1. TheUniversityofSouthFlorida
SchoolofMassCommunication’s
GraduateProgram
Planbook
Advanced Public Relations
PUR 4801 Dec. 2014
Michael Downns
Kaylee Hauesler
Kristin McKinney
Ajla Subasic
April Wilson

2. TableofContents
1) Executive Summary
2) Opportunities/Problems
3) Competitive Frame
4) Research
5) Research Graphs
6) Target Audience
7) Key Message
8) Plans and Goals
9) Objectives
10) Strategy 1
15) Strategy 2
18) Strategy 3
20) Strategy 4
22) Timeline
23) Budget
24) Evaluation
25) Appendix
27) References and Conclusion

3. 1
ExecutiveSummary
USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program has the ability to greatly
benefit students. There are a multitude of reasons students should pursue a Master’s degree from
USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. The investment into the future is
more than worth it. The program has two tracks students can choose from to reach their master’s
degree: Media Studies and Strategic Communication Media. Students have many opportunities
that will help fund the schooling required to obtain a USF Master’s Degree and to achieve work
experience.
This program is small compared to other mass communications graduate programs
around the country. USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program is not well known,
but it does offer some unique opportunities for students. Florida, in general, is not well known
for mass communications graduate programs; however, Tampa’s local market has many mass
communications opportunities USF is able to take advantage of. This puts USF’s program over
the other Florida universities. USF’s Mass Communications’ Graduate Program also has many
professors with very diverse backgrounds. These professors are able to provide students with
diverse knowledge, different perspectives and different opportunities. Plus, the small size of the
program allows students to have more personalized attention from these professors. Above
all, the graduate program is relatively inexpensive compared to the larger, out of state mass
communications graduate programs.
The School of Mass Communications wants the graduate program to grow and to attract
more of the bright and curious students at USF. Many of the students currently enrolled in the
program are international students. The graduate program wants to focus their attention on
attracting local students currently enrolled at USF. Theses students are easily accessible, interested
in the many perks this program has to offer, and can help create a culture around the program.
The School of Mass Communications feels the graduate program is under marketed, and that is
why many local students don’t apply. Marketing the program and creating awareness around
what this program has to offer should attract the bright, curious and ambitious students the
program wants.

4. KeyOpportunity/Problem
The key problem that the public relations
campaign must address is the lack of
interest built around USF’s School of Mass
Communications Graduate Program. The
School of Mass Communications offers
cutting edge opportunities for students in
one of Florida’s largest media markets,
however the program lags in enrollment.
USF’s undergraduate students are neither
aware nor well informed about the program.
SecondaryOpportunities/Problems
The secondary opportunities USF’s School
of Mass Communications Gradute Program
provides is the fact that a degree in mass
communications is diverse. It places students at
a competitive advantage when competinng
for jobs in the diverse communications fields.
The lack of awareness built around USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program serves
as a problem because instead of only having to persuade its target public to enroll in the graduate
program, the campaign first has to inform students of the program. The target publics cannot act on
the strategies and tactics without first becoming aware of the program.
The abundance of career opportunities that follow an individual with a mass communications
graduate degree serves as an opportunity for the campaign because it allows a focus on this vital
aspect and an opportunity to capitalize on the gains that accompany receiving a graduate degree.
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5. CompetitveFrame
USF’s School of Mass Communications’
competitors are universities throughout the state and
the nation. These programs offer graduate degrees in
mass communications or in a similar applied field of
study.
According to Best-Masters.com, Boston
University is the top ranked school offering a masters
degree in mass communications, followed by
Northwestern University and Texas A&M University.
The full list consists of a total of 50 universities,
none of which are located in Florida. USF’s mass
communications graduate program is still relatively
unknown and offers less room for specialization.
Prospective students can select from only two
tracks, Media Studies and Strategic Communication
Management.
The media studies track uses a broad approach
in the study of mass media and offers a wide range
of diverse classes such as mass communication theory,
public opinion, research methods, sports and media,
women and media, and visual communication. The
strategic communication management track focuses
on communication as a management function in an
organization. Integrating public relations, advertising
and marketing communication is studied together as a
single focus.
Since USF’s competitors are out-of-state, USF’s
main advantage is the relatively lower, in-state tuition
cost. Students living in Florida, who choose to attend
USF for their masters degree, would not have to worry
about high out-of-state tuition costs. USF also offers
assistantships for prospective students.
