| |
Twelve years ago Washington
State University Cooperative Extension added FSNEP to its alphabet soup of nutrition education programs. Washington was one of four pioneering states to start providing nutrition education to food stamp recipients under the congressionally approved Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program.
As cooperative extension nutritionist Sue Butkus puts it, it's a great program with a lousy name.
"Food stamps carry a stigma, 'nutrition education' sounds boring, and the word 'program' implies you'll be dealing with a government bureaucracy," she said.
FSNEP is one of a plethora of nutrition programs in which cooperative
extension is involved, with such ambiguous titles as the Family
Nutrition Program, Pyramid in Practice, the Square Foot Nutrition
Program, S.N.A.C., and the venerable EFNEP—the Extension Family
Nutrition Education Program started under the Johnson Administration's"war
on poverty" more than 30 years ago.
"We knew we had to give nutrition education a single clear identity," Butkus said. "We needed an umbrella name for all these programs."
In the spring of 2000 a marketing committee was asked to find a new identity for expanding the outreach of extension nutrition education efforts. The committee connected with David Sprott, associate professor of marketing in the College of Business and Economics. Sprott agreed to take on creating a brand identity for extension's nutrition programs as an upper level marketing class project.
"How these kids worked and what they accomplished was just amazing," according to Kathleen Manenica, a coordinator for the Food $ense program in Puyallup. "They had great energy and did a very professional job."
In the fall of 2000 Dr. Sprott's class developed and implemented a branding marketing study, identifying 20 possible new names. Some students conducted focus group sessions on the names with partnering agencies, while others worked with the marketing committee to develop logo concepts for the program. The students then surveyed clients in existing nutrition education programming, project supervisors, and education assistants teaching the classes. They even surveyed food bank clients not familiar with existing programs to see which names and logos appealed to potential clients.
By December, four potential names had been identified, and one logo idea emerged as a favorite.
"Food $ense was chosen because it best conveyed what the program is trying to accomplish," Manenica said, which is providing under-served populations with access and the skills to make the best use of available food resources.
|
|
"It picked up the nickname 'the basket people' logo and it reflects
our diverse audience coming together around a basket of food."
Manenica said. "People, simple tools, and whole foods are three
symbols known and recognized all over the world. I think all of us
are happy with our 'new face' and we're having fun using it statewide."
By the spring
of 2001 the new Food $ense identity was in play, appearing on brochures,
educational materials and Web sites.
Partnership with the College
of Business and Economics paid off not only in terms of results but
in monetary value, according to Manenica.
Actual costs for the program
were about $3,320. For their class project, the students obtained
a "fair market value" estimate for a comparable program from a professional
marketing and branding firm in Spokane of more than $31,000.
"The
partnership was mutually beneficial, and it provided Food $ense with
a research-based outcome that is helping build better programming
for limited resource audiences."
Having new marketing tools is only
the first step in marketing the program. The next is to expand Food
$ense programs beyond the 17 counties where they are offered.
In early
November the Food $ense team will convene a strategic planning meeting
involving, among others, the cooperative extension district directors
and county chairs. They'll be discussing methods to strengthen, expand,
and improve delivery of the various Food $ense programs throughout
the state, said Elaine Mayes, Food $ense coordinator with cooperative
extension in Spokane County.
"Expansion could mean many things," Mayes
said. "It could mean adding new counties to the program, expanding
programs within participating counties, and evaluating better methods
of delivering nutrition education generally."
The biggest limitation
to expansion is getting the local and state support required to attract
USDA matching funds, Mayes said. In-kind contributions (staff time
and office space) can count as support.
"It takes a lot of resources
to deliver these programs, and if we can document well what is being
expended locally, we get credit from USDA," Mayes said. Mayes encourages
counties not already involved in Food $ense programs to look into
them.
"It's really an opportunity to be creative, and to help limited
income people within their counties," Mayes said. "The sooner
they can talk with us the better, in terms of pursuing federal matching
funds." Manenica echoed the call for participation. "The
district and county leadership know their communities better than
we can at the state level. Their participation in strategic planning
is essential to help build and strengthen Food $ense programs."
|
|
