SCOPE
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) engaged Outreach Strategists to develop a comprehensive set of educational videos promoting the Texas Rising Star certification program. The initiative aimed to educate Texas early learning providers and parents/caregivers of children ages 0-5 about the benefits of the program, the certification process, and how to locate certified programs.

The project encompassed multiple phases, including script development, storyboarding, video production in three languages (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese), and the creation of short-form social media content.

ROLE
Outreach Strategists played a pivotal role in managing the end-to-end production process, including:

• Conducting a kickoff meeting to align expectations and objectives with TWC.
• Developing detailed scripts, storyboards, and animatics to ensure engaging and culturally appropriate content.
• Producing long-form educational videos tailored to early learning providers and parents/caregivers, ensuring linguistic accessibility through translations and voiceovers.
• Creating short-form social media videos to increase audience reach and engagement.
• Delivering monthly progress reports and invoices to maintain project transparency.

IMPACT
The project successfully delivered a total of six fully produced educational videos—two primary videos (one for providers and one for parents/caregivers) in three languages each (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese). Additionally, four short-form videos were developed for social media distribution. Key achievements included:

• Raising awareness about the Texas Rising Star program among early learning providers and parents.
• Producing high-quality, visually engaging, and culturally relevant content.
• Ensuring accessibility through professional translations and closed captions in multiple languages.
• Strengthening TWC’s outreach efforts by providing informative, easily digestible content across multiple platforms.

Through a structured, collaborative approach, Outreach Strategists successfully delivered impactful video content that aligns with TWC’s mission to improve early childhood education standards in Texas.

SCOPE

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) sought to assess current awareness and perceptions of early learning and the Texas Rising Star program. The study aimed to gather insights through multiple research methodologies, including secondary research, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and a survey/questionnaire. The findings would inform an outreach strategy encompassing Texas Rising Star collateral, messaging, imagery, promotional videos, and media buys to increase awareness of early childhood careers and the value of quality early childhood education in Texas.

ROLE

Outreach Strategists was engaged to conduct a comprehensive research initiative, integrating qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure a robust understanding of stakeholder perspectives. Our responsibilities included:

• Secondary Research: Conducted a landscape analysis reviewing best practices from national authorities and large states to identify effective messaging and outreach strategies.
• Stakeholder Interviews: Engaged 16 key stakeholders, including internal leaders and external service providers, to assess perceptions of Texas Rising Star and identify areas for improvement.
• Focus Groups: Designed and executed 12 focus groups across six Texas markets, ensuring diverse representation in terms of geography, child care settings, workforce roles, experience levels, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Sessions were conducted in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
• Survey Implementation: Developed and fielded a survey reaching 1,200 participants, with targeted demographic representation to validate research findings and measure program awareness and impact.
• Reporting and Recommendations: Provided monthly activity reports, final research findings, and actionable recommendations for refining Texas Rising Star outreach and promotional materials.

IMPACT

The research initiative yielded critical insights into stakeholder awareness and sentiment regarding early childhood education and the Texas Rising Star program. Key outcomes included:

• Identification of gaps in awareness among parents and child care providers, highlighting the need for clearer messaging.
• Recommendations for collateral updates, including simplified language and culturally relevant imagery to engage diverse audiences.
• Development of a targeted outreach strategy leveraging digital media, community partnerships, and multilingual content to improve engagement.
• Data-driven approach to media buying, ensuring efficient allocation of resources to reach key audiences effectively.

This research provided TWC with a comprehensive foundation to enhance public engagement and reinforce the value of high-quality early childhood education in Texas, ultimately strengthening participation in the Texas Rising Star program.

Houston Independent School District (HISD) faced the critical task of preparing for a bond referendum to secure funding for essential infrastructure, technology, and operational improvements. The challenge was to manage a comprehensive project that would align diverse stakeholders, communicate effectively with the public, and ensure legal and operational compliance. The district required a well-defined strategy to guide the bond referendum from planning through public engagement, while managing potential risks and ensuring transparency. Outreach Strategists provided the following services:

• Project Management: We developed a detailed project plan, outlining key milestones, performance monitoring parameters, and responsibilities. We scheduled regular status meetings, provided ongoing reports, and maintained close alignment between the project team and HISD leadership.

• Operational Alignment: We coordinated with HISD leadership to secure all necessary elements, including facilities, technology, and financial management, ensuring legal compliance. Working with counsel, we helped finalize the bond language for the ballot.

• Communications Strategy: We crafted messaging frameworks and materials for both internal and public use. This included FAQs, explanatory documents, stakeholder toolkits, and a comprehensive bond book. We led the earned media strategy, designed a messaging calendar, and developed content to reach key audiences.

• Risk Management: Our team identified potential communication challenges and implemented mitigation strategies to minimize risks. This included collaboration with stakeholders to develop contingency plans.

