Version 1.0 

6/2/2017 

CENSUS 

INTEGRATED 

COMMUNICATIONS 

PLAN 
TABLE OF

CONTENTS

Background....................................................................................................................................................................1
 

Overview and Key Assumptions............................................................................................................................1
 

Alignment With Operations..................................................................................................................................6
 

Decennial and Non‐decennial Operations....................................................................................................6
 

Operations in Puerto Rico and the Island Areas...........................................................................................7
 

Fulfillment ....................................................................................................................................................7
 

About This Draft....................................................................................................................................................7
 

Available Information Supporting This Draft ........................................................................................................8
 

Executive Summary .....................................................................................................................................................12
 

Strategic Inputs to the Plan .........................................................................................................................................15
 

Insights, Opportunities, and Barriers..................................................................................................................15
 

Overall Challenges for the 2020 Census.....................................................................................................15
 

Mindset of the Public .................................................................................................................................15
 

The Changing Face of America ...................................................................................................................17
 

Elections in 2016 and 2020.........................................................................................................................18
 

Robust Data and the Means to Act on Them .............................................................................................18
 

Use of BrandAsset Valuator® (BAV®)..........................................................................................................19
 

Influencers Driving Media Consumption....................................................................................................20
 

Changes in the Media Environment and Available Channels.....................................................................20
 

Audience‐Based Insights.....................................................................................................................................22
 

Inputs From Multicultural Outreach and Communications Partners.........................................................22
 

Initial Audience Insights .............................................................................................................................25
 

Our Approach to Collaborating on the 2020 Campaign ..............................................................................................48
 

Timeline...............................................................................................................................................................48
 

Phased Communications Approach ....................................................................................................................49
 

Research and Analytics .......................................................................................................................................53
 

Key Considerations in Research Planning...................................................................................................53
 

Building on Earlier Research Efforts...........................................................................................................54
 

Self‐Response Propensity Approach...........................................................................................................57
 

Foundational Research to Guide Creative Development...........................................................................61
 

Collaborative and Multicultural Research Approach..................................................................................63
 

Campaign and Creative Development ................................................................................................................64
 

The Creative Process ..................................................................................................................................66
 

Development of Strategic Plans.................................................................................................................70
 

Integration With Operations......................................................................................................................70
 

Metrics and Tracking...........................................................................................................................................77
 

Findings and Considerations.......................................................................................................................77
 

Evaluation...................................................................................................................................................78
 

Program‐Level Plans....................................................................................................................................................79
 

Stakeholder Relations.........................................................................................................................................83
 

Overview.....................................................................................................................................................83
 

Approach ....................................................................................................................................................83
 
Key Considerations.....................................................................................................................................88
 

Partnership Program...........................................................................................................................................89
 

Overview.....................................................................................................................................................89
 

Approach ....................................................................................................................................................90
 

Key Considerations.....................................................................................................................................99
 

Advertising and Media Buying ..........................................................................................................................100
 

Overview...................................................................................................................................................100
 

Approach ..................................................................................................................................................100
 

Key Considerations...................................................................................................................................119
 

Public Relations and Events, and Crisis Communications.................................................................................121
 

Overview...................................................................................................................................................121
 

Approach ..................................................................................................................................................121
 

Key Considerations...................................................................................................................................134
 

Website Development and Digital Activities.....................................................................................................136
 

Overview...................................................................................................................................................136
 

Approach ..................................................................................................................................................137
 

Key Considerations...................................................................................................................................142
 

Social Media......................................................................................................................................................143
 

Overview...................................................................................................................................................143
 

Approach ..................................................................................................................................................144
 

Key Considerations...................................................................................................................................161
 

Statistics in Schools Program ............................................................................................................................162
 

Overview...................................................................................................................................................162
 

Approach ..................................................................................................................................................162
 

Key Considerations...................................................................................................................................171
 

Field Recruitment Advertising and Communications........................................................................................172
 

Overview...................................................................................................................................................172
 

Approach ..................................................................................................................................................173
 

Key Considerations...................................................................................................................................181
 

Rapid Response Activities .................................................................................................................................182
 

Overview...................................................................................................................................................182
 

Approach ..................................................................................................................................................182
 

Key Considerations...................................................................................................................................188
 

Data Dissemination...........................................................................................................................................189
 

Overview...................................................................................................................................................189
 

Approach ..................................................................................................................................................189
 

ppendix A: Project and Financial Management ......................................................................................................192
 

ppendix B: Contributors to This Plan.......................................................................................................................193
 

eferences ............................................................................................................................................................... 196
	

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TABLE    OF

FIGURES

Figure 1: BAV Measures of Equity ...............................................................................................................................19
 

Figure 2: 2020 Census Integrated Communications Plan Evolution Timeline .............................................................48
 

Figure 3: Phased Communications Approach..............................................................................................................49
 

Figure 4: CBAMS 2020 Research..................................................................................................................................62
 

Figure 5: Creative Development Process.....................................................................................................................65
 

Figure 6: Quantity of Languages Supported by Channel .............................................................................................76
 

Figure 7: Coordinated Communications Channels ......................................................................................................80
 

Figure 8: Advertising and Media Buying Approach ...................................................................................................102
 

Figure 9: Example of a Google Partnership ...............................................................................................................106
 

Figure 10: Measurement of Effectiveness in Paid Advertising ..................................................................................113
 

Figure 11: Screen Shot From “GE Masterclass”.........................................................................................................124
 

Figure 12: Photo From Story About McDonald’s in the Community .........................................................................125
 

Figure 13: Social Media Management, Monitoring, and Response Approach ..........................................................152
 

Figure 14: Example of Humans of New York Social Media Post................................................................................155
 

Figure 15: Example of Customer Service‐Oriented Post Using Hashtag....................................................................156
 

Figure 16: Example of Facebook’s Voting Planning Tool ...........................................................................................158
 

Figure 17: GIF From Mashable During “Shark Week”................................................................................................160
 

Figure 18: Examples of Candidate Website ...............................................................................................................180
 

Figure 19: Example Dashboards for Rapid Response ................................................................................................185
 

Figure 20: Crisis Management Approach...................................................................................................................188
 
TABLE    OF

TABLES

Table 1: Target Audience and Contractor Expertise....................................................................................................23
 

Table 2: Insights on African American/Black Audiences..............................................................................................25
 

Table 3: Insights on American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Audiences................................................................28
 

Table 4: Insights on Asian American Audiences ..........................................................................................................31
 

Table 5: Insights on Hispanic Audiences......................................................................................................................35
 

Table 6: Insights on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Audiences..............................................................41
 

Table 7: Insights on Puerto Rican Audiences...............................................................................................................43
 

Table 8: Insights on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Audiences...............................46
 

Table 9: Mail Return Rates for the 2010 Census by Home Status and Householder Age ...........................................56
 

Table 10: Mail Return Rates for the 2010 Census by Race and Ethnicity ....................................................................56
 

Table 11: Self‐Response Propensity Approach Steps ..................................................................................................60
 

Table 12: Potential Partner Outreach by Interest .......................................................................................................92
 

Table 13: Sample Cultural Events..............................................................................................................................107
 

Table 14: Cross‐Team Participation for Media Buying ..............................................................................................112
 

Table 15: Paid Media Flexibility by Type....................................................................................................................114
 

Table 16: 2010 Campaign Reach and Frequency Targets..........................................................................................118
 

Table 17: Key Metrics by Channel .............................................................................................................................118
 

Table 18: Social Media Platforms..............................................................................................................................148
 
                                   

                           

                                 

                             

                         

                           

                             

                       

                             

                         

                                 

                           

                         

                           

     

                         

                       

                                   

                       

                               

                       

                                 

                           

                           

         

                               

                                 

                       

                           

                     

                         

                             

                   

                         

                 

                   

                     

                               

BACKGROUND
 The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census is conducted. It is one of the very few duties of

the federal government that was spelled out by the Founding Fathers in 1787. Further

legislation requires a census every 10 years. The goal of the decennial census is to conduct an

enumeration of every person residing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,

and the Island Areas (the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American

Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). The decennial census, conducted by the U.S. Census

Bureau, is the country’s largest nonmilitary mobilization of a workforce and its data are of

paramount importance to the nation, determining each state’s number of representatives in

Congress and the allocation of billions of dollars in funding for many federal programs, the

boundaries for voting and school districts, and countless other decisions that benefit local

governments in all 50 states and the territories. Businesses of all sizes depend on census data to

make decisions about where to locate, hire, and invest. The widespread availability of data

through the internet, as well as through third‐party entities that often repackage Census

Bureau data, has been important for entrepreneurs who need to make data‐driven decisions to

benefit their businesses.

Among all government services, the decennial census is also unique because of its

constitutionally mandated public service role. The U.S. Constitution requires that the Census

Bureau not just attempt to offer information or a service to the population (as is the case with

other federal government programs like voter registration, Social Security enrollment, and the

use of national parks), but that the Census Bureau actually reach and count every person living

in the United States and its territories—of all ages, residence statuses, and locations—whether

or not they desire to participate, and regardless of whether they are difficult to find, reach, and

count. Core to this mission is the Census Bureau’s steadfast commitment to protect the

confidentiality of all data it collects. This is an obligation that remains among its highest

priorities for the 2020 Census.

OVERVIEW AND KEY ASSUMPTIONS

The Census Bureau has innovative plans for the 2020 Census, including implementing methods

that help achieve its goal of counting everyone once, only once, and in the right place, yet

designed to deliver significant cost savings. The Census Bureau’s Integrated Partnership and

Communications (IPC) program is a critical component of the effort to reach and motivate

individuals in different areas of the country—those whose education, literacy, language,

familiarity with computers and the internet, income, and general views and interests vary

greatly. The communications strategy and approach will be guided and driven by the IPC with

the support of other internal stakeholders across the Census Bureau.

The 2020 Census Operational Plan identifies the goal of delivering significant taxpayer savings

through four key innovation areas: reengineering address canvassing, optimizing self‐response,

utilizing administrative records and third‐party data, and reengineering field operations. As

Field costs associated with Address Canvassing and Nonresponse Followup operations comprise

the most expensive parts of the 2020 Census. All four innovation areas are aimed at reducing

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the cost of field work. A reengineered Address Canvassing operation is expected to reduce the

field workload for address updating by 75 percent. Self‐response innovations, which are aimed

at generating the largest possible self‐response rate, coupled with the use of administrative

records and third‐party data, are intended to reduce the field workload associated with

Nonresponse Followup. Finally, the reengineered field operations are intended to increase the

efficiency of those operations, allowing managers and fieldworkers to be more productive and

effective. A notable component of the operational plan is the introduction of a widely

promoted online response option, which will allow people to respond using their smartphone,

tablet, or computer, with or without a Census‐assigned ID number. The online response option

joins the traditional mail and the new telephone option for self‐response.

To reduce taxpayer costs for the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau aims to maximize the

percentage of the population that self‐responds, without any follow‐up from the Census

Bureau. The Nonresponse Followup (NRFU) operation to count all remaining households are

costlier than digital , telephone, and mail self‐response methods, as they involve face‐to‐face

visits. To help achieve this goal, the Census Bureau will need a strong communications

component. This means the Census Bureau must:

	 Educate the population on the value of the census and its importance to the nation and

our democracy, as well as to every state, community, and neighborhood—particularly

the impact on local schools, health care, emergency response, and other community

services (Conrey, ZuWallack, & Locke, 2012).

	 Explain the available means for response to make it easy for everyone to participate.

	 Communicate with audiences through the communications channels and languages

most appropriate for reaching them.

	 Reach out to communities using trusted local voices via the partnership program.

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Response Modes: The Census Bureau has developed its operational plan with an aim to

reach the entire U.S. population and encourage response through the channels people are

most comfortable with and prefer to use. With these preferences in mind, we are also taking

into account the costs associated with various forms of response. As it is the Census Bureau’s

mandate to responsibly spend taxpayer dollars, we will encourage participation through the

least expensive option available to the respondent. For example, when audiences are not

likely to respond to prompts to participate through the internet, another self‐response mode

will be encouraged. Rather than spending labor and advertising dollars to encourage

response through a response mode the target audience is not likely to use, communication

will be tailored to encourage them to respond via the self‐response mode they are most

likely to use. The cost hierarchy of response options, from least expensive to most expensive

based on current assumptions, is below. For all modes of responses, the earlier the

participation, the lower the cost.

	 Online response with a Census‐provided ID.

	 Online response without a Census‐provided ID.

	 Mail‐back paper response with a Census‐provided ID

	 Mail‐back paper response without a Census‐provided ID.

	 Calls to the Census Questionnaire Assistance (CQA) toll‐free hotline with a Census‐

provided ID.

	 Calls to the Census Questionnaire Assistance (CQA) toll‐free hotline without a Census‐

provided ID.

	 Responses through in‐person NRFU.

An Evolution From Previous Campaigns: The goals of both the 2000 Census advertising

campaign and the 2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign were to raise awareness

of the decennial count, boost the effectiveness of the mail package that was sent to residential

addresses and encourage cooperation with enumerators during NRFU. The 2020 Census

provides an opportunity for a fundamental shift in communication strategy as this census

provides respondents two new methods for self‐response, digital and telephone, which present

their own unique challenges.

The 2010 Census included limited use of non‐ID response—through which people can respond

to the census without an identifying code—but 2020 will mark a significant expansion of this

option. The availability of non‐ID response online and by telephone presents numerous

opportunities to encourage self‐response through digital engagement, new social media

platforms, and other technologies, as well as through partnerships and events. For example,

partnership and outreach events can encourage and enable immediate non‐ID response, either

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through respondents’ mobile devices or other technology available at the events. In the past,

these activities were generally focused on encouraging people to participate once they received

their questionnaires in the mail. The ability to offer non‐ID internet self‐response at

partnerships and outreach events will have unprecedented value by reducing respondent’s

barriers to utilizing the internet self‐response option. , This has the potential to provided

individuals who don’t have access to the internet the ability to self‐respond by that response

mode,

In an increasingly crowded media landscape, breaking through the noise of countless messages

to encourage individuals to participate in the 2020 Census will be vital. To accomplish a

complete and accurate count in a cost‐effective manner, the Census Bureau will benefit from a

sophisticated, data‐driven communications campaign—one that reaches our audiences with

the messages most likely to appeal to them, through the channels through which they are most

likely to engage. An enumeration on this scale requires the Census Bureau to engage in industry

best practices, including directing communications to audiences at more granular geography

levels (e.g., tract, neighborhood, ZIP code) and closely tracking results throughout the

campaign. These results will be used to refine and optimize strategies and tactics, and to quickly

shift and adapt communications in real time should we require a rapid response to unforeseen

events during the campaign.

Hard‐to‐Count and Hard‐to‐Reach Populations: Reaching those populations that are typically

less likely to participate in the census is a key priority for the Census Bureau. In this

document, the Census Bureau refers to these populations as both hard‐to‐count (HTC)

audiences and hard‐to‐reach (HTR) audiences. In many cases, HTC audiences are also HTR

and vice versa, but these audiences are not synonymous. For example, young and digitally

savvy audiences are easily reached through many forms of media but historically have low

participation rates, making them HTC but not HTR. Other audiences, like recent immigrants

who may not be engaged with their local government, or people in rural areas with low

internet penetration rates, may be difficult to reach and therefore difficult to count—making

it imperative for Census to identify the right channels for reaching them in addition to the

right messaging to encourage their participation.

Because HTR groups are largely a subset of HTC audiences, most references to HTC audiences

in this plan should be taken to include HTR groups as well.

Examples of HTC and HTR Audiences: While a list of likely HTC and HTR audiences for the

2020 Census will be developed based on further campaign research, the Census Bureau has

identified, through its previous counts, surveys, and tests, the following factors that may lead

to a person being considered HTC or HTR (National Advisory Committee, 2016a; CAPCOG,

n.d.; O’Hare, 2010).

	 Low income.

	 Not speaking English, not speaking it fluently, or having limited English proficiency

(LEP).

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	 Renting a residence.

	 Being young and mobile (e.g., young adults who move frequently).

	 Not having a high school diploma.

	 Residency in rural or geographically isolated areas.

	 Residency in places difficult for enumerators to access, such as buildings with strict

doormen, gated communities, and basement apartments.

This list is not exhaustive; many other factors can correlate with tendencies for people to be

HTC or HTR. (See Page 17 for more information on challenges facing the 2020 Census.) The

Census Bureau will advance its understanding of HTC and HTR audiences by analyzing

response data from past Census activities and third‐party data, with plans to develop early

predictors of response behavior in summer 2017. These early predictors will then be

validated and updated during Census Bureau research efforts in 2018.

Importance of Traditional Outreach: While digital outreach is an effective tool for reaching

many audiences, not all people can or prefer to be reached online, and some audiences with a

strong online presence may not be willing to respond to the census online. Traditional forms

of advertising outreach—through print, outdoor, and broadcast media and through partners

and influencers, for example—will continue to be important, not only to reach some HTC

populations but also to reach those who prefer traditional forms of media or who are less likely

to trust communications delivered digitally. And because some audiences may have concerns

about their data being shared with other government agencies or be distrustful of the

government (see Page 19), the strong support of partners—who serve as “trusted voices” that

influence individuals from diverse groups and can promote participation during events and

through their own communications channels—is perhaps more important than ever before.

Partners will be asked not to lead the call to participate, but rather to underscore and support

the Census Bureau’s message that participation in the census is important. More research into

the attitudes of various audiences toward different communications modes, as well as attitudes

toward the government and media, will be performed in the following years to inform

identification of the most optimal outreach strategies and advertising plans.

Continued Reliance on Mail: While the Census Bureau can have a direct impact on self‐

response through digital outreach and traditional communications channels, such as

advertisements and partnership engagement, the importance of mailed notices and

questionnaires should not be overlooked. In 2010, the vast majority of self‐responses were

returned to the Census Bureau within two weeks of the questionnaire being mailed

(Letourneau, 2012). Other results from ongoing data collections, such as the American

Community Survey and intercensal tests, demonstrate the impact of pieces sent to households

in the mail.

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Increased, Measured Use of Digital and Social Media: Digital and social media offer an

opportunity to effectively track and quickly assess the results of communications efforts. The

introduction of digital response and the use of digital outreach strategies will be key in driving

both online and offline completion. However, it is important not to overemphasize the role of

digital outreach. This type of outreach offers an inexpensive and often precisely targeted way

of reaching many—but not all—segments of the U.S. population. A campaign that is too heavily

focused on digital outreach may overlook large parts of the population (including, for example,

some people ages 65 and over and rural audiences, or those who may prefer to share news by

word of mouth) that are not likely to be engaged digitally, leading to increased costs during

NRFU.

Continued Emphasis on Education: Educating the public about the purpose of the census, the

role the public plays in the data collection effort, and uses of the data—including the Census

Bureau’s commitment to protecting all collected data—will be important in fostering

participation. Also, the new online response method and advanced Census Questionnaire

Assistance (CQA) features offered in 2020 will require an additional educational component to

introduce audiences to participating by internet and phone and to assuage concerns regarding

the safety of their responses and their personal privacy. More options means there is more to

explain, not less, putting greater pressure on the Census Bureau. In addition, raising audience

awareness about the ongoing and valuable work of the Census Bureau can help combat the

general declining trend in survey response rates. Promoting positive associations with the

census and the Census Bureau between decennial censuses means that when the time to be

counted arrives, audiences may be more likely to respond.

ALIGNMENT WITH OPERATIONS

To be effective, the Census Bureau’s communications efforts must work in concert with

operational efforts. The 2020 Census Operational Plan lays the groundwork for an innovative

approach to the decennial enumeration, and has been an important reference in the

development of the communications approach. Throughout this document alignment with

other operations are integrated into the various communication efforts. The below operations

require special consideration as explained. For more detail on integration with operations,

please see Page 71.

DECENNIAL AND NON‐DECENNIAL OPERATIONS

While the height of data collection efforts will take place in the spring of 2020 and wind down

by the end of July 2020, there are many operations that must take place well before then to

ensure the success of data collection. Activities related to early enumeration efforts, as well as

those completed in conjunction with or after NRFU operations, comprise other Census Bureau

operations in which staff are interacting with members of the public, albeit on a more limited

level than during the height of data collection efforts. In addition, other data collection efforts,

such as the American Community Survey, will be underway at various points throughout the

2020 Census life cycle. These activities are important operational considerations in the

development of a communications campaign.

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OPERATIONS IN PUERTO RICO AND THE ISLAND AREAS

Differences in the way the census is conducted among the 50 states and the District of

Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas of Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of

the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands result in important nuances and

considerations for planned communications activities in each geographic area. For the purposes

of this draft, activities described in this document should be interpreted to include the 50

states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and serve as reference for local governments

responsible for conducting Island Area censuses. The Island Area census will have their own

communication campaigns run by the local governments.

FULFILLMENT   The Census Bureau is currently reviewing approaches for promotional materials and items

dissemination and expects to have a solution in place to support the 2020 Census. As the

Census Bureau engages in more detailed planning for 2020, this plan will continue to reflect the

operational components of the 2020 Census to ensure that both communications and field

activities are working in tandem to support a complete and accurate count.

ABOUT THIS DRAFT

The Census Bureau has produced this first draft of the 2020 Census Integrated Communications

Plan (v1.0) to identify the path forward for future communications‐related efforts. It lays out

the foundational steps to develop a comprehensive communications campaign and provides a

high‐level overview of anticipated communications strategies. The activities and strategies

described within this draft are intended to reflect the planned and potential efforts of the

Census Bureau as an agency; distinctions among internal Census Bureau teams and contractor

roles and responsibilities will be detailed in future iterations of the plan.

This draft sets the foundation that will guide the development of a final research‐based, data‐

driven integrated communications and partnership plan for the 2020 Census and the

identification of campaign audiences, themes, and messaging. Future iterations of the plan

(v2.0 to be produced in summer 2018 and v3.0 in summer 2019) will be augmented with

findings from yet‐to‐be completed campaign research, and they will provide greater detail as

2020 approaches. This initial draft is designed to achieve three main objectives:

1.	 Detail the Research‐ and Data‐Based Approach: A successful campaign must be based

on a solid foundation of research and have strong internal systems for collecting and

analyzing data to optimize performance. This draft provides an approach to using

research findings and data to influence the strategy and roadmap for the 2020 Census

campaign.

2.	 Highlight Key Outreach Priorities: Even in the earliest stages of planning, it is expected

that the key outreach areas identified and described in this draft (e.g., partnerships and

traditional advertising) will be vital parts of the campaign to reach and count all

individuals living in the United States. Proposed approaches, justifications, and high‐

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level strategies for their use are discussed as they relate to reaching audiences,

particularly HTC groups.

3.	 Describe Integration With Partners and Stakeholders: Robust coordination with

partners and external stakeholders will be crucial in executing a successful campaign.

This draft provides a starting point for fostering the ideas of and collecting feedback

from those in a position to offer guidance and assistance in reaching audiences.

