Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook (2012)

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Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 61 Appendix A Example Materials Developed for the Project Each of the following sub-appendices contains full versions of the communications materials described in the two hypothetical campaigns presented in Chapter 1. The versions presented here also offer annotations that can help guide you through developing your own materials. A-1: Presentations A-2: Logos, Slogans, and Billboards A-3: Fact Sheets and Brochures A-4: Op-eds and Press Releases A-5: Blast Emails A-6: Website A-7: Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube)

62 Appendix A-1: Presentations A-1: Presentations

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 63 Scenario 1 Internal Presentation 1: I’m here today to talk about our preservation program. This picture is of course tongue in cheek, but it does capture the essence of the challenge we face. 2: We’ve come a long way since the mid-80’s when less than half our roads were in good condition. We reconstructed a lot of highways over the 80’s and 90’s. But you can see the trend has been going down since 2003. Surveys and road rallies have told us that our customers expect 85% of our roads to be in good condition; we’re dropping below that target. It’s time to change our approach... Attention-grabbing title and photo. DOT executive staff members are an important audience for preservation professionals to engage. It shouldn’t be assumed that they understand the value of preservation. Market research used to establish customer expectations. Graph is clean and clear and allows audience to focus on the most important points — that things are getting worse and have dropped below the target.

64 Appendix A-1: Presentations 3: To get to our targets, it’s about balancing these three questions. Where do the highways need improvements or treatments? What kinds of improvements or treatments should we do? When should we apply the improvements or treatments? It’s about maximizing the long-term benefit for the lowest life-cycle cost. 4: Some will advocate for a worst-first approach. “Worst first” sounds great, but it’s a horrible strategy. If it’s followed for too long, it will eventually bankrupt a DOT. When you use the worst-first approach, you wait until serious damage has been done and every road in the system will have to descend to that level before it gets attention, making it the most expensive strategy possible. Keep the number of words on the slide to a minimum — make the high-level points on the slide and let the speaker fill in the details. Highlighted numbering helps audience follow along. Simple graphical approach grabs attention and makes the point at the same time. Fight the urge to put supporting points on the slide that will force the audience to read instead of listen to the speaker — with this approach the audience will get the high-level point right away and be anxious to hear the explanation.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 65 5: This question captures one end of the spectrum — When is it no longer cost effective to rehabilitate? 6: And here’s the other end of the spectrum… Rather than just focus only on the aging parts of our system, what can we do to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place? This picture is from a demonstration project in Ohio. The pavement is just four years old. The right side was treated with a sealant after the first year — the left side was untreated. You can visually see the difference. Picture captures the challenge in a visual and intuitive way. Keep the visual simple and clean — reveal just enough to make the point — leave the details (from Ohio, treatment was a sealant, applied after one year) for the speaker to elaborate on.

66 Appendix A-1: Presentations 7: Obviously we need to reconstruct old pavements and rebuild new bridges, but not at the expense of preventative actions. It’s about balancing these needs in the most cost-effective way over the long term. Put another way, it’s about “Applying the right treatment to the right pavement at the right time.” The picture gives a clue which way we might want to lean … toward the preventative maintenance side. 8: A focus on preservation is quite a bit cheaper per mile. Use of bold gives weight to the main takeaway of the slide. Chart is clean and simple — sometimes it’s easier to create a clean-looking graph using free form shapes within Microsoft® PowerPoint rather than using the chart function within Excel.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 67 9: Preservation is also cheaper in the long run. Here’s a demonstration of that point: Condition on the vertical axis, time on the bottom. You can see, as time goes on, the condition declines. At a certain point, the condition is dropping fast and the right treatment is to rehabilitate it. Waiting any longer and rehabilitation wouldn’t do much — you’d have to reconstruct. So we rehab at $225K and the condition jumps back up, but not as high as it was originally. And then the process repeats… 10: What if instead of waiting until rehabilitation is needed, we apply some preventative treatments? This time the graph does exactly that — five preservation applications gets us to the exact same spot on the graph but only costs $110K. Studies indicate that even when you factor in the time value of money, preservation is 35% to 40% cheaper.* *Data source: “Preventive Surface Treatments Versus Traditional Corrective Maintenance Measures” Authors: N.M. Jackson, D. Dave, P.E. Sebaaly, G.L. Porrit. Link: http://www.pavementpreservation.org/library/getfile.php?journal_id=512 There are versions of this chart that are more complicated. By breaking it up and highlighting a piece at a time, it allows the speaker to more effectively tell the story of the chart in a way that is easier to understand.

68 Appendix A-1: Presentations 11: How much we spend and when also matters. In this example we start with $10 million in backlog of needs, represented by the blue line. And we spend $7 million each year — those are the gray bars. At the end of 5 years, we’ve spent $35 million and we’re down to $6 million in needs. 12: In this example, we front-load the spending — again shown in the grey bars. The result is that we can make up some ground on our backlog of needs — the blue line again. At the end of 5 years we’ve spent $35 million again, but the backlog is at $0. This is another traditional graph broken into two slides to tell the story in a more understandable way.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 69 13: So what does this all mean? Well here’s our pavement chart again… If we refocus our efforts on preservation we can get back to our targets and stay there. 14: A preservation-focused program will benefit both our roads and our bottom line. We should not only implement it, but also tell the story to our external partners and the citizens of our state — it’s a great example of how government can be more efficient and cost effective, and we should promote the fact that we’re doing it. You might be asked to supply scenarios for various funding alternatives, which at most DOTs can be developed using asset management tools. Slide provides a final thought that summarizes the entire presentation. Last line plants the seed for the needs and benefits of promoting a preservation- focused program with external partners.