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6. ResearchTo better define the target audience and reveal key factors of importance, a survey was sent
to USF students and organizations, asking relevant questions regarding USF’s School of Mass
Communications Graduate Program. There were a total of 121 responses within the 7 days that the
survey was active. The first goal of the survey was to find out how many undergraduate students
were aware of USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. The second goal of the
survey was to see what factor played the most vital role in deciding to attend graduate school.
We found that:
• 59 percent of undergraduate students were not aware of USF’s School of Mass
Communications Graduate Program.
• 18 percent of the respondents had heard about USF’s School of Mass Communications
Graduate Program through online or print advertisements.
• 37 percent of respondents were aware of USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate
Program and had heard about it through professors and peers.
• 10 percent of respondents had heard about USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate
Program through academic advisors.
• 2 percent of the respondents were not interest in USF’s School of Mass Communications
Graduate Program because they were uninformed.
• 17 percent of the participants were interested in learning more about USF’s School of Mass
Communications Graduate Program .
• 46 percent of respondents who showed interest in graduate school said they wanted to excel
in a specialized profession.
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7. Research
Graphs
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8. TargetAudience
The campaign is geared towards reaching USF’s undergraduate
population, USF’s School of Mass Communications’ faculty members,
USF’s School of Mass Communications’ alumni, undergraduate
students who do not attend USF and parents of undergraduate
students.
USF’s undergrad students
The undergraduate population at USF is the most significant audience to be reached with
this campaign. They are most likely to be exposed to campaign strategies, and most of the
tactics will be geared and targeted towards them.
USF’s School of Mass Communications’ faculty
Professors and advisors are opinion leaders used to reach students. Students interact and
engage with professors and advisors on a day-to-day basis, therefore they are more likely
to listen and react to the advice given by these individuals.
USF’s School of Mass Communications’ graduate alumni
Alumni have the power to influence current undergraduate students to attend graduate
school. They will serve as an active voice, providing personal stories and setting examples
to current undergraduate students.
Undergraduate students outside of USF
To achieve national recognition for USF’s School of Mass Communications’ graduate
program, the campaign needs to attract some of the brightest and most academically
inclined students from across the nation. This includes both in-state and out-of-state
students.
Parents of undergraduate students
Our survey results found that some students who considered getting a graduate degree
were influenced by their families. By reaching out and advertising the graduate program
to these parents, they will be more likely to discuss the program with their children.
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9. KeyMessage
7
USF’s School of Mass Communications’ Graduate
Program wants to impress upon the student population
how beneficial earning a Master’s degree can be for their
future careers. Many students are looking to enter the
job market after obtaining an undergraduate’s degree
or feel that a Master’s is too expensive. It is important to
start the conversation about students plans for the future,
and to change some of the misconceptions. Creating this
conversation amongst students will provide a platform for
the most curious and academically motivated to begin
looking for more information about what the graduate
program has to offer.
Creating this conversation and continuing it will
be the key to establishing a culture in the undergraduate
mass communication students, from freshman to seniors.
Striving to become a graduate student in USF’s mass
communications’ program is the culture this campaign
creates. One key benefit of getting a Master’s degree is
recieving a higher paying salary when entering the job
market as well as over time. Students who have a Master’s
degree will make almost half a million dollars more over a
lifetime than their bachelor degree co-workers.
Aside from the financial gain that students will
benefit from, having a Master’s degree will give students no
limits when applying to future jobs. As people move up in
their companies, some positions require a Master’s, and those
who only have a bachelor’s degree find themselves hitting
the ‘glass ceiling’. If prospective professionals want a position
that requires a Master’s degree, they will find themselves
going back to college and juggling both school and work;
getting the degree early can save a lot of stress in the future.

10. Plans and Goals
The goal of the campaign is to inform USF’s undergraduate students
about the School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. The campaign is
designed to create an everlasting conversation between students and USF’s Mass
Communications Graduate Program. By doing so, the overall awareness goal will
be reached, and will spark an interest specifically amongst USF’s undergraduate
students.
The overall planis to generate and implement a public
relations campaign that will inform USF’s undergraduate population
about the School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. A survey
was conducted, and it was discovered that the majority of undergraduate
students who are currently considering applying for the program are senior
level students. Therefore the campaign is geared towards targeting students
who have not yet entered their senior year. To be proactive the campaign
can bring awareness of the program to beginning students because they will
essentially have more time to be reactive to the campaign tactics.
