Brand Messaging / Visual Brand Identity / Social Media Strategy & Management / Campaign Design / Print & Digital Advertising / Environmental Advertising
As an NPR affiliate radio station operated by the University of Georgia, WUGA offers Athens and the larger Northeast Georgia area residents quality local news, reporting, entertainment, and a wide variety of broadcast programming from a trustworthy source without commercials.
WUGA was searching for a way to connect with all audiences, diversify its listener base, and tell more stories that represent a fuller picture of Athens.
We knew from the start that a campaign centered around boosting awareness and drawing new eyes was the name of the game while ensuring longtime listeners stayed on board. A well-designed, multi-faceted campaign was required.
The current and more traditional NPR listener base understands the importance of a quality local news station like WUGA. By broadening the audience to a younger and more diverse following, WUGA can tell more relevant stories to more residents.
We began where we always do, with discovery. By working to identify an overarching campaign that highlights WUGA’s unique brand attributes – the core foundational elements that make them who they are – in a way that would resonate with long-time listeners and prospective new ones alike, we were able to build a platform for messaging that would power this brand campaign. “LISTEN.” encourages the prospective listener to not only ask why, but to discover for themselves.
It may seem like focusing on a visual brand identity for a radio station is an unnecessary step, but we knew that to bolster the messaging and create a cohesive campaign across all touch points that the design was crucial.
The colors harken to WUGA’s University roots while the stylized icons showcase the different programs they offer, including local news, global politics, entertainment, variety shows, and more. Taking the simple, clean, and intentionally provocative “LISTEN.” messaging furthers the audience’s need to ask “why should I?” and tune in the next time they’re listening.
WUGA’s social media served as one of the central components for the campaign. After a thorough audit of all social channels, we created a strategy to raise awareness about WUGA as THE local news source among a younger and more diverse audience in Athens, increase community connectedness, and in turn, listenership.
We selected and promoted key posts to ensure visibility across our audience channels. Instagram ads were promoted in Athens and the surrounding counties to drive more traffic to the WUGA website. Similarly, by using hashtags like #IListenToAthens 🎧 we were able to humanize WUGA as a whole and engage this younger audience. On top of that, consistent posting on Facebook and Instagram using the newly refreshed visual identity and consistent messaging, the goal was to highlight WUGA’s reporting and programming and create more social engagement with citizens, small businesses, and community organizers.
Once we had the foundational core of the brand messaging and visual identity, the next step was identifying traditional advertising opportunities that would serve alongside social media efforts to help WUGA meet the wider and more diverse listener base they were after.
We collaborated closely with the WUGA team to develop print and digital advertisements to bolster the awareness campaign. This included placing print and digital ads in a range of local publications like the Red & Black, Flagpole, and Highlights Magazine as a means of reaching the audiences – current listeners and younger, more diverse new listeners.
A combination of billboard and transit advertisements helped not only tap into non-traditional NPR listeners but met potential new listeners both where they were and at a point to tune into WUGA. The high exposure and visibility these ads generated helped reach a greater cross-section of the general Athens population.
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