Case Studies

Each year, Brevard County residents contribute thousands of pounds of algae-feeding nutrients to the Indian River Lagoon by polluting both groundwater and stormwater through their daily lifestyle habits. MTN’s objective is to educate and motivate Brevard County residents to make small changes to their daily habits, which add up to a cleaner Lagoon, better water quality and — ultimately — a healthier environment.

Utilizing community-based social marketing techniques, MTN identified the resident behaviors that contribute to lagoon pollution and prioritized them based on which would result in the greatest reduction of pollution. A series of community surveys, focus groups and polls are continually conducted and analyzed. This ongoing analysis allows us to identify the barriers to adopting each behavior — and develop effective messaging to help overcome them.

MTN developed Brevard County’s Lagoon Loyal program (LagoonLoyal.com), which uses local business incentives to motivate residents to adopt pollution-reducing behaviors and report their lagoon-friendly actions to earn rewards.

The reward program is structured as follows:

The program incorporates various tools to overcome behavior change hurdles, motivate reporting, promote sharing, and sustain long-term interaction.

As an example, a participant could earn 5 Lagoon Loyal points for pledging to “Go Fertilizer Free” during the summer. Florida receives 80 percent of its rainfall during the summer. Heavy rain can wash fertilizer away from lawns and into storm drains that lead to the lagoon. By going fertilizer free during the summer rainy season (June 1 through September 30), residents could reduce the detrimental effects of excess fertilizer on our waterways — and earn 5 points that go toward exclusive discounts at local stores.

The platform is scalable to include additional pollution-reducing actions, new businesses and enhanced user experience opportunities.

MTN, Inc. grouped Lagoon Loyal program interaction tactics into the following categories:

• Lagoon Loyal member recruitment and retention
• Business recruitment and retention
• Topic-specific, behavioral-based strategies beneath fertilizer use, septic system maintenance, and stormwater pollution prevention.

Performance of each outreach tactic is measured and analyzed monthly based on the following goals:

1. Education: Measured by increased web sessions, decreased cost per web session, decreased bounce rate, increase reach/impression, increased social media engagement.
2. Commitment: Measured by increased Lagoon Loyal member sign-ups, business sign-ups, decreased cost per sign-up, increased social following, increased clicks.
3. Motivation: Measured by increased Lagoon Loyal actions reported and decreased cost per action

The Lagoon Loyal community engagement initiative required a full-scale, cohesive marketing strategy that spanned digital, print, radio and video. MTN, Inc. provided the strategy, execution of deliverables across multiple mediums and platforms, and continues to provide ongoing measurement and strategy refinement.

Creative Services Utilized:

• Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) strategy development
• Creation & Preservation
• Survey & Poll Writing, Distribution and Analysis
• Face-to-Face Community Outreach
• Content Writing
• Design
• Photography
• Digital Implementation & Optimization
• Website Development & Management
• Lagoon Loyal Member Support (email response, action submission approvals)
• Monthly Performance Metrics Reporting

Outreach Tactics:

• Weekly social media posts for Facebook & Instagram
• Targeted Digital Ads
• Social Media Sponsored Ads
• Google Search Ads
• Programmatic Display Ads
• Email Marketing
• Billboards & Bus Wraps
• Radio Spots
• Press Releases
• In-store, point-of-purchase educational signage and product decals
• Printed Event Handouts & Promotional Items
• Training & Outreach Videos
• Yard Signs & Waste Bin Decals