The themeof this plan is to create a culture at USF where the School of
Mass Communications’ graduate program is something that is considered by the
most academically driven students. The campaign aims to create an everlasting
conversation between the students and the department by transforming USF’s
School of Mass Communication’s graduate program into an entity that is seeked
by many students to come.
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11. O.
bjectives
OBJECTIVE 1: To increase awareness by 25% with current USF
undergraduate students about the program by the Fall semester of
2015.
This is a high percentage, but we believe this is accomplishable because
of the easy access the graduate program has with these students.
OBJECTIVE 2: To increase the awareness of the career
opportunities available in the graduate program and post the
graduate program by 15% by the fall of 2015.
This awareness objective is smaller because getting students to fully
listen to a message over learning a brand is more difficult.
OBJECTIVE 3: To attract 10% more of the best and brightest
students by the fall of 2016.
With an increase of 25% in awareness, we should be able to attract
bright students to the program. We are giving the program two years
to see this results of the awareness and other strategies that will attract
positive attention.
OBJECTIVE 4: To change the negative perceptions associated with
the graduate school by 5% within our current USF undergraduate
student population by Fall 2015.
There are not many negative perceptions around the program;
however with the positive attention we plan to attract to the program,
any negative perceptions should be washed away.
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12. Strategy 1
Strategy 1A: To use social media vehicles to reach out to USF
undergraduate students to create awareness around the graduate
program.
The target audience is primarily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so we will constantly be
promoting through these sites, actively engaging USF students. Students, faculty and alumni will all
be included to keep consistent branding. This strategy is meant to initiate conversation around the
graduate program. The goal is for students to discuss with the graduate program and with each
other the subject of mass communication and the fun opportunities within the career. The intent is for
this to create a culture within the mass communication fields, creating a culture around the graduate
program USF offers.
These Strategies are set to support Objective 1
Tactic 1: Emphasis on branding begins with the Mass Comm Mondays’ tabling series that will start
the campaign. There, we will begin promoting that the graduate program is on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram. Tabling efforts will drive traffic to social media vehicles and will make the School of
Mass Communications’ Graduate Program more visible.
Hashtag, #MassCommMondays, is a way to get students involved, to track their involvement and
to get live feedback. This feedback will allow the graduate program to monitor curiosity around
the brand and provide data about what methods work best to attract the most students. The
social media posts will include the fun and interesting things that mass communication students do
everyday in their classes and internships or any accomplishment they feel is relevant to share.
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13. 11

14. Strategy 1B: Stage events on
campus and give away promotional
items (products students will learn how
to create in the graduate program like
business cards or branding products) to
entice students to get more information
about the program.
By creating events that engage
with students and that feature
representatives from the graduate
program, a relationship will be establish
between the graduate program and
students. The objective is to spread
the message that the School of Mass
Communications’ Graduate Program
has educators and staff who are willing
to spend personal time helping and
teaching students. One of the benefits
of USF’s Shool of Mass Communications’
Graduate Program is the one-on-one
attention students receive. These events
can exemplify this and also show the
fun and amazing products students can
learn to create if they choose to get a
master’s degree through the graduate
program.
Tactic 2: MassCommMondays: This
is the tabling series that will start in the
first month. Students and professors
will volunteer at a booth at the free
spaces on campus (infront of Campus
Recreation, the library, Cooper Hall
and around the Marshall Student
Center). Volunteers will advertise
upcoming events and workshops that
the graduate school will be hosting.
These advertisements will be attached
to goods we can hand out to students.
The first day of our tabling, we will give
away promotional t-shirts. To get a shirt
a student must create a social media
post using the hashtag.
Examples of personal branding items
will be available for show at the tables.
These its will give students an idea of
what they will learn at workshops.
These items include learning to create
a business card, resume, cover letter,
etc. Students will be emailed their final
creation after the workshop. This is both
efficient and cost effective.
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15. 13

16. Strategy 1C:
Promote the graduate program to the parents of undergraduate students who are in their freshman
and sophomore years.
Through research it was discovered that parents are extremely influential in their child’s life and in
their child’s academic career choices. Therefore parental involvement is crucial. Targeting beginning
students’ parents will be critical in creating a deep-rooted culture outside of the university. It is
important parents understand the benefits of graduate school. Benefits include future income, higher
position opportunities, and intern/job opportunities within the program.
Tactic 3:
Personalized mailers exemplifying what a student’s success could look like by obtaining their Master’s
at USF will be sent out. The mailers will resemble the Master’s diploma awarded during graduation.
