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July is Park and Recreation Month
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Issue(s)
The Dallas Park and Recreation Department facilities and programs have been faced with overcoming continual budget cuts. Park facilities and programming have fallen below the national average. The local staff felt that by utilizing a national concept implemented by park systems throughout the U.S. of highlighting "July is Park and Recreation Month" and building an awareness campaign around that theme, that the public would learn more about the opportunities available through the Dallas Park and Recreation Department and its facilities.
While a national program was used as a template, there were no guidelines or materials available to local park departments. The Agency was hired to create a program and execute all activities with the help of Dallas Park and Recreation staff. The program began six years ago and continues to grow each year.
Insight
We knew going into the project that we had zero budget and had to gain exposure creatively. First, we met with the top television station, WFAA-TV (ABC), to discuss the need for the awareness campaign. The station chose to support the program by producing a :30 and :10 second PSA and running it throughout July. Together, we chose former Dallas Cowboy Drew Pearson to be our spokesperson. This "celebrity" element made the spot memorable and tied the image of the Dallas Park and Recreation Department with healthy, fit and successful people.
To garner more exposure, we built a "kick-off" event into the campaign and invited the Mayor, City Council and Park Board to participate. Each year, we have had a new theme for the event and incorporated facilities, programming and children in the summer program. We invited the Coca-Cola Bottling Company to participate as a sponsor. It provided money that was used for printing posters and brochures for the kick-off event as well as enough product for all participants. We also asked Minyard Food Stores to provide food for the kick-off event, which added additional sponsor support.
Expertise
We added value through the television PSA schedule and through lining up all sponsors. We wrote and assisted in directing the production of the PSA, and gave guidance to the design and production of posters and brochures. In addition, we asked Coca-Cola to provide a photographer at the kick-off event allowing us to send out a post release and photos that appeared in numerous area publications. And finally, we created a kick-off event that generated media coverage in print, television and radio.
Impact
As a result, the campaign got the Dallas Park and Recreation staff excited about their jobs and parks. The Mayor's office became more aware of what the Park Department was doing and as a result has been more involved throughout the year. The PSA's generated a "buzz" about the local facilities and programming with the general public. A relationship was established with Coca-Cola Bottling Company and there has been a growth in further partnerships and continued support for the Park Department. The sponsor list continues to expand as the campaign grows each year. Dallas Park and Recreation Department now considers "July Is Park and Recreation Month" an important annual campaign.
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