Transcript How Targeted Marketing Impacts Access Ideals: An Analysis of John

How Targeted Marketing Impacts Access Ideals:
An Analysis of John Cotton Dana Public Relations Award Winners from 2009 to 2013
John Mack Freeman
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Linda R. Most
Abstract
Analysis
This study analyzed winners of the John Cotton Dana Library
Public Relations Award from 2009-2013. The study hoped to
determine whether targeted marketing had become a part of
public libraries’ outreach campaigns. After analyzing 23 winning
submissions, it became clear that successful libraries used
targeted marketing. The connection was strongest when libraries
conducted programs whose goal was to increase patron access.
This conclusion suggests libraries need to embrace a threepronged model of access: patrons must have the right to access
the library, the ability to access the library, and knowledge of the
library’s services. A targeted access approach will better address
patrons' needs to know about library services. This works to
dispel ignorance as a barrier to library services in targeted
groups. Thus, this model suggests that libraries can increase
patrons' access to services while remaining judicious stewards of
limited marketing dollars.
There are 24 John Cotton Dana Public Relations
Award (JCDLPRA) winners from the public library
world from 2009-2013. Of those winners, only one
winner was repeated twice (King County Public
Library). For the purposes of this analysis, a
segment was considered targeted if the library
specifically mentioned interaction and engagement
with a certain subset of the population as a goal of
their marketing efforts. Efforts that targeted the
entire community (through generalized advertising
and other efforts) were not considered targeted
marketing.
Method
The sample of campaigns considered in this paper came from
the archives of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations
Award from the years of 2009 through 2013 that were awarded
to public libraries. The awards were given for “outstanding public
relations” in the sphere of library work, and were awarded
based on submitted awards packets that comprised an
application and evidence materials (American Library
Association, 2013). Awards given to both individual branches
and to entire public library systems were considered while
awards given to ancillary groups (Friends of the library, trustees,
etc.) were not. The full applications from these institutions for
consideration of the award contain a narrative of their goals and
practices for the years of 2012 and 2013 while only synopses of
the winning projects were available for the other years. Data was
extrapolated based on available resources.
Department: Library and Information Science
Of the 24 winners, 13 public libraries (54%)
participated in some form of targeted marketing
during the campaign for which they received a
JCDLPRA while 11 (46%) did not. Teenagers and the
arts community were the only groups to be targeted
to by more than one winner. Other targeted groups
included local food consumers, farms, music
researchers, Hispanics, non-library users in
agriculture and technology, food service workers,
the unemployed, patrons with large fines, early
readers, men, and subpar adult readers. The
diversity of targeted groups illustrates the idea that
what counts as a segment does not necessarily
equate to a part of a patron’s demographic profile
(Futterman, 2008).
Few specifically referenced the fact that they were
planning their marketing efforts with a goal of
increased access, the success statements, the
increased usage statistics, and the increased patron
satisfaction all imply that these more targeted
efforts led to an increase in patron’s library
satisfaction and access ability.
A New Model of Access
Practical Recommendations
The JCDLPRA winners examined in this study calls for
a new model of access in the public library sector.
The current model says that access is ensured when
services are provided to the public that has the right
and ability to access the library. However, this study
suggests a better model of access would comprise
three parts:
In addition to the theoretical shift in models of access,
this study also provided several practical
recommendations that public libraries could undertake
immediately, including:
1. The right to access the library,
2. The ability to access the library, and
3. Knowledge of library services
Just as lack of ability or rights to access the library
would block user’s access, lack of knowledge can
equally curtail access. Targeted marketing can work
to alleviate this problem by targeting ignorance in
selected groups.
Access and marketing cannot be seen as a zero-sum
game. Instead, targeted marketing enhances the
access of the targeted group by providing services
that meet their needs and by informing them of the
existence of these products. Without this focus,
these needs (and thus these patrons) would continue
to go underserved in the future. Targeted marketing
does not lessen access for the community; rather, it
is a gateway process through which different
subsections of the population are brought into the
public library’s sphere. As can be seen through the
example of the JCDLPRA winners, many successful
public library programs already consider targeting a
specific segment of their patron base as part of the
planning of new offerings and events. Targeting the
right individuals with the right services at the right
time served as a gateway to library usage by these
individuals and groups.
•Reassessing marketing as a core responsibility of all
staff members through training and new professional
standards
•Creating new marketing collateral with a specific
emphasis on targeting underserved communities that
takes into consideration the needs of those groups
•Developing or remodelling of existing services to
match specific targeted groups
Conclusion
Access and targeted marketing are not mutually
exclusive. Targeted marketing is a tool that can be used
to expand access to the most underserved populations
in a library’s service area. Although the world that the
library exists in continues to change at an increasingly
rapid pace, the core values of access and service that
have long defined the American public library tradition
live on and continue to prosper. By updating the tools
in the public library’s marketing tool kit, it can better
prepare itself for the future.
Bibliography
American Library Association (2013b). John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations
Award. Retrieved from: http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/john-cotton-dana
Futterman, M. (2008). Finding the underserved. Library Journal, 133(17), 42-45.
See full text for a complete list of sources consulted in this project.