This draft is an opportunity for the Census Bureau to share ideas and plans for 2020 Census

communications a year earlier in the timeline than has been done for previous censuses. By

sharing these ideas, we aim to collect more input and feedback on our approach from

stakeholders than was possible during previous decennial cycles—also allowing us to identify

those outlets, messages, and trusted voices that are key to engaging HTC populations earlier in

the enumeration process. This draft has been reviewed extensively by internal stakeholders and

subject matter experts across the Census Bureau.

A key first step in the Census Bureau’s proposed approach is to conduct research to better

inform our planning as we determine final strategies for promoting the 2020 Census and

developing the campaign theme to be used. Each element of this draft will be further

developed and adjusted as research findings and feedback become available. We anticipate

significant updates to the plan upon the completion of campaign research—a key output of

which will be a more detailed and nuanced understanding of key audiences. The development

of a campaign theme, messaging, and creative development and testing will also contribute to a

more robust plan in future iterations. In addition, we will implement periodic refinements to

account for changes in the public mindset and discourse, new communications or technology

opportunities or parameters, and input from internal and external stakeholders. We also

anticipate updates to the plan before finalizing the execution of each campaign component.

It is important to note that activities outlined in this plan are dependent on available budget,

and that this plan is scalable to fit available resources. Activities may be added, removed, or

adjusted throughout the coming stages of plan development to accommodate various funding

scenarios that may emerge.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION SUPPORTING THIS DRAFT

This draft has been developed based on the following background materials and inputs, among

others:

Lessons Learned from Previous Censuses and Research: The Census Bureau already has a

wealth of historical and data‐rich information on what communications activities and messages

are likely to motivate diverse audiences to take part in the census. This includes a strong

understanding of public attitudes toward the government, civic engagement, online privacy,

and data security. While additional research will be conducted to inform the final 2020 plan,

this research will build on, not merely repeat, previous efforts. Additionally, lessons learned

from the decennial campaigns in 2000 and 2010, intercensal campaigns like the American

Community Survey, and other testing efforts—such as the 2016 Census Tests in Los Angeles

County and the Houston area, the 2015 Census Tests in Maricopa County, Arizona, and in the

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Savannah area, and the 2014 Census Test in parts of Washington, D.C., and Montgomery

County, Maryland—provide rich insights into individual program‐level activities and their

impact on audience response.

Evolving Methods and Technologies to Reach Diverse Audiences: The Census Bureau will use

best practices and the latest understanding of how diverse audiences interact with different

communications media and outlets. This includes but is not limited to understanding the

potential for new technology to motivate audiences. In addition to knowing about and being

familiar with emerging technologies, which will be useful in reaching those who prefer to

engage with digital properties, understanding the latest audience behavior with regard to

traditional media as well as engagement with partners and influencers will be critical in

developing the final plan.

To stay on top of available technology and changing trends across different audience groups,

the Census Bureau has engaged communications contractor Team Y&R for support in the 2020

campaign, including the development of this plan. (For more information about Team Y&R,

please see Appendix B.) Team Y&R includes multicultural outreach experts dedicated to

working with diverse audiences. These teams stay abreast of trends by participating in

conferences, panels, workshops, and other opportunities to learn about emerging technologies;

serving as industry leaders through cutting‐edge client work; closely tracking their target

audiences’ use of technology through existing and emerging outlets; and participating in other

such activities.

As the United States grows increasingly diverse, the Census Bureau recognizes that its

audiences are multifaceted and complex groups that cannot be defined solely by race and

ethnicity. Understanding the various nuances of the country’s diverse population groups,

including cultural backgrounds, demographics, economic status, geography, attitudes, beliefs,

and other factors, will be an important focus of our research and critical to ensuring that we are

able to use the most effective strategies and technologies to reach them. As such, the Census

Bureau is leveraging its expertise to best engage the following and other audiences in 2020:

 African American/Black audiences.

 American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) audiences.

 Asian American audiences.

 Diverse mass audiences.

 Hispanic audiences.

 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) audiences.

 Puerto Rican audiences.

As additional expertise is needed, we will add to this team and this list. For the purposes of this

plan, diverse mass audiences represent anyone who consumes English language media

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regardless of their race or ethnicity, reflecting a vast cross‐section of the country consisting of

people of all ethnicities, socioeconomic groups, and education levels

Guidance and Insights From Key Stakeholders: Congress, the National Advisory Committee

(NAC), the Census Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC), and other groups have keen insights

into the needs of diverse audiences, their key barriers to census completion, and opportunities

for engaging with influencers and others. The Census Bureau routinely presents to and solicits

feedback from such stakeholders, using their insights to inform tactics and influence budget

allocations.

Operationally, the Census Bureau is working to integrate the recommendations of the Office of

Inspector General, such as their suggest using internet and administrative records to drive

response in 2020 (Zinser, 2011), into the 2020 Census. Of importance to the communications

activities, in the 2010 Census Preliminary Lessons Learned Testimony, the U.S. Government

Accountability Office recommended that the Census Bureau assess and refine existing census

operations to focus on HTC audiences (Goldenkoff, 2011). The Census Bureau will continue to

concentrate outreach in areas with HTC audiences through partnership engagement, media

buys, and real‐time monitoring of response scores, should such data be available. Similarly, we

are also aligning our work with the NAC’s Administrative Records, Internet, and Hard to Count

Working Group recommendations from 2016, which stress that the Census Bureau should

explore outreach strategies to better enumerate those HTC groups with limited internet

connectivity (NAC, 2016b). The NAC also recommended conducting concentrated outreach to

HTC groups.

In an additional effort to reach HTC, the Census Bureau will work closely with our regional

offices to reach populations with historically low response rates through established

relationships with local organizations, continually emphasizing our commitment to protecting

the confidentiality and security of individuals’ data. The focus on reaching HTC populations

spans both the communication and partnership elements of the IPC.

Risks as Identified in the Decennial Risk Register: Such risks include high‐profile data breaches

in the government and private sectors. Current risks were taken into account in the

development of the plan. As the risk register is updated throughout the planning and execution

phases of the campaign, changes and additions will be reflected in updated versions of this

plan.

2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign (ICC) Plan and 2010 Census ICC Lessons

Learned Report: While the 2020 Census campaign will be different from the 2010 Census

campaign due to changing audiences and attitudes, the expanded use of online and non‐ID

response, and the continued growth of digital media, many elements will remain consistent.

The Census Bureau is building on what worked in 2010 and in previous years as well as applying

new innovations and research to further improve outreach to the public.

Input From Regional Offices: From Nov. 9, 2016, to Jan. 11, 2017, the Census Bureau held

discussion sessions with the Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia

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regional offices. The purpose of these regional office visits was to hear firsthand from regional

office staff about their experiences, concerns, and challenges in preparation for 2020.

Each region has its own characteristics that are accompanied by unique opportunities and

challenges for the 2020 Census. However, feedback from all the regional offices highlighted the

following primary themes:

 Media buying should be audience‐focused.

 HTC and HTR audiences cross all races and ethnicities\

 Grass‐roots and hyperlocal outreach is key. \

 Trusted voices are resources that demonstrate validity to communities. \

 Major national partnership initiatives must begin years in advance. \

 Recruiting is a key concern\

 The political climate must be considered in messaging to key audiences. \

 There is a concern with counting people in geographic areas seeing rapid population

growth. \.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

For more than two centuries, every 10 years the Census Bureau has undertaken the

momentous task of counting every person in the United States.

As the U.S. population has grown and technology has evolved, the Census Bureau has adapted

its methods for reaching these individuals. But regardless of the changes, regardless of the

time, this truth has remained: The census is the nation’s once‐a‐decade snapshot.

The decennial census is a chance for every person to be counted—giving voice to our

communities and the people who comprise them. Census data are behind many aspects of our

daily lives, informing decisions about roads and infrastructure, health care, schools, jobs and

businesses, political representation, and so much more.

But just as it is important for individuals to take part in the census, it is also vital that we make it

easy and desirable for them to do so. Since 2000, Congress has allocated funding for the Census

Bureau to conduct a communications campaign that educates the population about the

decennial count and urges people to participate, which has been critical to Census’ success in

delivering an accurate count. For the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will again follow a

communications approach to raise awareness and drive participation, with the goal of counting

everyone once, only once, and in the right place. Core to this mission is the Census Bureau’s

steadfast commitment to protecting the confidentiality of all data it collects. This is an

obligation that remains among its highest priorities for the 2020 Census.

This document outlines the Census Bureau’s approach to planning and executing the 2020

Census Integrated Communications Campaign, aiming specifically to maximize the self‐response

rate before conducting outreach to those who do not respond to the census on their own. This

critical focus on increasing self‐response, along with other operational improvements and

efficiencies, is designed to deliver as much as $5 billion in taxpayer savings.

Over the next year, the Census Bureau will conduct research to inform, refine, and execute this

communications campaign. We will then further develop that strategy in a second and third

iteration of this plan, in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In the meantime, the Census Bureau is

using our experience and best practices from the public and private sectors to identify the

many required activities, processes, and partners that will help make this campaign a success.

The upcoming decennial census will be unlike any of the 23 that came before it. It represents

perhaps the most significant change in the way the census has been conducted since the 1970

decennial count, when the Census Bureau introduced self‐response by a mail‐out/mail‐back

strategy (Hillygus, 2006). For the first time, an online response option will be made available

to much of the U.S. population and will be widely promoted as part of the 2020 Census

communications campaign. Today’s digital environment offers unprecedented opportunities to

reach audiences in new ways and to quickly refine our outreach and engagement during the

response period itself, as results and data become available.

To engage people of all ages, socioeconomic statuses, backgrounds, and language preferences,

we will need to take a nuanced approach to extensively promote the importance and relevance

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of the 2020 Census. Our campaign will encompass activities within the following program‐level

areas:

	 Stakeholder Relations: We will work to identify and engage a diverse group of

stakeholders to solicit feedback and help raise awareness of the 2020 Census, ensuring

open and effective lines of communication throughout the campaign development and

execution phase.

	 Partnership Program: Local, regional, and national partners will play a valuable role in

helping us connect with the public ahead of the 2020 Census. We will prioritize our

efforts through a tiered approach, and our plans for a new Partnership Experience

Platform (PXP) will help transform the way we connect partners to materials and

information.

	 Advertising and Media Buying: A new digital environment will present challenges and

opportunities for this crucial area, including—for the first time—the expanded ability to

directly drive response through digital ads that connect viewers to the online response

tool. As with many of these areas, we will use campaign data to continuously refine our

approach.

	 Public Relations and Events, and Crisis Communications: Our public relations strategy

will help drive our education and awareness efforts, particularly among hard‐to‐count

audiences. Crisis preparedness and communications will be more important than ever

before, with information spreading faster in this new digital environment.

	 Website Development and Digital Activities: We will take a mobile‐first approach to

developing web properties that support the campaign. Using dynamic content, we can

also tailor the experience for target audiences and adjust our approach as campaign

data become available.

	 Social Media: Social media outreach offers a unique opportunity to personally engage

with the public. We will leverage existing Census channels and develop innovative

approaches to promote recruiting efforts, enhance customer service, support digital and

on‐the‐ground events, raise awareness, drive response, and disseminate data.

	 Statistics in Schools Program: We have transformed one of our most effective outreach

efforts into an evergreen program focused on raising statistical literacy in classrooms

across the country. We will continue to develop activities for this program that engage

students and that help build awareness of the 2020 Census—in schools and at home.

	 Field Recruitment Advertising and Communications: We will leverage various media

channels, deploy hyperlocal and national campaigns, and develop one centralized

recruiting resource—a 2020 Census jobs website—to hire the right people for the right

geographic locations.

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	 Rapid Response Activities: The Census Bureau will build a rapid response team and

develop processes for quickly approving and executing campaign changes. This will

allow us to optimize our approach and respond to issues—including potential crises—

once the self‐response period begins and daily data points become available.

	 Data Dissemination: The Census Bureau is building a new platform to house and

disseminate data. The accurate and efficient distribution of census data will be key

throughout the campaign, from driving early awareness, to thanking partners, to

supporting and engaging with key stakeholders and public audiences well after the 2020

Census enumeration is completed.

The 2020 Census will constitute the nation’s largest peacetime mobilization, producing rich

data that will ultimately inform congressional representation and the allocation of billions of

dollars to state, local, and tribal governments. It will also involve engaging every person in the

United States, while showing effective use of taxpayer dollars and respect for each individual’s

time and confidentiality.

While specific tactics and needs for program elements differ, three common threads run

through all our proposed activities. The 2020 campaign must be:

	 Audience‐Focused: The Census Bureau is working, and will continue to work, in close

collaboration with stakeholders to ensure an accurate count, and to devote the

resources to engage those who may be hard to count. Our approach includes particular

care to understand the needs and interests of diverse groups to inform a campaign that

resonates with a large and nuanced populace.

	 Research‐Based: A program of research will enable the Census Bureau to develop a

campaign that can reach audiences with relevant, culturally sensitive, and effective

messages. The research for the 2020 Census will also inform media planning, partner

outreach, the distribution of promotional materials, and other communications

activities to effectively and efficiently deploy communications that promote prompt

responses from audiences.

	 Data‐Driven: The scale of the 2020 Census requires communications that reach and

resonate with individuals at the most targeted level possible. This can be made possible

through research data and the ability to closely track and aggregate census

questionnaire response trends in real time throughout the campaign. If available, such

data will be used to produce findings that allow the refinement and optimization of the

2020 Communication Plan.

Keeping in mind these three attributes, we have developed this initial approach to reaching and

engaging all audiences—particularly those who may not readily self‐respond and therefore may

require heavy outreach and persuasion. In the coming years, we will continually improve on

and refine this draft, keeping audience findings as well as efficient execution at the forefront of

our efforts.

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STRATEGIC INPUTS TO THE PLAN  
 The Census Bureau is building on our strong history of research to develop a communications

campaign that reaches and resonates with varied audiences, encourages self‐response, and

reduces taxpayer costs. By leveraging advances in communications technology, we will also be

able to manage advertising and outreach activities for the 2020 Census with greater precision

and responsiveness than in previous campaigns.

To seize these opportunities, we fully acknowledge the challenges and barriers that may hinder

response or otherwise affect response behavior. Preliminary inputs are included below and will

be validated, expanded on, and refined based on campaign research.

INSIGHTS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND BARRIERS

OVERALL CHALLENGES FOR THE 2020 CENSUS   The highly successful 2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign was one of the most

robust and extensive federal government outreach program at that time. During a period when

it was suspected that the mail response rate would decline, the 2010 Census matched the rate

achieved in 2000 (Morello, 2010). But even with such success in 2010, the Census Bureau did

not receive a response from approximately 47 million addresses to which it sent a

questionnaire (Williams, 2011). To ensure an accurate and thorough count, data collectors were

sent to those addresses. By far, the costliest components of the decennial census are in‐person

data collection through nonresponse followup (NRFU). An increase in self‐response rates will

help reduce the need for such labor‐intensive follow‐up efforts and save millions of dollars

during the 2020 Census (Williams, 2011).

The Census Bureau is tasked with executing an engaging and effective campaign to drive self‐

response against a difficult backdrop—one that includes declining response rates across the

field of survey research (Obenski & Squires, 2012), a cluttered media landscape, and concerns

about information security and privacy in the wake of breaches in both the public and private

sectors (e.g., the Office of Personnel Management breach of 2015 and the Target breach of

2013, among others). Amid these challenges, the Census Bureau remains committed to

conducting a count that is both accurate and cost‐efficient. This will require strong planning and

integration between communications and operational efforts—particularly among mail

packages, web properties, and partner and other outreach materials—to present a compelling,

consistent case for why it is in each individual’s best interest to complete the census

questionnaires.

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MINDSET        OF THE PUBLIC

Trying to capture the collective mindset of the large and diverse U.S. population has always

been a challenge. But the Census Bureau can benefit from insights gleaned from past research;

these insights highlight considerations to keep in mind and to examine through further

research, ultimately informing our understanding of the 2020 Census campaign environment.
                                 

                         

                               

                         

                               

                   

                           

                             

                                   

                

                 

                     

                         

                       

                       

               

                       

                           

               

                   

                           

                             

                     

                     

                       

                       

                       

                       

                           

                             

                     

                       

                   

                         

                         

                     

                   

             

                         

                         

All the issues that may have had an impact on census participation in the past—such as a

decline in survey response in general; growing distrust of government, authority, and the

media; and data security concerns—will likely be as common in the near future as they are

today. To address these issues with compelling, relevant, and effective messaging, the Census

Bureau will aim to fully understand the mindset of the public and consider the impact of

changes in public attitudes and perceptions before developing and executing communications

for the 2020 Census. Upcoming research efforts will uncover more insights into key concerns

and barriers. However, at this preliminary stage, Census is able to identify several issues that

are likely to be top of mind for potential respondents in the years to come. The following have

been identified as key barriers to census participation:

	 Overall Survey Response Decline: Although decennial census participation has been

legally mandated since the first census in 1790—with response rates remaining steady

from the 2000 Census to the 2010 Census—participation in other types of surveys and

questionnaires in the public and private sectors has declined in recent decades. Factors

contributing to this decline could include the growth and diversity of the U.S.

population, language barriers, and challenges reaching individuals in face‐to‐face

surveys. Other elements to consider include increases in the number of surveys overall

and a misunderstanding or lack of education about the role and function of the census.

Additional barriers to survey response decline are described below.

	 Misunderstandings About the Census: As illustrated in 2010 Census research, while

most people in the United States have some knowledge of the purpose of the census

(NORC, 2012), many are confused about what the census is, what it does, and how it

benefits them. Others may not have a clear understanding about the difference

between the decennial questionnaire and other Census activities, such as the American

Community Survey. In addition, some people may not understand how to complete the

census.

	 Concerns About Data Security: Recalling events like the Target security breach of 2013,

the Office of Personnel Management breach of 2015, and the Yahoo user accounts

breach of 2016, as well as the attention surrounding WikiLeaks during the 2016

elections, it is possible that concerns about data security will be key issues for audiences

in the years ahead. Pew Research Center reports that only “6 percent of adults say they

are ‘very confident’ that government agencies can keep their records private and

secure” (Madden & Raine, 2015). Individuals may fear that their census responses will

be accessed and used for nefarious purposes. Additionally, previous exposure to

scammers and phishers may make people wary of any online data collection efforts, lest

they be victims of a scam. The introduction of the limited use of administrative records

in 2020 could foster further speculation that the information that individuals share

could be passed around among federal government entities—of particularly concern for

those with unclear legal residency or housing status.

	 Distrust of Government: Trust of the federal government has declined since 2010 and is

at its lowest point since 1950, as demonstrated by a Pew Research Center study

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published in 2015 (Pew Research Center, 2015). This ongoing distrust has caused what

has been characterized as “frustration” with the government to transform into “anger”

with the government in recent years (Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and

Development, 2016). Fears about data‐sharing among agencies such as the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Internal Revenue Service, and

a divide between some segments of the population and law enforcement agencies, may

make it particularly difficult to foster support for the count in 2020. Younger people are

more likely than their elders to hold the federal government in higher esteem, but

distrust exists across all demographic groups, underscoring the need for careful

messaging. And while—unlike some other sectors of the federal government—the

Census Bureau enjoys strong positive associations among the public, our research must

be designed to ensure that our messages are motivating (Proprietary BAV® Research,

2016).

	 Changes in the Media Landscape: We also must consider new challenges from the

media landscape, including concerns related to fake news (Mitchell, Barthel & Holcomb,

2016), changing perceptions of the media and journalism (Reilly, 2013), and the role of

social media in news distribution (Gottfried & Shearer, 2016).

THE CHANGING FACE OF AMERICA

American Values: It was noted in the 2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign plan

that there was a “significant shift in the country’s core values unfolding.” However, research

underscores that there is common ground in the values that Americans believe are important

to instill in their children, and that responsibility, hard work, helpfulness, good manners,

community‐mindedness, and independence are still core American values that appear to be

important across ideological, ethnic, and demographic spectrums (Parker, 2014). Assumptions

related to these core values will be important inputs to the communications plan as Census

further develops communications strategies and messages.

Family and Living Arrangements: Complex households have long been a consideration for the

Census Bureau, as they can be difficult to count accurately (Schwede, 2003). The proportion of

complex households—commonly understood as households containing relationships beyond

one nuclear family (e.g., a married couple with or without biological children)—increased

between 2006 and 2010 (Elliot, Young, & Dye, 2011). The multigenerational household, in

particular, continues to be a popular living arrangement, with Census Bureau‐reported data

showing that its prevalence has returned to nearly 1950s levels (Cohn & Passel, 2016). This

trend began in earnest during the 2007–2008 financial crisis, but immigration also appears to

be fueling its continued growth, with the Hispanic population and Asian American population—

the latter being the fastest‐growing racial group in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau Public

Information Office, 2013)—most likely to live in a multigenerational household. The modern

multigenerational and complex households are different from those of the past, which saw

older parents living with their adult children. Now, compared with the 1980s, more young

adults live with their parents (U.S. Census Bureau Public Information Office, 2013). Research

suggests that these complex and multigenerational households, especially non‐English‐speaking

households, may lead to undercount young children (ages 0 to 5) more than other households

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(U.S. Census Bureau, 2014c)—a vitally important consideration for the development of

communications strategies and messages.

Expanding Diversity Within Families: Family units themselves are becoming more diverse, with

an increase in interracial marriages and relationships and a growing number of multiracial

children born. In 2013, a record‐high 12 percent of newlyweds married someone of a different

race (Pew Research Center, 2015c). And in 2013, 6.3 percent of all marriages (not just

newlyweds) were between spouses of different races, up from less than 1 percent in 1970

(Wang, 2015).

ELECTIONS IN 2016 AND 2020

The census is not conducted in a vacuum, and the national political environment—including the

media atmosphere surrounding elections—has a strong impact on public attention and

attitudes. The 2016 presidential election, with a crowded primary field, created a powerful

media scenario that pushed much other news out of focus.

Communications and messaging about the 2020 Census will have to compete directly with a

presidential election, whose primary season will overlap with much of the count, as well as local

and state elections. The last time a census and a presidential election overlapped was in 2000,

and the current media landscape is vastly different from the one of 17 years ago. The Census

Bureau will be faced with the challenge of channeling political discourse to apolitical discussion

of the purposes of the decennial census and its importance to the whole country. And we will

need to facilitate such a discussion in an atmosphere where paid media will likely be more

expensive than usual—because of the eagerness of political campaigns to buy available

advertising inventory—and where candidates for federal office may have an advantage over the

Census Bureau in purchasing these spots. The Census Bureau will also likely have to compete

with an increased volume in direct mail related to the election (Printing Impressions, 2016). We

will have to acknowledge that the primary message much of the population will be hearing

around that time is that voting is important, so our messaging must stress the importance of

census participation without “competing” with messaging on the importance of voting.

