University

of Northern Iowa Dance Marathon

MEDIA PLAN

March 11, 2014

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Media Planning
Group

Kelsey Krueger
Erin Mcelroy
Sarah Nerison
Chelsea Spear

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Table of Contents
Page 3: Executive Summary
Page 5: Organization History
Page 7: Media Objectives
Page 8: Competitive Analysis
Page 9: Target Audience
Page 10: Media Selections
Page 11: Broadcast Radio
Page 12: Radio Release
Page 13: Radio Stations
Page 14: Social Medias
Page 15: Facebook Event
Page 16: Handouts
Page 17: Flyer
Page 18: Poster
Page 19: Newspapers


Page 20: Immediate Release


Page 21: Example Article
Page 22: Logo
Page 23: Promotional Material
Page 24: The Plan
Page 25: Media Plan
Page 26: Budget
Page 27: Other Media Recommendations
Page 28: Evaluations
Page 29: Closing Statement








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Executive Summary
For the first ever Dance Marathon Knockout Cancer Event, our organization has decided
to collaborate with another campus organization, Campus Activities Board, to create an event
to raise funding for our main event on March 1st. We are hoping to expand our already
supportive fans to create a larger Dance Marathon family by using various mediums that will
target families, high schools, elementary schools in the Cedar Valley and college students from
the University of Northern Iowa.
Fun and Educational
This event is intended to raise awareness as well as gain financial support for the main
Dance Marathon event later in the year. During the event we will be attempting to break Iowa
State Universitys basketball-knockout game, while raising awareness of the money needed for
children at the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital. We are using local radio, TV, paper
handouts, posters, social media and face-to-face interaction to gather community support
while working to keep budget costs low. The presentation that will be used will be eye-catching
and colorful, as Dance Marathon is known for their neon orange logo and bright smiling faces.
Promotion
In order to reach our target audiences our plan is to utilize social and local mediums. We
will focus on spreading the word throughout social media on sites like Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram while also handing out flyers to local elementary and high school students with the
event details on them. We will also hang posters throughout UNIs campus as well as
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distributing the flyers to students at other campus events that the UNI Campus Activity Board
hosts. Also, we will be using UNI radio and television and other local news channels to reach
students and the older community demographic. Most of the promotion will take place
primarily in December, with some advertisements running in early November, as the event will
take place on January 31st, 2015.

Organization History
UNI Dance Marathon is a student organization that raises money for the Iowa Childrens
Hospital and the Childrens Miracle Network. The money that is raised goes towards children
and families needing research, education, equipment, and enhancements. The money raised
also helps hospital stays more comfortable for the families by making rooms more focused on a
home feel.
The University of Iowa Childrens Hospital was started in 1919 and since has helped
countless children with life-threatening illnesses. The UI hospital has more than 165,000 clinic
visits a year and 6,000 impatient admissions. The Childrens Miracle Network is a nonprofit
organization that began in 1983 by Marie Osmond, John Schneider, Mick Shannon and Joe Lake
as they hosted a televised fundraiser to raise money for Childrens Hospitals. Since 1983, there
have been two goals: to help as many children possible by raising funds and to keep that money
within the community that it was raised. As the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital is the
nearest childrens hospital to UNIs campus, it has been UNI Dance Marathons duty and dream
to be a part of helping these children and their families recover and live the most normal life
possible.
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Dance Marathon is not a one time a year event, as students in the organization plan and
raise fundraising throughout the year. Every year Dance Marathon year concludes with one big
event, generally taking place on March 1. During this time dancers will stand for 12 hours
(12p.m. to 12a.m.). The participants will be provided with activities throughout the night and
are given the chance to hang out with UNI Dance Marathon Kids that have and are being
treated at the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital and their families. To attend this event
there is a minimum donation of ten dollars.
UNI Dance Marathon is made up of 14 executives, which have their own committee. The
entire Dance Marathon organization is one of the largest on campus, with over 70 active
members. UNI Dance Marathon as an organization works throughout the year to plan events
that will raise fundraising for the hospital. By teaming up with Campus Activities Board for this
event, Dance Marathon will be able to reach out to a different audience than previous years, as
Campus Activities Board has a large amount of followers. Without outside support from
students and community members, Dance Marathon would not be nearly as successful as they
are. With constant improvement each year, UNI Dance Marathon has continued to outdo their
previous years funding for the last 10 years, and with Campus Activities Board for next years
event, we will hopefully go higher than our expectations again.

