporting KCS.
Given the overwhelming positive response to the campaign, KCS has decided to use the “Ready for the World” visual style for the general KCS brand moving forward.