Strategic e-Marketing of the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!TM Campaign Works

E-marketing Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! prevention messages showed that a heuristic approach can raise aquatic invasive species (AIS) awareness and change behaviors among Great Lakes anglers. Heuristics play an important role in problem solving, decision making, and planned actions. As mental shortcuts, they allow people to synthesize information efficiently. Shifting from previous to desired behavior requires positioning of consistent and effective messages. To this end, Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! campaign partners generated 1.7 billion impressions since 2006. The Great Lakes Sea Grant Network (GLSGN), led by Minnesota, engaged in a regional extension of the campaign using best media strategies and outreach tools aimed at preventing the spread of AIS. Wildlife Forever, the North American Media Group, and the GLSGN collaborated on 5 e-newsletters each with a specific message to anglers. The partners then surveyed the anglers to show that strategic communication and outreach featuring Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! can raise awareness and change behaviors with 97% reporting that they would take action to prevent AIS spread. Results will be compared to conventional approaches. This presentation will discuss methodology and technology used to test how this heuristic approach worked.