Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Invasive species threaten the resources that Alaska Department of Fish and Game is responsible for protecting, maintaining, and managing. Once aquatic invasive species become established outside of their native range, the consequences can be disastrous to fisheries, the larger ecosystem, and to local economies.
Research
Production
Evaluation
The Challenge
Alaska’s waters are regularly challenged by illegally introduced non-indigenous fish, and by recreational boaters or float plane pilots failing to clean watercraft as they recreate. An Alaska summer with nonstop daylight and warm weather means residents are notoriously difficult to engage with through traditional means.
The Approach
Radio material was determined to be a strategic way to reach our audiences over the summer, knowing that much of the target audience would be in their cars and on the way to their favorite boating and fishing destinations each week, streaming music and/or listening to the radio as they drive.
61,000
~20,000
1st Place
Research
The team defined key audiences (recreational boaters, sport fishermen, float plane pilots, and home aquarium owners) and messaging, and conducted a pre-campaign survey to establish benchmarks for improvement. T&C assisted with the survey creation as well as outreach to ensure a large enough sample size of respondents.
Production
To ensure messaging connected with target audiences, PSAs were created with diverse voices; young and old, male and female. T&C worked closely with ADF&G to develop key messages and target audiences with the organization’s mission in mind and created a media list of public radio stations in areas with known AIS introductions. The PSAs were placed in circulation on public radio stations, as well as streaming radio stations.
Evaluation
Out of 677 respondents, nearly 40% were exposed to the AIS messaging through radio and streaming platforms, proving messaging reached the key demographics ADF&G intended to target. Awareness about aquatic invasive species and how to protect Alaska’s waters even went up 4% compared to the pre-campaign survey. Over half of the respondents reported that they were open to learning more about how to combat invasive species in Alaska.
