Evaluationg Your School Marketing Plan

Selling to Kids, July 7, 1999

Although placing your materials into the schools offers big benefits , that arena can be tough to crack. Don't even think about it without clarifying your goals, says Leanna Landsmann, president of Time for Kids. When the goals of potential partners need focus in planning sponsored materials, Landsmann asks questions like these:

1. What are your goals and concerns about kids, schools and education?

2. Why are you targeting kids in school? Can you put your goal into a sentence?

3. What sponsored materials do you already have? Have these programs been successful? Why or why not? Does this new interest tie in with existing programs?

4. Where does funding for existing programs come from? What's the budget?

5. Is the new program envisioned as a one-shot or ongoing?

6. Who do you want to reach? Teachers, administrators, student, parents, school food service people, policy makers, other?

7. What age level and subject area do you want to target? (science, literacy, etc.)

8. How much visibility do you want? National? Regional? Local?

9. Do you want a response device built in?

10. Do you want to involve your employees in the program?

11. What is the timing? Is there a time hook?

12. What's your corporate image, and should your materials match the image?

13. What, if anything, have you seen done by others that you liked?

14. Who is involved in the decision-making process? What is the time table?

15. Do you want to establish an advisory board?