The front will contain the student’s name, and the back will contain information on how to reach
the graduate program, where to find information on assistantships, and where to find the different
programs the School of Mass Communications offers.
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17. Strategy2
These Strategies are set to support Objective 2
Strategy 2A: Increase face-to-face
communication between undergraduate mass
communication students and professionals in the
field who have earned a master’s degree from
USF.
It is critical for students to network with business
professionals who can mentor them. This will
provide students an opportunity to connect with
gradutes who have succeeded in there career
because of a master’s degree. It is important
for students to fully understand how much a
graduate degree in mass communications can
help with their future success.
Tactic 4: By bringing in professionals who
have obtained a master’s degree from the
School of Mass Communications, we can bridge
the gap between students and professionals.
These professionals will interact with students
face-to-face at workshops, assisting the students
in designing their personal branding elements.
Professionals will speak to students during
workshops and offer advice as to what employers
are expecting from graduate students. These
workshops can be used as an opportunity to
network, and students will have the opportunity
to take on these individuals as a mentor if they
so choose.
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18. Strategy 2B: Inform undergraduates about the internships available
to graduate students.
This is an amazing career opportunity available to students. These are not as accessible once students
graduate and join the workforce. We want to emphasize this great opportunity to decrease the thought
that graduate school does not provide work experience. Graduate students only are required to take
nine credit hours, meaning an internship or a job while taking graduate courses is very plausible and
provides a lot of work experience.
Tactic 5: Real-life success stories of those who have earned graduate internships, scholarships,
assistantships and other notable merits within the School of Mass Communications’ Graduate Program,
will be promoted on social media and on the School of Mass Communications website. Social media
posts will contain a link to the School of Mass Communications’ website where students will find detailed
information on who the winner is, how they obtained their accomplishment, and what their personal
goals are.
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There can’t be two number 1’s cause that would be 11.

19. 17

20. Strategy3
These Stategies are set up to support objective 3
Strategy 3A: Reach out to USF
undergraduate students who are
actively involved in organizations
throughout campus.
We believe that the students who
were curious and took initiative
to join an organization on campus
are more likely to be actively
involved in their studies. We want
to use organizations on campus
as influential opinion leaders to
steer the best students to earn their
master’s at USF.
Tactic 6: Top mass communications
faculty members will act as ambassadors
of the graduate program. They will attend
various club meetings on campus and give
short, fifteen minute presentations to students.
These presentations will highlight key benefits
of the graduate program and provide curious
students with the tools necessary to obtain
more information. Spokespersons will provide
students with literature about the program,
and they will encourage them to connect on
social media. Clubs will be selected based on
their willingness to cooperate and collaborate
with the graduate program.
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21. Strategy 3B: Connect with students in their junior and senior year through
the use of the classroom and professors.
These students are beginning to make the vital decision to go to graduate school or to seek work. It is import-
ant to help these students understand all of their options. We want students to know the benefits of having
a master’s degree. We need to beat the stigma that graduate school for a mass communications major is not
necessary. While graduate school is not for everyone, many bright and potential students that would benefit
from a master’s degree feel they do not need this level of education. We want these potential master’s stu-
dents to fully understand the future benefits of achieving this level of education.
Tactic 7: Professors and advisors will need to communicate to students how important a graduate degree
is. This is essential in creating a culture at the university. Mass communications professors and advisors will be
encouraged to identify the most academically inclined students and start a conversation with them about the
graduate program. They will provide students with valuable information and resources that they can use to
gain further knowledge about the graduate program.
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22. Tactic 8: By working with opinion leaders from the mass communications department, the program can increase continuous
discussion regarding graduate assistantship. Assistantship can fully fund a student’s tuition and provide an additional $5,000 for
living expenses. Opinion leaders can help raise awareness through face-to-face meetings with students, meetings with advisors.
Aggregating information as it becomes available and delivering it to students personally, will help the graduate program estab-
lish a successful, long-term relationship with students.Information about the GRE will be available to students, along with study
tips and interactive practice questions that encite two-way communication. Provide personal attention to students on how they
can locate information about funding, and take the time to package and deliver the information to students, so they have ample
time to consider saving for a master’s degree.
Strategy4
Strategy 4A: Inform students that getting a master’s
degree in mass communications from USF is more
affordable than initially perceived.
