The Albertson family had been raising awareness about Idaho's failing education system before I arrived. But one thing was clear: we needed to do something more hard hitting to awaken Idahoans from the status quo. Nothing less than our childrens' future was at stake. We made a critical decision early on: use data. With the help of some amazing creatives in Idaho and beyond, we launched the Don't Fail Idaho campaign in print and social media and on television, radio and the web. The first commercial decried Idaho's 48th ranking for the quality of its education system. Using animation and the rich voice of TV's Mike Rowe, the campaign sparked outrage. But my favorite commercial, among the many we produced during my tenure, exemplifies how creativity can humanize data. We called the commercial "Nowhere."
The problem: Idaho has one of the lowest go on rates in the nation. My question to the creative team: if Pepsi and Mountain Dew can make wildly successful ad campaigns to hook teens on sugary drinks, why can't we do the same thing to get Idaho teens hooked on planning for their future? With the help of a tricked out shipping container, teen-centric swag, near-peers, an irreverent TV host, an ambitious statewide tour and a yellow deer, the answer is yes. Buck the Quo is encouraging conversations that shift from 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' to 'what are you good at and how can you turn that into the future you want'. To get an idea for how much kids were craving straight talk, watch this Buck the Quo video about the FAFSA. To date, the video has logged more than 100,000 views.
While we were pushing decision-makers with Don't Fail Idaho and pulling teens with Buck the Quo, we needed a way to reach parents, a critical factor in a child's education. The third leg of our awareness stool was LOVE2LEARN Idaho a campaign designed to inspire and equip parents to be a positive force for change and innovation in their community. The campaign provided parents, especially moms, information kits designed to spur small group/living room discussions about how to improve public education in Idaho. In the meantime, a statewide television and radio campaign, Facebook community and L2L blog provided a larger voice. I particularly loved the television ad calling on Idaho to learn from every corner of the state.
Data is such an important factor when you are trying to create meaningful change. But numbers and figures will make most readers' eyes glaze over if not presented in a compelling way. Overseeing the data collection, design and distribution of these pivotal booklets was a challenge I relished. Below are a sampling of the booklets published by JKAF during my tenure.