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<TITLE>RE: [NLA] Discussion: Working effectively with the media</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Just before the holidays, I saw the NCFL ad in the Washington Post magazine (insert in the Sunday Post). I wonder if other major newspapers that have weekend magazines also carried the ad or if this was just an "inside the beltway" situation. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>This would be another place for people to look for the ad over the weekend.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Christy Gullion</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Associate Director for Federal Policy</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>National Institute for Literacy</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>1775 I Street, NW, Suite 730</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Washington, DC 20006-2417</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>ph. (202) 233-2033 </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>fax (202) 233-2050</FONT>
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<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>From: Thomas Sticht [<A HREF="mailto:tsticht@aznet.net">mailto:tsticht@aznet.net</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2002 9:19 PM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>To: nla@lists.literacytent.org</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Subject: [NLA] Discussion: Working effectively with the media</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Regarding the use of the media, while browsing magazines a while back at</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Borders I came across an ad in Harper's about the National Center for</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Family Literacy (NCFL). The ad was sponsored by the Toyota company. With</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>a little more browsing I came across the ad in Newsweek and the UTNE</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Reader (the latter advertises itself as the best of the alternative</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>press). In the latter mag for February 2002, a major part of the ad</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>stated,</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Quote:" NCFL is the leader in parent-child learning. It is a powerful</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>way to develop learning skills in young children by helping</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>disadvantaged parents complete their own education and learn important</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>life skills at the same time.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Toyota has provided support to more than 150 family literacy programs</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>across America. By supporting NCFL, we hope that the book on missed</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>opportunities will one day be closed forever. "end quote</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>What I first found of interest was that the ad was not about adult</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>illiterates and how we should pity them and volunteer a helping hand to</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>raise them out of their misery because they can't read. I still have an</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>ad like that from the early 1980s, and it seemed to me then and now to</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>demean and shame adults who need to further develop their literacy</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>ability. Instead, it was about NCFL as an organization serving adults</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>and children. </FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>I thought that would be a good model for advertising the Adult Education</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>and Literacy System (AELS) of the United States. The message could focus</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>on the AELS as an education system for adults who want to continue their</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>education, perhaps to get a high school credential and go on to further</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>education and/or training. The ad could tell what the AELS is, what it</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>does, and how to learn more about the programs the AELS offers in the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>reader's local community. So the idea of what should be the focus , that</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>is, the message, of an AELS campaign ad was what I first thought about</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>after seeing the NCFL featured in the Toyota ad. [I didn't like the part</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>about "complete their education" because it implies that education can</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>be complete and I think that is wrong and I didn't like the part about</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>"we hope that the book on missed opportunities will one day be closed</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>forever" because it is not particularly clear what it means but it could</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>imply that the need for an AELS will go away once we get some other</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>education problem solved and I think that is not a good message because</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>the need for an AELS serving lifelong learning grows with each year in</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>my opinion].</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Then I got to thinking about the magazines in which I had found the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Toyota/NCFL ad. Newsweek has a pretty broad circulation to a fairly</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>general audience I guess, but to me Harper's seems selective of more</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>literary, essay oriented readers, and the UTNE Reader, an alternative</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>press, has a very selective readership I would think. So I wondered for</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>whom the Toyota/NCFL ad's message was intended? Would many potential</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>adult students for the NCFL be reading these mags? What do other NLA</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>members think? I also wonder about these mags as message bearers for an</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>AELS campaign. What about magazines concerned with automobiles,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>motorcycles, hunting, quilting, fashion, etc. I think they would have a</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>different readership than the ones I found the Toyota/NCFL ads in. Who</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>should such ads try to reach?</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>The coincidence of finding the Toyota/NCFL ads while the NLA was</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>discussing the way to engage the mass media offered me a chance to</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>concretize the discussion a bit around issues of what the message for a</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>pubic awareness campaign for the AELS should be, who the audience(s)</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>should be, and how the message should be disseminated. Perhaps NLA list</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>members will want to go to their Borders or Barnes & Noble book stores</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>and enjoy a cup of coffee while searching for the Toyota/NCFL ad in</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>various magazines. The weekend is coming up!</FONT>
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