Communications
Tourism Communications
Graduate students in a communications campaigns course partnered with several different organizations across the Siouxland region to complete six different communication campaigns about different attractions and assets in the Siouxland region.
Marketing Food Waste Prevention
A senior marketing student researched food waste prevention among local businesses in Iowa City and created a communication campaign for promoting local composting and recycling efforts.
Food waste reduction is an important component of sustainability that many local Iowa City businesses are already achieving through composting and recycling strategies. Public support of such practices and the businesses who engage them can contribute to both the local economy and sustainability success.
Bicycle Safety and Use Campaigns
Students in the Public Health Program completed two projects, both of which focused on increasing awareness and use of safe road-sharing behaviors and bicycling transportation in Iowa City. The first project was focused on the creation of a communications campaign about how sharrows are understood and function as a means for bicyclers and motorists to share the road. The second concerned planning and campaigning for a temporary bike lane that was installed in Iowa City in May 2016.
Health Campaign Promoting Community-Building with MOAIs for the Blue Zones Project™
Graduate students in the College of Public Health worked with the Cedar Rapids Blue Zones Project™ staff to enhance engagement with the Blue Zones Project™ among target demographics in Cedar Rapids. In particular, students worked to target high school students, aging populations, and faith-based organizations around particular Blue Zones Project™ initiatives like walking MOAIs (groups of individuals forming social circles to support healthy behaviors) and cooking MOAIs.
Hotel/Motel Tax Strategic Communications
Journalism students in the Strategic Communications Writing course researched and produced marketing materials for use by the Washington Chamber of Commerce for promotion of the hotel/motel tax.
Washington, Iowa is currently one of the only communities in Iowa without a hotel/motel tax. Funds generated by the tax will help put the community on the map, making it more competitive Iowa destination.
Animal Shelter Public Relations & Fundraising Campaign
Students in a Fundraising and Philanthropy Communications class organized ideas for a non-profit animal shelter's fundraising campaign. Using research on the latest trends in fundraising and philanthropy, students evaluated the shelter's past special events, marketing campaigns, and donor interests. They applied concepts and trends to organize new events, update marketing pieces, and developed a donor campaign with creative ideas and key messages to better position the shelter to receive support.
Community Radon Campaign
Students in the College of Public Health worked in three groups that targeted different sectors of the Iowa population: the aging population, parents of elementary-aged children, and homeowners in Iowa City to look at the levels of radon in these sectors. Each group researched best methods to reach their audience and developed recommendations for the City and Department of Public Health to implement.
Strategic Communication Campaign for Marketing Sustainability
Undergraduate students created three strategic communication plans for the City of Iowa City.
The goal of these plans is to help city communicators gain local and regional attention to the sustainability efforts in Iowa City. Each of the campaigns is directed towards a different audience and includes different promotional materials, also developed by the students. Each campaign outlines branded marketing materials, website mockups, costs, timelines and more.