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Know It
College women are four times more likely to be victims of sexual assault.
Based on this statistic, Big designed a campaign for Verizon Wireless’ use called Know It Forward, a statewide campaign designed to build awareness about the issue of sexual assault among college-aged students. Know It Forward was a multi-tier effort that included TV, radio and online tools, all of which was developed to drive people to the Web site called www.knowitforward.com and the related Facebook page. All of this for the month of April, which was Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
College campus visits were also part of the initiative. Several college campuses got on board: the University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Alabama, Alabama State University and Auburn University.
Radio and TV certainly proved to be powerful elements for building awareness about this issue. Two live broadcasts at UAB and ASU by 95.7 Jamz proved to be the most attention-getting activities for the target demographic. The Buckwilde Morning Show plays to the college-age demographic and were able to provide four hours of talk about sexual assault.
During the broadcasts there were conversations about the issue in the terms that young people understand. Questions were asked in the bluntest fashion and experts were on hand to correct any misperceptions. The questions: What is sexual assault? What are the consequences of committing sexual assault? How are victims affected by sexual assault? Do you know someone who’s been sexually assaulted? Shockingly, most students new someone who has been assaulted!
Public relations supported the campaign as well. And after each appearance, primarily in Birmingham and Montgomery, visits to the Web site and Facebook pages spiked. This campaign proved to be the prime example of why traditional and social media are needed to ensure the delivery of messages.
In total, 1,000 people visited the Web site and “Like” the Facebook page. That was amazing! The intention is to continue this effort to bring awareness to other issues related to sexual assault, including domestic violence. The Big team is looking forward to implementing Know It Forward again to bring important social issues to the forefront.
- satina richardson