70 Appendix A-1: Presentations Scenario 2 Internal Presentation 1: We’re here today to talk about what it’s going to take to maintain — or hopefully improve — the condition of our highways. 2: We all know that the condition of our highways falls well below our target which is to have 85% of all highways in good condition. Currently 55% of our highways achieve that mark. This graphic/tag appeals to an internal audience because it speaks to the complexities of highway preservation and it also lays the foundation to talk about external factors that have to be considered. Message is clear. Condition of highways does not meet DOT’s target and is declining.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 71 3: You’ll remember that in the face of budget reductions, we shifted $100 million from capacity to shore up preservation investment. Despite the shift, it wasn’t enough to make up the overall reduction in preservation spending due to budget reductions. 4: This graph demonstrates my serious concern. Even if we’re able to continue at our current investment, system conditions are predicted to decline further. Demonstrating link between investment and performance builds credibility externally. As operators of the highway system, it’s important for this audience to understand the consequences of continued underinvestment. This information also provides the foundation for talking externally.

72 Appendix A-1: Presentations 5: Essentially, we need to figure out how to close this $200 million gap in preservation funding to reverse the trend. 6: $100 million had been left in capacity for high- profile/priority projects and further reductions would be politically risky. Hoping for a quick recovery would be irresponsible. This discussion represents an opportunity to shift the dynamic from an under- performing system/DOT to what stakeholders expect from their highway system and are willing to pay for. “What we can afford” speaks to balancing competing needs and underscores fiscal responsibility. It’s important to quantify the gap. Vague language like “invest more” isn’t likely to move DOT leadership or the public to action. For more impact, use a heavy weight font and color to highlight key points, even on a slide with few words. Use slides to frame a discussion. Clearly there are lots of pros and cons to discuss, but slides are often most effective for getting the discussion started — it will stifle discussion if the audience perceives you’ve already thought through all the issues.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 73 7: The negative impact of the shifting-funds or waiting-for- an-economic-recovery approach on community partners and the DOT is not acceptable. In looking at our options, the most productive and ultimately sustainable approach is to build support for increased preservation funding through stakeholder engagement. 8 Balancing perspectives: This slide sets the right tone for decision making and communication. The elements of time, money, and internal/external impacts are considered simultaneously.

74 Appendix A-1: Presentations 9: Given the state of disrepair and long-term lack of funding, it will be important to build momentum with key stakeholders and determine what a “supportable” level of investment might be. We recommend that a task force and road rallies be held to create a more public discussion of supportable investment. A broader public campaign should be launched in Phase 2. It should build on momentum from Phase 1 and coordination with partners should continue. A resulting mandate for the DOT should emerge: shift funds, decrease targets, or find a path toward increased investment. 10: While the DOT will have an active role, we have to recognize that we’ll be more effective if we work with our partners and leverage the roles they can play. We’ll need to hear from “investors and users” and engage with our industry partners. This slide demonstrates that there is no foregone conclusion about resulting actions that will occur in Phase 3. The lack of words provides a great platform for the speaker to make that point clearly. This slides demonstrates several points from which the speaker can work. First, the various groups have different roles to play and at the intersection of their efforts, effective communication occurs.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 75 This slide is intentionally left visually wide open so that open discussion can occur. 11: Now that we’ve discussed that an active engagement process should be developed and we need to leverage various partners, let’s talk about next steps.

76 Appendix A-1: Presentations Scenario 1 External Presentation 1: I’m here today to talk about the need for preservation in our state. Hopefully when I’m done you’ll agree with the title, that “a penny paved is a penny earned.” 2: Any ideas who said this? Was it LaHood? Horsley? Mendez? Incorporation of initiative logo. Audience is an external one that is influential in some states. This slide and the next one serve as a good opening sequence, grabbing the attention of the audience.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 77 3: Audi said it in a full-page ad in the New York Times from September of 2011. If you can’t read it, it says: “The roads are underfunded by $450 billion. With the right car, you may never notice.” Have the road conditions gotten so bad that the simple fact that they’re bad can now help sell cars? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to pay a little more for preservation and maintenance? 4: … Especially when you consider that rough roads cost the average driver $335 per year. This slide and the previous one work as a good attention-grabbing introduction. Use of bold and larger font calls out the important information on the slide. Some presenters like to put several examples on the same slide. It can be more effective to pick one example and highlight it on the slide. Other examples can still be used by the speaker to elaborate.

