Public Relations Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes 

Meeting called to order at 10:15 am

Proceedings

Rob Maier, MBLC Director: Welcomed Committee Members

David Gray, MBLC Director of Communications & Public Information: Introduced representatives of Moore & Isherwood Communications, Inc., meeting facilitators: Liz Isherwood and Pam Cleveland.
Reported on purpose of meeting

Liz Isherwood: Summarized comments by Committee Members made during phone interviews with Pam Cleveland and herself.

Pam Cleveland: Defined the creation and format of a Marketing Plan.

Liz Isherwood: Advisory Committee members work on defining the objectives of the Massachusetts Libraries 3-Year Marketing Plan.

After gathering 14 proposed objectives from Committee Members, a rough draft of a Marketing Plan objective was presented:

Create a three-year marketing campaign that:

• Increases library usage in Massachusetts

• Promotes technological resources of Massachusetts libraries

• Introduces a fresh image of the dynamic fabric of Massachusetts libraries

• Creates excitement among target audience

• Builds demand and a sense of value for Massachusetts libraries

Liz Isherwood: Defining Target Markets/Audiences for the Marketing Plan
The Committee Members suggested 16 possible audiences for the Marketing Plan. It was determined that Non-users of library services were the intended target within each market. Members then voted for their top 4 preferences among the field of 16. After votes were tallied, members had chosen the five top potential audiences to be targeted in the Marketing Plan:

• College-educated 20-Somethings

• Government Officials/Funding Decision-Makers

• Aging Baby Boomers

• Educators (Pre-school Teachers to College Professors)

• Parents (Anyone caring for children 0 - 18)

Lunch break - 12:15 - 12:45 pm

David Gray: Dates for the next Advisory Committee meetings were discussed and it was decided.

• November 8, 2006, 10 am - 1 pm, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, 98 North Washington Street, Boston

• November 30, 2006, 10 am - 1 pm, Sargent Memorial Library, 427 Massachusetts Ave., Boxborough

• January 25, 2007, 10 am - 3 pm, location to-be-determined

• January 26, 2007 - Snow Date

Breakout Sessions

Committee members were placed into 5 work groups and each assigned one of the five potential target audiences on which to perform a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats presented by the particular target analyzed).

Resulting SWOT reports were shared with the full Committee following the breakout session with the goal of prioritizing/eliminating some of the five potential target audiences.

• Educators and government officials eliminated as potential primary targets

• College-educated 20-Somethings were chosen as the primary target for the Marketing Plan by simple show-of-hands vote.

Agreed after discussion that research/focus groups on the proposed target markets should be studied by Committee Members prior to making a definitive decision on target markets.

Agreed after discussion on the proposed objectives of the Marketing Plan that more specific, measurable goal for the desired increase in Mass Libraries usage was needed.

• Rob Maier volunteered to provide research from phone surveys conducted in 2000 by Market Street Research

• Liz Doucett volunteered to provide Committee Members research on the demographics, library usage habits/opinions of the College-Educated 20-Something market.

• Committee Members agreed to provide typed notes of SWOT meetings to Liz Isherwood for inclusion in meeting synopsis.

• Committee Members agreed to locate pertinent research and provide what they find to Liz Isherwood for distribution to all Committee Members prior to the next meeting, November 8, 2006.

Meeting adjourned at 3:30 pm