Best In-School Marketing Campaign

Selling to Kids, March 21, 2001

"Build Up! A Tool Kit for Learning" The Team

Scholastic Marketing Partners: Susan Moger, project editor; Shelley White, editorial director; Steve Palm, VP, group publisher; Michael Mueller, managing editor; Association of General Contractors: Stephen Sandherr, CEO; John Heffner, executive director education, traning services; Pete Wert, former president.

Contacts: Steve Palm, 212/343-6388; Dennis Day, AGC, 703/837-5310

The Case

Given land use issues in the media and the public's growing affection for saving what's old and adaptively reusing it, the construction industry has found itself suffering from poor image and a workforce shortage. Labor competition has been fierce. The Association of General Contractors (AGC) wanted not only to boost its reputation but also to find a way to get kids excited about opportunities available in construction.

The Strategy

The AGC, a nonprofit association, had an idea for an in-school marketing program but needed help pulling it together. Scholastic Marketing Partners assisted with the development of "Build Up! A Tool Kit for Learning."

The two developed a curriculum based on national standards and produced more than 6,000 toolboxes for fifth grade teachers nationwide.

Each toolbox contained the Popular Mechanics video, "How Do They Build Bridges," reproducibles, a poster, a Scholastic book, "construction" materials (like clay and pipe cleaners) and a teaching guide.

"[The kits] are really meant to last many years in the classroom," says Steve Palm, VP, group publisher for Scholastic Marketing Partners.

AGC members sponsor each kit at a cost of $185. Contact information is inside and teachers are encouraged to call the member and invite them to class.

The Results

Approximately 70 percent of teachers who completed post-surveys said they used the materials, and 30 percent said they planned to do so.

The educators rated the material as excellent (44%), very good (46.2%) or good (8.9%). Ninety-two percent of students rated it excellent or very good.

AGC Senior Public Affairs Officer Dennis Day attributes some of the success to Scholastic's help. "If you're AGC and you're trying to put educational material in a classroom," he says, "you're probably not going to get very far."