ROBUST DATA AND THE MEANS TO ACT ON THEM

The Census Bureau and our partners have access to a comprehensive set of data that inform

our understanding of audience members’ propensity to self‐respond to the census as well as

their preferred modes of communication, language preferences, living arrangements, interests,

and other characteristics. With advances in digital media technology, the Census Bureau can

use these data to improve communications with different individuals and groups across the

country, sending targeted messages to small clusters as various communications channels

allow. The proliferation of owned media—the properties that the Census Bureau directly

controls, such as our social networks—and the low costs associated with developing webpages

and digital content for distribution empower the Census Bureau to create electronic materials

and notices in many forms and to share them through the channels preferred by various

audiences. Such advances and cost‐saving potential are not restricted to the digital sphere; the

strategic use of data will also allow for a better understanding of, for example, which

neighborhoods to target with outdoor and print ads and which interest groups to reach at

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which events. Data will also help in identifying the strongest influencers to persuade hard‐to‐

count (HTC) audiences to participate.

USE OF BRANDASSET VALUATOR® (BAV®)

BrandAsset Valuator® (BAV®) is a proprietary tool of the Census Bureau’s communications

contractor and is considered the world’s largest brand equity model and database of brand

ratings. This tool will help identify overarching existing perceptions of the Census Bureau brand.

It will not provide specifics about decennial‐driven messaging to educate and motivate people

during a response period, but it can help the Census Bureau understand the context for

messaging and inform us about perceptions of the brand imagery to help us set the tone for

creative development.

The U.S. BAV® survey measures approximately 3,500 brands, across about 200 categories, on

four key measures of equity and a consistent set of brand imagery attributes. The four key

measures of equity measured are:

1. Differentiation: a brand’s unique meaning and momentum.

2. Relevance: how a brand fits into people’s lives.

3. Esteem: how well a brand is regarded and liked.

4. Knowledge: how well people know and understand a brand.

Figure 1: BAV Measures of Equity

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The wide range of brands measured using BAV® allows for a comparison of the Census Bureau

brand with other government brands as well as with some successful and well‐established

commercial brands. These insights can suggest communications brand personalities and tones

that we may want to explore for the 2020 Census campaign.

INFLUENCERS DRIVING MEDIA CONSUMPTION

The range of individuals and organizations that influence people on major national or world

issues has evolved dramatically in the past decade—as have the ways in which they reach their

followers. These days, news consumption is more specific to a show, network, or individual

than to a platform (e.g., TV, radio, or website) (Norman, 2016). Influencers like Tomi Lahren,

Sean Hannity, and Rachel Maddow are found not simply on a daily broadcast but also on the

radio, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, podcasts, branded apps, SoundCloud, and more. Even

large media organizations like CNN, Fox News, and NPR have adjusted to a landscape where

people follow one organization or person across many channels. And social media influencers

are not always just news personalities. They can specialize in areas like sports, makeup

techniques, and gaming, therefore reaching more diverse audiences. These channels can have

millions of followers who observe the influencers’ behaviors and listen to their opinions and

recommendations in areas that go far beyond their specialties.

People may say they are not loyal to any one organization or influencer, but their behavior says

otherwise (Mitchell, Gottfried, Barthel, & Shearer, 2016). With the advent of algorithms driving

what we see online, many Americans never have to encounter media points of view outside of

their own. In addition, penetrating these spheres of influence may prove more difficult than in

previous censuses, creating barriers that the Census Bureau has not yet encountered.

Understanding the impact of these influencers on U.S. audiences will be important to the

communications strategy for the 2020 Census.

CHANGES IN THE MEDIA ENVIRONMENT AND AVAILABLE CHANNELS

The media landscape, particularly the digital media landscape, is constantly shifting as new

technologies are developed and refined, and as customer interest grows and fades. The

proliferation of available new media platforms—and the increased amount of media that many

people encounter in their daily lives—makes it vital for the Census Bureau to identify those

channels that will break through the clutter and engage disparate audiences in 2020, when the

landscape could be far different from how it was in 2010 or how it is currently.

Social Media Channels and Outlets: Since 2010, many new social media platforms and media

outlets have risen to prominence, and the walls between social and traditional media outlets

have been broken down. As of 2016, most Americans get at least part of their news from social

media, making it important as a source of information they can trust (Gottfried & Shearer,

2016).

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Here are just a few of the social media channels that have launched since 2010:

	 Instagram (2010) is a free online photo‐ and video‐sharing platform. It allows users to

upload, edit, and share photos with other members through the Instagram website,

email, and other social media sites. Instagram reported having more than 500 million

monthly active users as of 2016.

	 Pinterest (2010) is a social platform for users to share and categorize images and other

media content they find online, using collections or “boards.” It has more than 150

million monthly users (Addady, 2016).

	 WhatsApp (2010) is a cross‐platform instant messaging application that allows users to

send and receive messages, calls, photos, videos, documents, and voice messages. It

reported having more than 1 billion users worldwide (WhatsApp, 2016).

	 LINE (2011) is a messaging app that was launched in Japan in the wake of the 2011

earthquake. It is the most popular social app in Japan and many East Asian countries,

and it is seeing adoption in Spanish‐speaking countries (LINE, 2012). LINE was

introduced in the United States in 2013.

	 WeChat (2011) is a cross‐platform instant messaging app launched in China in 2011 with

strong adoption by many people living in the United States who are from mainland

China. It has more than 700 million monthly active users globally (BI Intelligence Staff,

2016).

	 Snapchat (2011) is an image‐based messaging and content/news app that stores posts

for brief periods of time. The app has more than 60 million daily active users in the

United States and Canada (Kokalitcheva, 2016) and is very popular with people younger

than 34 (Novet, 2017).

	 Medium (2012) is a blogging, social networking, and community‐oriented platform with

25 to 30 million monthly visitors. Its content ranges from personal blog posts to pieces

from top‐tier media, government, and nongovernment organizations (Segall, 2016).

	 Whisper (2012) is a website and app where more than 30 million active monthly users

(Swant, 2016) share secrets anonymously. It is most popular with people younger than

18 (Williams, 2015). Whisper has partnered with the Ad Council and Anti‐Defamation

League on anti‐bullying and anti‐hate campaigns (Ad Council, 2016).

	 Musical.ly (2014) is a video creation and sharing app, with 20 million daily active users

in the United States (Pham, 2016). More than 50 million of its users are younger than 21

(Friedlander, 2016).

	 Periscope (2015) is a livestreaming video app, owned by Twitter, with approximately 1.9

million daily active users (Ghergich, 2017).

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Even major platforms that were used by the Census Bureau during the 2010 Census, such as

Facebook and Twitter, are evolving. For instance, Facebook Messenger (2011) and Facebook

Live (2016) continue to shape the way diverse audiences communicate online.

Social Sharing Through Private Channels: Social sharing that occurs without a direct,

measurable click‐thru for web and app links—primarily the copying and pasting of links into

social media and messaging platforms—is known as “dark social.” This activity represents

about 70 percent of all social sharing (Beck, 2014). It is important to note that dark social is

difficult to track because of the limitations of web analytics tools in capturing how links are

shared. As a result, marketers need to monitor them carefully, considering how reach is

measured on these channels. The Census Bureau is watching such activity closely to glean

relevant insights and ideas for engaging diverse audiences.

The Census Bureau is committed to monitoring rapidly evolving advertising and social media

platforms and trends, such as mobile advertising and digital streaming services, to identify

those that are the most advantageous for the 2020 Census campaign. Further, we will assess

the latest media buying trends and options to identify the most effective (and cost‐efficient)

outlets available.

AUDIENCE‐BASED INSIGHTS

An accurate and nuanced understanding of the U.S. population will be crucial for a successful

2020 Census campaign. The demographic and cultural makeup of the U.S. population continues

to increase in complexity, resulting in a growing number of households and individuals of

diverse backgrounds (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). By the time the 2020 Census is conducted,

more than half of the nation’s children are expected to be part of a minority race or ethnic

group. The overall U.S. population is expected to follow a similar trend, becoming majority‐

minority in 2044 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014a).

A key component of campaign research will be to better understand and characterize audiences

based on key factors such as likelihood to respond, attitudes, and demographics—including

non‐racial demographics such as geographic location, education level, and age. These

audiences will not be limited to race‐ and ethnicity‐based groupings, and their characteristics

will be detailed in future iterations of the plan.

INPUTS FROM MULTICULTURAL OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS

PARTNERS

A research‐driven, audience‐centered approach to campaign strategy, creative development,

and execution involves multicultural agencies and specialized communications partners from

the start. The Census Bureau’s multicultural outreach partners contribute established best

practices and critical insights that have informed our initial understanding of key audiences,

which will be enhanced by campaign research activities. The insights in the following sections

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have been developed by these partners’ subject matter experts, who have an intimate

understanding of each community outlined.

Table 1: Target Audience and Contractor Expertise

Target Audience Served Census Bureau Contractor

African American/Black

Audiences

Carol H Williams is a full‐service marketing agency with offices across the United

States and expertise in leading national and local campaigns to reach African

American audiences. The agency is a member of the American Association of

Advertising Agencies and the American Advertising Federation, and experts at

the agency attend digital conferences led by groups like AdAge and Digiday to

keep up with technology trends and how they affect the African American

market. Carol H Williams also participates in numerous multicultural

conferences, such as ADCOLOR, ColorComm, and other broadcast and print

journalism conferences. These activities keep the agency acutely aware of

industry trends and the ever‐changing emerging media and research landscapes.

American Indian and Alaska G+G Advertising has been a leader in AIAN advertising and in outreach to AIAN

Native (AIAN) Audiences audiences for more than 20 years, and the firm was a team member for the 2000

and 2010 Census campaigns. G+G Advertising consistently stays up to date on

new and current media as well as trends within the AIAN market. Through its

client work and ongoing environmental scans, the firm remains attuned to the

best modes of communication for reaching its target audiences. G+G Advertising

is represented on the executive board of the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders

Council and was recognized as the 2016 Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of

Commerce National Business of the Year.

Asian American Audiences TDW+Co is a cross‐cultural agency providing support in more than 24 languages,

with more than two decades of experience in reaching Asian American

audiences. TDW+Co participates in digital communications‐focused webinars

and workshops such as Centro 3T, Quantcast Programmatic Academic, Facebook

Blueprint modules, and Google DoubleClick trainings. As a member of the Asian

American Advertising Federation, the agency has access to the latest industry

insights, including ethnic and digital media trends. The agency also regularly

attends media conferences, including those of the Asian American Advertising

Federation and Association of National Advertisers, and also subscribes to media

source information to closely observe the interests and behaviors of the

audiences it serves.

Hispanic Audiences Culture ONE World is an integrated communications agency that has developed

nearly 100 fully integrated Hispanic market campaigns in almost every branch of

federal government. Culture ONE World manages the Hispanic media portions of

some of the largest annual federal government campaigns, including a national

campaign to prevent distracted driving for the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration, as well as those for nongovernmental and private sector

organizations such as AT&T. Culture ONE World’s work involves maintaining

contact with media industry representatives and participating in industry

conferences—and the use of the latest digital platforms affords the company

insight into evolving media outlets and technologies. The agency sits on the

Google Public Sector Advisory Council and has been asked to speak at the last

two annual VidCon events, which bring together thousands of digital and video

industry influencers.

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Target Audience Served Census Bureau Contractor

Native Hawaiian and Pacific A leader in reaching NHPI audiences, The Kālaimoku Group is an agency based in

Islander (NHPI) Audiences Hawaii with offices in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American

Samoa. The principals of The Kālaimoku Group sit on nonprofit boards and

provide contract work for major organizations that continuously monitor and

use outlets and technologies that resonate with its audiences—including

Kamehameha Schools, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Office of

Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and Hawaii Tourism

Authority.

Puerto Rican Audiences Y&R San Juan is a creative agency and member of the Y&R Advertising family

with experience reaching Puerto Rican audiences through compelling advertising

campaigns. A partner in the 2000 Census campaign, Y&R San Juan is completely

immersed in its key audience of Puerto Rican residents, having worked with

MMM, a local Medicare Advantage plan, for more than 10 years. Y&R San Juan

has access to the same marketing and consumer behavior information used by

Y&R Advertising for reaching diverse mass audiences.

Additional Audience Considerations: While the Census Bureau is working with partners that

have expertise in reaching major segments of the U.S. population, we recognize that there are

numerous and nuanced population groups that must be addressed as our research and

planning progresses. In addition to the audiences listed above, future drafts of the 2020 Census

Integrated Communications Plan will include additional consideration of how the Census

Bureau can reach many varied audiences, including:

 Diverse mass audiences, including audiences of varying levels of education, income

levels, and geographic areas.

 Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) audiences.

 Veterans and members of the military.

 The population ages 65 and over.

 The homeless population.

 Migrant and/or transitory populations.

 Parents of young children (ages 0 to 5), who are important audiences when considering

the undercount of young children.

 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) audiences.

Additional audience groups and agency partners may be included at later stages of plan

development.

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INITIAL AUDIENCE INSIGHTS

The information described in the following tables, developed with our multicultural outreach

and communications partners, offer initial insights into our understanding of important

multicultural audiences.

Table 2: Insights on African American/Black Audiences

Audience African American/Black

Overview African Americans are an incredibly heterogeneous group. The Black diaspora in the

United States includes foreign‐ and native‐born individuals from many different countries

and backgrounds. Among present‐day foreign‐born individuals, immigrants from Egypt,

Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Tobago, and Trinidad are highly

represented. Native‐born African Americans and those of mixed ethnicity trace their

lineage to numerous other countries and backgrounds.

Audience Profile by

Cluster

Detailed audience profiles will be developed from rich behavioral and demographic

segmentations as part of campaign research activities.

Insights General Makeup:

According to the 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5‐Year Estimates:

 Those who identify as one race, African American, make up 12.6 percent of the U.S.

population. Those who identify as African American alone or in combination with one

or more other races make up 13.8 percent of the U.S. population (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: DP05).

 Among African Americans, 19.5 percent have a bachelor’s degree, compared with

29.8 percent of the general U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table:

S1501).

 The median age of African Americans in the United States is 33.2 (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: B01002B), compared with the general population’s median age of

37.6 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S0101).

 The median household earnings in the past 12 months for African Americans were

$35,695, compared with $53,889 among the general population (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: S1903).

 Renters account for 57.6 percent of African Americans (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–

2015, Table: B25003B), compared with 36.1 percent of the general population (U.S.

Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: B25003).

Detailed Makeup:

 African Americans are the fastest‐growing indigenous population in the United

States; This population’s growth is outpaced only by Asian and Hispanic immigrants.

 Foreign‐born Africans come from all over the continent, but the largest countries of

origin for African immigrants are Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, and Kenya. These

five countries accounted for half the foreign‐born African population in the United

States in 2015 (Anderson, 2017).

 The United States has also seen an influx of migration from the Caribbean and Central

and South American regions, with many immigrants seeking the opportunity for work

and safety from rising conflicts in those areas.

25
 
Audience African American/Black

	 Many people from impoverished nations also seek to migrate to the United States for

a better education. The Diversity Visa program, implemented in 1990 for legal

migration into the United States, quickly increased the number of immigrants,

especially those from Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, and Kenya.

	 The African American population skews younger than the general population, with

more than half the segment younger than 35 and two‐thirds younger than 50 (U.S.

Census Bureau, 2010d).

Finance and Education:  

	 In 2015, African Americans controlled almost $1.2 trillion in buying power, 8.6

percent of the nation’s total—a 21 percentage point increase over 2010, according to

the Selig Center for Economic Growth (Weeks, 2015).

Attitudes and Beliefs:

	 While African American/Black populations are varied, with different attitudes,

behaviors, and beliefs, ethnic pride carries across these diverse groups. A large

majority of this group agrees that ethnicity is a significant part of their identity

(Charmaraman & Grossman, 2010).

	 This ethnic pride carries over into what this audience expects from media and

advertisements. Eighty‐seven percent of African Americans report believing that

ethnic recognition is important, compared with 59 percent of the general population

(Nielsen, 2014a).

	 Compared with the general population, African Americans are 30 percent more likely

to believe diversity in advertising is important, and 38 percent are more likely to

make a purchase when the advertisements include African American people (Nielsen,

2014).

	 African Americans are markedly more religious on a variety of measures than the U.S.

population as a whole—including level of affiliation with a religion, attendance at

religious services, frequency of prayer, and the importance of religion in life (Pew

Research Center, 2009).

	 Historically, the Black church has been equated with helping communities as a source

of support, resources, civic engagement, and bare necessities, when not otherwise

provided. This institution provides support at various levels across social classes

within the African American community (Shuck, 2015).

	 While most of the African American/Black population in the United States is

Protestant, 40 percent of native‐born Muslim Americans identify as Black (Pew

Research Center, 2011).

Media Habits and Consumption:

	 African American consumers are deliberately seeking providers and services that

meet their needs culturally (e.g., stores that carry beauty products that are right for

their skin type). These consumers also spend more money on quality products that

work well for their skin, hair, etc., meaning that they do not waste money on

products that are not effective for them.

	 This audience spends 44 percent more time on education and career websites than

does the population as a whole (Curry, 2013).

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Audience African American/Black

 Seventy percent of Black individuals own a smartphone, compared with 64 percent of

the total U.S. population (Smith, 2015).

 This audience is 65 percent more likely to listen to a local radio station online

compared with the general market (Nielsen, 2013).

 From a consumer perspective of how African Americans choose their brands, values

encompassed by the top African American brands include authenticity, connectivity,

and continuous improvement.

 African Americans have historically been and remain a driving force behind urban

culture and influence. Urban influence is exhibited through fashion, music, food,

sports, show business, and media—all key avenues for reaching the urban African

American market. Targeting African Americans through messaging generates return

on investment within the segment itself and can have a broad‐reaching impact within

the total market (Latinum Network, 2016).

Possible Factors

Impacting Likelihood

to Respond

Based on the experience of our multicultural expert partners, the lower‐income, less

educated segment of this population may be less likely to respond because of several

factors, including:

 High distrust of government as a result of historic and consistent disenfranchisement.

 Unequal distribution of and limited access to educational resources, schools,

hospitals, roads, and jobs.

In addition, African American Muslims and immigrants are likely to be hard to count. It

may be more likely that educated, less socially conscious, middle class, or transcendently

wealthy African Americans will respond more readily, considering that they make more

money and thus are able to participate in the economy in a way that benefits them and

may feel less disenfranchised by regulations.

Paid Media

Considerations

Both digital and traditional media will be important, provided the selected channels align

with audience interests. Although African American audiences over‐index on a great deal

of media, they are very deliberate in their choices. Content that speaks to their unique

experiences will be prioritized over generalized expressions targeted to larger audiences.

 Social TV—the act of live‐commenting on an awards show or highly rated show

during its first run—is a great example of the connection and interaction that many

African Americans look for from their media activity.

 Relevant and critical digital paid media to use in reaching the African American

market include paid social media, digital retargeting, streaming radio, and culturally

relevant digital publishers (including legacy print media available in digital formats,

podcasts, and posts by influential bloggers).

 Digital media is a highly efficient way to engage African American audiences on

platforms where they spend most of their time. Among African Americans, 91 percent

own and access the internet with their smartphones, which allows for real‐time

engagement, content‐sharing, and storytelling (Nielsen, 2016c).

 Sixty‐two percent of African Americans are more likely than other populations to

think that advertising content accessed through mobile phones and devices is useful

(Nielsen, 2014).

 Fifty‐three percent of African Americans have agreed that TV ads provide useful

information about new products and services (Nielsen, 2014).

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Audience African American/Black

For traditional paid media, television is still an effective medium for reaching African

American consumers, as on average they watch 10 hours of programming per week, which

is 1.2 times more than the overall U.S. population (Cohen, 2015b). If TV maintains its

current trend of offering more diverse programming, such as FX’s “Atlanta,” Fox’s

“Empire,” OWN’s “Greenleaf” and “Queen Sugar,” and ABC’s slate of shows featuring

Shonda Rhimes, the Census Bureau can count on opportunities to reach African American

consumers through both networks and national cable channels.

 Multiscreen usage in the age of connected TV and digital video (DV) continues to

increase as more consumers—particularly millennials—become “cord cutters.”

 Connected TV services, such as Roku and Amazon Fire TV, have benefited from this

shift, as have DV services like Hulu, Netflix, Crackle, and Amazon.

 African Americans continue to over‐index on time spent watching linear TV (network

and cable). However, eroding audience size and ratings make it necessary to include

DV to extend the reach of messaging (Nielsen, 2014).

Social media considerations include the following:

 African American/Black consumers are sharing more third‐party content that mimics

their personal views.

 Consumers are looking for more ways to communicate with friends and family

members privately, while still maintaining access to the native tools available through

their smartphones (i.e., emojis, stickers, and GIFs).

Table 3: Insights on American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Audiences

Audience American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN)

Overview AIAN individuals live in all 50 states within various populations. The total AIAN population

(AIAN alone, or in combination with one or more other races) is 5.3 million, or 1.7 percent

of the U.S. population. Those included represent various tribal backgrounds and speak

more than 250 languages (although English is usually understood) (Tribal Court, 2016).

About 28 percent of the AIAN population is younger than 18 (based on data for those who

identify as AIAN alone) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: B01001C), compared with

only 23.3 percent of the total population that is younger than 18 (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: S0101). The median age for members of the AIAN population living on

reservations is 26, compared with 37.6 for the entire nation (NCAI, 2017).

The AIAN population under age 25 makes up 39.8 percent of the total AIAN population

(based on data for those who identify as AIAN alone) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015,

Table: B01001C), whereas the U.S. population under age 25 is only 33.1 percent of the

total population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S0101).

The states with the highest proportion of AIAN individuals are Alaska (19.5 percent),

Oklahoma (12.9 percent), and New Mexico (10.7 percent) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–

2015, Table: S0101).

Audience Profile by

Cluster

Detailed audience profiles will be developed from rich behavioral and demographic

segmentations as part of campaign research activities.

28
 
Audience American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN)

Insights   General Makeup:

According to the 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5‐Year Estimates:

	 Those who identify as one race, AIAN, make up 0.8 percent of the U.S. population.

Those who identify as AIAN alone or in combination with one or more other races

make up 1.7 percent of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: DP05).  

	 Among the AIAN population, 13.8 percent have a bachelor’s degree, compared with

29.8 percent of the general U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table:

S1501).

	 The median age of AIAN individuals in the United States is 32 (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: B01002C), compared with the general population’s median age of

37.6 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S0101).

	 The median household earnings in the past 12 months for AIAN individuals were

$37,408, compared with $53,889 among the general population (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: S1903).

	 Renters account for 46.9 percent of the AIAN population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–

2015, Table: B25003C), compared with 36.1 percent of the general population (U.S.

Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: B25003).

From experience working on the 2010 Census, it is known that AIAN populations are not

likely to be persuaded solely by an advertisement, partnership, public relations, grass‐

roots effort, or poster to complete and return their census questionnaire. It is a

combination of these strategies—engaging and enlisting critical partners, the right media,

community relations, new technology, special events, traditional advertising, and more—

that can encourage behavior change and, ultimately, drive results.    