78 Appendix A-1: Presentations 5: $335 is a lot of money. Here are some other things that cost $335. A month of groceries, 6 months of cable, and 1 lease payment on a new Audi. 6: Luckily, in our state you don’t need that new car just yet. As you can see in the graph, our pavement condition has come a long way since the mid-80’s when less than half our roads were in good condition. But you can see the trend has reversed in recent years. Surveys and road rallies have told us that our customers expect 85% of our roads to be in good condition; we’re dropping below that target. It’s time to change our approach. Examples are on a personal level — people can relate to these things. Audi mention brings it back to the introduction and if done well brings in a little humor. Tying performance with the public expectations relates the technical data back to the audience. Graph is clean and clear and allows audience to focus on the most important points — that things are getting worse and have dropped below the target.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 79 7: Some will advocate for a worst-first approach where we fix the worst roads first. “Worst first” sounds great, but it’s a horrible strategy. If it’s followed for too long, it will eventually bankrupt a DOT. When you use the worst-first approach, you wait until serious damage has been done and every road in the system will have to descend to that level before it gets attention, making it the most expensive strategy possible. 8: Worst first doesn’t work very well with dental care. Simple graphical approach grabs attention and makes the point at the same time. Fight the urge to put supporting points on the slide that will force the audience to read instead of listening to the speaker — with this approach the audience will get the high-level point right away and be anxious to hear the explanation. Shocking image grabs attention of the audience. Brushing teeth provides an excellent analogy to the importance of preserving highways because it’s intuitive and personal (goes with next slide as well).

80 Appendix A-1: Presentations 9: Just like it’s important to brush our teeth, it’s important to preserve our highways. 10: Obviously we need to reconstruct old pavements and rebuild new bridges, but not at the expense of preventative actions. It’s about balancing these needs in the most cost-effective way over the long term. Put another way, it’s about “Applying the right treatment to the right pavement at the right time.” The picture gives a clue which way we might want to lean … toward the preventative maintenance side. Brushing teeth provides an excellent analogy to the importance of preserving highways because it’s intuitive and personal. Some will like to put these two images on the same slide — splitting them up helps the presenter tell the story rather than just relying on the audience to piece it together for themselves. Use of bold gives weight to the main takeaway of the slide.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 81 11: So what does this all mean? Well here’s our pavement chart again… If we refocus our efforts on preservation we can get back to our targets and stay there. 12: Not only will we meet our targets, but we’ll save money. Spending money on preservation saves us money down the road: Every $1 spent keeping a good road good saves $6 to $14 to rebuild one that has deteriorated. This is the same graph from earlier in the presentation, but this time the future is zoomed in on to better illustrate the improvement. Language is easy to understand. “Keeping a good road good” makes intuitive sense and is better for an external audience than some of the more typical life-cycle cost language.

82 Appendix A-1: Presentations 13: As part of our focus we’ve launched an awareness initiative at pennypaved.com. We’ll be promoting our performance efforts and you can interact and learn more about preservation. Call to action encourages audience to stay in touch and join the effort.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 83 Scenario 2 External Presentation 1: Happy to have the opportunity to share the Phoenix Task Force conclusions and recommendations with you. 2: The primary recommendation of the Phoenix Task Force is that the condition of <state> highways needs to be improved now. To build interest or encourage people to take action, your title should convey a sense of urgency. Hit the primary point of the presentation early. The first few minutes are known as “gold” so present the key finding first and then back it up with data and other info.

84 Appendix A-1: Presentations 3: For you, improved highway conditions mean: 1. You and your family will have smoother and safer roads to travel. 2. For the state, we’ll be better able to recruit new businesses as access to highways is a key determinant in site selection. 3. The Task Force has estimated that improving 75% of our major highways to good condition will cost each taxpayer about 25 cents per day. 4 Messages resonate best when people understand the impact or benefit of a project at a personal level. It’s important to demonstrate that multiple audiences support preservation. This slide sets up that demonstration.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 85 5 6: In a statistically valid survey of state businesses: 1. About 95% of respondents think the condition of our highways hurt business recruitment efforts — just like John Smith said; 2. About 90% of respondents think the condition of our highways hurt their bottom line; 3. And 80% are willing to pay a little more in taxes to improve highways conditions. Strong quotes from sources outside the DOT are great credibility boosters. Note how the quote on the previous slide brings the data on this slide to life.

86 Appendix A-1: Presentations 7 8: In a statistically valid survey of state drivers, 85% of respondents are either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with current highway conditions. And, 65% of those drivers are willing to pay 25 cents/day to improve conditions of our major highways. While this number lags business responses, it’s a significantly positive response. It’s important to collect quotes and pictures from all events/meetings for later use. Try to capture a broad range of geographies, backgrounds, business interests, and other demographics. By putting the very dissatisfied percentage on top of the dissatisfied bar, the total dissatisfied bar equals 85%. The 10% very dissatisified would have seemed like a small percentage if it had been left as its own bar. It’s more memorable if the willingness to pay bar is a consistent color for the state business and state drivers slide.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 87 9 10 Tailor presentations for your target audience so that representatives from the region or industry are included. Or, if you don’t have time to customize presentations, make sure to have broad geographic and industry representation. Another opportunity to demonstrate urgency.

88 Appendix A-1: Presentations 11: You may have seen this image on one of the 30 billboards across the state talking about how not much good comes from bad roads. As co-chair of the Phoenix task force challenges, “we can and must do better” and here’s why: 12: As the slide demonstrates, based on current funding levels for preservation, the <state> DOT would anticipate another 13% of our highways would fall out of good condition in the next 8 years. Reusing an image from another part of the communication campaign helps reinforce messages. This tag line emphasizes the negative consequences of inaction.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 89 13: Residents, business owners, and community leaders said that, while they’d like 85% of highways in good condition, we can’t afford that right now. Target lowered to a more affordable 75%. Decision to make: either taxpayers pay 25 cents per day more and condition will improve OR taxpayers won’t pay more and conditions continue to decline. 14 While this slides provides a significant amount of information, the header poses the most important question as a conscious choice. Combining technical data and financial forecasting, the cost to close the funding gap was translated into an easy to understand 25 cents per day per taxpayer rather than talking about the $150 million annually needed to close the gap.