• Stakeholder Engagement and Public Outreach: We created a stakeholder engagement plan, built  community advisory structures, and supported bond committee activities with materials and briefings. We also tailored public education strategies for neighborhoods and facilities, leveraging research to optimize community outreach.

• Digital: Our team developed the HISD Source app to keep the community informed about news, events, and bond updates. To promote it, we executed a multi-channel strategy including programmatic display ads, targeted Meta campaigns (Instagram and Facebook), and YouTube video ads. Focused on HISD staff and parents, the campaign generated 18,837,279 impressions and strengthened local engagement while addressing disinformation.

RESULTS:

Although the bond vote did not pass, our efforts empowered HISD to execute a transparent and well-coordinated campaign, fostering trust and engagement among stakeholders. The strategic groundwork we established serves as a robust foundation for future initiatives, ensuring the district is well-prepared to address its critical infrastructure and operational needs moving forward.

THE CHALLENGE
Outreach Strategists spearheaded a transformative strategic communications and marketing campaign that revolutionized UMC’s public engagement and demonstrated our capacity to drive significant change in the health care communication landscape.

STRATEGIC APPROACH
Faced with this challenge, we crafted a multi-faceted approach that delivered exceptional results:

• Strategic Communications: We developed compelling narratives highlighting UMC’s vital role in the region, effectively communicating its importance to diverse audiences. This involved creating a cohesive story that emphasized UMC’s unique position as the region’s sole trauma center serving a vast 280-mile area.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Our collaboration with local officials and community leaders was key to success, building a network of support crucial for the campaign’s momentum. This approach ensured that influential voices in the community were aligned with UMC’s mission and could help amplify our message.
• Market Research: Through targeted surveys, we gained crucial insights into public perception, allowing us to tailor our messaging for maximum impact. This data-driven approach ensured that our campaign resonated with the local population’s needs and concerns.
• Comprehensive Media Outreach: Our multi-channel approach included traditional and digital media, ensuring our message reached and resonated with diverse audiences effectively. This strategy helped create a consistent narrative across various platforms, reinforcing UMC’s importance to the community.
• Digital Innovation: We developed a custom app to bridge UMC and the local community, enhancing engagement and information dissemination. This innovative approach facilitated real-time information sharing between UMC and the local population, creating a direct line of communication that fostered trust and engagement.
• Branding Revamp: We ensured cohesive branding across UMC’s main campus and all locations in El Paso County, creating a unified and powerful visual identity. This comprehensive branding strategy helped reinforce UMC’s presence and importance across the entire region it serves.

THE TRIUMPH
The campaign’s resounding success in generating community support demonstrates the power of strategic communication in shaping public perception and driving engagement. It showcased our ability to navigate complex health care communications, mobilize community support, and effectively position a medical institution in the public eye.

SCOPE

The Alamo Colleges in San Antonio were planning to unveil their new Promise program, a last-dollar scholarship program for select graduates of San Antonio public high schools. The program was to launch in concert with the start of the 2019-20 academic year for graduating high school seniors.

The leadership of the Promise program retained Outreach Strategists to evaluate the potential program offering. After conducting rigorous intake interviews with stakeholders and program staff, Outreach Strategists developed a series of qualitative exercises to measure opinion, test collateral, and evaluate potential interest in the program.

ROLE

Outreach Strategists organized focus groups with the three key audiences for the organization: high school students, parents (in English and Spanish), and high school teachers. The groups evaluated whether attending a community college was seen as a positive step to a better future, the impacts of economic considerations like tuition and debt on the decision to continue an education beyond high school, and tested content and collateral to evaluate the dimensions of the Alamo Promise program.

OUTCOMES

The research informed subsequent programmatic design, including more accessible terminology, better visual representations, and explainer videos in English and Spanish for potential applicants and their families.

Outreach Strategists also confirmed how teachers could serve as effective vectors for increased applications by students seeking to find a post- secondary path, and identified significant skepticism from parents as a barrier to participation unless they received much more information about the program’s offerings and opportunities.

In the first year, more than 8,000 eligible applicants (out of nearly 10,000 High school seniors in participating schools) had taken the first step in the process; far greater than the 50 percent participation rate the program had anticipated prior to our engagement.

SCOPE

Raise Your Hand Texas (RYHT) sought to better understand perceptions of the teaching profession and the factors influencing students’ and parents’ views on pursuing a career in education. Outreach Strategists was engaged to conduct a series of focus groups across Texas, gathering qualitative insights from both students and parents about their decision-making processes, perceptions of school and teacher quality, and potential barriers to entering the teaching profession. 

The research spanned three divers regions-McAllen, Mount Pleasant, and Midland-each with unique socio-economic and cultural influences shaping attitudes toward education. The goal was to identify challenges in teacher recruitment and retention while uncovering messaging strategies to elevate the professions appeal.