Motivating personal action requires tapping a complex combination of beliefs and

supports. Responders must be aware of the action, believe that the benefits of that action

outweigh the risks or costs, view the action as easy to do, believe that it conforms to their

cultural and social beliefs, know that others are doing it, be fully aware that there are

consequences associated with failing to act, and have the skills and access to take the

action.   

Housing and Infrastructure:  

	 American Indians are increasingly becoming homeowners; their homeownership rate

has grown by 40 percent over the last 10 years.

	 Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) comprise more than 104,000 miles of public roads and

are owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian tribes, states, and counties. More

than 65 percent of the system is unimproved earth and gravel, and approximately 24

percent of IRR bridges are classified as deficient (NCAI, 2017).

	 While the number of fatal crashes per year in the nation declined by 2.2 percent over

the past 25 years, the number of fatal motor vehicle crashes per year on Indian

reservations increased by 52.5 percent (NCAI, 2017).

Education:  

	 The number of AIAN students enrolled in colleges and universities and the number of

postsecondary degrees awarded have more than doubled in the past 30 years

(DeVoe, Darling‐Churchill, & Snyder, 2008).

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Audience American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN)

 Only 5 percent of AIAN Americans have received graduate or professional degrees,

compared with 10 percent of the U.S. population. Only 13.8 percent of the AIAN

population have earned bachelor’s degrees, compared with 29.8 percent of the U.S.

population (Census, 2011–2015, Table: S1501).

Media Habits and Consumption:

 Mass media will provide the venue for building awareness among most members of

the AIAN population, but for others—such as those who distrust or mistrust the

government; are homeless, disabled, or poorly educated; live on a reservation or in a

remote island area or temporary housing; or worry that their personal data might not

be safe with the Census Bureau—the support of a program that embraces a combined

communications strategy will be critical to move from awareness, to intention, to

action.

Possible Factors

Impacting Likelihood

to Respond

Based on the experience of our multicultural expert partners, it is possible that specific

groups within the AIAN population share views and opinions that may discourage

response. Some of these viewpoints could include:

 A disbelief that the count will provide personal benefits.

 A historical belief that past interaction and experiences include broken promises.

 An increasing mistrust and distrust of government and misperceptions about the

census and its purpose.

 An inherent intention to avoid being counted.

 An increasing sensitivity about releasing personal information.

 The misconception that “my tribe/government or corporation already counts me.”

Contrarily, some motivating factors may include:

 Family involvement in decision‐making, for generations.

 Classification of tribes.

 Value of the census to tribes.

 Funding for needed tribal services.

Paid Media Based on the experience of our multicultural expert partners, a paid media approach to

Considerations reach AIAN audiences should aim to increase the legitimacy of the Census Bureau and

offer opportunities to communicate through multiple channels. A sample proposed media

mix follows:

Television: Cable and network television can reach a large proportion of AIAN

communities, offer some selectivity in reaching the target audience, and have a high level

of impact and audience recall. Among AIAN populations, TV is an inexpensive form of

entertainment for the whole family. We would buy ad spots in markets that have high

populations of target audience segments.

Radio: Benefits of spot radio include the immediate delivery of the message and high

frequency. Radio is highly available and targets local audiences, both off and on

reservations. Radio would be purchased on and off reservations, and in both AIAN and

border towns.

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Audience American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN)

Billboards: In the experience of our AIAN cultural partners, billboards provide the greatest

reach among all media and the lowest cost per thousand exposures. Billboard advertising

offers location selectivity and a very high frequency of reach among these populations.

Billboards purchased would be on and off reservations and near high migration patterns of

these target audiences.

Newspapers: In the experience of our AIAN cultural partners, newspaper ads rank highest

for believability among all media among these populations. Newspapers offer large

amounts of local coverage and immediate (daily) delivery of the message. This type of

outlet is effective for reaching mass audiences, and it offers ways to target specific

audiences. There are currently more than 100 AIAN newspapers or border town papers

that specifically target AIAN populations throughout the United States, including Alaska.

Magazines: Magazines are a viable tool for reaching this audience and, in the experience

of our AIAN cultural partners, are generally found in many of the Indian Health Service

waiting rooms throughout Indian country. In addition, the costs of magazine

advertisements have gone down.

Internet: In the experience of our AIAN cultural partners, the internet is becoming an

increasingly important communications tool among AIAN populations, both at home and

in schools. This channel should be considered for its reach across AIAN websites and local

AIAN online newspapers and information‐based sites, as well as on social media sites.

Promotions/Events: Promotional tactics for a grass‐roots approach will be tied to AIAN

events. The focus will be to spread the message of the census through community

gatherings and larger, national AIAN events—including powwows like the Gathering of

Nations. This will be achieved with local street teams, Census booths, banners, and

promotional items.

Table 4: Insights on Asian American Audiences

Audience Asian American

Overview The Asian American population is 16,235,305 (Census, 2011–2015, Table: DP05). It is diverse,

but it shares a rich culture. The culture of Asian Americans is reflected in the common Asian

heritage, embodied in arts and artifacts, language, and eating habits. The environment and

surroundings also shape Asian Americans’ identities. In the experience of our Asian American

cultural partners, first‐generation Asian Americans have a more culturally ingrained mindset

than the second generation, reflecting important cultural values and mores that need to be

considered when reaching this audience.

The Asian American audience is growing, having jumped 25 percent from 2009 to 2014 due

to immigration and births. The largest growth is expected for 2014 to 2019 in the West and

South (Nielsen, 2016a).

Asian Americans tend to have higher incomes than the population as a whole, and they are

often well‐educated (Nielsen, 2016b). Asian Americans are also often perceived as the

“model minority,” a myth that stereotypes all Asian Americans as well‐off and successful and

that neglects to acknowledge diversity and disparity within the population (Wingfield, 2016).

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Audience Asian American

Audience Profile by

Cluster

Detailed audience profiles will be developed from rich behavioral and demographic

segmentations as part of campaign research activities.

Insights General Makeup:

According to the 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5‐Year Estimates:

 Those who identify as one race, Asian American, make up 5.1 percent of the U.S.

population. Those who identify as Asian American alone or in combination with one or

more other races make up 6.1 percent of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: DP05).

 The median age of Asian Americans in the United States is 36.3 (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: B01002D), compared with the general population’s median age of

37.6 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S0101).

 The median household earnings in the past 12 months for Asian Americans were

$74,245, compared with $53,889 among the general population (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: S1903).

 Renters account for 42.1 percent of Asian Americans (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015,

Table: B25003D), compared with 36.1 percent of the general population (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: B25003).

Detailed Makeup:

 The Asian American audience (alone or in combination with one or more other races)

grew by 18.3 percent between 2010 and 2015 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015).

 Asians make up 30 percent of the nation’s immigrants, with China and India replacing

Mexico as the top countries of origin for immigrants in the United States (Zong &

Batalova, 2016a).

 Asian Americans are on pace to become the largest foreign‐born group in the country by

2055 (Zong & Batalova, 2016a).

 Nearly 75 percent of Asian Americans reside in 10 states (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012).

 The largest group of Asian Americans is Chinese or of Chinese descent, followed by Asian

Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese populations. Migrants and refugees

are also members of this group, and emerging groups within the Asian American

communities include the Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Hmong, Indonesian, Laotian,

Malaysian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, and Thai communities (U.S. Census Bureau,

2015).

Language:

 The Asian American population speaks a range of languages. Many Asian American

population segments have multiple languages that break down into even more dialects.

For example, within the United States, there are eight dominant languages and dialects

within the Chinese segment: Cantonese, Formosan, Fuchow (Fuzhou), Hakka, Hsiang

(Xiang), Kan (Gan), Mandarin, and Wu (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013).

 Aside from the spoken languages in the United States, the Chinese segment also has two

written languages: simplified and traditional Chinese. The choice of spoken and written

language can be a good indicator for how the individual self‐identifies in terms of

cultural background (Tabouret‐Keller, 1997).

32
 
Audience Asian American

Finance and Education:

	 Asian Americans are the wealthiest of U.S. populations on a per‐household basis. They

have a median household income of $74,245, 38 percent higher than the national

median household income of $53,889 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S1903).

	 With 51.4 percent having earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, Asian Americans over‐

index the national rate of 29.8 percent (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S1501).

	 The number of businesses owned by Asian Americans grew by 24 percent between 2007

and 2012 and saw the highest percentage sales increase among businesses owned by

any population segment. Of the 87 U.S. startup companies valued at more than $1

billion, 19 were founded by Asian Americans (Nielsen, 2016b).

	 Spending patterns indicate that on average Asian Americans spend more than

Americans as a whole on housing, groceries, transportation and travel, clothing and

apparel, and child care (Nielsen, 2016b).  

	 Asian Americans’ total current buying power is $825 billion and is expected to increase

to $1.1 trillion by 2020 (Nielsen, 2016b).

Attitudes and Beliefs:  

	 Faith‐based organizations are an important bridge among the Asian American

community. Christians are the largest religious group among Asian American adults, and

the unaffiliated group is the second‐largest. Other religious groups include Buddhists,

Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs (Pew Research Center, 2012).

	 Respect for elders is a trait shared by many Asian American families, as is recognizing

the importance of family. Acknowledgement and respect for the family unit is

prominent, relying on extended family members as support systems. Asian Americans

turn to family and friends first as a trusted resource (Guillermo, 2014).

	 More than any racial or ethnic group, the vast majority of Asian Americans (73 percent),

compared with 49 percent of the general population, believes that caring for parents is

expected of them (Guillermo, 2014).  

	 A study also found that 42 percent of Asian Americans ages 45–55—nearly twice the

percentage of the total population—were helping to care for their elders (Guillermo,

2014).  

	 A significant number of Asians come to the United States to pursue higher education.

The pursuit of a college degree or other advanced degree leads to professional jobs—

then the individual typically becomes the anchor in the United States and family

members are brought over through family visas (U.S. Department of State, 2017).

	 Academic achievement and hard work are mindsets instilled in many Asian American

children at a young age (Breitenstein, 2013).

	 International students from Asia represent a large potential hard‐to‐count (HTC)

population because of their lack of knowledge about and awareness of the census. China

is the single biggest source of foreign college students in the United States, and most of

the increase in the number of foreign college students over the past 15 years can be

attributed to Chinese students (Desilver, 2015).

	 Asian American parents frequently see their children’s academic success as a ticket out

of the toil and sacrifice that they experienced in their own adult lives. Many of them

view hard work in schools as a small price to pay for a lifetime of security (Yang, 2015).

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Audience Asian American

The “Model Minority” Myth:

 Asian Americans are seen as a group “whose hard work, initiative, personal

responsibility, and success” make them a “model minority” in the United States. But

certain groups within the general population skew the data. This myth is problematic for

Asian Americans because it implies that the population does not require assistance,

experience discrimination, or face challenges similar to those experienced by other

minority groups (Wingfield, 2016).

 While incorrect headlines portray all Asian Americans as wealthy, the appropriate use of

disaggregated economic data will provide an accurate portrait of this population’s status

and correct the misconceptions about the “model minority” (Nam, 2015). This

stereotype plays an important role in the intense pressure to perform felt by many Asian

American students, contributing to negative outcomes such as depression and even

suicide within this group (Lee, 2009).

Media Habits and Consumption:

 While most Asian Americans consume media in both English and non‐English, there are

nuanced differences in media content usage among different Asian segments (Asian

American Federation, 2016).

 Fifty‐one percent of Asian Americans say they are receptive to advertising on tablets or

mobile phones if it means they can access content for free, and 35 percent prefer ads

that contain geographically relevant information (Nielsen, 2013).

 Familiarity also leads to clicks among Asian Americans, as 35 percent said they would be

willing to click on an ad for a brand they already know about (Nielsen, 2013).

 Asian American audiences may be well‐served by outreach through the latest

technology, as they are often early adopters. Asian Americans tend to be tech‐savvy,

and they over‐index in smartphone usage, online video consumption, and internet

connectivity (Nielsen, 2016b).

 Ninety‐three percent of Asian American households have high‐speed internet access.

Asian Americans agree, at a higher rate than the total population, that going online is

one of their favorite pastimes, is a main source of entertainment, and keeps them

connected to their friends (Nielsen, 2016b).

Possible Factors Based on the experience of our multicultural expert partners, portions of this audience may

Impacting be hard to count or hard to reach because of cultural and language barriers. They also may

Likelihood to lack familiarity with the census and may not understand or support its purpose. In addition,

Respond they may not understand the potential benefits of participating.

Specific HTC segments within the Asian American audience include young and mobile

individuals, renters, refugees, immigrants, adoptees, undocumented immigrants,

international students, English language learners, low‐income individuals, older people in

retirement homes/home care, and nonimmigrant workers and their families. Education

about the census and the benefit of being counted, as well as clear non‐English instruction on

how to respond, will be key to improving the response rate.

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Audience Asian American

Paid Media

Considerations

Given Asian Americans’ diverse cultural backgrounds, there are limited national media

vendors from which the Census Bureau can buy in large scale. The majority of appropriate

media is made up of smaller “mom‐and‐pop shops” that are locally operated in each market

by ethnic segment (Nielsen, 2016b).

 The majority of Asian Americans consume print media—whether in print, online, or

from a mobile device—on a weekly basis as their primary source of local news (Asian

American Advertising Federation, 2016).

 Asian American viewers are moving toward broadband‐only TV access at nearly twice

the rate of the general population. Subscription video on demand is now found in 68

percent of Asian American households, outpacing adoption among households in the

general population by 21 percent (Asian American Advertising Federation, 2016).

 Non‐English‐language programming will be a strong venue for reaching those who

prefer languages other than English. Most Asian American viewers consume non‐English

news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming on free local TV and radio

stations from local broadcasters, since these platforms provide an authentic cultural

connection (Asian American Advertising Federation, 2016).

 Many Asian Americans look to traditional radio for news and music and to the internet

and satellite radio primarily for music (Asian American Advertising Federation, 2016).

 In the experience of our cultural partners, reaching this tech‐savvy HTC population

through non‐English, in‐culture digital outlets (e.g., WeChat, LINE, Weibo) will be an

effective approach.

 The Asian American HTC population also includes other underrepresented groups that

may not be tech‐savvy. The Census Bureau will consider using non‐English media

outlets, traditional media, and grass‐roots efforts through community organizations and

events to raise awareness and participation.

Table 5: Insights on Hispanic Audiences

Audience Hispanic

Overview The U.S. Hispanic/Latino population is the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority in terms

of population (Census, 2016). This group has long been characterized by its rapid growth

and by its wide dispersion to parts of the country that historically have had few members

of this audience (Stepler & Lopez, 2016).

Each country of origin is considered a subgroup within the Hispanic market in the United

States. That does not take into account subgroups like Afro‐Latinos, indigenous groups,

and others. To add to the complexity of this population, there are multigenerational

considerations, with different generations having their own levels of acculturation and

language preferences. As immigration slows and the number of U.S. births increases,

bicultural and acculturated Hispanics are beginning to make up the majority of this

population (Stepler & Brown, 2016c).

This section considers Puerto Ricans living on the mainland U.S. as members of the

Hispanic audience. Puerto Ricans who live outside the island, mainly in the United States,

may see themselves as minorities while they are on the mainland, but as differing from

some other Hispanics, because Puerto Ricans are born American citizens. The current—

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Audience Hispanic

and quite large—migration from Puerto Rico to the mainland may result in a distinct

audience that has stronger ties to the island and whose members think of themselves as

temporary residents of the mainland. For more information about individuals living in

Puerto Rico, see Page 45.

Audience Profile by

Cluster

Detailed audience profiles will be developed from rich behavioral and demographic

segmentations as part of campaign research activities.

Insights General Makeup:

According to the 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5‐Year Estimates:

 Hispanics (of any race) make up 17.1 percent of the U.S. population (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: DP05).

 Among Hispanics, 14.3 percent have a bachelor’s degree, compared with 29.8 percent

of the general U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S1501).

 The median age of Hispanics in the United States is 28.2 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–

2015, Table: B01002I), compared with the general population’s median age of 37.6

(U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S0101).

 The median household earnings in the past 12 months for Hispanics were $42,651,

compared with $53,889 among the general population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–

2015, Table: S1903).

 Fifty‐four percent of Hispanics rent their homes (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015,

Table: B25003I), compared with 36.1 percent of the general population (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: B25003).

Detailed Makeup:

 The U.S. Hispanic population totals 54.2 million, accounting for 17.1 percent of the

U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: DP05). Hispanics comprise

more than 25 percent of the U.S. population ages 9 and under and more than 20

percent of the population ages 10 to 39 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table:

B01001I; U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S0101).

 Despite slowing population growth, Hispanics still accounted for more than half (54

percent) of the nation’s population growth between 2000 and 2014 (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S0101).

 A Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data found that the growth and

dispersion of the U.S. Hispanic population has slowed since 2007 (when the Great

Recession started), immigration from Latin America has decreased, and Latino fertility

rates have declined sharply (Stepler & Lopez, 2016).

 The projected Hispanic population of the United States is expected to reach 119

million in 2060. According to this projection, the Hispanic population will constitute

28.6 percent of the nation’s population by that year (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016).

 In 2015, the majority (63.4 percent) of Hispanic people in the United States were of

Mexican origin or descent, with 9.5 percent of Puerto Rican, 3.8 percent of

Salvadoran, 3.7 percent of Cuban, 3.3 percent of Dominican, and 2.4 percent of

Guatemalan descent. The remainder were of some other Central American, South

American, or another Hispanic or Latino origin (Census, 2016). While this was the case

for the country as a whole, these percentages varied in individual cities, towns, and

communities.

36
 
Audience Hispanic

	 According to Pew Research Center data, in 2014, 65.1 percent of the Hispanic

population were born in the United States, while 34.9 percent were foreign‐born

(Stepler & Brown, 2016a).

	 Forty‐five percent of all U.S. immigrants in 2015 reported having Hispanic or Latino

origins, and 27 percent were from Mexico. More than half the 2014 immigrant

populations of New Mexico (71 percent), Arizona (57 percent), and Texas (55 percent

each) were foreign‐born Mexicans (Zong & Batalova, 2016b).  

	 Hispanics are the youngest racial or ethnic group in the United States, with one‐third,

or 17.9 million, of the Hispanic population under 18 years old. Fifty‐eight percent of

U.S. Hispanics are millennials or younger, compared with half of the African American

population and 46 percent of the Asian American population (Patten, 2016).  

	 With young children having a highest net census undercount rate than any other age

group, Hispanic children account for more than 36 percent of the total net

undercount for all children younger than 5. Much of the undercount is concentrated

in California, Texas, Florida, Arizona, and New York. Some potential contributing

factors to the high net undercount of young Latino children are noted below (O’Hare,

Mayol‐Garcia, Wildsmith, & Torres, 2016):

	 The fact that hard‐to‐reach places, like areas with multiunit buildings and those

with a high proportion of renters, are more likely to house Hispanics than non‐

Hispanics.  

	 The fact that Hispanics are more likely than non‐Hispanics to be part of
 

multigenerational and highly mobile families.
 

	 The possibility that some Hispanic respondents may not realize that children are

meant to be included in the census.

Language:  

	 According to the Pew Research Center 2013 National Survey of Latinos, 36 percent of

U.S. Hispanics were bilingual, 25 percent mainly used English, and 38 percent mainly

used Spanish. Age and country of origin are two important factors in language

preference: Only 22 percent of adults ages 18 to 29 self‐identified as mainly using

Spanish, compared with 47 percent of those ages 65 and older. Sixty‐three percent of

Hispanics from El Salvador self‐identified as using mainly Spanish, compared with 51

percent of Cubans, 40 percent of Mexicans, and 16 percent of Puerto Ricans (Krogstad

& Gonzalez‐Barrera, 2015).

	 The survey also showed that Hispanic adults valued the ability to speak both English

and Spanish. Eighty‐seven percent said Latino immigrants need to learn English to

succeed; at the same time, nearly all (95 percent) said that it is important for future

generations of Hispanics to speak Spanish (Taylor et al., 2012).  

	 While there are many considerations regarding language preferences and levels of

acculturation among U.S. Hispanics, one trend to note is that English language

proficiency is rising among Hispanics ages 5 and older, with 68.4 percent of Hispanics

saying they speak only English or speak English “very well” at home, compared with

59 percent in 1980 (Stepler & Brown, 2016a; Stepler & Brown, 2016b).  

	 The growth in English language proficiency is driven primarily by Hispanics born in the

United States (71.9 percent in 1980; 89.4 percent in 2014). The rate has been much

more stagnant among foreign‐born Hispanics (34.4 percent in 2014; 30.7 percent in

1980) (Stepler & Brown, 2016c).

37
 
Audience Hispanic

Attitudes and Beliefs:

	 According to a Pew Research Center survey, Hispanics are a religiously observant

group, with 83 percent claiming a religious affiliation (slightly higher than the

percentage of the general public, 80 percent) (Taylor et al., 2012).

	 While Roman Catholicism remains the majority religion within Hispanic communities,

membership is on the decline and Evangelical Christian churches are gaining

popularity within Hispanic communities (Pew Research Center, 2014).

	 Identity among Hispanics continues to vary greatly within the community. Most

members of this group (51 percent) prefer to use their family’s country of origin to

describe their identity, while 24 percent use the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” most

often. Of the latter group, 51 percent have no preference between either term; those

that do have a preference prefer “Hispanic” over “Latino” (33 percent vs. 14 percent)

(Taylor et al., 2012).

Income and Education:  

	 According to Census Bureau data, the average Hispanic household income increased

from $40,946 in 2009 to $42,396 in 2014, and the percentage of Hispanics with a

household income greater than $50,000 increased from 30 percent in 2000 to 43

percent in 2014. Additionally, income levels for both households of Hispanics born in

the United States and households of foreign‐born Hispanics have increased; U.S.‐born

households with incomes exceeding $50,000 increased from 33 percent in 2000 to 48

percent in 2014, while foreign‐born households with incomes exceeding $50,000

increased from 26 percent in 2000 to 38 percent in 2014 (Nielsen, 2016).

	 Between 2009 and 2014, the percentage of Hispanics ages 25 and older with a high

school diploma or higher education rose from 61 percent to 66 percent. Female

Hispanic educational attainment also increased, from 62 percent to 67 percent.

Between 2000 and 2013, the high school dropout rate among 18‐ to 24‐year‐old

Hispanics decreased, from 32 percent to 14 percent (Nielsen, 2016).

	 Hispanic women have made the most dramatic gains in education, as their college

enrollment rate for high school graduates now outpaces the rates for both non‐

Hispanic Whites and African Americans. Seventy‐four percent of Hispanic women who

graduated from high school between 2012 and 2014 are enrolled in college, higher

than the percentage of non‐Hispanic Whites (73 percent) and African Americans (65

percent), according to the National Center for Education Statistics (Nielsen, 2016).