90 Appendix A-1: Presentations 15: Now is the time to invest in better highway conditions. We’ll see immediate creation of construction jobs — and more importantly, position our state for better long- term growth because relocating businesses look at good highway access as a key criterion. We also know through economic analysis, that businesses will be able to ship goods more reliably, which has a positive impact on the state’s GDP. We’ve talked with citizens, businesses, and community leaders — and they have all said — Now is the time to invest. 16: I encourage you to visit Partner website. They have an interactive map that shows the condition of every highway in the state. You can comment on your highway or the system overall, and they also provide information on how to contact your legislators if you’re interested. It’s effective to layer in additional benefits of improved highway conditions — especially in both immediate and long-term timeframes. While a DOT might not encourage stakeholders and residents to contact their legislators, your partners can. Depending on a variety of factors, it might make good sense to provide a link to those sites.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 91 17 Always provide a way for audiences to contact you following the presentation.

92 Appendix A-2. Logos, Slogans and Billboards A-2: Logos, Slogans, and Billboards

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 93 Scenario 1 Logo and Slogan A PENNY PAVED IS A PENNY EARNED A refined logo will give external audiences something to identify with. The slogan and logo invoke a sense of responsibility and efficiency, which were discovered as important customer values during market research. The slogan is memorable and interesting and audiences will instinctively agree with the premise, making it more likely to inspire them to support preservation.

94 Appendix A-2. Logos, Slogans and Billboards Scenario 2 Logo and Slogan THE PHOENIX PROJECT: Rebuilding Highways and Investments A refined logo will give external audiences something to identify with. The Phoenix Project slogan makes the connection between investment and performance inescapable.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 95 Scenario 2 Billboards Not Much Good Comes from Bad Roads There Should Only Be One Grand Canyon Effective billboards require memorable images and striking, short messages — usually seven words or less. Partners can advocate and spend money in ways DOTs cannot, so leverage strong relationships. While a DOT might be criticized for spending funds on billboards when highways are in poor condition, industry partners may be very willing to underwrite the costs.

96 Appendix A-3: Fact Sheets and Brochures A-3: Fact Sheets and Brochures

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 97 Scenario 1 Internal Fact Sheet W W t D r H s O f s c c w C M S o f le a W P b W b here We A e’ve come a han half of o uring the 19 econstructio owever, tha ince 2003. ver the past eedback from urveys and ro ustomers exp ondition at a e’re droppin hanging Ou eeting our t Wher What When ome will adv ne that if fol irst means se vel before it pplying the r e Can Save reservation i e rehabilitat hen we act acklog of nee re long way sin ur roads were 80’s and 199 n of nearly 4, t trend has b four months users all acr ad rallies. W ect 85% of o ll times. As th g below that r Approach arget perform e should we s should we sp should we s ocate for a w lowed for too rious damag will receives ight treatme Money an s cheaper pe ed, we can sa also matters. ds. THE D ce the mid-8 in good con 0’s, we invest 000 highway een declining , DOT has gat oss the state e have learn ur roads to b e graph abo target. ance levels pend? end it on? pend it? orst first app long will eve e must be do attention, m nt to the righ d Improve t r lane mile an ve 35-40 per As demonst UCT TAPE Executi 0’s when les dition. ed in the miles. steadily hered through ed our e in good ve indicates – is about bala roach. Altho ntually bank ne before rep aking it the m t pavement he System d it’s also ch cent on our p rated in the WON’T LA ve Staff Brie 1/12/12 s ncing three q ugh “Worst F rupt a DOT. P airs are mad ost expensiv at the right t eaper in the reservation graph below, ST FOREV fing uestions: irst” sounds rioritizing tr e. Every roa e strategy p ime. long run. By program. front-loadin ER reasonable, i eatment of t d in the syste ossible. The treating road g our program t’s a horrible he worst pav m will desce focus should s before they will help re strategy – ement nd to that be on need to duce our A fact sheet that accompanies a presentation can be very powerful. It can provide more context and detail than can be fit onto a slide, and it serves as a take- home piece for the audience.

98 Appendix A-3: Fact Sheets and Brochures Scenario 1 External Brochure (Outside) Over the past several decades, <State> has invested billions of dollars to build one of the best transportation systems in the country. Our system is in good condition today, but it’s growing more expensive to maintain. <State DOT> has launched a new web site to highlight the importance of preserving the transportation system and to provide information regarding ways the system has played a vital part in economic development, community growth and civic pride. To learn more, visit: www.pennypaved.org For more information, please contact the DOT Preservation Office: 555.555.1000 joe@dot.org The Importance of Preservation (State) DOT January 2012 A fact sheet or brochure that accompanies a presentation can be very powerful. It can provide more context and detail than can be fit onto a slide, and it serves as a take-home piece for the audience.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 99 Scenario 1 External Brochure (Inside) Preserving our Infrastructure We’ve come a long way since the mid-80’s when less than half of our roads were in good condition. During the 1980’s and 1990’s, we invested in the reconstruction of nearly 100,000 highway miles. Over the past eight months, DOT has gathered feedback from users all across the state through surveys and road rallies. We have learned our customers expect 85% of our roads to be in good condition at all times. As the graph below indicates – we’re dropping below that target. Did you know? Rough roads cost the average driver $335 per year due to tire and suspension damage and reduced fuel efficiency. Every $1 spent keeping a good road in good condition saves $6 to $14 over rebuilding one that has deteriorated. Percent of Pavement in Good Condition Costs Per Lane Mile It’s about the applying the right treatment to the right pavement at the right time Comparison of performance with customer expectations can be established through market research and highlighted with external audiences to demonstrate the DOT’s commitment to listening to its customers. Historical data shows past progress and the current challenge.

