Public Education Partnership (PEP/NCSA)
So, What Exactly is PEP?
PEP messages fall somewhere between paid traditional commercials, and the free advertising of Public Service Announcements (PSAs). As you may be aware, traditional commercials carry substantial fees to buy placement on specific stations during specific times of the day. On the opposite side, PSAs cost nothing, but air voluntarily only on unsold airtime. Because of this, PSAs have a tendency to air during weaker time slots, or on stations with smaller market shares. Like a PSA, PEP messages also make use of unsold airtime. Unlike a PSA, however, broadcasters receive special incentives to air PEP announcements more aggressively, and not necessarily during times when audience sizes are smaller. First, stations donate their unsold airtime to the Kansas Association of Broadcasters (KAB), which provides valued services to broadcasters throughout the state. KAB then makes this unsold airtime available to government agencies and nonprofits – organizations that are not already commercial advertisers – for the purpose of providing assistance with public awareness campaigns relevant in Kansas. Second, through a special arrangement with the Federal Communications Commission, aired PEP announcements are credited toward a station’s public service commitments.
Past and/or Current KAB PEP Clients:
Kansas Census
KS Department of Health and Environment
KS Department of Commerce
KS Department of Agriculture
KS State Treasurer
KS Small Business Development Center
KS Health Info Exchange
And many more!
KS Army National Guard
KS Department of Transportation
KS State Department of Education
Disability Rights Center of Kansas
KS Department for Children and Families
Valley Hope Treatment Center
Kansas Radon Safety
Community Mental Health Association of Kansas
Additionally, PEP messages are managed like traditional, paid, commercial messages; stations schedule the announcements, air them, and then generate a report indicating the number of messages aired and total value of the airtime. The KAB compiles the station reports and provides the organization sponsoring the ad (you) with a summary report. Within this report, you will find information about the number of announcements aired on each station, and total airtime value you received.
The best part: because PEP messages are given higher priority than PSAs, they typically run across all parts of the broadcast day.
The Broad Reach of Broadcast
Despite competition from online content, radio and TV continue to dominate when it comes to an effective advertising campaign. A recent study by Turner Broadcasting, Horizon Media, and marketing-analytics company MarketShare found that, when it comes to marketing, TV’s advertising effectiveness and reach was “undiminished over the five-year period examined from 2010-2014.” Now, add in the fact that, according to a 2015 Nielsen report, radio also continues to enjoy its role with “243 million Americans listening weekly.” Whether providing in-car commuting entertainment, information, or simply adding a soundtrack to our day, the radio is still an essential part of our lives. What does this mean for advertising? Well, according to Nielson, not only does radio provide access to a mass audience in real-time, it also reaches 90% of nearly every demographic.
One of the best features of PEP is how easy KAB will make it for you to maximize the value you receive. KAB handles all the details of the program, including:
- Distributing your announcements
- Executing start-orders with stations
- Collecting affidavits and other reporting information from individual stations to confirm the airing of your announcements
Multiply Your Media Budget
While there is no guarantee of air times or frequency, PEP promises that for every $1 you spend, you will receive a minimum of $3 worth of airtime. This is due to the fact that broadcasters make the unused airtime available for PEP messages on a “multiplier” basis. For every $1 of funding, broadcasters will provide at least $3 of airtime value. The KAB asks for a minimum investment of $25,000 per quarter and a minimum campaign of three months. Campaigns offer you both radio AND television airtime. On average, most PEP participants run a longer campaign throughout their budget year. On a monthly basis during your campaign, you will receive a Summary of Performance Report from KAB, highlighting all the essential information, including number and total value of your announcements that aired.
Get Heard
Although radio and TV stations are swamped with requests for PSAs, they are incentivized to air PEP spots in order to support the KAB and services that stations receive from the association. You can be assured your message will be aired. And not just on one station or one channel: KAB will distribute your message to radio and TV stations across the entire state of Kansas. No other marketing program offers this much potential bang for the buck.
Get Help
If desired, the KAB can even assist you with production, at an additional cost, or direct you to reasonably priced, successful production companies. PEP announcements must contain a “tag” identifying the funding source for a PEP campaign. The tag may be visual only for TV content, and the KAB will assist with adding tags if needed. Additionally, announcements purchased with federal funds must include Closed Captioning.
Are you Eligible?
PEP opportunities are only available to qualified nonprofit organizations or government agencies. Since PEP does not target specific geographic areas within the state, your message must be appropriate and relevant for a statewide audience. Ideally, it should contain a public awareness issue, or information that cuts across all demographics. It may not have a legislative agenda.
The PEP program will not compete with KAB member stations for paid advertising and airtime, so companies and organizations with paid broadcast campaigns in place, or planned, are not eligible to participate in PEP. And, as you might imagine, inventory is limited. Depending on the number of PEP participants at a given time, it is possible you might have to wait for an opening.
How to Start
If you are ready to begin, or even if you would you simply like more information, contact Allison Mazzei ([email protected]) to discuss your outreach objectives and determine eligibility. Don’t wait—join the PEP squad today!