	 In 2015, Hispanics controlled at total of $1.3 trillion in buying power, expected to

reach $1.7 trillion by 2020 (Nielsen, 2016d).

	 More than 20 percent of U.S. Hispanics ages 25 and older have an educational

attainment level below ninth grade, which is greater than for any other demographic

group. That rate is also much higher among foreign‐born Hispanics (31.9 percent)

(Stepler & Brown, 2016a).

	 Only 14.4 percent of all Hispanics in the United States (and more specifically, 18.8

percent of Hispanics born in the United States, and 10.8 percent of foreign‐born

Hispanics) have a bachelor’s degree or higher. These percentages are lower than for

any other demographic group (Stepler & Brown, 2016a).

Media Habits and Consumption:

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Audience Hispanic

 Hispanics are more likely to use social media (80 percent) than the rest of the U.S.

population (72 percent overall) (Sass, 2014).

 Specifically, Hispanics are more likely to use Facebook (73 percent of online Hispanic

users, compared with 71 percent of White non‐Hispanic users and 67 percent of Black

non‐Hispanic users) (Duggan, Ellison, Lampe, Lenhart, & Madden, 2014).

 Hispanics are the most avid smartphone users in the United States, averaging 658

minutes of smartphone use on their mobile plans per month—significantly more than

the average of 510 minutes per month for all consumers. When broken down by

Hispanic subgroups, bilingual Hispanics use the highest number of minutes, spending

more than 762 minutes per month on their mobile devices (Nielsen, 2015).

 Hispanic consumers lead the way for social media use in general, as well as for the use

of smartphones and online video streaming (Schoon, 2015).

Possible Factors Based on the experience of our multicultural expert partners, recent, less acculturated

Impacting Likelihood Hispanic immigrants may have a lower propensity to respond to the census. The top

to Respond reasons why people in this audience may not participate include a lack of awareness about

the benefits of participation, language barriers, and a fear of government intervention—

particularly regarding immigration and other privacy issues.

According to a study from the Pew Hispanic Center, overall, 70 percent of Hispanics said

the census was good for the Hispanic community. The next‐generation, bicultural

segments may be more inclined to respond because of their understanding of the process

and benefits. This also holds true for the burgeoning middle and wealthy classes of U.S.

Hispanics, as many of them have higher education levels and/or own businesses (Lopez &

Taylor, 2010).

A particularly HTC segment of the U.S. Hispanic population resides in “colonias,”

unregulated settlements that are considered semirural subdivisions of substandard

housing and that lack basic physical infrastructure, potable water, sanitary sewers, and

adequate roads. It is estimated that 500,000 Hispanics live in nearly 2,000 of these

colonias, mostly in Texas but also in Arizona, California, and New Mexico (U.S. Department

of Housing and Urban Development, 2014).

Paid Media

Considerations

Due to the diversity within the various segments of the U.S. Hispanic population, paid

media will cover a variety of platforms using broadcast, digital, and print media.

 Broadcast and cable TV are more popular with Hispanics ages 35 and older than with

millennial Hispanics. These outlets have the greatest reach for overall online activity—

including online radio and cable TV online—when comparing Hispanics ages 35 and

older and non‐Hispanic Whites (Cablefax Staff, 2016).

 In terms of time spent using media, however, both Hispanics ages 35 and older and

millennial Hispanics spend the most time watching TV (Cablefax Staff, 2016).

 When it comes to all self‐reported online activity, usage by Hispanics ages 18 to 34 is

greater than that of older Hispanics and non‐Hispanic Whites, which includes going to

websites for broadcast TV, internet radio, and local radio stations, and listening to the

radio online (Cable Staff, 2016).

 For all media, 40 percent of Hispanic adults prefer reading only in English, 20.3

percent prefer reading only in Spanish, and 36.2 percent prefer some combination of

both languages (Simmons National Hispanic Consumer Study, 2013).

39
 
Audience Hispanic

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

As for TV, 31.4 percent of Hispanic adults prefer watching only in English, 13.5 percent

prefer watching only in Spanish, and 48.7 percent prefer a combination of both

(Simmons National Hispanic Consumer Study, 2013).  

For radio, 27.6 percent of Hispanic adults prefer listening only in English, 18.7 percent

prefer listening only in Spanish, and 46.4 percent prefer a combination of both

(Simmons National Hispanic Consumer Study, 2013).

Hispanics ages 18 and older listen to the radio 13 hours and 15 minutes per week on

average (Simmons National Hispanic Consumer Study, 2013).  

Digital media, particularly on mobile devices, is an effective outlet for reaching

Hispanic audiences:

	 Sixty‐six percent of U.S. Hispanics say they pay attention to online ads—almost

20 percentage points more than the general online population (Murillo, 2016).  

	 U.S. Hispanic consumers are going online, and they are increasingly turning to

search engines. More than three‐quarters of those surveyed (79 percent) said

they use search engines every day (Murillo, 2016).  

	 U.S. Hispanics use online sources at a higher rate than the general online

population (54 percent vs. 46 percent) throughout the many micromoments in

the purchase journey from inspiration to purchase (Murillo, 2016).

	 Compared to all U.S. adults, a higher percentage of Hispanic adults use

cellphones to make purchases.  
 

	 Hispanics watch 62 percent more digital video than do non‐Hispanics (Ruiz,

2013).

	 Multiplatform multitasking also fits the Hispanic profile, with a 21 point

difference between the percentage of the overall Hispanic population visiting

websites on mobile phones while watching TV compared with the percentage of

non‐Hispanics (Simmons & Nielsen, 2013).

	 When online, 44 percent of Hispanics say they prefer English only, 12.5 percent

prefer Spanish only, and 28.5 percent prefer a combination of both (Simmons

National Hispanic Consumer Study, 2016).

Print continues to be a valuable platform for reaching many Hispanics. While the

three main daily Hispanic newspapers have experienced declines in readership, the

audiences for weekly and semiweekly Hispanic newspapers—representing a large

portion of the Hispanic print media market—have grown by 2 percent. These small

papers are largely free and widely available in communities (Alliance for Audited

Media, 2016).  

The daily newspapers have good brand recognition among older, less acculturated

Hispanics, and the digital space presented better prospects for these dailies in 2015.

Two of the three saw the average numbers of monthly unique visitors for their total

digital readership increase from the fourth quarter of 2014 to the fourth quarter of

2015. These increases were driven largely by traffic from mobile devices, while

desktop traffic remained about the same (Alliance for Audited Media, 2016).

Fiesta Broadway in Los Angeles, Calle Ocho in Miami, Houston’s Latin Fest, and Dia de

los Muertos celebrations across the country are just a few of the large‐scale event

opportunities for disseminating information, but thousands of smaller events provide

opportunities to engage with Hispanics at the grass‐roots level.

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Table 6: Insights on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Audiences

Audience Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI)

Overview The 2020 Census will include NHPI people living in the 50 states, the District of Columbia,

and Puerto Rico; The 2020 Census of the Island Areas and corresponding communications

campaigns will be conducted through partnerships with local government agencies in

American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S.

Virgin Islands. For the purposes of this plan, the information below reflects NHPI people

living in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico—the audiences that will fall

under the purview of the 2020 Census communications campaign that this plan describes.

The NHPI population within the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico who

identify as one race (NHPI) and those who identify as NHPI in combination with one or more

races, totals more than 1.2 million (Census, 2011–2015, Table: DP05). The category

comprises several groups, including people of Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, Tahitian, Fijian,

and Chamorro descent. Micronesians from Saipan Chuuk, Pohnpei, Yap, Palau, Kosrae, and

the Marshall Islands would also respond in this category.

Languages vary throughout all the Pacific Island groups, but most who enter the United

States speak and understand English well. Micronesian Pacific islanders who have recently

arrived in the United States may struggle with English, but most of them have a basic

understanding of the language.

Audience Profile by

Cluster

Detailed audience profiles will be developed from rich behavioral and demographic

segmentations as part of campaign research activities.

Insights General Makeup:

According to the 2011–2015 American Community Survey 5‐Year Estimates:

 Those who identify as one race, NHPI, make up 0.2 percent of the U.S. population.

Those who identify as NHPI alone or in combination with one or more races make up

0.4 percent of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: DP05).

 A majority of the NHPI population reported being of multiple races (56 percent)

(Census, 2010b).

 Among NHPI individuals, 15.3 percent have a bachelor’s degree, compared with 29.8

percent of the general U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S1501).

 The median age of NHPI individuals in the United States is 30.3 (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: B01002E), compared with the general population’s median age of

37.6 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: S0101).

 The median household earnings in the past 12 months for NHPI individuals were

$52,936, compared with $53,889 among the general population (U.S. Census Bureau,

2011–2015, Table: S1903).

 Sixty percent of NHPI individuals rent their homes (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011–2015,

Table: B25003E), compared with 36.1 percent of the general population (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2011–2015, Table: B25003).

Additional insights:

The movement for Native Hawaiians to achieve federal recognition in 2017 is still a large

story in the community. They are the last of the indigenous populations to create a

government‐to‐government relationship with the United States.

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Audience Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI)

When fostering partnerships and relationships with influencers, the Census Bureau will

keep in mind that family members and religious figures will hold the most sway among

members of this population. However, NHPI entertainers, activists, community leaders, and

government officials will also be important in sharing messages encouraging participation.

Possible Factors

Impacting Likelihood

to Respond

Based on the experience of our multicultural expert partners, appealing to NHPI pride and

culture may be beneficial in fostering response. To encourage response, the Census Bureau

will need to overcome challenges including:

 Resentment or fear of the government.

 Lack of understanding of the impact of the census.

 Apathy about civic engagement.

In particular, certain segments of the population may be less likely to participate in the

census, including:

 Migrants who have recently arrived in the United States.

 Those living on the Hawaiian home lands.

 A large number of recent migrants from the Marshall Islands and the Federated States

of Micronesia who are homeless and may have limited English proficiency.

 Millennials.

Paid Media Special events and community partnerships will be important in reaching the NHPI

Considerations audience.

Traditional media—including radio and outdoor—will be an effective outlet for reaching

this population. While there is no single ethnic media outlet serving the entire NHPI

population, there are a few ethnic newspapers, radio stations, and programs that can reach

small but important audiences. They are also consumers of English‐language traditional and

digital media.

There are large annual media opportunities and programs that will reach the NHPI

population in Hawaii and the mainland United States through broadcast television and live

streaming.

Digital media may be an outlet for NHPI individuals within the United States, especially in

conjunction with large NHPI gatherings or events.

An important consideration for the Census Bureau is to minimize any possible spillover of

2020 Census messaging into the Island Areas audiences, as those individuals will receive

tailored messaging that is more relevant to Island Area operations. The collateral and

marketing materials created by the Census Bureau for the NHPI audience as part of the

2020 Census campaign within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico will

be created in a way that allows the Island Area governments to incorporate them into their

own census campaigns. The Census Bureau will provide the materials and guidance to the

local government agencies that are then responsible for recruiting and hiring the staff to

lead the data collection phase. For more information about integration with Island Area

operations, see Page 73.

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Table 7: Insights on Puerto Rican Audiences

Audience Puerto Rican

Overview The majority of residents in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are ethnic Puerto Ricans

(Lopez & Velasco, 2011). Population segmentation will likely be based on socioeconomic

aspects, which can make significant differences in terms of lifestyle, consumer habits, usage

of English, and familiarity with technology, among other factors.

An increasingly large group has relatives living on the mainland, especially in Florida and the

New York metropolitan area, and is therefore knowledgeable of the differences between

Puerto Rico and the mainland in lifestyle, benefits, and government (Lopez & Velasco, 2011;

Acevedo, 2016). As we conduct further research to determine how to best reach Puerto

Rican audiences living in Puerto Rico and on the mainland, we will need to be aware of the

nuances of these distinct audiences and their attitudes about the areas in which they will be

counted.

Audience Profile by

Cluster

Detailed audience profiles will be developed from rich behavioral and demographic

segmentations as part of campaign research activities.

Insights General Makeup:

According to the 2010 Census, the population in Puerto Rico is 3,725,789 (U.S. Census

Bureau, 2010c).

Detailed Makeup:

 Puerto Rico is likely to experience a substantial downsizing in its demographic and

economic base, with higher percentages of older people and a challenging labor

market (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).

 Coupled with a decade‐long deep economic contraction, these changes will have

multifaceted repercussions on the economy (Lopez & Velasco, 2011).

 Among the total population, 80.5 percent are White (mostly Spanish origin), 8 percent

are Black, 0.4 are percent Amerindian, 0.2 are percent of Asian descent, and 10.9

percent are mixed and others (Welcome to Puerto Rico, 2014).

 Spanish is the language of choice (Welcome to Puerto Rico, 2017).

 The unemployment rate is around 12 percent, according to recent Census Bureau data

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017).

 The people of Puerto Rico represent a cultural and racial mix. That includes those who

migrated from Africa, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Spain, which has been

ongoing since the early 1960s (Immigration to the United States, 2011). A large sample

of Puerto Ricans tend to self‐identify as White (Acevedo, 2016).

 The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has seen its population decline at an increasing rate

for several years (Puerto Rico Report, 2015):

 2010: 3,721,527.

 2011: 3,686,771 (‐34,756 from 2010).

 2012: 3,642,281 (‐44,490 from 2011).

 2013: 3,595,839 (‐46,442 from 2012).

 2014: 3,548,397 (‐47,442 from 2013).

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Audience Puerto Rican

Finance and Education:

 The median household income was $19,518 during the post‐recession period of 2010

to 2012, statistically unchanged from 2007 to 2009. This is the lowest household

income in the United States and its territories (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014b).

 The official poverty rate is 46.2 percent (Chappatta, 2016).

Attitudes and Beliefs:

 Federal government benefits are different for Puerto Ricans living on the island

compared with benefits they receive when they move to the mainland. For example,

Social Security and Medicare benefits are substantially lower for those living in Puerto

Rico; once a person moves to the mainland, the benefits increase. Though this has

always been the case, the current economic crisis makes it more relevant. As long as

Puerto Ricans are treated differently from other American citizens living on the

mainland, the outmigration can be expected to continue (Puerto Rico Report, 2015).

 The major categories of religion are Catholic (85 percent), Protestant (8 percent),

nonreligious (2.3 percent), and others (3 percent) (Welcome to Puerto Rico, 2014).

Media Habits and Consumption:

 Music is important to this group. Both salsa and reggaetón have their origins in Puerto

Rican culture. This is a source of much pride (Welcome to Puerto Rico, 2005).

 The Puerto Rican population is aging more quickly than the general U.S. population;

18.5 percent of Puerto Ricans are over age 60 and 3.5 percent are over age 80 (PR51st,

2014). Based on the experiential knowledge of our expert multicultural partners, the

digital literacy of this older population is likely to affect the media required to reach

the overall Puerto Rican population.

Possible Factors  Those who live in poverty are less likely to respond to the census because of

Impacting (Chappatta, 2016):

Likelihood to

Respond  Complete distrust of both local and federal government.

 Lack of hope that anything will get better.

 The fact that they move residences and are, for a variety of reasons, harder to

find. These reasons could be related to moving to properties that have been

subdivided and are not as easily identifiable as separate units, younger

generations moving among family members’ houses, or individuals intentionally

becoming difficult to find (to avoid collectors, for example).

 Undocumented Dominican populations will be difficult to convince to respond

(Dominican Consulate in San Juan PR, 2016).

Paid Media Traditional and digital media will be important in reaching all population segments.

Considerations  For traditional media, TV is still the most cost‐effective medium, especially for the

growing older population (Rivera Cruz, 2016).

 While cable TV penetration is at about 50 percent, local TV stations are dominant and

their programming is in Spanish (Rivera Cruz, 2016).

 Newspaper circulation numbers have dropped, but there are still two paid circulation

papers and three that are distributed for free at traffic stops. Because not everyone on

the island has internet access, many prefer print materials (newspapers and/or

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Audience Puerto Rican

handouts) to get “the full story” with background and contextual information (Rivera

Cruz, 2016).

 Social media is increasingly relevant to younger population segments (98 percent of 18‐

to 24‐year‐olds identify as internet users), while usage rates decrease with older

segments (15.7 percent of those ages 65 and older identify as internet users) (Rivera

Cruz, 2016).

 Among the 2.68 million people who have a cellular device, 90 percent use the internet

and have smartphones. In addition, 94.7 percent prefer to access the internet by

smartphone, and 34 percent prefer access by computer (Connected Puerto Rico, 2011).

 Internet usage and attitudes among Puerto Ricans include the following:

 Ninety‐three percent of internet users have a social media presence or profile

(Facebook and YouTube are the top two) (Rivera, 2016).

 Fifty‐four percent of local page visits are to classified ad sites (Rivera Cruz, 2016).

 The top three sites with the most global page visits are Google, Facebook, and

YouTube (Alexa, 2009).

 Video is the top type of content consumed, and 38 percent of internet users shop

online (Rivera, 2016).

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Table 8: Insights on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Audiences

Audience LGBTQ

Overview The LGBTQ community is a diverse horizontal audience that includes people who identify as

not only lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender but also queer/questioning, intersex,

asexual, and two‐spirited, covering a broad spectrum of sexuality and gender identification.

Members of this community are members of all ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic

groups.

NOTE: Insights about LGBTQ subsets within multicultural audiences will be included in

future versions of this document.

Audience Profile by

Cluster

Detailed audience profiles will be developed from rich behavioral and demographic

segmentations as part of campaign research activities.

Insights Makeup:

 According to a recent Gallup poll, the LGBTQ community makes up an estimated 4.1

percent of the U.S. population, with about 10 million adults and 7.3 percent of the

millennial generation identifying as LGBTQ. Previous estimates have suggested that

the LGBTQ community makes up 3.4 to 3.8 percent of the population (Gates, 2017).

 Within specific HTC audiences, the rate of identification varies among Blacks (4.6

percent), Hispanics (5.4 percent), Asian Americans (4.9 percent), and other racial and

ethnic groups (6.3 percent) (Gates, 2017).

Finance and Education:

 Groups of all education levels and economic statuses have seen increases in the

number of those identifying as LGBTQ in the past four years (Gates, 2017).

 LGBTQ consumers spend 20 percent more on annual music festivals, and are 17

percent more likely to see movies on an opening weekend, compared with those

outside the LGBT community. These consumers are also more likely to shop at

specialty retail stores. (Marketing Charts Staff, 2015a)

Attitudes and Beliefs:

 While social acceptance for the LGBTQ community has been growing in recent years,

many members still face deep stigmatization and have not told their families how they

really identify (Pew Research Center, 2013).

 Four in 10 LGBTQ youths do not believe that they live in a supportive community

(Human Rights Campaign, 2016).

 Apple, Starbucks, and Target top the list of brands that LGBTQ community members

recall consciously purchasing from because of their LGBTQ community support

(Marketing Charts Staff, 2015b).

Media Habits and Consumption:

 LGBTQ websites and blogs are popular with the millennial members of the community

(Marketing Charts Staff, 2015).

 Engagement with LGBTQ‐specific websites and blogs is on the rise, while engagement

with print outlets has been steady in recent years (Marketing Chart Staff, 2015).

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Audience LGBTQ

Possible Factors

Impacting Likelihood

to Respond

 In preparing for the 2010 Census, a substantial effort was made to target the LGBTQ

community and gain its participation in the decennial census, yielding the following

results (Gates, 2010):

 Awareness within the LGBTQ community of the importance and relevance of the

census improved.

 More than one‐quarter of individuals in same‐sex couples (26.5 percent) saw

some type of Census outreach targeting the LGBTQ community, and 9.1 percent

received some type of Census LGBTQ outreach material.

 More than 90 percent of same‐sex couples completed and mailed their surveys

back; this is higher than the general population’s mail‐back rate of 70 percent of

households.

 Since 2010, a campaign led by the National LGBTQ Task Force called “Queer the

Census” has been raising interest in the census (National LGBTQ Task Force, n.d.). The

campaign acknowledged that gay couples but not individuals were counted. As

recently as June 2016, transgender actress and activist Laverne Cox was advocating to

formally include the LGBTQ community in the census enumeration (Steinmetz, 2016).

This task force has developed sophisticated outreach and communications channels to

advocate for important social issues and can be a powerful group to engage with for

the 2020 Census.

Paid Media

Considerations

 LGBTQ communications should not be limited to LGBTQ media outlets and channels.

While TV channels like Logo cater specifically to the LGBTQ community, others like

Comedy Central, HBO, BBC America, AMC, and MSBNC index highly with people

interested in LGBTQ issues (YouGovProfiles, 2016).

 The same goes for print media, with LGBTQ‐specific magazines like The Advocate

indexing highly along with general interest publications like Time magazine, Rolling

Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Psychology Today (YouGovProfiles, 2016).

As described previously, this section provides only a preliminary overview of the various key

audiences that the Census Bureau will engage during the 2020 Census. Additional audiences

will be added in future iterations.

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OUR APPROACH TO COLLABORATING ON

THE 2020 CAMPAIGN  

TIMELINE

As described on Page 7, the Census Bureau will refine and update this plan in the years ahead.

The timeline of the proposed evolution of this document, including a sample of key inputs to

and stakeholder involvement with the plan, is detailed below.

Figure 2: 2020 Census Integrated Communications Plan Evolution Timeline

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PHASED COMMUNICATIONS APPROACH

The strategic inputs to the communications plan inform the timing and structure of

communications activities in the buildup to and execution of the 2020 Census, as well as follow‐

up communications once the enumeration has been completed. The Census Bureau’s vision of

ensuring an efficient and complete count, using existing and new modes of data collection,

relies on several key dimensions:

	 Being able to access, analyze, interpret, and act on robust data throughout the
 

campaign.
 

	 Understanding and being able to capitalize on the rapidly changing media environment,

including available media and outreach channels.

	 Recognizing the changing face of America and the similarities and differences in how

and when distinct audiences want to receive information.

All these considerations play an important role in making sure the right message is delivered to

the right audience, at the right time, through the right channel.

Based on historical activity and initial considerations for the 2020 Census, it is anticipated that

campaign communications will be segmented into six phases: strategic early education,

awareness, motivation, reminder, thank‐you, and data dissemination.

Figure 3: Phased Communications Approach

The initial proposed six phases are described below; however, extensive campaign research will

be used to determine the final delineation and timing of the phases.

	 Strategic Early Education Phase (January 2019 – December 2019): A key lesson learned

from the 2010 Census suggests that developing a base of understanding about the

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Census Bureau and the upcoming 2020 Census will be beneficial for all audiences (U.S.

Census Bureau, 2010a). Building public trust of the Census Bureau by educating key

audiences about the Census Bureau, the decennial census, and why it is important that

everyone participate will be especially important among hard‐to‐count (HTC)

audiences—and the partners, stakeholders, and trusted voices who have the ability

reach them—will need to start prior to broader public engagement. These audiences (to

be identified through campaign research) may include people who face barriers to

responding to the census online, like those who lack frequent or strong internet access,

who have limited digital literacy, or who are otherwise not comfortable using the

internet to respond. They also may include those who have strong concerns about

privacy, who are distrustful of the government, or who are recent immigrants with little

knowledge of the purpose of the census. These groups will need to be notified of all

questionnaire response options to avoid spreading the false idea that participation is

possible only online.