100 Appendix A-3: Fact Sheets and Brochures Scenario 2 Brochure (Outside) An interactive map on the website allows citizens to learn more about task force members in an uncluttered way. Use relatively simple graphs to demonstrate key points and short cutlines to reinforce the points. Use a short personal message to convey your “story.” You’ll be able to use a more conversational, easy-to- understand, and welcoming tone. Use a variety of social media tools so that the public feels like they can participate in a conversation rather than being bombarded by data. Providing co-chair contact information makes the process more open, but can create messaging conflicts. Think through this option.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 101 Scenario 2 Brochure (Inside) The format of this info piece allows participants to understand (in advance) the work flow and how decisions/discussions in one meeting impact future meetings’ decisions. Note that specific dates aren’t identified which increases flexibility for the task force work.

102 Appendix A-3: Fact Sheets and Brochures Scenario 2 Fact Sheet (Front) From the beginning, the goal of the Phoenix Project Task Force was to understand how preservation ranks as a priority by listening to the full spectrum of voices across the state. The task force has met for over a year, talked with community leaders, business executives, drivers and citizens to hear what they think of our highways – and what, if anything they’re willing to do about it. Through this dialogue, the DOT has learned (State citizens) are ready to rebuild roads and protect investments. Task Force Recommendations: 1. It’s time to reverse the declining condition of our highways. We’ve reached the point where highway conditions are negatively impacting travelers and our economy. 2. The legislature should explore ways to fund preservation at $150 million more per year, which roughly equates to 25 cents per day more per taxpayer. The Phoenix Task Force further recommends that increase be implemented in the next legislative session. 3. Although 25 cents per day will not improve all highways to the condition the DOT recommends, that increase will allow <state> to improve the condition of our major highways to good condition. How do we know <state citizens> are ready to invest? John P. Smith Founder and CEO, Company Name “As a business owner myself, I understand the importance of investing in the future. I have had to make tough decisions on how I invest in my company to help meet the challenges we face every day.” Highways Must Be Fixed. Rough highways are causing too much damage to <state> businesses – and 80% of businesses surveyed are willing to support an initiative asking taxpayers to pay 25 cents per day more to improve highway quality. THE TIME TO FIX OUR HIGHWAYS IS NOW Drivers are Willing To Pay for Better Highways. 85% of drivers who participated in the Road Rallies said they are dissatisfied with current highway conditions – and 65% are willing to pay 25 cents per day to fix them. Jose C. Hernandez President and CEO, Major Employer “Investing 25 cents a day now will save us from a much more costly investment in the future. We can’t afford to underestimate that impact.” From the beginning, the goal of the Phoenix Project Task Force was to understand how preservation ranks as a priority by listening to the full spectrum of voices across the state. The task force has met for over a year, talked with community leaders, business executives, drivers and citizens to hear what they think of our highways – and what, if anything they’re willing to do about it. Through this dialogue, the DOT has learned (State citizens) are ready to rebuild roads and protect investments. Task Force Recommendations: 1. It’s time t rev rse the declining condition of our highways. We’ve reached the point where highway conditions are negatively impacting travelers and our economy. 2. The legislature should explore ways to fund preservation at $150 million more per year, which roughly equates to 25 cents r day mor p r taxpayer. The Phoenix Task Force further recommends that increase be implemented in th next leg slative s ssion. 3. Although 25 cents per day will not improve all highways to the condition the DOT recommends, that increase will allow <state> to improve the condition of our major highways to good condition. How do we know <state citizens> are ready to invest? John P. Smith Founder and CEO, Company Name “As a business owner myself, I understand the importance of investing in the future. I have had to make tough decisions on how I invest in my company to help meet the challenges we face every day.” Highways Must Be Fixed. Rough highways are causing too much amage to <state> businesses – and 80% of businesses surveyed are willing to support an initiative asking taxpayers to pay 25 cents per day more to improve highway quality. THE TIME TO FIX OUR HIGHWAYS IS NOW Drivers are Willing To Pay for Better Highways. 85% of drivers who participated in the Road Rallies said they are dissatisfied with current highway conditions – and 65% are willing to pay 25 cents per day to fix them. Jose C. Hernandez President and CEO, Major Employer “Investing 25 cents a day now will save us from a much more costly investment in the future. We can’t afford to underestimate that impact.” It’s important to select and emphasize only the most important points — usually 3-5 key points is all that stakeholders will remember. If interested, stakeholders or the public can always read the full report. This handout provides a short but comprehensive summary of the key findings. Keep key messages consistent between campaign materials. The personal quotes help underscore key findings and connect the findings in personal and meaningful ways to issues beyond transportation.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 103 Scenario 2 Fact Sheet (Back) Rebuild Roads Now to Avoid Costly Increases Later Start investing as little as 25 cents a day now to reclaim our roads, jump start our economy with immediate construction jobs and make <state> more competitive…OR let our highways and opportunities crumble and pay $4 per day later. Jane M. Doe CEO and President, Company Name “As part of the Phoenix Project Task Force, I have been honored to serve with a group of concerned citizens, business owners, taxpayers, and elected officials to convene hearings across the state so we could hear – in people’s own words – what they think of our highways and what, if anything they’re willing to do about it.” For More Information To obtain more information about the Phoenix Project Task Force and its activities, please contact: President of State of the Chamber Senate Transportation Chair DOT Public Affairs Street Address, Suite # Street Address, Suite # Street Address, Suite # City, State, Zip City, State, Zip City, State, Zip Phone Phone Phone E-mail Address E-mail Address E-mail Address Information is also available by visiting the Task Force's Web site and social networks: http://phoenixproject.org Facebook.com/PhoenixProject @PhoenixProject Linkedin.com/Phoenix Project Quotes from business leaders are used to support the data indicating drivers are highly dissatisfied and the business community supports increased investment in preservation.

