The Assignment:
Perception Lift & Community Support through Audience Messaging & PR Talking Points
FOR the JXN Trailblazers, a friends-of organization supporting the yet-to-be-named Museum Trail
Designed to…
RALLY community support for a new trail system
BY convincing skeptics and neutral parties of the potential benefits, and educating allies on how to become active advocates
THROUGH audience messaging and talking points the JXN Trailblazers board could use when interacting with the media and the public
Believe it or not…
When the idea first emerged of a multi-use trail that could connect bikers and pedestrians to numerous city amenities (including six museums), not everyone welcomed the news.
For example, some residents in the neighborhood nearest the proposed trail expressed concerns about increased vulnerability to crime, as more foot traffic would be directed close to their homes. However, the research showed otherwise. We found the presence of multi-use trails tends to make neighborhoods safer and more desirable. The trick, of course, would be sharing the facts in a credible way.
As important as it was to win over the skeptics, we also needed to energize the segment of students, young professionals, and avid cyclists and joggers who would recognize the trail’s potential value and advocate for its development. Talking points for this segment would center on a different message than those crafted for the detractors.
For the trail to become a reality, community support was crucial. To succeed, JXN Trailblazers would need to change perception of the trail from potential threat to enviable asset.
I worked with JXN Trailblazers, the friends-of organization supporting the multi-use trail in its infancy, long before any asphalt was paved, to identify their key audiences, clarify the concerns and desires of each audience, and develop talking points they could use to appeal to these audience segments during a sensitive time when it was important to rally community support.
One more thing: the trail would need a name. For a long time, its working title was “Museum to Market Trail.” While that had a nice ring, “market” referred to the local farmer’s market, which was open just a few hours a week. Moreover, the phrase “museum to market” seemed to suggest that one could walk to said market from a single museum. In fact, this multi-use trail may be unique in that it connects users to six different museums in a short, four-mile stretch.
I facilitated discussions on this subject among JXN Trailblazer members, and offered some alternatives to consider. One of the options I suggested, Museum Trail, became the lasting name.