ROLE

Outreach Strategists designed and executed six focus groups-two in each location-split between highschool and college students and their parents. The conversations explored key areas including:

• How parents make career-related decisions and influence their children’s choices

• Students’ aspirations and the factors driving their career decisions

• Perceptions of school quality, teacher effectiveness, and classroom experiences

• View on the teaching profession, including compensation, job satisfaction, and work conditions

• The impact of student debt on career choices

OUTCOMES

The focus groups revealed widespread respect for good teachers but also significant barriers to entering the profession. Concerns about low salaries, student debt, and job stress-particularly in regions with higher=paying industries-were major deterrents. Participants also emphasized the impact of passionate educators, underscoring the profession’s potential to inspire. These insights provided RYHT wit strategic direction for refining its messaging to highlight job stability, long-term benefits, and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in students’ lives.

SCOPE

In March of 2017, Mayor Sylvester Turner launched the Meaningful Change campaign as part of his six point holistic approach to reduce homelessness and panhandling. The campaign was tasked with changing the behavior of Houstonians to redirect their donations from panhandlers on the streets to organizations that provide homeless services and support, with the ability to create permanent change in the lives of chronically homeless Houstonians.

ROLE

In order to create an effective campaign, Outreach Strategists designed a two-phased approach. The first phase focused on building awareness of the issue at the institutional level as well at the community level. This included creating partnerships with community stakeholders and media outlets to leverage the importance of the campaign and solidify the Mayor’s initiative as a true community partnership.

Continuing into phase two, Meaningful Change is working to provide an alternative outlet for the instant gratification that a person receives when donating to panhandlers. This diversion will redirect resources to organizations that move people from the streets into permanent, supportive environments.

OUTCOMES

Outreach Strategists led the Meaningful Change conversation with multiple stakeholders in order to create a level of influence with designated champions and influencers who could speak to the importance of the Mayor’s initiative. More than seventy faith leaders were brought together to communicate the moral authority of the campaign. Additionally, through developed media partnerships, the “Meaningful Change, Not Spare Change” branding was seen and heard across the City of Houston through 26 Clear Channel billboards and more than ten mediums including five tv and radio features.

SCOPE

The United States has one of the highest infant mortality rates among developed countries, as each year, about 3,500 infants die from sleep-related deaths. Research and science repeatedly show that the adoption of continuous breastfeeding and the implementation of safe infant sleep practices are linked to reducing sleep-related deaths.

ROLE

In an effort to reduce the number of infant deaths and to educate and support new moms on the benefits of breastfeeding using Safe Infant Sleep (SIS) practices, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), in partnership with Outreach Strategists (OS), launched a statewide marketing initiative to engage communities around safe infant sleep and breastfeeding practices. The campaign was on television, radio and digital across the state.

To reach a broad base audience across Texas, the OS’ team employed a bilingual digital campaign geo-targeted to reach high-risk areas for infant mortality, caregivers, health partners, hospital leaders, obstetrics- serving and children’s hospitals. The campaign ran across Meta platforms; Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn, programmatic display ads, over-the-top television (OTT) and T.V. and radio ads.

The campaign achieved the goal of reaching across the state of Texas to share critical infant sleep safety messages and breastfeeding resources with parents as well as caregivers and healthcare providers to save the lives of babies.

RESULTS

A total of 3,502 TV spots ran on 15 stations in English and Spanish, including Fox, CBS, NBC, Telemundo, and Univision affiliates across Texas. Nearly 4,000 total radio spots aired on 15 English and Spanish stations, including 104.5 FM Latin Hits, Majic 93.3, and more.

On the digital side, the Safe Infant Sleep campaign achieved outstanding results, reaching over 1.2 million people across the state. It generated an impressive 8.6 million impressions and more than 1 million video completions, reinforcing its effectiveness in raising awareness and promoting safe infant sleep practices.

SCOPE

Only 33.1 percent of Texas women had their teeth cleaned during their most recent pregnancy and experts have warned these gaps in care can have lasting consequences for both mothers and their newborn children.

To combat these outcomes, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) launched a coordinated paid media campaign to inform pregnant women and women of childbearing age on the importance of perinatal dental care and to connect mothers-to-be with the necessary health resources.

ROLE

Outreach Strategists created a digital campaign to enhance educational efforts under the Texas Smiles and Moms and Babies (SMB) program, focusing on perinatal dental health care for expectant mothers and women of childbearing age in Tarrant and Dallas counties. The campaign ran ads in both English and Spanish, utilizing ad messaging and graphics provided by DSHS to emphasize the significance of dental health during perinatal periods. These ads directed users to language-specific landing pages on the DSHS site, where additional resources and information were available through the Oral Health Improvement Program (OHIP) SMB page.

