Rock-It
Challenge: Increase the number of teenager sign ups at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
Solution: Create teenager focused initatives through social media, OOH, and merchandise, that help recruit , retain current members, and reveal what BGCB has to offer
Current Struggles
1. Currently, there is no active marketing targeting teenagers.
2. When youth members become teens they don’t seem to stay around.
3. People are not familar with the Club’s programs or activities
These three struggles created our main pillars of Recruit, Retain, and Reveal.
2. When youth members become teens they don’t seem to stay around.
3. People are not familar with the Club’s programs or activities
These three struggles created our main pillars of Recruit, Retain, and Reveal.
Target Audiences and Their Challenges
Teenagers - Main target audience as such the bulk of media will be geared toward teens by teens.
Parents - Teenagers need parents to sign up for the program, spreading awareness to the parents will prove essential in increasing sign ups teens.
BGCB can address these challenges.
- Desire for New Experiences: One of the biggest desires for teens is new experiences.
-
Need for Community: Teens are lonely. BPH reports almost 44% of teens are “persistently sad.”
-
Unprepared for Next Steps: Under 23% of Boston Public School 8th-graders perform at grade level.
Parents - Teenagers need parents to sign up for the program, spreading awareness to the parents will prove essential in increasing sign ups teens.
- Cost: 57% of parents cite cost as a barrier to afterschool programs.
-
Transportation: 52% of parents cite transportation as a barrier. Specifically 67% Latino and 58% Black parents.
-
Community Needs: 17.9% of MA households report food insecurity.
BGCB can address these challenges.
Recruit
Refer-A-Friend
- Who: Current teen members and new recruits.
- How: Referrer provides club information to the interested teen.
- Why: 88% of consumers trust friends' recommendations over traditional media.
Rock-It Expo - a yearly BGCB Expo to increase recruitment and exposure for the Clubs.
- Activities: Booths/tables showcasing activities to parents and teens.
- Where: Strategic locations, such as high schools, for maximum reach.
- Event Audience: Rising teens and those interested in joining.
- Volunteers: Help with logistics and showcasing opportunities.
Rock It - Promotional Material
One insight we found are that teenagers are excited for is graduation but one thing specifically that comes with graduation is yearbooks. So we took this as inspiration as our creatives.
Our first promotional material we designed is a flyer for Rock-It. As for creative elements, we really want to reference Boston imagery because we are marketing the Boston Clubs not the Club of America. It also gives it a personalized touch as Boston building and imagery would be easily recognizable to Boston locals. We really want teenagers to be the center of our creatives because it shows that teens are attending the Club and could inspire others to do the same. Other elements include these blue and white doodles and lines to give it a more fun touch.
Our first promotional material we designed is a flyer for Rock-It. As for creative elements, we really want to reference Boston imagery because we are marketing the Boston Clubs not the Club of America. It also gives it a personalized touch as Boston building and imagery would be easily recognizable to Boston locals. We really want teenagers to be the center of our creatives because it shows that teens are attending the Club and could inspire others to do the same. Other elements include these blue and white doodles and lines to give it a more fun touch.
Retain
Teen Advisory Council
- What: A panel of teens selected to advise club leadership on events for teens.
- Goals: Empower teens with real leadership roles, inspiring personal growth.
- Benefits: Teen events can be more relevant since they are inspired at the sources
Teen-Youth Mentoring
- What: A mentoring system pairing mature teens with younger members.
- Goals: Inspire younger members to remain members.
- Benefits: Promotes unity and purpose.
Graduation
- What: A graduation event for members becoming teenagers.
- Benefits: Foster community and highlight support networks.
- Execution: Quarterly events involving activities, music, and graduation certificates.
Merch
Wearing and using BGCB merch increases the visibility of the Boys and Girls Club, making it more recognizable in the community. When people wear BGCB merch, it can help spread awareness of the club.
Reveal
Branded Posts
We suggest more branded posts to give the personality that teenagers may be looking for.
Instagram Feed: Before and After
A mix of branded posts and high quality photography can add visual contrast and break up the repetivity of the feed. The introduction of story highlights can add visual interest but also contain information people can see.
These branded posts can also be used on Facebook for content more geared towards parents. Posting branded post occasionally, can bring more attention to specific stories that parents may want to see or specific stories that the Club wants to emphasis.
Website: Before and After
The current website is donor focused and has many similar worded tabs like “Join or Team” and “Volunteer.” By simplifing the navigation bar and adding a tab geared towards teenagers, children, and their parents would be helpful to condense necessary information into one place.