The Brand
The National Grid for Learning is the gateway to educational resources on the Internet. The NGfL provides a network of links to selected web sites. Whether you are learning, supporting, teaching or managing, there are resources on the NGfL for you.
The Objective
To promote the National Grid for Learning and make it known to teachers, pupils, parents and the wider public. To enhance the Department for Education & Skill’s presence at BETT (held at Olympia in January each year) and use the event as a PR platform to launch the National Grid for Learning into other media.
To fully exploit the DfES presence at BETT promoting NGfL amongst teachers, pupils and parents to reinforce its role in delivering ICT to schools and continue to drive participation in schools.
The Solution
Exposure Communications developed a nationwide PR campaign based on the National Grid for Learning, through the department’s participation at BETT. It used the event to communicate relevant and newsworthy announcements from ministers. Key to the strategy was full exploitation of the opportunities presented by the exhibition to take the message beyond the four days and the four walls of the show, which was used to give releases immediacy and impact. Local media (radio and newspapers) were targeted alongside national printed and broadcast media.
Pre-prepared information was supported and endorsed by live content from the exhibition: relevant, newsworthy and from real people.
Campaign Elements:
1. Radio
Radio was the key medium used to reach the target audience. Teachers, parents and students all listen to radio!
A news programme about ICT in schools was recorded live at BETT. Estelle Morris (Secretary of State for Education & Skills) officially opened BETT 2002. Her presentation was recorded and edited onto disk along with interviews from key industry figures, teachers and students attending the event. Instant news bulletins were fed through to national and regional radio stations followed with the distribution of the syndicated news programme to 250 independent radio stations, 25 regional BBC stations, 55 university broadcasters and digital channels.
2. News release
As well as listening to radio, teachers, parents and students also read newspapers! A news release was issued to national and regional press and newswires on the first day of the event. This contained up-to-date information of announcements made, facts and figures about ICT in schools.
3. Newsletter
A custom-designed newsletter for the National Grid for Learning was conceived, designed and written for distribution at BETT. 4,000 copies of ‘Grid News’ provided up-to-date and useful information about the National Grid for Learning, covering speeches and initiatives launched at the event.
Grid News was created specifically for teachers visiting the event on Saturday, the final day of BETT to give them an opportunity to catch up on the latest news from the Department for Education.
Additionally, Grid News contained a word search and a cut-out “jargon-busters” page to ensure longevity.
Results
- The radio campaign reached an audience of over 89 million listeners (Weekly reach). News bulletins and in-depth news programmes were reported on stations throughout the UK during and after the event. Many broadcasters contacted local schools (using information supplied by Exposure Communications) making the news story more relevant to their audience
- Information from the news release was tracked in 34 regional newspapers and 6 national newspapers. The coverage had a media value in excess of £2.5 million
- More than 4,000 copies of Grid News were given away at the exhibition
- Hits of the NGfL website doubled in the week after the exhibition from 1.5 million to 3 million