104 Appendix A-4: Op-eds and Press Releases A-4: Op-eds and Press Releases

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 105 Scenario 1 Press Release MEDIA CONTACT Name Title Direct Phone or Cell Phone E-mail PRESERVING THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IS FOCUS OF THE NEW (STATE) DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WEB SITE City, State – January 17, 2012– With an eye towards the future of transportation in (State), the Department of Transportation is pleased to announce the launch of a new web site dedicated to preservation of the state’s transportation system. The new site – www.pennypaved.org – features important information about the transportation system and ongoing preservation efforts in (State). Visitors can track specific transporation project progress, learn about upcoming projects and view first- hand the importance of preservation. “Over the past several decades, (State) has invested billions of dollars to build one of the best transportation systems in the country. While our system is in good condition today, it is growing more expensive to maintain,” said John Smith, (State) Department of Transportation Secretary. “We want to ensure the public is informed about the ongoing efforts to protect the investments of the past, and the new web site offers a great opportunity to provide information as well as gather feedback from the very citizens who use the transportation system every day.” The new web site is based upon a culmination of meetings the (State) Department of Transporation has held throughout (State) over the past two years. Through continued outreach to key citizens and communities across (State), the web site has been developed to highlight the importance of the transportation system and to educate citizens on areas where the system has played a vital part in economic development, community growth, and civic pride. The new web site is now live, and visitors are invited to sign up for the (State) DOT monthly newsletter and offer feedback at www.pennypaved.org/comments . For traffic updates, announcements and more information, follow (State) DOT on Twitter at (insert handle) and like us on Facebook. ### Always make sure the media contact listed will be available for any immediate inquiries or follow-up. If not, you may need to consider revising the timing of distribution. Get to the main point of the release as quickly and succinctly as possible in the opening paragraph. Then expand with further details and quotes in subsequent paragraphs. Focus on “what” the news is in the first paragraph. Use subsequent paragraphs to highlight the “how,” “when,” and “why.” The use of quotes is a great way to ensure your key messages are included in the release. Make sure to get approval from the individual(s) you are quoting. Make sure each individual quote focuses on one specific issue and not multiple issues. Provide context for the reader to understand that any new projects or education campaign efforts were developed via significant outreach to citizens and communities. This information helps readers connect with the projects on a personal level. Offer opportunities to receive feedback and create dialogues with constituents. Many media look for stories that can include reader participation and feedback given the changing nature of social media.