Ongoing and planned activities through the Census Bureau’s National Partnership

Program, Community Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP), Statistics in Schools

(SIS) program, and Field Division work, as well as public relations outreach for decennial

and other data collection efforts, will be critical during this phase to reach and engage

audiences and markets that will require early education.

Recruitment activities will also be important considerations for this phase. While the

specific objectives of the recruitment effort will differ from those of the broader 2020

Census campaign, the effort may offer an opportunity to bolster early education efforts

for the upcoming 2020 Census by establishing early communication channels and

relationships with HTC audiences—and the partners that represent those HTC

audiences. For more information about field recruitment outreach and advertising, see

Page 172.

The Census Bureau recognizes that not all audiences will need very early education, and

that we must avoid asking too much of audiences through direct calls to action (e.g.,

downloading campaign materials multiple times) during such outreach. As campaign

research progresses, we will be able to better define the appropriate timing of these

activities, focusing efforts first on those audiences that will benefit the most from

additional education about the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census.

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	 Awareness Phase (January 2020 – February 2020): During this phase, the Census

Bureau will begin notifying broader audiences about the upcoming 2020 Census,

building on messaging from the previous communications phase to educate them about

the purpose of the census and its importance to the country and their communities.

Communications will also explain how they can participate and why they should

encourage others to participate. We will inform audiences of the available means for

completing the census, where they can access additional information and resources, the

additional communications they can expect from the Census Bureau and other

stakeholders and partners, and perhaps the opportunity to sign up to receive more

information when it becomes available.

Because enumeration starts earlier in some regions (e.g., remote Alaska, in some group

quarters settings, in areas around college and university campuses) than in the rest of

the country, awareness‐building and outreach to the population in these areas will

begin in advance of other efforts, including through some community partnership

engagement efforts that are already underway.

	 Motivation Phase (March 2020 – April 2020): The motivation phase is when the Census

Bureau will turn its attention to driving self‐response by informing the public that the

2020 Census has begun and that people should participate using one of the available

response modes. During this phase, we will deliver general and audience‐specific

messages that motivate individuals not only to complete their own census

questionnaires, but also to encourage others to do the same. These messages will

primarily emphasize online completion of the census.

Once the census enumeration has started, individuals will be able to immediately

respond online, including through non‐ID response. Given this important feature, this

phase may devote a greater share of funding for reaching audiences who are

comfortable on the internet but may not immediately complete their questionnaires.

These “fence‐sitters” might benefit from extra encouragement that reminds them how

easy the census is to complete right from their computers or smartphones. Reaching

this group at a time when they can act and complete the census, rather than during

previous phases before the census questionnaire is available, offers an opportunity to

bring in a larger pool of self‐respondents, particularly through digital channels. Outreach

to this digitally savvy audience may involve digital advertising, partners, or local

events—all with a push to fill out the census online.

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It is important to note that some early enumeration efforts, including early nonresponse

followup (NRFU) operations, will take place beginning in March and April; during these

operations, individuals may receive mailings or visits from enumerators. Messaging to

these audiences should reflect these operations to reduce potential confusion about

how they are supposed to respond to the census.

	 Reminder Phase (May 2020 – July 2020): At this point in the campaign, the census

questionnaire will have been available for a few months, but some individuals may not

have completed it. During the reminder phase, individuals will be reminded that the

census is taking place, and they will be encouraged to participate if they have not done

so already. It will be important to underscore the message that if individuals in a

household do not self‐respond to the census, they may receive visits from Census

Bureau employees. These messages will offer people another chance to complete their

census questionnaires in a manner convenient to them, and also encourage cooperation

with enumerators and reduce any potential surprise that a visit from the Census Bureau

could cause.

	 Thank‐You Phase (August 2020 – December 2020): The census could not happen

without the support of partners and respondents nationwide. During the thank‐you

phase, the Census Bureau will share our gratitude with respondents, partners, and

stakeholders through focused communications designed to maintain engagement with

key audiences that will be targets for the subsequent data dissemination phase. It is

important to note that while focused messages thanking respondents for completing

the census may be delivered during the motivation and reminder phases, in this phase

the campaign will focus more heavily on thank‐you messaging.

	 Data Dissemination Phase (January 2020 – ongoing): The Census Bureau will complete

its review of the count in November 2020 and will deliver the final numbers to the U.S.

president in December 2020. Beginning in January or February 2021 and continuing

through March, total population numbers will become publicly available, followed by

state population counts to be delivered by March 31, 2021. During this phase, the

Census Bureau will promote results of the census using materials and data that are of

particular interest to different partners and audience groups and that encourage

audiences to continue to interact with the Census Bureau and use the data. (For more

information on data dissemination efforts, see Page 189.)

In addition to 2020 Census communications, the Census Bureau conducts ongoing awareness

and education through other activities, including non‐decennial census collections and

dissemination. As we ramp up activities for the 2020 Census, it will be important to consider

how these ongoing non‐decennial census communications activities integrate with the 2020

Census campaign for a seamless public‐facing Census presence. The Census Bureau will account

for these ongoing operations, messaging, and communications when developing

communications focused on the decennial census.

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RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS

KEY CONSIDERATIONS IN RESEARCH PLANNING

The 2020 Census communications campaign approach will be built on previous research and

analyses of Census Bureau’s communication efforts. Research activities planned in the coming

years will also guide the approach used for the 2020 Census.

In planning for the 2020 Census campaign and preparing for upcoming research initiatives, the

Census Bureau will apply the following guiding principles:

Research will be coordinated and designed to provide actionable results. The Census Bureau’s

approach to campaign research and creative testing is designed to produce tangible findings

that can be acted on leading up to and during the communications campaign. Because different

research methods (including online and offline) best answer different research questions, our

approach will include several complementary initiatives—each to support focused objectives—

that collectively contribute to an understanding of an increasingly diverse population while

ensuring budget and time efficiency.

The Census Bureau’s approach to the 2020 Census campaign is designed to prevent a situation

in which the campaign does not resonate with a particular audience group. Our strategy,

creative development, and campaign execution involve multicultural agencies and specialized

communications partners working with Census Bureau communications experts from the early

days of campaign formation. This means cross‐team input is integrated into the overarching

plan, and allows multicultural communications experts to further develop meaningful creative

executions for diverse audiences—including emerging and newly recognized audiences that will

be important to engage with as 2020 approaches.

Leading up to the 2020 count, all communication elements (including advertising, earned

media, collateral, and other items designed for public dissemination) will be pretested and

refined. Throughout the planning and execution process leading up to the 2020 Census, we will

make use of more robust quantitative and qualitative creative and materials testing that

investigates how materials resonate with audiences of varying attitudes, languages, and races

and ethnicities.

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Communications and messaging research will be tailored to specific audiences, especially HTC

groups, such as renters; rural audiences; isolated populations, and young, single, mobile

people. Research and audience segmentation for the 2020 Census campaign will delve

specifically into understanding groups that had lower response rates in previous data

collections and determining new means for mitigating some of the barriers that prevent these

important groups from responding. Using findings from the 2010 Census and the American

Community Survey (ACS)—for example, that there is a relationship between knowledge of the

census and participation in the census for all audiences except the Hispanic population—the

Census Bureau will identify audiences and themes to focus on in 2020 Census research studies

to most effectively drive self‐response (NORC, 2012).

BUILDING ON EARLIER RESEARCH EFFORTS

A key input in planning for the 2020 Census campaign encompasses the activities and findings

from research efforts for previous decennial censuses. While the Census Bureau plans to build

on these past efforts—including the HTC score and low response score (LRS) efforts described

below—for the upcoming decennial census, there will also be a key change for the 2020

Census: use of data at the household level to inform communications planning. This will provide

the Census Bureau with the ability to aggregate response data at the neighborhood, ZIP code,

Designated Market Area (DMA), state, and other geographic levels, providing unprecedented

targeting abilities. For the purposes of this communications plan and research efforts, a

household is considered an address in the Master Address File (MAF); individuals living at these

addresses are those that the Census Bureau intends to count as part of the decennial census.

2000 AND 2010 SEGMENTATION AND FACTORS DRIVING RESPONSE

Segmentation, which means categorizing audiences based on demographics, sentiments,

geography, and more (rather than treating the U.S. population as a monolithic block), is not a

new concept for the Census Bureau. We have used this tactic to deploy communications

campaigns over the last two decennial enumeration cycles. However, prior efforts involved

segmenting audiences at the tract level; within a tract, audience members were communicated

to in the same way—despite any significant differences among them.

Previous Census Bureau research efforts point to household‐level characteristics—which may

vary greatly within a single tract—as key to identifying, understanding, and targeting audience

groups, particularly those that have been hard to count in the past. Self‐response propensity is

driven by such household‐level characteristics, and the characteristics and their impacts on

response have remained remarkably stable over time (Bates & Mulry, 2007). For example,

analysis of the 1990 Census reveal that renting a home, being nonmarried, and living in a

mobile home were additive factors in a culminating pattern of nonresponse (Word, 1997).

These factors are still relevant today.

The Census Bureau has identified a set of demographic and housing‐related characteristics that

have consistently predicted low census response rates and has used this information to develop

segmentation for tract‐level communications planning. For example, in 2010, tracts were

characterized into the following audience segmentations (Bates and Mulry, 2011):

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 All‐around average I (homeowner skewed).

 All‐around average II (renter skewed).

 Economically disadvantaged I (homeowner skewed).

 Economically disadvantaged II (renter skewed).

 Ethnic enclave I (homeowner skewed).

 Ethnic enclave II (renter skewed).

 Young/mobile/single.

 Advantaged homeowner.

In 2020, this approach will be expanded to inform more targeted communications where

possible, taking into account demographic, language‐related, cultural, and other types of

information that will help us serve the most appropriate content to audiences through the most

appropriate channels.

The Census Bureau is using three key aspects of 2000 and 2010 research as the foundation for

the 2020 segmentation approach:

1. 2000 HTC score.

2. 2010 LRS.

3. 2010 mail return rates.

2000 HTC Score: This input helps us understand what makes someone hard to count (Bruce &

Robinson, 2000). The majority of the predictors of the HTC score, established in 2000 through

tract‐level research, have remained consistent predictors since then—and will continue to

inform our approach to predicting response behavior among audiences.  

2010 LRS: In the 2010 response rate assessment report, the Census Bureau used respondent‐

provided data to analyze patterns of nonresponse after the enumeration. In planning for the

2020 Census, we will build on these findings to identify areas in which we expect low response.

The Census Bureau’s assessments of previous counts and related research efforts have

identified a number of factors that can correlate with an area having a high LRS (i.e., a lower

likelihood to self‐respond than an area with a lower LRS). Some of the top factors include

(Erdman & Bates, 2016):  

 Percentage of renter‐occupied units.

 Percentage of female‐headed households.

 Percentage of households with a child under age 6.

 Percentage of married family households.

 Percentage of vacant units.

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 Median household income.

 Number of people per household.

 Percentage of the population that is Hispanic.

2010 Mail Return Rates: Other findings from the 2010 Mail Response/Return Rate Assessment

report reinforce the importance of household‐level characteristics. The mail response rate is

defined as the number of unduplicated nonblank mail returns divided by the number of housing

units in the mailback universe. The mail return rate is defined as the number of unduplicated

nonblank mail returns divided by the number of housing units in the mailback universe that

were not deleted, identified as vacant, or had an address identified as undeliverable as

addressed. The following tables include comparisons with the average response rates for the 50

states and District of Columbia. In these tables, we present the findings as of April 19, 2010,

when the households for enumerators to visit as part of NRFU were identified. Mail return rates

by race and ethnicity is important to consider as there can be unique communication

considerations when tailoring messages to these groups.

Table 9: Mail Return Rates for the 2010 Census by Home Status and Householder Age

Home Status Householder Age

Characteristic Owner Renter 15–17 18–24 25–44 45–64 65+

Mail Return Rate* 82.6% 62.6% 27.4% 50.7% 66.2% 79.6% 88.3%

Percentage Points +/‐ Nat.

Average (75.8%)

+6.8  ‐13.2  ‐48.4  ‐25.1  ‐9.6 +3.8 +12.5

*Mail return rates as of April 19, 2010. Source: 2010 Census Mail Response/Return Rates Assessment.

Table 10: Mail Return Rates for the 2010 Census by Race and Ethnicity

Householder Race Ethnicity

Characteristic White Black AIAN Asian NHPI Other Two or Hispanic Non‐

More Hispanic

Races

Mail Return

Rate*

79.3% 65.4% 65.0% 71.0% 55.0% 52.0% 66.6% 65.2% 77.1%

Percentage +3.5  ‐10.4  ‐10.8  ‐4.8  ‐20.8  ‐23.8  ‐9.2  ‐10.6 +1.3

Points +/‐ Nat.

Average (75.8%)

*Mail return rates as of April 19, 2010. Source: 2010 Census Mail Response/Return Rates Assessment.

The Census Bureau has an opportunity to apply this insight to achieve more precise

segmentation and outreach for the 2020 enumeration, as described in the next section.

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SELF‐RESPONSE PROPENSITY APPROACH

Building on tract‐level data from previous research efforts, described above, as well as from the

ACS, the Census Bureau will construct household‐level models using both internal Census

Bureau and external data sources. These models will be focused on determining the self‐

response propensity for each household to help plan communications activities. Specifically, we

will be able to predict a household’s likelihood to self‐respond to the census (before being

reached through NRFU), the household’s likely mode of response, and the expected timing of

the response.

Given the finite budget of the communications program, these models will enable us to

prioritize outreach efforts and most effectively reach the U.S. population. The precise segments

coming from these models will then be analyzed and examined based on geographic location

and the outreach channels most likely to drive response.

Rather than replacing the approach used for previous decennial censuses, the self‐response

propensity approach for 2020 will build on it by introducing new possibilities. With household‐

level models, the team will have the ability to deploy communications to a specific block, ZIP

code, cable zone, municipality, county, or media market—not just to a Census tract—

depending on the level of granularity with which we can deliver communications through the

most effective media or partnership channel.

While this self‐response propensity approach increases flexibility in adjusting communications

activities based on real‐time response data and insights, the Census Bureau also recognizes that

a critical part of this approach includes the expertise and insights of our partners. Their

experiential and community‐based knowledge will greatly augment and help validate this data‐

driven approach to reaching audiences.

This method of conducting the communications campaign will extend our historical targeting

practices, marking a strategic step forward in the smart use of data to drive action. Building and

acting based on household‐level models that predict audience behavior has become

increasingly common in recent years, and this practice will allow the Census Bureau to identify

and efficiently engage with the entire U.S. population, tailoring messages to geographic areas

and/or segments comprising households with similar characteristics. It will be used to identify

the most effective allocation of resources to drive census response, measure impact, and allow

for adjustments that reserve appropriate funding for other activities (including required and

more expensive NRFU and other operational activities). In sum, the household‐level self‐

response propensity approach provides the following benefits:

	 Precise Targeting: More precise delivery in media buying, social media promotion, and

other outreach efforts will allow the Census Bureau to continually concentrate

resources on the right geographic areas and levels of targeting.

	 Audience‐Specific Messaging: The Census Bureau can apply a proven iterative process

to produce and place content and other communications elements that connect with

key audiences in all multicultural groups, while maintaining a strong, coherent brand

across all communications channels. This allows for tailoring messaging to the different

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needs and interests of diverse audiences—using modeling activities to identify those

priority audiences based on their predicted response propensity—while speaking to all

people about one, unified census in the way that is most likely to appeal to them.

	 Efficiency: By understanding propensity to respond at a household level, we will be able

to design an advertising strategy that reaches geographic areas that need to be

targeted. Similarly, we will know which areas we do not need to target, preventing

unnecessary outreach and expense. In addition, this approach helps us to appropriately

scale or reduce the delivery of advertisements based on actual response data. Without

an understanding of household‐level self‐response propensity, the Census Bureau would

be left with more general media buying approaches based on demographic

characteristics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, and geographic location), and not on survey

response behavior and other factors. Using such a general approach would make it

more likely that communications would target some geographic areas where they were

not needed to motivate their populations, decreasing the efficiency of the

communications effort.

	 Responsiveness: Our approach includes the ability to continually optimize campaign

activities. By continually updating our modeling projections based on current conditions,

we can react to changes in participation in the census and rates of engagement with

Census Bureau communications so that we can more easily and effectively deliver the

messages most likely to interest audiences.

	 Actionable Insight: This approach ensures that the data, analyses, and modeling

produced through ongoing assessment can be translated into decision‐making for the

2020 Census and activities across the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau and our

partners—including experts at parsing data and motivating diverse audiences—will use

these insights to refine and improve our efforts during the data collection cycle.

	 Informed Tactics: Because household‐level data can be aggregated at various

geographic levels (e.g., block or DMA), we will be able to identify larger areas of

predicted low self‐response. This will inform how we approach partner identification,

enumerator recruitment, Statistics in Schools outreach, stakeholder engagement, paid

and earned media communications, and other tactics, making it possible for partners

and influencers to engage in ways that drive participation. Using modeling activities and

insights from expert partners, we can prioritize the activities that are most likely to

result in self‐response. For example, some audiences may be more easily persuaded to

participate if their children hear about the census at school, while others may respond

more enthusiastically to a paid media campaign.

	 Transparency: The Census Bureau will generate frequent and thorough reports on

media spend focused on target audiences, reached through each medium, with the

supporting data to inform recommendations and decisions. Such transparency will allow

stakeholders to observe the Census Bureau’s commitment to responsibly spending

taxpayer dollars and reaching diverse groups, including HTC audiences.

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	 Assessment: Accurate, frequently updated estimates of response rates—according to

socioeconomic information, language preference, geographic area, and other

categories—will offer detailed insight into the progress and results of the campaign.

The following table illustrates the way this approach could be used for a hypothetical segment.

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Table 11: Self‐Response Propensity Approach Steps  

Step 1. Predictive models will estimate a household’s self‐response

propensity, the likely response mode, and the timing of response.

Using Census Bureau and third‐party data, we will be able to predict

each household’s probability to respond, enabling us to predict

where low‐response households are located, aggregate this

information to larger geographic areas, and tailor outreach

accordingly.

Step 2. Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Survey (CBAMS)

2020 activities will help us understand the barriers, attitudes,

motivators, and knowledge gaps that the communications campaign

will need to address. The survey will be structured so that the

findings can be integrated with communications tailored to small

geographic areas.  

Step 3. We will group the households into segments based on their

propensity to self‐respond, their demographic characteristics, and

our understanding of their attitudes based on responses to the

CBAMS 2020 survey.  

Step 4. We will plan ways to reach each audience based on the

segmentation data. For example, to reach a segment that is

geographically concentrated, we can use local tactics like spot

television, radio, events, out‐of‐home advertising, Spanish‐language

media, or earned media to reach them.  

Step 5. We will design ads to specifically reach each audience. We

will develop an overarching campaign platform and then tailor initial

designs for creative based on what we know about our audiences.

Then, with our robust creative pretesting, we will improve ads based

on real feedback from a sample of people in that audience group.  

Step 6. We will deliver the advertising, carefully monitoring the

early results compared with predicted behaviors to identify

geographic areas, audience segments, or demographic groups where

response patterns are a concern.   

Step 7. As households complete the census questionnaire, we will

revise our models and gain efficiency by shifting resources to areas

predicted to have the highest amount of remaining households that

have not yet responded and limiting resources expended on

geographic areas with high response rates. We will use data to

identify the best messages and modes to reach the segments.

Step 8. The rapid response team will address real‐time issues. We

will review a daily response report among key demographic and

geographic groups. We will coordinate with Field and Partnership

teams to prioritize audiences and align messages.

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The communications strategy and rapid response approach relies on paid advertising targeted

toward small geographic areas of similar households, which will enable us to prioritize areas

that most need outreach about the census, both during the initial campaign and through rapid

response activities. The Census Bureau, with input from across the organization and

multicultural and communications partner firms, is carefully planning the proposed research

and analytics projects that will support this approach. In particular, we are obtaining the

permissions and data sets necessary to develop useful models. This will ensure not only that

the initial foundational models can be developed, but also that they can be refreshed and

enhanced over time, taking into consideration new research as it becomes available and

responding to any other changes.

FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH TO GUIDE CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT   Conducting research before creative development is critical to not only ensuring that the work

builds on lessons learned from previous censuses, but also is updated with current insights,

allowing us to start from an informed point of view. This research‐driven approach ensures that

the creative campaign and messaging are tailored to our audiences’ needs and preferences.

Research for 2020 Census creative development will be centered on CBAMS, which for the 2020

Census may include both a quantitative component (the survey itself) and a qualitative

component (additional study activities to glean further needed insights). The quantitative

component is designed to provide maximum coverage in English and Spanish but is not

expected to yield as many insights from audience who speak other languages, which is why the

qualitative component is needed to i supplement the quantitative component. While the

CBAMS quantitative component will receive a full Spanish protocol, the Census Bureau

anticipates receiving more responses from English speakers than from Spanish speakers—

adding to the importance of collecting qualitative insights from audiences that speak Spanish

and other languages via CBAMS qualitative.

The qualitative component of CBAMS research will be used in gathering knowledge and insights

from additional critical, and smaller, audiences. The results of this work will inform the creative

brief, platform, messaging, and ultimately the materials for all segments, particularly those with

a low probability of response.

The following is a summary of planned CBAMS research.

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Figure 4: CBAMS 2020 Research

CBAMS 2020 – Quantitative Survey: As mentioned in the eight‐step example above, the

CBAMS 2020 messaging survey will help us understand the attitudes and knowledge gaps that

we need to address for each audience segment at the household level. As with other research

elements, the results will be used in forming the creative brief, platform, messaging, and other

materials for all audience segments, particularly those that are not as likely to respond.

CBAMS Qualitative Research: While the quantitative survey will provide a depth and breadth of

insight across English‐ and Spanish‐speaking HTC and hard‐to‐reach populations, the qualitative

component will allow us to hear directly from people who do not speak English or Spanish; have

low literacy levels in those languages; or are otherwise unlikely, unwilling, or unable to respond

to the quantitative survey. The Census Bureau will draw from its team of multicultural and

research experts to plan the design and fielding of the research projects, which will be carefully

selected as a set of complementary techniques. These projects include:

	 Community Leader In‐Depth Telephone Interviews: Providing broad geographic

coverage, we will conduct in‐depth telephone interviews with a selected set of leaders

in communities around the country who have insights into reaching HTC populations.

The Census Bureau’s partnership programs and multicultural partners will help identify

appropriate community leaders, giving us an opportunity to build our communications

plan based on insights from leaders of civic organizations, local governments, and other

community groups. When possible, the Census Bureau will hold face‐to‐face interviews

with those influencers who are likely to be more responsive to in‐person conversations.