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Media Objectives:
Media Objectives for the January 2015 UNI Dance Marathon Knockout Cancer Event.

Create awareness of the 2015 UNI Dance Marathon Knockout Cancer Event that is to
take place on January 31, 2015 with a limited budget
Use media to raise awareness of the event and how important it is to raise funding for
the kids
Target UNIs students
Target elementary and high schools in and around the Cedar Valley area, as well as their
families
Raise funding for University of Iowa Childrens Hospital

Media Strategy

Focus on handouts at schools such as but not limited to:

-Cedar Valley Elementary School
-Cedar Valley Community Schools
-Helen A Hansen Elementary School
-South Dale Elementary School
-Lincoln Elementary School
-Orchard Hill Elementary School
-Cedar Height Elementary School
-North Cedar Elementary School
-St Patrick School
Reach our target audience by using UNI TV and radio station ads as well as local TV and
radio station ads.
Create flyers and posters to handout on UNI campus as well as across the Cedar Valley
area.
Create an event and promote event details throughout various social mediums.

Other Media considered, but not recommended:

Mail stuffers to UNI students

Direct mail and phone calls to members of the community

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Competitive Analysis
As a non-profit organization, UNI Dance Marathon is looking to raise funds for the

University of Iowa Childrens Hospital. The following are other universities that are fundraising
for the hospital. The UNI Dance Marathon finds it important to be competitive in the amount of
money that they fundraise compared to other Iowa schools. UNIs Dance Marathon raised
$176, 498.03 this year, and is setting high goals for next years main event.
The University of Iowa Dance Marathon 20
The University of Iowa is another university that fundraises for the University of Iowa
Childrens Hospital. Their Dance Marathon 20 was hosted on February 8. University of Iowa
holds a large event, providing their dancers with large concerts and other activities. Activities
include board games, dress up competitions, and stories told by current patients at the
hospital. Dance Marathon 20 raised a total of $1,801,032.20 and attracted a large number of
area families and university students. As the University of Iowa is a larger university than UNIs,
it seems that they had a larger target audience and more community involvement.
Iowa State University Dance Marathon Kick It for the Kids 2014
Iowa State University held their marathon on January 26. Their marathon provided live
music, black lights, and several interactive games to keep the dancers occupied. Iowa State
finds it very important to do fundraising throughout the year, but they find volunteering to
raise money most important. Members of Iowa States Dance Marathon team volunteers at
local restaurants and shelters to make a large impact on their community. By doing this, Iowa
State believes that they will receive a large amount of community help. In their marathon this
year, they raised $427,350.17. Iowa State focuses on their large campus to provide them with
the funds they need.

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Target Audience
Primary Target Audience
UNI Dance Marathon has a distinct audience of university students that are interested in raising
money for the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital. For this particular event, we will focus on
raising the attendance level of students that participate in this on-campus fundraising event.
Target Audience
Age:
Current college students
Lifestyle:
On and off campus students
Students looking to get involved in a campus organization
Geographical locations:
Cedar Valley Area

Secondary Target Audience
UNI Dance Marathon also wants to target local elementary and high schools as well as the
Cedar Valley community. Any person that is interested in being part of an event that will raise
money for the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital while attempting to break a Guinness
World Record will be targeted to come to this event.
Target Audience
Age:
Age of 6+
Lifestyle:
Families and students of the Cedar Valley Community
Persons looking to donate for a good reason
Community engagement
Geographical:
Cedar Valley Area