OUTCOMES

Outreach Strategists delivered a high impressions and frequency campaign which reached key audiences with specificity and precision. By utilizing a number of strategic tactics the Smiles for Moms and Babies digital campaign was able to cut through the noise and keep dental care ‘top of mind’ for people across Tarrant and Dallas Counties.

Outreach Strategists received an “A” grade from DSHS in the Vendor Performance Report for this contract.

SCOPE
The Census Bureau is responsible for producing official population estimates which dictate how and where over $675 billion in federal funding is allocated each year.  It is imperative that localities ensure as many residents respond to the Census as possible. Outreach Strategists has been at the forefront of regional efforts to drive up response rates in Harris County, the City of Houston, and Fort Bend County.

ROLE

In Harris County and the City of Houston, Outreach Strategists oversees a $4 million project consisting of outreach, communications, and data vendors. Our role is to provide strategic guidance in concert with vendors, task management ensuring data-driven implementation sourced from project’s data science assets (experiments, surveys, and predictive models), facilitate streamlined communication between vendors, and prevent duplication of efforts with other partners operating in the space such as elected officials, the United States Census Bureau, and other operating entities.

Additionally, Outreach Strategists, knowing the importance of community outreach and involvement also leaned on the community support of Fort Bend County and created a Complete County Committee to both provide feedback on our strategies and to inform traditionally hard to count populations of the importance of the federal census.

OUTCOMES

Outreach Strategists secured over $250,000 in in-kind donations for advertisement of the coordinated campaign. Outreach Strategists, utilizing data-driven strategies, also works to ensure that all collateral is distributed in areas that reflect the most hard to count populations.

In Fort Bend County, currently ranked first amongst counties in the state for response rate of residents, Outreach Strategists developed a layered campaign focused on digital and direct outreach. Outreach Strategists did this through securing over $400,000 in funding to support direct mail, peer-to-peer and SMS, and digital advertising in targeted hard to count communities in Fort Bend County. In the course of a single month the aggressive digital advertising campaign designed and initiated by Outreach Strategists reached more than 120,544 residents, aggregating 958,402 total impressions, and creating more and 2,500 click-thrus to the federal census website.

SCOPE
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the world economy. In the Houston and Gulf Coast region, unemployment skyrocketed to nearly 14%. The Gulf Coast Workforce Board–Workforce Solutions is the public workforce development agency serving Houston, Harris County, and twelve surrounding counties that comprise the Gulf Coast workforce development region. It is the largest of 28 such regions in Texas. The organization provides job search services, training opportunities, and other available resources to help job seekers. Since 2016, Outreach Strategists has helped Workforce Solutions raise awareness and bring visibility across the local media ecosystem, including video, and earned media. Federal law prohibits using workforce development funding on traditional advertising; therefore, earned media coverage has become the de facto mechanism for promoting their services to the public.

ROLE
In order to reach the areas most affected, Outreach Strategists assisted The Gulf Coast Workforce Board – Workforce Solutions with a public relations strategy to inform the community about Workforce Solutions’ job search services, training opportunities, and other resources. Because of the TV’s broad reach, Outreach Strategists helped facilitate engagement with local television stations, including KHOU-TV Channel 11, Houston’s CBS affiliate, resulting in station management offering a weekly 30-minute time slot on co-owned KTBU-TV Channel 55 (Quest Network) at no cost to the agency. The result was a magazine-talk show hybrid format TV series called Your Career Your Choice – Powered by Workforce. A proof-of-concept pilot episode was produced in March 2021 and presented to KHOU-TV management in June 2021. The outlet picked up the program with an initial 13-episode order for the first season.

SCOPE

The Austin Independent School District saw a significant decrease in student enrollment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When schools re-opened to in-person classes, campuses across the district reported that scores of students never returned. Austin ISD turned to Outreach Strategists to design and implement a major marketing campaign to win back families that had left the district for charter schools, private schools, or other options. The district also tasked Outreach Strategists with planning and facilitating a major gathering of representatives of all 116 schools to showcase their offering to families in person.

ROLE

Outreach Strategists began this campaign with a rapid research and analysis phase that focused on neighborhood school enrollment patterns and identifying reasons why families were choosing charter and private schools over Austin ISD campuses. Using these insights, Outreach Strategists developed a district Enrollment Guide with profiles highlighting each campus and its unique offerings. This guide, which is available in print and digitally, also features videos tailored to each campus and a photo library with curated pictures from all 116 campuses.

Outreach Strategists also devised a Marketing and Communications Plan that gave Austin ISD a detailed road map for reaching parents via paid and earned media.

OUTCOMES

Production of videos and photos began with the start of the new school year, and are on track to be completed in time for the district’s major recruiting effort later in the fall. When the Austin ISD Showcase event happens in October, each school will have its own brochure to show parents their unique offerings.