	 Focus Groups: These will serve as the “workhorses” of our qualitative research to reach

populations with limited English proficiency and other key HTC groups that are less likely

to respond to the quantitative survey, augmenting findings on key audiences. Focus

groups will be fielded in a broad range of regions to ensure diverse representation. The

number and makeup of the focus groups to be conducted will be based on preliminary

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modeling activities to determine priority audiences and will depend on available funding

and recommendations from the Census Bureau’s multicultural partners. We recognize

the need to hold numerous focus groups with participants of different backgrounds

(e.g., age, language, race/ethnicity, sex, and technology and media usage). We will

carefully consider the optimal number of focus groups based on funding to achieve the

most useful results.

	 Weeklong Online Discussion Communities: These moderated online discussions will

allow us to solicit views from people living in areas that we would not typically reach

with an in‐person focus group or sample quantitatively through CBAMS. For example,

during the 2015 Census Test, online discussion communities were used to interview

participants who were in rural counties at the edges of the DMA. As part of research for

the 2020 Census, we will use online discussion groups to gather insights from individuals

in nearly every state in the country to help us in building the creative brief and

developing preliminary ideas for messaging for the 2020 Census campaign.

	 Ethnographic Research: In‐person ethnographic research will allow for engagement

with very specific audiences that are not easily reached through any of the other

techniques. Ethnography serves to uncover a more detailed understanding of audience

perceptions—based on exposure to life as it is lived. In the communications industry,

there is heightened interest in making emotional connections with audiences to drive

response, and neuroscience has shown that people tend to make decisions emotionally

and justify them rationally (Ariely, 2010). By using interviewers from multicultural

partners who reflect the background of the subjects, we will be able to increase comfort

and prompt strong engagement that yields fruitful insights, some of which may be

unexpected and therefore impossible to plan for through other research activities and

questions.

	 Social Intelligence: Trained members of the communications team will use state‐of‐the‐

art “listening” and analytics tools to glean insights from public social media posts (not

from private user posts or discussions). This is how we learn what people think when

they are just engaging in everyday conversation online—for instance, when contributing

to public discussions surrounding news articles or promotions for upcoming events. Like

ethnographic research, there is also a component of unexpected discovery that provides

insights about questions we never thought to ask. With social intelligence, we balance

seeking answers to specific questions with simply observing online conversation.

COLLABORATIVE AND MULTICULTURAL RESEARCH APPROACH

Audience research needs to be conducted in a way that elicits useful and actionable findings.

The Census Bureau will take a collaborative approach, working with a diverse team of

multicultural and research experts to develop an overall campaign research strategy to capture

critical insights across audiences. This team of experts will provide input on moderator choices,

discussion guides, questions, and other research materials that will reflect the language‐related

and cultural considerations of each key audience. This team will also allow the Census Bureau

to conduct in‐person research activities with trained multicultural and research professionals
                     

                   

                     

                       

                       

                               

                     

                         

                           

                       

                     

                   

                     

                         

   

                               

                           

                           

                         

                       

                     

                     

                       

                           

                           

                         

                       

                         

                   

                         

         

                       

     

                       

     

(e.g., focus group moderators and ethnographic interviewers) who reflect the backgrounds of

the audiences that are the focus of their qualitative research.

Ethnographic interviewers will receive standard training to ensure that research activities are

working to uncover common insights and lessons learned across all audiences, using

interviewers’ experience and expertise to more deeply connect with audiences and gather

richer information.

As part of the research planning process, the Census Bureau will work to identify the most

appropriate research methods and best practices for capturing information from each

audience, which will vary by size, geographic location, and self‐response propensity. For HTC

audiences, especially those that may be difficult to engage digitally, best practices such as

bringing testing opportunities to individuals at familiar community gathering locations and in

nontraditional spaces; encouraging partners and research participants to recruit even more

participants; and relying on visual, graphics‐focused research stimuli—rather than text‐based

stimuli—will be used to facilitate audience participation in research. Through a combination

and balance of quantitative and qualitative methods, research will produce insights for each

audience group.

We are developing our research plan based on lessons learned from both the 2000 and 2010

Censuses but also optimizing it for the complex data, media, and marketing environment that

we will encounter in 2020. The ability to communicate at small geographic levels with

customized messaging and modes of delivery requires a research plan capable of providing

insights that are richer, deeper, and more specific than ever before.

CAMPAIGN AND CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

The process for creative development for the 2020 Census campaign—for web content,

promotional materials, paid advertising, and all other communications—will ensure that all

creative pieces are strategically sound and derived from the comprehensive research described

in the sections above and in the Communications Research and Analytics Roadmap. This will

yield actionable insights that can help in driving the highest possible self‐response rate. Census

plans to maximize partner engagement by involving creative and multicultural firms from the

earliest stages and engaging in continuous collaboration with Census Bureau stakeholders. The

following is an overview of the key steps in our creative development process:

1.	 Creative Insights: Relevant findings from research‐based strategic inputs to the 2020

Census Integrated Communications Plan, as well as findings from BAV and CBAMS, as

described earlier in this document.

2.	 Overarching Creative Brief: A shared document that strategically sets the foundation for

the creative work.

3.	 Creative Workshop: An event initiating the process by which creative ideas start to

come to life.

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4.	 Platform Testing and Selection: Choosing the creative platforms or overarching creative

ideas that will move forward for further creative development and robust testing.

5.	 Creative Testing and Execution: Building out materials that will be tested further,

validated, and finalized before being deployed in the field for campaign use.

Figure 5: Creative Development Process

Beyond the comprehensive campaign research conducted through CBAMS, described earlier in

this plan, we will conduct campaign pretesting before the public use and airing of creative

materials and advertising. Real‐time results during the execution of the campaign will provide

ongoing in‐market, real‐world insights into the effectiveness of advertisements and other

communications elements. Engagement data observed each day—such as metrics that indicate

which creative and messaging are or are not driving audience actions—will allow us to

understand what is working, what is not, and what can be refined for better performance.

Each creative design phase will build on the previous one, providing the Census Bureau with a

solid strategic pathway for arriving at a common creative platform that will serve as the basis of

campaign materials. It will be important to avoid developing campaign‐specific materials

prematurely, before the final creative platform is developed and approved. In the past, doing

this to fulfill requests for materials by stakeholders has caused confusion, with different

campaign concepts being used before the final selection of an approved theme. For any

materials needed before a final campaign platform is selected, the existing style guide for the

Census Bureau will be used along with the approved 2020 Census logo.

Core Creative Review Team: The participation of a Census Bureau group with the authority

to provide direction on and ultimately approve creative materials will be important in the

development process, particularly in the early stages. As was done in 2010, a Census Bureau

Core Creative Review Team—made up of Census Bureau personnel representing key entities

within the Census Bureau tasked with collecting internal feedback and approving creative

materials—should be assigned to work closely with campaign creative teams. This team

should be agile enough to review initial ideas as well as collateral adjustments during the

fielding of the campaign. The team should also include representatives who are highly

familiar with different communities and regions—particularly in reviewing materials designed

to appeal to HTC populations in those areas. If possible, team members should have

experience with creative development and refinement processes; however, to ensure an

effective process and informed participants, the Census Bureau communications team will

lead a “Creative Development 101” workshop before the first review session.
                         

                                   

                         

                             

                    

                           

                       

                     

                             

             

                             

                                 

                         

                     

                           

                             

                                 

                               

     

                               

                             

     

                          

                    

                             

      

                           

                

                         

                               

        

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THE CREATIVE PROCESS

CREATIVE INSIGHTS

The first phase of our creative development process will synthesize and incorporate lessons

that we learn from the strategic inputs to the 2020 plan, including findings from BAV as well as

CBAMS qualitative and quantitative research. These foundational insights will be used to help

craft an overarching creative brief that, upon approval by the Core Creative Review Team, will

inspire all creative teams to begin developing potential campaign platforms.

Creative team members will work with the Census Bureau’s Core Creative Review Team, and

other research‐oriented teams as required, to ensure that this research solicits views from

people and community leaders throughout the United States. This allows the idea‐generation

process to be diverse and inclusive of perspectives from across the country, involving voices of

numerous age, gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.

The Census Bureau will work with a team of multicultural and channel experts to disseminate

the findings of all research and to collect insights that will fuel the creative brief. This specific

approach is currently being developed in collaboration with those experts. The approach will

focus on ensuring that all campaign communications—not just the platform—are data‐driven

and audience‐focused.

OVERARCHING CREATIVE BRIEF  

The foundational insights garnered from research and analytics will be used to craft a campaign

creative brief that allows all creative teams to start developing platforms for the campaign. A

platform is an overarching creative idea that is at the center of a communications program. It is

initially expressed as a short statement and description of the key promise or message that is

going to be communicated.

The creative brief will take the form of an OCTA Brief, which details an objective, challenge,

truth, and answer, and incorporates proof points based on the findings and insights collected in

the previous phase.

	 Objective: What do we want to achieve, and how will we measure success?

	 Challenge: What is the key barrier to achieving our objective?

	 Truth: What do we know about people that will help us overcome the challenge and

meet the objective?

	 Answer: What do we need to do, not just say, to meet the objective?

	 Proof: What research findings offer proof for this approach?

The Census Bureau communications team will work closely with the Core Creative Review

Team, and other teams as appropriate, to ensure that the creative brief is aligned with the

Census Bureau’s strategic goals.
                         

                   

                           

                             

                           

                       

       

                                 

                         

                           

                           

                     

                         

                           

                         

                           

                               

                           

               

                               

                         

                         

                   

                       

                         

                       

                           

                         

   

               

                             

                           

                       

                       

            

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CREATIVE WORKSHOP

Upon approval of the creative brief, the Census Bureau’s communications contractors will host

a collaborative cross‐agency creative workshop involving all partner creative agencies and core

creative reviewers from the Census Bureau. This workshop will ensure that these partners are

fully involved in the creative development process. It will also give the Census Bureau an

opportunity to provide early and frequent input on the creative direction. The process will

result in the creation of finished platforms—deliverables that illustrate possible “centers” for

our ultimate creative campaign.

We will kick off the workshop by sharing key insights from CBAMS research to make sure all

participating creative teams have internalized those lessons. We will engage in a workshop

exercise that helps participants think beyond their own cultural and social frames of reference,

with the goal of developing a range of more differentiated ideas built from diverse

perspectives.

Communications strategists will brief the creative teams—which will be composed of cross‐

agency and multicultural partners as well as multichannel experts—and ask them to form ideas

of platforms to be expressed with words, pictures, taglines, or other ad‐like elements. Census

Bureau communications staff and contractor partners will share a range of these platforms with

the Core Creative Review Team to gauge their alignment with the creative direction, allowing

for course correction from the very beginning of the process. For this review phase during the

creative workshop, the platforms will be fleshed out in several formats, including TV scripts,

out‐of‐home media, mobile ads, and website landing pages.

PLATFORM TESTING AND SELECTION

After the initial review of platforms as part of the creative workshop, there will be several

rounds of internal Census Bureau review and corresponding revisions. Then, the Census Bureau

will choose the platforms that move forward to iterative research testing (including online

quantitative surveys, online discussion groups, and in‐person focus groups), stakeholder

feedback, and additional revisions—ultimately arriving at one campaign for the 2020 Census.

CREATIVE TESTING AND EXECUTION

Once the Census Bureau has approved possible platforms that should move forward, the

resulting creative materials will be further developed, tested, validated, and finalized before

being deployed in the field. This process will involve multiple rounds of qualitative and

quantitative testing as well as numerous touch points for receiving internal and external

stakeholder feedback:

	 Qualitative and Quantitative Testing of Campaign Materials: The comprehensive

testing plan will be constructed to balance the desire to get efficient feedback across the

spectrum of racial and ethnic groups with our knowledge of the limitations of different

techniques for reaching different audience segments. It will be beneficial to perform

appropriate levels of qualitative and quantitative testing on draft versions of creative

materials among various audiences—especially non‐English speakers.
                         

                       

                               

                     

                         

                             

                         

              

                             

                       

                         

               

                             

                         

                         

                         

                     

                         

     

                             

                     

                         

   

                   

                       

                       

                     

                     

                         

                       

             

                     

                       

                             

                       

                       

                             

                             

                       

                     

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Testing will be conducted when materials are in both concept and early‐stage formats,

allowing adequate time for course correction should they not resonate with audiences.

This means, for example, that a TV ad may be tested in concept form, as a

preproduction animated storyboard and again as a postproduction rough cut, before

being finalized. (Testing on postproduction rough cuts would be performed as a last

effort to ensure there are no previously unidentified issues with a piece that make it

unsuitable for promotion of the census, rather than to identify small refinements, which

will be made earlier in the process.)

We will use a variety of methods to conduct this research. One potential method is

through an online group discussion designed for the overall evaluation of campaign

concepts and messaging. Online discussion groups can be helpful in reaching some HTC

populations—especially those that are geographically isolated—and can offer insight

into not only which ads work, but also why they work. These online discussions also

allow for customized metrics that we can use to investigate specific learning objectives.

We will also use an online quantitative testing tool to produce statistically sound,

reliable, and detailed findings to help us validate or improve our creative materials.

Other research methods, including but not limited to in‐person or face‐to‐face

conversations, will engage other HTC populations that may be difficult to reach through

online testing channels.

As the appropriate mix of testing methods is determined, a core focus will be ensuring

that the process allows Census Bureau researchers to identify priorities for

improvement in a particular ad and to draw comparisons between different concepts in

multiple dimensions.

	 Feedback from Internal and External Census Bureau Stakeholders: The Census

Bureau’s internal and external stakeholders will be critical partners in a successful

census and can offer valuable insights during creative development and execution. The

communications team will outline key milestones requiring feedback and approval from

internal Census Bureau experts. As the production process moves forward, the

communications team will work with the Core Creative Review Team to refine the

review process and assemble broader teams of Census personnel who can provide

feedback on and approval of various topics.

The Census Bureau communications team will also identify the appropriate feedback

and briefing opportunities to keep external stakeholders and partners engaged with and

informed about the creative development process. This will be a key activity of the Core

Creative Review Team and may involve creating an executive committee of stakeholder

reviewers, like the Joint Advisory Advertising Review Panel (JAARP) used in 2010.

This review group will be most successful if its members are operating from a common

knowledge base and have clear and early direction about the purpose of the group. To

optimize its efficiency, the creative team will hold a “Creative Development 101”

workshop to educate participants about the processes for developing materials, making
                       

                               

                       

                     

                   

               

                   

                     

                             

                         

                         

                           

           

                       

                           

                     

                         

                         

                             

                               

                           

                      

           

                           

                   

                         

                   

                         

                               

                         

                     

                       

                     

                     

            

                     

                             

                       

                       

  

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alterations, and identifying next steps. The workshop will provide participants with clear

guidance on the types of materials they are reviewing, the type of feedback that will be

most valuable, and the most efficient way to deliver that feedback.

	 Final “Go”/“No‐Go” Validation of Audience Materials: As a last safeguard, the Census

Bureau will conduct final audience validation testing of public‐ready campaign

materials—using online discussion communities (or in‐person discussions when

necessary)—before deployment. This testing is designed to identify any red flags,

inflammatory items, incorrect translations, or other errors in the creative materials

before they are disseminated to the public. At this phase, the materials will have been

through several rounds of audience testing, as well as internal and external stakeholder

review, during which the most glaring issues will have been addressed. A key

assumption during this phase is that unless audiences involved in validation flag a major

issue, the materials will “go live.”

The creative development and execution process needs to fulfill three key objectives:

	 Consistent Application of Brand Identity: The strength of the Census Bureau brand is in

its consistent application. As possible creative platforms begin to move forward,

creative teams will develop branding and identity guidelines to ensure that all materials

developed for testing and feedback (e.g., social media posts, web properties, print ads,

and others) are visually consistent, speak in the same voice, and adhere to a common

set of guidelines and tone. Once a final platform is selected for deployment in 2020, the

team will formalize the guidelines to ensure that the Census Bureau and 2020 Census

campaign brands are consistently and appropriately applied in all creative materials.

	 Cross‐Team Participation: Multicultural and small business creative team involvement

will be critical in making sure the 2020 Census campaign reaches broad and diverse

audiences. In addition to their upfront involvement in the creative development

process, the Census Bureau’s multicultural contractors will be the primary drivers in the

build‐out, testing, and production of audience‐specific materials. Multicultural and small

business creative teams will provide key inputs for and co‐develop the common theme

that will be designed to resonate with all audience groups. We will then work to build

out and test the theme with diverse audiences and prepare materials for production.

Throughout the creative development and execution process, there will be frequent

opportunities for sharing and receiving feedback from different creative partners in the

form of check‐ins, debriefs, all‐staff meetings, and presentations. For example, we

expect to engage in cross‐team preproduction meetings to ensure consistent application

of the brand across all productions.

	 Coordination with the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO): The Census Bureau

will coordinate with GPO to ensure quality in the production of all print materials and

promotional items related to the campaign. The creative development teams will factor

in the timing and logistical considerations required to facilitate successful materials and

items orders.
                       

                             

                           

                         

                         

  

                         

                       

                     

                             

                           

                               

          

                           

                             

                         

                       

                         

   

                                 

                       

                     

               

                                   

                           

                  

                       

                               

                           

                       

                     

                         

                

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DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC PLANS

Upon the completion of campaign research, the 2020 Census Integrated Communications Plan

will lay out ways to strategically reach each audience, through which channel, and with what

message. This body of knowledge will guide the creation of additional strategic plans detailing

how to customize the Census Bureau’s communications strategy at both the program and

audience levels (for initial audience‐level insights, see Page 27; for program‐level plans, see

Page 80).

The campaign research and creative development process will identify basic elements of the

campaign, including target audiences (e.g., multicultural and HTC audiences such as renters,

those in group quarters or complex households, and young children) and communications

channels (e.g., events, social media, or out‐of‐home ads), as well as key tactics and relevant

messages for each. These findings will form the basis of more detailed audience and program‐

level plans, and will allow us to identify the required resources to meet audiences where they

are likely to be engaged.

Efficient use of each communications channel will require data at varying geographic levels, and

the ability to target communications by audience size will determine the size of each audience

unit. For example, broadcast television and earned media strategies will be developed using

DMA‐level audience data, partnership outreach and event strategies will be determined using

county‐level audience data, and digital advertising will be based on neighborhood or tract‐level

audience data.

While our goal is to motivate everyone to respond, we will prioritize HTC groups that may need

the most encouragement and/or outreach. We will also consider on‐the‐fence audiences who

may be encouraged to participate through lower‐cost communications strategies, resulting in

more resources available for communications with HTC groups.

INTEGRATION WITH OPERATIONS

So that each audience and program plan will be part of a cohesive 2020 Census approach, it is

critical to ensure that communications delivered to the public and stakeholders are aligned and

integrated with the operational aspects of the decennial census.

Coordination with operations and program staff can also shape communications activities by

allowing the Census Bureau to anticipate call or web traffic spikes or adjust activities to better

balance the Census Bureau’s workload on the back end. Especially for rapid response during

census data collection, messaging and communications support must be clear and consistent

across the Census Bureau, with an effective feedback loop from Census Questionnaire

Assistance (CQA) and Field Division staff to the partnership and communications teams. Specific

focuses of integration efforts include the following areas:
  

                                 

                                   

                         

                     

                       

                           

                       

                         

        

                         

                         

                             

              

                           

                           

                             

                           

                             

                           

              

                         

                           

                             

  

                           

                         

                               

                         

                       

             

                   

                        

                           

                           

                     

                           

                         

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EARLY OPERATIONS

While the height of data collection efforts will take place in March and April 2020 and wind

down by the end of July 2020, there are many operations that must take place well before then

to ensure the success of data collection. The Census Bureau’s Geographic Programs, Local

Update of Census Addresses (LUCA), and Address Canvassing operations—as well as

recruitment and hiring efforts for enumerators and field staff—include efforts through which

field representatives and other Census Bureau staff will be active in state, local, and tribal

governments and communities nationwide before the launch of the 2020 Census campaign.

Accurate and timely messaging about these operations will serve as important foundations for

the broader public campaign.

MAIL STRATEGY  

While the availability of online non‐ID completion will make it possible for non‐mail

communications to drive immediate response, direct mail through the U.S. Postal Service will

continue to provide a crucial communications element in 2020 (as supported by the results of

previous Census Bureau campaigns and research efforts).

The Census Bureau anticipates using two mailing strategies for the 2020 Census. The first

strategy is the “Internet First” strategy, which will be used with most households. These

households will receive an initial letter inviting the respondent to go online to complete the

census, followed by multiple mailed reminders. Households that do not respond online will get

a paper questionnaire that can be mailed back. The second strategy is the “Internet Choice”

strategy, in which households initially receive a paper questionnaire, to be mailed back, that

also offers the choice of online response.

As of current planning, most households in mail‐out areas (the primary type of enumeration

area in which households receive mail packages) will receive the Internet First strategy; the

others will receive the Internet Choice strategy, primarily in areas that have low levels of

internet access.

Helping audiences understand the action they are encouraged to take when they receive a

Census Bureau mailing will be an important function of the communications campaign, and

thus the mailing strategy used will be a key input into the development of more detailed

program‐level and audience plans, and we will explore opportunities to integrate elements of

the communications campaign into the mail package design. The two‐way flow of information

between operations staff—specifically the Census Bureau’s Field Division—and

communications and partnership staff will be instrumental in identifying potential

opportunities or challenges that may arise when sending pieces to diverse populations.

OTHER ENUMERATION TYPES AND ACTIVITIES COMPLETED AFTER ENUMERATION

The Census Bureau understands that not all members of the population are effectively reached

through mail, and so we will undertake other enumeration strategies to reach these people.

Enumeration type will also help in determining our communication segmentation strategy; for

example, for some households, the primary enumeration strategy may be through a direct visit

from an enumerator. People in this type of enumeration area may see different advertisements
                             

                         

                       

                         

                           

  

                     

                       

                             

               

   

                               

                         

                             

                     

                       

                               

                           

            

                         

                             

                          

                     

                         

                       

                         

                   

                                 

                 

                        

                                 

                           

                             

                         

                           

                                   

                         

                         

               

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stressing that the Census Bureau will bring the questionnaires directly to their houses, so that

individuals are not surprised by a visit from an enumerator. Other enumeration activities

related to early enumeration, group quarters, and transitory locations will require nuanced

communications so that individuals in those types of enumeration areas understand what to

expect as they are counted as the national campaign will not apply to their enumeration

experience

Other activities completed after NRFU, including but not limited to respondent reinterviewing

and coverage measurement, comprise additional Census Bureau operations in which staff are

interacting with members of the public, albeit on a more limited level. These activities are

important operational considerations in the development of a comprehensive communications

campaign.