106 Appendix A-4: Op-eds and Press Releases Scenario 2 Press Release (Page 1) MEDIA C Name Title Direct an E-mail Ad ROAD R CONDIT City, Stat Departm highway “Public in determin Force. “T aren’t sa Eight roa urban are per day a variety o stakehold highways condition correlate condition “During t condition evaluate said (Nam Discussio system d levels. An see 75% (continue ONTACT d/or Cell Ph dress ALLIES RE IONS; SET e – March 1 ent of Trans system. put is a crit e future pre he feedback tisfied with d rallies we as. The eve long variou f perspectiv ers. Each w including in , condition d with highw . he (insert C of some of the conditio e), (City)-a n groups we ecline proje overwhelm of pavemen d) one Numbe VEAL CITIZ COURSE F 3, 2012 – A portation re ical element servation e gathered d highway sys re held in va nts consiste s pre-determ es, including as asked to terstates, m of shoulders ay data to ity Name or our most h n, it was ev rea resident re held imm ctions and d ing majorit t in good co r ENS DISSA OR DOT C series of rec vealed high as the DOT fforts,” said uring each o tem conditi rious region d of six van ined route area reside complete a ajor and m , and wheth understand Region) roa eavily-traffic ident where . ediately fo iscussed fun y from road ndition with TISFIED W OMMUN ent road ra levels of di continues t (insert Nam f the region ons and are s across the s carrying 16 s. Participan nts, regiona satisfaction inor highwa er striping what partic d rally, I wa ked areas. I our system llowing each ding neede rallies acros a focus on ITH HIGH ICATION E llies conduc ssatisfaction o evaluate s e), chair of al road rall willing to pa state earlie passenger ts were rec l leaders, m survey rega ys on issues was bright e ipants cons s shocked b n taking the is quickly d ride, and p d to improv s the state the intersta WAY SYS FFORTS ted by the ( with the co ystem cond the Phoenix ies was clea y more to h r this year, s each, runn ruited to rep edia and ot rding variou such as pav nough. Res idered to be y the jarring time to rid eteriorating articipants e the condit indicated th te and majo TEM State) ndition of t itions and Project Tas r – citizens ave it fixed in both rura ing four tim resent a wi her s kinds of ement ults were th “good” ride and po e along and ,” learned abo ion to targe ey would lik r highways. he k .” l and es de en or ut t e to Note the variety of participants so that readers understand multiple perspectives will be considered. Prep co-sponsors or others who have partnered with you for media interviews and coordinate in advance or on-site. If media are unable to attend, you may consider shooting B-roll during the rides to distribute along with your release. If the budget doesn’t accommodate for video news release production, consider using a flip video camera and allow participants to create short video blogs regarding their experiences. These offer an opportunity for more organic, authentic message delivery than a video news release. These could be posted throughout the process to the DOT YouTube channel and on Facebook and linked from Twitter, etc.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 107 Scenario 2 Press Release (Page 2) “Based upon the feedback provided, we anticipate it will cost the average taxpayer about 25  cents per work day  – to get pavement conditions to reach the 75% level. We have a lot to  consider as we assess future preservation efforts and next steps, and greatly appreciate the  feedback provided thus far from citizens all across the state,” said  (insert Name), chair of the  Phoenix Project Task Force.    For more information regarding the Phoenix Project Task Force or (State) Department of  Transportation, please visit www.phoenixproject.org or www.DOT.org .     ###      Include the outcome of the event and the discussions that follow to set the stage for moving forward.

108 Appendix A-4: Op-eds and Press Releases Scenario 2 Op-ed Piece It’s best to get a local person to write the op-ed if possible. You can help facilitate writing op- eds by suggesting topics and providing media outlet contact information to partners. The impact to economic development can be told through stories and anecdotes. A community leader or someone else outside the DOT typically conveys more credibility.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 109 A-5: Blast Emails

110 Appendix A-5: Blast Emails Scenario 1 Blast Email   From: DOT Secretary [mailto: DOT@pennypaved.org] Sent: Tuesday, February 7, 2012 11:13 AM To: Stakeholders Subject: A Penny Paved is a Penny Saved   Good morning: On behalf of the Department of Transportation, I’m pleased to announce a new initiative regarding the importance of preserving our system. This new initiative – called “A Penny Paved is a Penny Earned” – is focused on communicating the ongoing efforts by the DOT to protect our state’s investment. As you know, over the past several decades, (State) has invested billions of dollars to build one of the best transportation systems in the country. While our system is in good condition today, it is growing more expensive to maintain. The goal behind our “Penny Paved” campaign is to ensure the public is informed about the ongoing efforts to protect the investments of the past, and wisely invest for the future. To that end, we’re launching a new web site at www.pennypaved.org which features important information about the transportation system and ongoing preservation efforts throughout our state. Based upon input gathered from citizens, communities and stakeholders, the web site has been developed to highlight the importance of the transportation system as well as provide information on how the system plays a vital part in economic development, community growth, and civic pride. Visitors can learn about upcoming projects, track progress and view first-hand the importance of preservation. The new site offers a great opportunity to provide information as well as gather feedback from the very citizens who use the transportation system every day. Support from our stakeholders is critical to maintaining our infrastructure and we’re glad to have you on our side. The “Penny Paved” initiative is based upon a culmination of meetings the (State) Department of Transportation has held throughout (State) over the past two years – in which many of you participated! We hope you’ll find the new Web site informative – and welcome any feedback along the way. Thank you, John  John Smith  Secretary  (State) Department of Transportation  888‐555‐5000  jsmith@dot.gov  www.pennypaved.org  DOT Secretary Email update provided to key stakeholder subscriber group. Overall tone should be more conversational/less formal than press release. Provide background on the context of the new project or initiative, as well as the goal of fiscal responsibility. Another opportunity to note the involvement/contributions from stakeholders in the process.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 111 Scenario 2 Blast Email From: DOT Secretary [mailto:Secretary@DOT.org] Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 1:20 PM To: Stakeholders Cc: Phoenix Task Force Subject: Phoenix Task Force Recommendations Dear Stakeholders and Partners: As many of you are aware, over the past eight months the <State> DOT has been working to develop a responsible and supportable plan for preserving our transportation system. Thank you to each of you for providing feedback through survey responses, road rallies, focus group sessions and phone calls. Thank you also to the Phoenix Task Force members for their role in reviewing responses and preparing a recommendation. In listening to community leaders, business executives, drivers and citizens, we have heard the message clearly – <State> is ready to rebuild roads and invest in our highway system. Based upon the information gathered, the Phoenix Task Force has made the following recommendations:  It’s time to reverse the declining condition of our highways. We’ve reached the point where highway conditions are negatively impacting travelers and our economy.  The legislature should explore ways to fund preservation at $150M more per year, which roughly equates to an increase of 25 cents per day per taxpayer. The Phoenix Task Force further recommends that increase be implemented in the next legislative session. Though this falls short of the target level, the increase would allow for major system improvements and continued maintenance efforts critical at this time.  Although 25 cents per day will not improve all highways to the condition the DOT recommends, it would allow <State> to improve the condition of our major highways to good condition. As shared by <Name>, Phoenix Task Force co-chair, “We can’t afford to have highways in excellent condition everywhere right now, but we can make strategic investments to improve our most important trade and travel corridors. When the economy improves, we’ll work to bring the rest of our highways into good condition.” For more information on the Phoenix Task Force recommendations, please visit www.phoenixproject.org or download the brochure here (hyperlink). We look forward to your continued feedback and appreciate your support as we work to preserve the investment in our state’s transportation system. Sincerely, DOT Secretary     First Name Last Name  Secretary  Department of Transportation  Mobile   (555) 555‐5555  Direct    (555) 555‐5555  Main      (555) 555‐555  Secretary@DOT.org               DOT Secretary  An email blast provides a personal link between the head of the transportation agency and stakeholders. Email blasts are an effective tool for communicating messages quickly and easily — and are even more effective when links to additional material are embedded in the email. Gathering and reporting feedback from multiple sources, multiple times increases the credibility of messages. For credibility’s sake, it’s important for someone beyond the DOT to talk about how much “improvement” is affordable. Driving stakeholders and the public to a consistent location for additional information increases message control and can become a convenient one-stop shop for audiences.

