New and Old Media Help Change Policy

* Audience: Coalitions coordinators and members who are actively working toward changing local establishments’ smoking policies through the development of a media campaign. * Key Points: The presentation will focus on The Buffalo County Tobacco Free Coalition’s efforts to establish 100% smoke free multiunit housing and hotels (MUH) in Kearney, Nebraska through the development of a comprehensive media campaign targeting hotel owners and managers. Using both traditional (network television and Radio) and new media (YouTube, Facebook & Websites), a video interview and commercials were produced highlighting local hotel managers’ decisions to go 100% smoke free by converting smoking rooms to nonsmoking. Our goal was to attract other owners and managers to our website to access our smoke free housing resources and complete an online survey regarding their smoking policies. Using Qualtrics survey software along with Google Analytics; we were able to gather data to determine a number of factors including duration on our website, page visits, and owners/mangers’ thoughts on smoke free housing. * Educational Experience: Audience members will learn key points and ways to apply them in their work as the presenter walks them through a three phase process in developing a comprehensive media campaign. * Benefits: In a world that continues to shrink as technology advances and everywhere you turn nearly everyone has access to a plethora of information in their hands, a presentation focusing on the use of old and new media is both beneficial and relevant to any audience member.