How do you combine a 100-year celebration with efforts to drive awareness and create community? As part of our work with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Media Logic developed a social marketing program to achieve just these goals.
The year 2011 marks 100 years for Cornell Cooperative Extension – “One Great Idea” to connect the knowledge, resources, and research of Cornell University with the people of New York State. To help them tackle challenges, take care of their families, build businesses, and improve communities. Each year, more than 10 million people throughout New York State participate in extension programs.
While initial conversations with Cooperative Extension focused on traditional marketing avenues for promoting their Centennial Celebration, we soon realized that social media offered an unparalleled opportunity to not only promote the celebration, but also build excitement and awareness among their constituents, and establish thought leadership for Cooperative Extension in key areas – energy, food and agriculture, nutrition and health, and youth, families and community.
Given the social orientation of Cooperative Extension, our solution was also social – developing a blog to showcase information about Cooperative Extension, its future vision as well as Centennial events. Central to the effort is a series of blog articles, authored by Cooperative Extension experts, highlighting various aspects of the Cooperative Extension program. A related Facebook page will provide an online community for everyone from Cooperative Extension “insiders” to the general public to learn more about the Centennial, share their own stories and become part of the community. Finally, Media Logic’s proprietary Zeitgeist & Coffeesm platform provides a way for these experts to collaborate on the content that will be housed on the blog or promoted on Facebook. The program only recently launched, so stay tuned for more news on results.
“We’re thrilled to be working with the Media Logic team,” said George Preston of Cornell Cooperative Extension. “Their insight and experience will be instrumental in promoting Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 100th anniversary and the vision we have for the future.”