Go Team Reading! Mascots Boost Library Use
Poudre River Public Library District, Colo.
Innovation Synopsis
Through the strategic use of our Library Mascots – Captain Cache, Fisher the Raccoon, Annie the Dog, and Percy the Owl – the Poudre River Public Library District increased our targeted market segments of the Full House, Grinders and Digitarians awareness, attendance, and use of our programming and services.
Challenge/Opportunity
Curating interest in programming and services among varied citizenry is no easy task. Each segment has different needs and interests. Our services were couched in obtuse language and inaccessible to the very people we wanted to reach. We collaborated with market research group OrangeBoy to identify target segments. The three segments targeted for behavior change were: Full House (to increase attendance at programming), Grinders (to increase use of our databases) and Digitarians (to increase attendance of our digital how-to classes and wireless Internet). We wanted to demonstrate our databases being used, the usefulness of classes, and the fun of programming by showcasing our existing Library Mascots and a newly created database-specific mascot, participating in those activities to increase the target segments library use.
Key Elements of Innovation
After identifying target segments and usage habits we created a baseline of the metrics to influence. In this case; average monthly program attendance, monthly class registrations, and database session use. We then created a series of SMART goals around influencing those metrics. We explored various community events and choose those most likely to host our target segments. Then we planned a specific way our mascots could participate in the event and took pictures and video, which were shared on social media channels. A video series was produced highlighting classes and databases where mascots whose behaviors corresponded to a target group.
Achieved Outcomes
The most successful element of the campaign were the public event appearances where the mascots actively got in front of our target segments and made an impression on the community. Our target segments modified their behavior over time – we noticed the following changes:
- Full House: increased awareness and requests for educational programming
- Grinders: increased quiet study room reservations and wireless internet access up 20%.
- Digitarians: increased meeting room reservations and digital circulation increased 30%. We encountered few difficulties along the way – although finding a volunteer to bring the mascot to life or write something entertaining for Captain Cache could be difficult.
By leveraging existing audiences curated by community partners, we were able to significantly expand the reach of our own mission.