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Media
Selections



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Broadcast: Radio
Radio is a cost effective marketing
tool when it comes to reaching a
variety of audiences. Stations
contract with organizations and
play their 15 to 30 second
commercials advertising different
companies, events, new products,
among other things.
This form of advertising is cost effective especially with targeting families since most
families spend a consistent amount of time in the car each day. While commuting to or from
work, school, childcare, and activities they often listen to the radio. Therefore, creating a radio
commercial to target that crowd and airing it throughout the mornings, late afternoons, and
early evenings would be a great way to reach those families.
However for this event our target audience is quite vast, not just seeking families we are
seeking any abled-bodied people who are willing to play knockout and willing to donate to a
great cause. By advertising at these time will also enable us to reach many college students and
working adults on their commutes to and from campus or work and their other activities.
We have suggested a variety of local radio stations that target similar audiences, such as
88.1, 90.9, 98.5 and 104.5. We plan to air the radio commercials from 7-9a.m. and 3-7p.m.
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Radio Release

30 Second Spot

Have you ever wanted to break a Guinness World Record? Now is your chance!
Saturday, January 31st at 4:00 p.m. in Mcleod Center, UNI CAB and Dance Marathon are
attempting to seize the title of largest game of basketball knockout. With a goal of 600+
participants they need your help to do it. Please come and bring your family and friends to
enjoy an evening of food, fun and fundraising!

-30-
60 Second Spot

University of Northern Iowas Dance Marathon is partnering up with its Campus
Activities Board to bring the Cedar Valley the chance to break a Guinness World Record!
Currently, the largest game of basketball knockout consisted of 571 participants and was
achieved by VEISHEA (USA), a student organization at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. On
Saturday, January 31th at 4:00 p.m. come to the Mcleod Center and do your part to help us, as
we attempt to unseat the Iowa States Knockout Record and raise money to help kids keep
dancing. Bring your family and friends and come enjoy an evening of food, fun and fundraising!

-60-

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Radio Stations
UNI Dance Marathon and Campus Activities Board will produce commercials to
advertise Knockout Cancer on a variety of these local radio stations to reach our target
audiences. These stations reach a large audience, and so will provide them with information
about our event.

KBBG 88.1 FM

Waterloo, Iowa

Public Radio

KOEL 98.5

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Country Music Radio

KUNI 90.9

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Public Radio

KDAT 104.5

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Soft Rock Music Radio

KULT 84.5

Cedar Falls, Iowa

College Radio

o NOTE: Will not play commercials but DJs can choose to discuss and
advertise for events on campus during their shows so it is a matter of
making them aware and asking them to bring it up or leaving a blurb in
the booth.

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Social Medias:
When attempting to target the younger generations, social media is the medium to use
to your advantage not only when to advertise but to build excitement and support for both
your event and your organization in general.

Facebook

Facebook is both effective and free so it is a great and cost effective

way to reach the target audiences of college students and technology savvy
younger generations. The plan is to utilize the Facebook features such as
events, picture sharing, and profile picture changing.

Creating an event will benefit both UNI Dance Marathon and their

participants. Dance Marathon will be able to see an estimate of is Going, which will help
them evaluate the success of their advertising. This event will also provide Dance Marathon
with an open relationship with guests and potential guest to post updates, answer questions,
and gain feedback. Guest will not only benefit from that open relationship with Dance
Marathon but will also be able to easily invite their friends and receive reminders to actually
attend since it is one their event calendar.

Picture and Profile Picture Changing is a voluntary free advertising by providing people

with the logo and some basic information as a picture and description you allow them to
choose to change their profile picture or share the picture and show their support. Which will
also help spread awareness about the event.

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Twitter
Twitter is another great cost effective social media that Dance Marathon
DM will utilize to help create that support and excitement. DM will have
event hashtags posted around the center: #Knockoutcancer
#Dancemarathon2015 #BeatState. Then score boards screen will show a live

feed throughout the event.