We want students to know that loans and
scholarships are available, while really emphasizing
the assistantships that the mass communications
graduate programs can offer. USF can afford to
fully fund either seven students or partially fund 14
students during a semester.
Tactic 8: By working with opinion leaders from the mass communications’ department, the program
can increase continuous discussion regarding graduate assistantship. Assistantship can fully fund a student’s
tuition and provide an additional $5,000 for living expenses. Opinion leaders can help raise awareness
through face-to-face meetings with students, meetings with advisors. Aggregating information as it
becomes available and delivering it to students personally, will help the graduate program establish a
successful, long-term relationship with students.Information about the GRE will be available to students,
along with study tips and interactive practice questions that encite two-way communication. Provide
personal attention to students on how they can locate information about funding, and take the time to
package and deliver the information to students, so they have ample time to consider saving for a master’s
degree.
These strategies go with objective 8
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23. Strategy 4B: Unify the message about the use of getting a
masters degree.
Students who earn a master’s degree, on average, can earn an additional $400,000 more
over a lifetime than someone with just their bachelor’s degree. Earning a master’s degree is a
minimum 2.5 million dollar investment into your future. We not only want students to hear this
message, but also professors, advisors and organizations around campus because we use these
publics as opinion leaders. It is crucial that our opinion leaders fully understand these benefits so
they support the School of Mass Communications’ Graduate Program’s message.
Tactic 9: The School of Mass Communications Graduate Program will create a unified
message to share with advisors and professors which will highlight the benefits of graduate
school.This will be done through meetings and presentations from the program to professors and
advisors.
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24. Timeline
Tasks to Implement Throughout the Campaign
Task Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
Task 1 X X X X X X X X X X X X
Task 2 X X X X X X X X X X X X
Task 3 X X
Task 4 X X X X X X X X
Task 5 X X X X X X X X X X
Task 6 X X X X
Task 7 X X X X
Task 8 X X X X X X X X
Task 9 X X X X X X X X
Ideal Calender
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25. Budget
Student tuition and fees, government funding and donations make
up the funding for USF. The School of Mass Communications has a
five year budget of $25,000, equaling around $5,000 a year towards
communication efforts.
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26. Evaluation
The data collection technique we used for conducting our research was a random survey, consisting
of 14 questions, which was distributed to USF’s student body via email, in addition to Facebook
and Twitter. We received a total of 130 random responses that we used for the creation and
implementation of our campaign. The purpose of the survey was to determine if USF’s student body
was aware of USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program and if so, how well informed
were they. The responses we received helped us with determining the focus of our campaign.
Our campaign is designed to run for two years, therefore there will need to be two evaluations. The
first evaluation will be conducted a year after the campaign begins, during what is considered to
be the halfway mark. The purpose of the first evaluation is to measure the success of our awareness
objective. We will do so by:
• Comparing the number of Facebook and Twitter followers USF’s School of Mass Communications
had prior to the campaign and the number of followers they had a year into the campaign.
• Comparing the total number of visits/views USF’s School of Mass Communications website had prior
to the campaign and the total of number of visits/views a year into the campaign.
• Counting the number of times our hashtag, #MassCommMondays, was used throughout the first
year.
The second evaluation will be conducted at the completion of the campaign, after two years. During
this evaluation we will be measuring the success of our action objective. We will do so by:
• Comparing the number of meetings USF’s School of Mass Communications’ graduate advisors
had with students prior to the campaign and the total number of meetings they had during the
campaign.
• Comparing the number of graduate applications USF’s School of Mass Communications received
prior to the campaign and the total number of applicants the school received during the
campaign.
In order to analyze the full success
of our campaign, the survey we
conducted prior to our efforts will
need to be conducted after the
two year run. For visual purposes,
the information gathered in both
surveys will need to be transformed
into graph format to better
understand our success rate.
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27. Appendix
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28. Appendix
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29. References
"University Communications and Marketing." Brand Management;
All Photos Used. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. <http://www.usf.edu/ucm/market-
ing/brand.aspx>.
"Graduate Program." USF. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. <http://masscom.usf.
edu/
Our public relation’s staff believes this campaign will drive bright and curioius
students to USF’s School of Mass Communications Graduate Program. We
know that with implimentation and consistancy this campaign can ultimately
grow the program. The campaign is time efficient and cost effective. It is vital
that our key message is recieved by all the target audiences. Much of our
campaign relies on awareness, awareness is the pivital factor in attracting the
best students from within USF.
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