3
It’s more than just planning events that makes the ACE Framework operational. Branding, stakeholder engagement, delivery guidance, promotions and marketing are all part of the process that makes The Alternative Community Events (ACE) Framework successful. Adhering to best practices, as outlined in the ACE Implementation Manual will maximize the impact of alternative events. By thoughtfully considering these fidelity elements in the design and implementation of Alternative Community Events, communities will create impactful experiences that promote health and prevent substance use, fostering a supportive environment for the priority population and their families.
Branding:
Built within the base of commercial and social marketing practices, that demonstrate effectiveness, it is necessary to have sustainable distribution channels and recognizable branding to promote and deliver consistent messaging throughout both the events and their promotional channels. When a participant sees a continued and significant brand, they recognize its history and reputation.
This is a good place to note that a brand can have a negative or positive response. Branding significance is done so that a participant knows that the event will have the same value as previous events. It builds the reputation. Each event builds repeat “customers;” if they had a good time, they will tell others and if the event did not go well, they will tell that too.
- Branding is a common look and feel across all events, materials and giveaways. No matter what the size and shape of the event, it must have a common appearance and theme. This must be carried out through all agency planned activities and should be included to promote the events during community occasions where the agency has a booth or table.
- Branding includes consistent colors, logos, identifiable markings, themes, and tag lines. A constant, familiar appearance builds trust and comfort. Identifiable look and feel must be the same throughout all strategy events. Like a campaign, people need to recognize the alternative community events based on a quick glance.
- Include the outcomes-based intention of the events in all branding. All materials that promote the events, and information at the event should state that outcomes-based intention, to heighten the awareness of the reason for the activities. For instance, “Substance Free Events” (SFAE) or “Community Alternative Events” (CARES) sight the intent or goal of the event series.
Promotion:
Consistent Community Engagement: Participation in community gatherings will be essential for promoting ACE events and disseminating prevention messaging. While these gatherings will not be considered ACEs, they will serve to promote the events and share vital prevention information. Providing a table or booth at other events will help advertise ACE and build participation. The tabling will maintain a consistent look and feel as the ACE branding and will include promotional materials such as a calendar of upcoming events, pictures and videos from past events, and prevention messaging.
Promotion in the form of marketing and media will have the consistent branding and provide the priority population with event information. Through promoting the event, the participant should recognize it as one of the agency’s events. This is done by using consistent look and feel. As promotion continues it can be provided as earned media. This includes when partners begin to promote the events, word of mouth, and news organizations give information through positive stories.
- Be specific in all forms of promotion.
- Possible ways to advertise are calendar for the year, calendar for the season, individual promotion invitation for each event (who is invited, where, when, activities, and transportation. There should never be a cost. Invite news outlets to cover events.
- Promotion must be consistent to the desired change and be used on medias common to the population.
- Methods of communication for promotion must be the same throughout the promotion period. A new method can be added but a method needs to be vetted before it is removed. If a media is unproductive, an alternative must be announced so that we do not lose participants.
- Promotion must be geared toward the priority population and be able to reach sponsors and partners.
- Types of media and promotional venues include:
- Social Media
- Posters
- Radio
- Spotify
- Newspaper
- Billboards
- Television
- Bulletin Boards
- Other Signage
- Newsletters
- Yard Signs
- Geofencing
- Streaming during events
- Provide incentives and giveaways to take home as a reinforcer of the event and to amplify knowledge change, attitude or norm change, or skill building, as well as to serve as a positive memory of the event.
- Event giveaways can be an activity on their own, by providing an incentive for collecting Pins/magnets to show participation. For instance, to show that they have attended multiple events, participants can bring back giveaways at the end of a season, that they have collected throughout the year, for an ultimate.
- Drawings can be a way to attract attention.
- Giveaways should be age appropriate. Pill boxes are good for older participants, but whistles might be good for middle school students.
- Additional incentives can be offered to those who participate in event surveys.
- Examples of incentives include:
- Locker Magnets
- Tote Bags
- Sunglasses
- Silicone Bracelets
- Pins
- Badges
- Stickers
- Lanyards
- Balls
- Pill Boxes
- Cooling Cloths
- Attendance awards such as beads and charms to show participation.
Additional Considerations:
Building community readiness to disseminate the strategy should be a strong consideration before implementation begins. Other considerations that build sustainability include establishing ongoing partnerships, and sponsors. Identifying potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them, ensuring participant safety. This may include obtaining liability insurance for the agency and releases from the participants. Photo releases are also a good practice to establish. Both of the releases can be obtained when participants sign-in and register their attendance.
A word or two about evaluation:
To ensure the effectiveness of Alternative Community Events (ACEs), it is essential to use the evaluation materials provided in the appendices. These appendices include all requisite evaluation materials, which encompass formative and summative resources, as well as process and impact evaluation tools. This requirement supports our commitment as prevention practitioners to evidence-based practices and continuous improvement in program implementation.
Formative evaluation serves to provide ongoing feedback during the implementation of ACEs, allowing for adjustments and improvements based on participant experiences and emerging needs. Relatedly, process evaluation focuses on assessing the overall experience of implementing ACEs, examining adherence to established requirements throughout the planning process, activities, successes, challenges, and goals. Execution saturation will be measured to track growth in participation, utilizing raw numbers for anticipated participation versus actual attendees, as well as metrics based on event type, season, weather, and community conditions. This data will be instrumental in defining goals for future events.
Outcome evaluation assesses the impact of ACEs on the intended audience, measuring changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors as a result of participation. All ACEs must incorporate participant experience surveys conducted onsite at events. These surveys should consist of no more than four questions to ensure ease of completion while gathering meaningful feedback. The experience surveys will provide a means for collecting impact evaluation data, as well as basic participant satisfaction data to inform future event design and delivery. By adhering to these evaluation protocols outlined in Part Five of the manual, participants will contribute to the ongoing assessment and enhancement of our programming.
Time to complete the third step toward your full ACE Framework strategy action plan: Worksheet Three: Pre-Implementation Planning Once you have completed the worksheet, please let you TA Consultant know.