Facebo

Create New Event

Name: Knockout Cancer
Details:

ok

UNIs Dance Marathon and CAB are joining forces to

bring you the chance to break a Guinness World
Record!
We need your help us, as we attempt to unseat the
Iowa States Knockout Record and raise money to help
kids keep dancing.

Event:

Current Record: The largest game of basketball

knockout consisted of 571 participants and was
achieved by VEISHEA (USA), a student organization at
Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Our Goal: 600 participants!

Bring your family and friends and come enjoy an

evening of food, fun, fundraising and record
breaking!
Where: Mccloud Center
When: 1/31/2015
Time: 4:00pm
Privacy: Public

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Utilizing UNI Dance Marathon and Facebook Profile and select the Events tab on the side and
then select Create Event. From there simple put in the following information and begin
inviting people.
NOTE: Be sure and utilize CABs profile so they can invite all their friends.

Handouts:
Flyers

As discussed in our media strategy, we will be handing out flyers at local area schools for
children to take home advertising our event. Targeting the schools will allow us not only to
reach children of all ages but through them their parents and teachers.

-Cedar Valley Elementary School

-Cedar Valley Community
Schools
-Helen A Hansen Elementary
School
-South Dale Elementary School
-Lincoln Elementary School

-Orchard Hill Elementary School

-Cedar Height Elementary School
-North Cedar Elementary School
-St Patrick School

Posters

As also discussed in our media strategy, we will be handing out posters to the resident
halls here on campus. Since it is an event created by a student organization here on campus
once the poster are marked as approved by the DOR they can be distributing to the each hall
office, then to each RA, and every hallway on campus advertising our event. Because of their
convenient location to Mcleod and already gained support of Dance Marathon, targeting the
on-campus population will be one of the easiest way to reach our goal of 600.
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Roth Complex
Rider Hall
Shull Hall
Noerhen Hall

Hagemann Hall
Campbell Hall
Lawther Hall
Dancer Hall

Bender Hall
Panther Village

Examples of both flyers and posters are on the next two pages.

Flyers:
Half-page flyers to be distributed within Cedar Valley area schools.

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Posters:
Poster will be distributed among residence halls and around campus.
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Newspapers:
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Newspapers, or rather newspaper article will provide great coverage for

this event and the Dance Marathon Organization. Articles before can help
build excitement and advertise for the Knockout Cancer event, while
articles after can build excitement and advertise for the Dance Marathon
itself. Regardless of whether the record is broken articles about the
support shown and the attempt are still good publicity for Dance
Marathon and its causes.

Possible Newspaper Venues:

The Waterloo-Cedar Fall Courier

The Cedar Falls Times

The Northern Iowan

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Chelsea Spear

319-210-9999
spearc@uni.edu
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University of Northern Iowa Dance Marathon

Cedar Falls, IowaDecember 18, 2014University of Northern Iowa Dance Marathon is
hosting a Knockout Cancer Basketball event on January 31, 2015. This event will be an allafternoon event while we attempt to break the Guinness World Record of the largest game of
knockout to be recorded.
This event will take place on January 31, 2015, about a month before Dance Marathons annual
big event in March. People of all ages will be able to participate in this event, while we try to
break a record and fund money for the University of Iowa Children Hospital.
This event will be free to all participants, but Dance Marathon is asking for donations for the
University of Iowa Children Hospital.
This Knockout Cancer event will provide UNIs campus, as well as Cedar Falls community
members the chance to be a part of breaking a world record. Bring your family and friends out
for an afternoon of fun and fundraising as we try to break the world record for knockout.
You can find more information about UNI Dance Marathon and this event at
http://www.unidancemarathon.com/.
###