112 Appendix A-6: Website A-6: Website

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 113 Scenario 1 Website A website can serve as the home for a preservation initiative. It can provide a one-stop shop for all of the materials and news related to the effort and allow the DOT to communicate with citizens and stakeholders in an inexpensive way. Links to social media. Blog posts by DOT professionals and supporters of the initiative. Initiative-focused website offers news directly related to the initiative and other preservation information from around the country.

114 Appendix A-7: Social Media A-7: Social Media

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 115 Scenario 1 Twitter Account Use the power of social media to broadcast. Layer simple and complex content to set it up, and continue to update content. Social channels quickly become stale and must be updated on a regular basis. Tweets don’t always have to be directly about the initiative. Providing links to other places on the web that are related can help promote interest and awareness. Twitter provides a way to quickly and informally engage directly with citizens and stakeholders. Building a following can take time and resources, but is important for any social media campaign to be effective.

116 Appendix A-7: Social Media Scenario 2 Facebook Page Post photos and updates often to help the project “come alive.” Provide information in a variety of formats and channels so that people can engage in ways that are most comfortable and convenient for them. Consistently use the logo so that viewers can quickly associate the information with a specific project or initiative.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 117 Scenario 2 YouTube Channel Consistently use the logo so that viewers can quickly associate the information with a specific project or initiative. YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine. Develop a YouTube Channel for the initiative to help organize content and make it easier for stakeholders to find new posts. Even though this video is about a partner’s efforts, it is relevant to the effort and by using lots of channels to communicate broadly about preservation, the opportunity for a surround sound experience is created for audiences.

118 Appendix A-7: Social Media Scenario 2 YouTube Script (Page 1) 1    YouTube screen shot and Video Script:  Crazy Bad    JOHN DOE, commuter:  Quote and footage of John Doe standing by his car:  You know it’s bad when you throw an axel  driving to work – I’m not kidding, I hit a pothole on I‐xx and it tore my car up.  I’m sick of this.      BOB SMITH, Economic developer:  Quote and footage of Bob Smith and then cut to B‐roll of heavy trucks and deteriorating  bridges:  I tell you, I can’t get businesses to think about locating here with highways in this  condition.  Businesses look at two key factors when deciding whether to locate:  labor costs and  access to good highways.  Sure, they look at lots of other factors too, but if you can’t score good  on labor and highways, you’re out of the game.    NARRATOR with B‐roll of more bad highways and then Amtrak:  To find out how bad xxx’s highways really are, the XYZ transportation coalition sponsored a  “Crazy Bad” contest.  Residents were encouraged to submit stories about the worst experience  they had had with a bad highway in the last 3 years.  Whoever had the worst story would be  awarded a weekend get‐away trip to xxxx resort, via Amtrak.  And the “winning” story comes  from Jane Doe:  Jane Doe, new mother  Quote and footage of Jane Doe, holding a young baby, then cut to a picture of XXX hospital:  We  were driving to the hospital and I swear the bumpy road caused the contractions to speed up.  I  delivered in the car – at the emergency bay of the hospital.  The baby and I are ok, but I swear  Highway XXX caused a lot of the trouble.  We need to fix our highways, now.          Scripts for YouTube videos should be short and simple. Use clips of people who are not DOT employees, and provide a mix of education and entertainment to increase views.

Communicating the Value of Preservation: A Playbook 119 Scenario 2 YouTube Script (Page 2) 2    NARRATOR with graphic of the map and the website address and then zoom in on the “leave  a comment” portion of the site:  www.partner.com  XYZ coalition has created map using these stories along with information from the xDOT so that  you can see how bad the highways are that you have to travel on.  It’s easy to use, just click on  the county where you live or the highway you drive to see how those conditions compare with  other highways in the state.   There’s a spot where you can leave your comments or share your  Crazy Bad Highway Story.  XYZ Coalition is now searching for the next Crazy Bad Story – and rest  assured, you’ll travel Amtrak for your weekend get‐away!