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The ICC team created the initial designs and plan for the campaign before the corporate sponsor came on board. The sponsor had certain campaign requirements and the McKinley team advised the C&T department on how to meet or negotiate the corporate sponsor’s requests. We worked together to retrofit the campaign and moved forward with the designs to create the collateral. After a few months on hold waiting to dot the I’s and cross the T’s, we got the final go-ahead. The Get Everyone Certified Campaign was officially underway.
We developed a tactical plan that took into account the approval time needed for both ICC and the corporate sponsor. Because of the high-profile nature of this campaign, we needed to further leverage ICC’s many channels and work with other departments to ensure greater promotion. McKinley worked with the C&T department to discuss processes needed to fulfill the campaign requirements, which included:
The Get Everyone Certified campaign consisted of more than 25 elements that needed to be written, designed, approved by ICC, approved by the sponsor, and implemented. Elements of the campaign included
McKinley collaborated with the C&T department at all stages of implementation: we wrote and revised the copy, worked with the internal ICC designers to ensure both ICC’s and the sponsor’s requirements were met, routed for approvals (and nagged if deadlines weren’t met).
A campaign like this requires a lot of approvals from players at multiple levels at both organizations. Of course the C&T department and corporate sponsor needed to review all of the pieces, but, because of this campaign’s high visibility, approvals were needed at many levels at both organizations. The campaign also needed the expertise of ICC’s designers as well as their web and publications teams. In all, more than 20 people touched this campaign in one way or another.
When we launched, we didn’t know what kind of results to expect. We wondered if departments would participate and whether any would be eligible to win the contest. We didn’t need to worry; the campaign was a success in 2013: 140 departments with 655 staff members participated across 33 states. The corporate sponsor was pleased with the visibility of the campaign and the level of participation. The campaign also resulted in broadened awareness of ICC’s certification program.
We learned many tips and tricks while developing and implementing the campaign. There will always been unexpected challenges in a campaign, but asking the right questions can set you up for success.
Here are a few questions to consider when developing a campaign.