Example Article
Contact: Chelsea Spear
319-210-9999
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spearc@uni.edu
Knockout Cancer
Cedar Falls, IA, January 31- The University of Iowa Children Hospital has dedicated to meeting
the health care needs of children and families since 1919. As the only childrens hospital in
Iowa, they provide a range of services from general childhood illness to life threatening
illnesses. Last year UI Children Hospital cared for 55,866 patients from every state in the United
States.
The University of Iowa Children Hospital has kept countless number of children alive, and UNI
Dance Marathon wants your help.
The University of Northern Iowa Campus Activities Board and Dance Marathon has teamed up
to break a world record. On January 31, 2015, the two organizations are hosting a knockout
basketball game to promote their annual large event on March 1st. While attempting to break a
world record, Dance Marathon hopes to raise awareness and collect donations for the UI
Childrens Hospital. This event will focus on broadening Dane Marathons community status as
well as raising more money than previous years.
For more information about UNI Dance Marathon or this event visit:
http://www.unidancemarathon.com/
####

Logos:

This logo will be used on many of our promotional materials.

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Promotional
Material

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All of the previously shown promotional material will be used in our media plan in advertising
for the Knockout Cancer Event.

Radio segments
TV commercials
Facebook Events
Twitter Posts
Flyers
Posters
Newspaper Articles

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The Plan




Media Plan
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We have decided to utilize three main mediums to disseminate our message. We will be using

the radio, print, and social media. Our two important mediums that will require the preparation and
time are print and radio advertisements.

We are trying to reach a big variety of people. Radio is a great way to reach many different types
of people. Through radio we can reach high school and college students on their way to school or driving
home. Using radio we can also reach parents of elementary and middle school kids. This is an important
market because the parents will be the ones who will take the children to the event and they will want
to know what it is about.
Another form of media we will use to create awareness of the Knock-Out Cancer event is
through print. Using print media we will distribute posters to the local k-12 schools and on the campus
of the University of Northern Iowa. Another way we will be using print is by distributing fliers. The fliers
will be sent out to the local k-12 schools for the students to take home and beg their parents to go. The
parents will not want to take them to an event they know nothing about, so we need to make sure the
parents know as much about the Knock-Out Cancer event as possible.
Another major media that we want to use is social media. Members of the audience that are in
high school and college will respond better to social media compared to other forms. High school and
college students will pay more attention to social media because they use it frequently. Through the use
of social media we can post photos and videos creating more excitement for the event. People will be
able to follow information about the Knock-Out Cancer event. The users can see who likes and is
following the social media pages. If someone sees that their friend is attending they will be more excited
to go.

Budget
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Materials

Cost

Posters (100 in color)
$240.00
Fliers (500 in color)
$50.00
Activities (paper, markers, $50.00
crayons, etc.)
Pizza
$585.00
Bottled Water
$72.00
Radio Advertisement
$300.00
Rental Fee (McLeod
$1000.00
Center)
Total
$2297.00

Other Media
Recommendations
There are other media recommendations that we can utilize to become more
successful. One way that will be useful to our campaign is word of mouth. Although we cannot
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solely rely on word of mouth, it is a very important form of free advertisement. When our event
reaches a buzz it will be talked about everywhere, creating excitement.
Another way of crating awareness of our event is by visiting the local k-12 schools and
explaining the Knock-Out Cancer event. We really want everyone to be excited about this
event. To achieve this we are going to talk about our event, explain it, and maybe even dance a
little bit.

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Evaluation

This survey will be given out at the Knock-Out Cancer event after participants have been
knocked out of the game and to spectators not participating. The results of the survey will be
used for an evaluation of the event and be taken into consideration when preparing for next
years Knock-Out Cancer event.

Survey
Name: ____________________________ Date of Birth __________
Email Address __________________________________
How did you hear about the Knock-Out Cancer event?

__ I received a flyer.

__ I heard about it on your radio commercial.

__ I seen it on your television commercial.

__ A friend told me about it.

__ I saw it on your social media websites.

__ Other __________________________________.

Did you enjoy this event?

Boring

Neutral

10

Had a Blast

What would you improve? _____________________________

____________________________________________________
What was your favorite part?
___________________________ ___________________
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Closing Statement
Through the previous media tactics we will effectively reach our target audiences. We
will create excitement about the Knock-Out Cancer event. The number of people that attend
and the results of our evaluation sheets will measure the effectiveness of the media tactics. We
hope these media tactics will result in a great number of people attending the Knock-Out
Cancer event.

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LETS KNOCKOUT CANCER

2015 SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE
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HOW YOUR SUPPORT GIVES HOPE

The University of Northern Iowa Dance Marathon strives to provide hope and comfort for families
with children facing life-threatening illnesses by raising money for the Childrens Miracle Network
Hospitals and hosting events that heighten student and community awareness.

Your business will be introducing college age adults to the awarding world of philanthropy and the
benefits of donating to the local community of Cedar Falls and Waterloo.

You are directly supporting a local hospital that has impacted many families of our own community.

You will be part of the exclusive group donating to the first annual UNI Dance Marathon Knockout
Cancer game and will have first priority of name recognition for future Dance Marathons.

Your logo and business will be advertised in front of over 500 students on campus at our event.

During an hour, you may choose to promote your business on a personal level.

We give all of our sponsors names to the UI Childrens Hospital for brand recognition.

UNI Dance Marathon will have specific sponsorship levels and benefits, including owning an hour of
the stage to promote your business name, having your logo on the back of all the dancers and
families T-shirts, and hanging a personalized banner as promotion for our event.

At the event, we will specifically thank and recognized each of our sponsors in front of all
participants of Dance Marathon.

Your company will be known for donating to this wonderfully unique cause of donating money to
kids and their families on making their life better and more enjoyable.





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LETS KNOCKOUT CANCER

University of Northern Iowa McLeod Center

Saturday, January 31st
! 4-6 PM
Free admission
Free food

Our goal is to break the Guinness World Record of the largest
Knockout game and have 600+ people play a game of knockout!

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ABOUT DANCE MARATHON

UNI Dance Marathon is a student organization that raises money for
the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital and the Childrens Miracle
Network.

The money that is raised goes towards research, education,
equipment and enhancements. These four things will help the
children and families to feel as close to home as possible during
their stay at the hospital.

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CURRENT SPONSORS

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WHAT OUR DANCERS ARE SAYING

Laura Weigel, 21
I am really happy I got involved in Dance Marathon at UNI. Dance Marathon
is a great organization that brings so many students together to dance for a
great cause!

Maddie Twedt, 19
I was involved with the PR committee for Dance Marathon, I visited the
University of Iowa hospitals with some of the committee members and had a
great experience! It feels great knowing that all of our money is for the kids!
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Caleb Claus, 21
I enjoy how much we incorporate the kids. We got a chance to individually
meet some of the kids throughout the day and heard each of their stories. I
love seeing all the smiles on the kids faces!

Jenna Deutmeyer, 22
Our big event goes from noon to midnight and we have a bunch of activities
such as blow up games, face painting, Zumba, belly dancing, and many other
things.

Derek Klein, 21
We exceeded our goal by over 50,000 dollars and we ended up raising
$176,498.03

SELECT YOUR PACKAGE

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Sponsorship
Levels

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Orange

($100)

($200)

($500)

($1,000)

Listed on paper
given to every
participant

Designed sign to
display in
business

Donation bucket
for display

Display logo on
event T-shirt

Logo on hanging
event banner

Shown on TVs
throughout the
union

Vocally
recognized
during event

Booth/ Promotion
time at event

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SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT
Company Name: _________________________________________________________
Contact Name: ___________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Telephone: ____________________________ Fax: ______________________________
Email: ________________________________
SPONSORSHIP: We would like to be a sponsor at the following level (please circle)
Orange:

$1,000+

Gold:

$700

Silver:

$500

Bronze:

$200

Total Retail Value: $______________________
Credit Card #___________________________________ Exp Date_______________Security Code___________
Signature: ______________________________________________________ Date: _______________________________




Please email completed contract to Ryan Matasovsky at rmatsovsky@uni.edu


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SPONSORSHIP TEAM
Director of Finance

Director of Recruitment

Director of Operations

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Thank you.

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