OPERATIONS IN PUERTO RICO AND THE ISLAND AREAS

The Census Bureau will directly conduct the 2020 Census in the 50 states, the District of

Columbia, and Puerto Rico; however, the 2020 Census of the Island Areas (the Commonwealth

of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) will be

conducted through partnerships with local government agencies in those areas. The

questionnaires for these populations will likely be longer than the questionnaires completed

stateside and in Puerto Rico, and will also only be available in paper form. These operational

aspects are important for the Census Bureau to consider as we develop campaign strategies

and messaging to reach broad audiences.

In developing an overarching campaign theme and messaging, the Census Bureau will consider

the need to reduce and mitigate potential confusion among the populations of the Island Areas

in the event they receive communications about the stateside census. The Island Areas

communication program is separate from the stateside communication program. The Census

Bureau communication efforts will be limited to providing materials and guidance to the local

government agencies that are responsible for enumerating the Island Areas, which includes

recruiting and hiring staff to lead data collection and conducting communications campaigns to

promote engagement with the census. Thus, the Census Bureau’s communications materials

must be able to be tailored and customized by the local Island Area governments to ensure that

they meet the needs of those distinct enumeration efforts.

COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT FOR OPERATIONS  

As the Census Bureau introduces non‐ID online response, innovative data collection process,

and the use of administrative records for the 2020 Census, it will be crucial for Census Bureau

staff who are interacting with members of the public to have accurate and appropriate

messaging about operations, innovations, policy and legal issues likely to come up, and so on.

Teams across the Census Bureau will work in close coordination to identify stakeholder

questions and concerns, which will allow us to develop guides and educational materials about

the purpose of the count, the various ways in which people are counted, and the use of census

data. Operational staff and Decennial and Census Bureau leadership will receive key messages,

tested and validated by research, taking into account anticipated questions and concerns from

individuals, reporters, and partners. Additional sample materials include:
                   

                   

                       

                             

                         

                   

           

                             

                       

                 

                       

                   

                       

                 

                           

                     

                       

                           

                       

                    

                         

                           

                               

                       

       

                     

                             

                     

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	 Use Cases for Different Response Modes: Groups like State Complete Count

Commissions and Complete Count Committees, along with other partners (see

Partnership Program on Page 90), are key drivers of census participation, particularly

among audiences that are typically hard to count. We will provide these groups with use

cases on different modes of census response, based on their audiences’ literacy levels,

language preferences, and preferred communications methods, so that they are best

able to encourage response among their constituents.

	 Materials for CQA and Field Division Staff: To support CQA and Field Division staff, the

Census Bureau will create—and in some cases expand on existing—briefs, talking points,

frequently asked questions documents, and promotional materials for addressing

various scenarios that respondents may face, such as technical difficulties, privacy and

security concerns, or questions about the Census Bureau’s use of administrative

records. These materials and messages will tie back to overarching campaign themes

and audience‐specific messages. We also will establish regular communications with

CQA and Field Division staff to share information, collect their input on the materials,

and identify areas of need for additional materials and talking points.

	 Privacy Protection Guidelines: While non‐ID and online response options will make it

easier to participate in the census, these options could result in partners and supporters

inadvertently violating privacy policies. We will provide and encourage the use of

communications guidelines among partners and supporters to minimize this possibility.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AND ITEMS DEVELOPMENT

The Census Bureau is working with external stakeholders to identify the necessary campaign

materials that we and our partners will need throughout the campaign. The Census Bureau

plans to develop a Partnership Experience Platform (PXP) to make it easy for partners to browse

available materials and items, make some customizations, print materials on demand, and

place orders for shipments.

As campaign research progresses, especially interviews with key internal and external

stakeholders, Census Bureau staff will continue to assess and plan the extent and type of

materials to be developed. Key considerations for these recommendations will include:
                           

                         

                 

                       

                      

                       

                           

                           

     

                         

                             

                         

                    

                       

                               

                     

                         

                           

                           

                             

                         

                         

                     

                     

                     

                           

                

                               

                               

                         

                       

                           

                             

                     

       

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	 Success of Materials in 2010 or in Other Data Collection Efforts: Materials that were

successful in 2010 and in other data collections should be emulated in 2020.

Understanding how template‐based materials were received by audiences, which

production and distribution methods worked, and the impact of niche products is

important in planning the future development of such materials and items.

	 Potential for Customization: Materials will be more appealing to audiences if they

reflect the communities they aim to reach. We will develop a campaign with an

overarching idea to create messaging and imagery that can be used to adapt materials

for diverse audiences.

	 Appeal to HTC Populations: While materials will be developed to reach all audiences,

extra care will be taken to appeal to HTC audiences. Building on campaign research, we

will work with influencers and potential partners to identify and develop those materials

that are most likely to be desired—and used—by HTC populations.

	 Cost, Storage, and Origin: The materials and items ultimately developed must represent

the most effective use of taxpayer dollars. The Census Bureau will act as a good steward

of taxpayer funds—selecting the lowest‐cost options that meet the required quality

standards, and not producing multiple different pieces or items that fulfill the same

need. All print materials will be produced by the U.S. Government Printing Office, and

any items purchased will be made in the United States. Additionally, unlike in 2010,

there is not likely to be available funding for stakeholders to access in‐kind dollars for

materials production, which is another factor behind our plan to develop materials that

stakeholders can customize and deploy themselves. (It may be possible for partners and

other stakeholders to provide funding for promotion; the Census Bureau will engage

these groups and support their efforts, when appropriate, to encourage census

participation.) The Census Bureau is currently developing a fulfillment strategy for

storage and distribution of promotional materials and items and expects a solution to be

in place in time for the 2020 Census.

REACHING AUDIENCES IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES

The Census Bureau plans to deploy a language program for the 2020 Census that expands on

what was done in 2010. While final plans will depend on the budget, resources, and system

capabilities, the current plan would support the development of an internet questionnaire in

about 10 languages, Census Questionnaire Assistance interviews in about 10 languages, and

video and paper Language Assistance Guides (LAGs) in about 60 languages, including a number

of smaller language groups. To meet the needs of remaining language groups, we will use

Partnership Specialists and Assistants, who provided language capabilities in 145 languages

during the 2010 Census.
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Historically, the following languages have been most commonly integrated into Census Bureau

communications activities, listed below in order of prominence:

 English  Arabic

 Spanish  Tagalog

 Chinese  Polish

 Vietnamese  French

 Korean  Portuguese

 Russian

While the languages supported in the 2020 Census campaign will be finalized after research is

completed, the languages used for paid media and promotional materials in 2010 can help in

understanding which of them may be used for this purpose in the future. In the 2010 Census,

initial funding covered English and 13 additional languages for paid media and promotional

materials:

 English  Russian

 Spanish  Polish

 Mandarin  Arabic

 Cantonese  French Creole

 Vietnamese  Japanese

 Korean  Hindi/Hinglish

 Tagalog/Taglish  Khmer (Cambodian)

Subsequent and substantial funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

(ARRA) in 2009  was used in part for the production of materials in 14 additional languages:   

 Portuguese  Ukrainian

 French  Greek

 Italian  Hmong

 German  Laotian

 Yiddish  Thai

 Farsi  Urdu

 Armenian  Bengali
                               

                

                                 

                     

                             

                             

                   

                     

                      

                         

                       

                         

                                   

                       

                             

                     

                             

        

                     

                         

                         

                       

                         

                       

                       

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However, it is important to note that an infusion of additional funding, like that provided by

ARRA in 2010, is not anticipated for 2020.

While it may not be cost‐effective to produce materials for all languages, we will use a robust

network of Partnership Specialists to focus on small language groups, including geographically

concentrated language groups. We plan to support the effort to recruit partnership staff with as

much language capability as possible and provide them with the resources needed to engage all

respondents in their preferred language. Many non‐English‐speaking respondents may be best

encouraged to respond by direct interaction with Partnership Specialists in their communities

and engagement with the trusted voices who partner with the Census Bureau.

Communications in non‐English languages may be produced for some outlets or channels but

not others, depending on the impact of that particular channel among language populations.

The following graphic illustrates the prioritization of the number of languages by channel:

Figure 6: Quantity of Languages Supported by Channel

For instance, it is not likely to be cost‐effective to produce video content in a language that is

spoken by a small group population. However, printed partner content—such as one‐page

sheets and web copy—could be produced in many non‐English languages at a far lower cost

and with much greater impact, should audience research indicate that such communications

would be beneficial. Partners could also volunteer to produce videos and other digital and print

materials in non‐English languages.

The Census Bureau and its partner multicultural communications agencies will be heavily

involved in the overall creative development process (as described on Page 70), from

conception and initial strategy through design, ensuring that we emphasize concepts and truths

that resonate with each audience. The Census Bureau’s Communications and Language Office

staff will use the results of extensive mid‐decade research, testing, and consultation to

determine the specific cultural, educational, economic, and language barriers that must be

considered and accommodated to encourage census completion, obtaining early input from the
                       

               

            

                         

                           

                           

                        

                           

                       

                         

      

                         

                     

                           

                         

                           

                 

                   

                     

               

                   

                   

                       

                         

                             

                     

                       

                 

                       

                     

                             

                             

                         

                     

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appropriate advisory committees and experts. This will ensure consistent use of common

terminology translations and fitting cultural references—resulting in meaningful

communications materials appropriate for diverse audiences.

METRICS AND TRACKING

FINDINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS

The Census Bureau has set the objective of maximizing the self‐response rate among

households in the United States, prior to NRFU activities. Based on preliminary Census Bureau

predictions, a higher response rate will enable us to streamline NRFU activities and contribute

to as much as $5 billion in government savings of taxpayer dollars.

The Census Bureau is developing specific goals for methods of response and among key

populations as the operational and communications planning is solidified. Based on previous

Census Bureau research, we will move toward setting and evaluating metrics with two

considerations in mind:

	 Evaluation metrics and studies should be developed earlier in the planning process to

better identify the true impact of various communications activities. Because of the

timing of the contract award, both of the major 2010 evaluation studies were designed

after key decisions about the timing of field and communications activities had been

made. As a result, both studies faced challenges in identifying the impact of various

communication, partnership, and outreach activities. Where possible, without hindering

the campaign’s execution and effectiveness, 2020 Census campaign evaluation projects

will take into account experimental design considerations upfront to mitigate such

challenges.

	 Integrated communications activities, including partnerships and paid media, could

also be evaluated based on which combinations of components work—rather than

evaluating activities in isolation. The 2010 Integrated Communications Campaign (ICC)

was designed to reach the U.S. population through multiple channels with reinforcing

messages that would have a greater impact than individual messages on one channel.

The ICC design was intended to make the total effect of the integrated campaign greater

than the effects of the individual communications components. The Census Bureau will

build on these ideas by aiming to evaluate the integrated impact of communications,

asking, for example, “What combination of communications components is most

effective?”

Capturing Lessons Learned for Future Use: Lessons learned from previous censuses are

immensely valuable and have been considered in the development of this communications

approach to the 2020 Census. Similarly, the Census Bureau expects that what we learn during

the upcoming campaign will produce a strong body of knowledge for use during the 2030

Census and in the Census Bureau’s ongoing data collection activities. Throughout the planning

for and execution of the campaign—including the ultimate thank‐you and data dissemination
                       

                     

           

     

       

       

                   

       

   

               

     

                         

                         

                         

                           

                     

                     

                         

                           

                         

  

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phases—we will monitor and record lessons learned surrounding the following activities for

each major element and programmatic aspect of the campaign, where applicable:

 Coordination and communications with partners and stakeholders.

 Processes and policy.

 Individual tactics and results.

 Engagement with target audiences.

 Value obtained in labor hours and from outside direct costs.

 Risk management and performance monitoring.

 Optimization and improvements.

 Program area findings (e.g., paid media successes, partnership coordination).

 Program management.

 Integration among campaign components.

The Census Bureau will continuously document these lessons learned and identify areas for

immediate improvement, both throughout and at the end of the campaign. These findings will

be published for use by all interested parties—not just the Census Bureau.

EVALUATION

The Census Bureau will work closely with the independent evaluation contractor to ensure that

the contractor has access to all necessary planning and implementation documentation. We

will coordinate with the evaluation contractor to incorporate feasible inputs into

communications activities to improve the evaluators’ ability to assess the success of the

campaign. The evaluator will use a general theory involving motivators and barriers to survey

response, which is currently being developed by the Census Bureau’s research and analytics

team.
                           

                       

                           

                                    

                           

            

                 

   

   

       

           

       

   

       

     

     

   

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PROGRAM‐LEVEL PLANS  
 The campaign leading up to and throughout the 2020 Census will involve multiple coordinated

communications channels and outlets. As detailed above, the ultimate activities conducted will

be heavily influenced by the findings of campaign research. However, all the channels and

programs listed in this section are likely to be key to a strong campaign. While this version of

the document contains initial thoughts and tactics for using these channels, these ideas will

evolve in the years to come.

Programs included in this version of the plan are:

 Stakeholder Relations

 Partnership Program

 Advertising and Media Buying

 Public Relations and Events, and Crisis Communications

 Website Development and Digital Activities

 Social Media

 Statistics in Schools Program

 Field Recruitment Advertising and Communications

 Rapid Response Activities

 Data Dissemination
      

               

                       

                           

                     

                     

  

                     

                         

                           

                           

                               

                               

                     

                           

  

                       

                             

                         

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Figure 7: Coordinated Communications Channels

These program‐level plans are organized using the following sections:

	 Overview: A high‐level description of the program goal and its associated activities.

	 Approach: The steps the Census Bureau will take to arrive at the program‐level strategy;

this includes identifying inputs, steps involved in planning, and possible execution

strategies, as well as initial thoughts about measurement and evaluation where

appropriate.

	 Key Considerations: Important factors that may impact the strategic planning for each

program.

Until broader research for the campaign is completed, these program‐level plans are intended

to be directional, highlighting the approach for planning and suggesting ideas for what the

campaign could entail. These ideas for activities, including their timing and sequence, will need

to be validated and refined based on research and stakeholder input. It is also important to

consider that the ideas provided for these program areas will not only help shape the Census

Bureau’s owned communications—content that the Census Bureau produces on its own

platforms—but will also serve as a guide for, and enable, communications through earned and

paid channels.

The Census Bureau’s goal of preserving funds and better targeting communications throughout

the campaign applies in each of these program plans. By closely monitoring the effectiveness of

various messages and outreach activities, the Census Bureau aims to conserve taxpayer dollars
                       

                       

                     

                           

                       

                           

                    

                                   

                             

                           

                         

                         

                             

                                 

                         

                         

  

                 

                   

                       

                         

                             

  

                   

                               

                       

                          

                       

                 

                     

                         

         

                           

                         

                     

                           

                         

       

   

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by continuously optimizing our efforts and ceasing many of the communications aimed at

fostering initial understanding and driving response among those geographic areas where most

households have already responded. Communications aimed at promoting data use and

soliciting support to encourage others to complete the census are likely to continue, as

respondents may become advocates for census completion after they have completed their

questionnaires. In addition, the Census Bureau will continue to meet its obligation to ensuring

data security and confidentiality throughout its communications and outreach efforts.

These plans will not be executed in silos. Each will be designed to work in tandem with the

others, producing an integrated effort to build awareness of and drive participation in the 2020

Census. Campaign research will help prioritize which channels will be more effective with which

audiences, as not all channels will resonate with all people. For example, some hard‐to‐count

audiences may be more responsive to personal, direct interactions with a community partner

or to materials, messaging, and other content that has been organically generated by a partner.

Other audiences may be more likely to visit the online response tool after seeing a social media

post shared by a friend. A successful integrated communications strategy needs to deliver

communications to audiences through their preferred channels, with the right message, at the

right time.

The following considerations and inputs have informed these plans:

	 2010 Census Lessons Learned: The 2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign

Lessons Learned Report provides valuable insights for building on the 2010 Census

campaign. Each of these program‐level plans cites several of those lessons learned, and

we will continue to reference the full report as we build out formal strategies following

research.

	 Operational Considerations: There are critical differences in the way the 2020 Census

will be conducted in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, versus the

Island Areas, where it will be conducted through partnerships with local government

agencies. The Census Bureau direct involvement will be the provision of materials and

guidance to those local government agencies, including recruiting and hiring staff to

lead data collection and conducting communications campaigns to promote

engagement with the census. We will continue to explore how these program‐level

plans may contribute to communications and outreach activities in the Island Areas in

future iterations of this plan.

	 Initial Campaign Timeline: Appendix C on Page 196 offers a directional overview of key

campaign milestones and activities. In several of these plans, particularly in those for

which early activities and efforts are critical, timing considerations have been

reinforced. In other areas, certain tactics are tied specifically to certain phases of the

campaign. With additional research and detailed planning, we will continue to develop a

more comprehensive overall campaign timeline.
                     

                           

                       

                       

                     

                   

              

                     

                   

                       

                       

                         

               

   

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	 Language Considerations: As detailed earlier in this document, the languages used for

the 2020 Census and campaign communications have not yet been finalized, but will be

important determinants in the number and type of materials created at the program

level. In producing these materials, we will leverage the Census Bureau’s existing

research and expertise on language, combined with the expertise of our multicultural

communications partners, to produce meaningful translations that are appropriate for

diverse audiences and consistent across the campaign.

	 Metrics and Evaluation: The identification of appropriate metrics will be critical to

ultimately measuring the success of individual program‐level efforts and their

contribution to broader campaign success. In some cases, examples of potential metrics

have been identified within program‐level plans. As we conduct further research and

continue to develop, refine, and finalize specific strategies and tactics, we will identify

and establish metrics to track each program‐level strategy.
                   

                             

                             

                  

                     

                       

                             

                             

                         

                         

  

                                 

                         

                       

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STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS

OVERVIEW

Stakeholders—those groups and individuals to which the Census Bureau is accountable—are

key participants in all of our data collection activities and will be invaluable in successfully

carrying out the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau is dedicated to engaging with and responding

to stakeholders who are invested in ensuring an accurate count.

The relationship between the Census Bureau and stakeholders is mutually beneficial.

Stakeholders can use census data to advance government, nonprofit, and business initiatives,

and they can also help promote the importance of the census among their audiences and

support Census Bureau efforts across the decennial census and other surveys. As active users of

census data, many stakeholders are well‐positioned to champion the value of an accurate

count; thus, successful and efficient stakeholder relations are central to performing a complete

count.

Leading up to and throughout the completion of the 2020 count, it will be the Census Bureau’s

responsibility to maintain an open line of communication with stakeholders, ensuring that they

have the appropriate information and resources to contribute to the 2020 Census.

APPROACH

INPUTS

Identification of Key Stakeholders: The Census Bureau’s work touches a diverse spectrum of

stakeholders, including but not limited to governments, businesses, nonprofits, and community

organizations. In advance of the 2020 campaign, we will leverage our stakeholder relations

base, partner experiences, and the knowledge of unique audience needs and influencers to

build a stakeholder register. These stakeholders will include those representing diverse issues

and constituencies, such as individuals living in various geographic areas (e.g., rural, suburban,

urban areas), students (e.g., higher education organizations), and children (e.g., youth advocacy

groups). Further research and preliminary outreach will inform the development of a

comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan.

Examples of stakeholders may include:

	 Federal oversight bodies, such as the U.S. Congress (including the House Committee on

Oversight and Government Reform, the House Committee on Appropriations, ,the

Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Senate

Committee on Appropriations), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office

of Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

	 Members of advisory committees, such as the National Advisory Committee (NAC),

Census Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC), and State Data Centers/Census

Information Centers (SDCs/CICs).
                 

             

                   

                 

                 

          

     

  

   

   

                         

                         

          

                         

                             

                           

                   

                       

                   

            

   

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	 Intergovernmental associations, such as the Big Seven, Council of State Governments,

International City/County Management Association, Federal‐State Cooperative for

Population Estimates, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities,

National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governors Association, Population

Association of America, and United States Conference of Mayors.

	 Local, state, and tribal governments.

	 Faith‐based organizations.

	 Businesses/Chambers of Commerce.

	 Academic institutions.

	 Civic engagement organizations.

	 Community organizations.

	 Education groups.

	 Philanthropic groups.

While the Census Bureau continues to better identify and understand our audiences through

campaign research, we recognize that some stakeholders also serve as potential partners and

are focused on key audiences.

Inputs from Census Bureau Outreach Efforts: The Census Bureau conducts regular and ongoing

outreach efforts at the national, regional, and local levels, and has deep experience with those

programs that will help in identifying and engaging with stakeholders across the country. For

example, the Census Bureau’s Community Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP)

empowers communities and regions to ensure they are counted through local and regional

outreach, engagement with trusted voices, and Complete Count Committees—the members of

which may also include key stakeholders.
                         

                         

                         

                          

                   

                     

                     

                             

                     

                             

                           

          

                 

                           

                         

                       

                     

                       

                           

                   

                         

                     

                         

                     

                        

  

                         

                       

                           

                             

          

                             

                         

                         

                       

                         

   

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Inputs From Regional Offices: Regional office staff have valuable experience working with their

region’s stakeholders and a deep understanding of how best to engage them. Regional offices

will be important contributors to a coordinated approach to stakeholder relations, building on

the insights they offered in an initial listening tour (described on Page 10).

Lesson Learned From 2010: Educating stakeholders early on about campaign processes—

especially creative development, media placement, and integration—can be useful in soliciting

helpful feedback. Accordingly, the Census Bureau is considering providing training for

stakeholders that would cover both the use of creative materials and how best to provide

feedback during the development phase, including message delivery channels, processes, and

ground rules for feedback. This type of early engagement will contribute to a valuable and

efficient feedback loop between stakeholders and the Census Bureau, and would mark a good

starting point for stakeholder engagement efforts.

PLANNING

Stakeholder Engagement Plan: While the Census Bureau has significant experience engaging

stakeholders in previous decennial counts and in other data collections, such as the American

Community survey and the Economic Census, further campaign research will assist us in

developing a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan. The plan will describe how the

Census Bureau engages with the types of organizations described earlier. Frequent

communications with and reports to stakeholders will lay the groundwork for important

conversations that can help shed light on possible questions and interests of partners, the

media, unidentified data users and distributors, and key public audiences.

Timing of Activities: Successful stakeholder relations will come about from early and frequent

engagement, particularly with established stakeholders who can assist in distributing messages

at the regional and local levels. The Census Bureau maintains ongoing communication with

interested stakeholders throughout the decennial cycle, and public briefings on the 2020

Census campaign started as early as 2015. These engagements continued through 2016 and

into 2017.

The Census Bureau will host meetings and briefings with stakeholders, including influencers and

representatives from hard‐to‐count (HTC) audiences, beginning in 2017. These efforts will lead

to our increased knowledge and understanding of stakeholders and their needs, and the key

audiences served by these stakeholders, helping us plan how best to reach them through their

preferred (and the most cost‐effective) channel.

As the campaign timeline is further developed, it will identify clear milestones for which we

need stakeholder input. This feedback will ensure that our approach, creative materials, and

message delivery channels will resonate with and reach key audiences and effectively drive

action. In addition, we will share information about our processes, especially potentially

complex issues like media buying, to promote a collaborative and transparent relationship with

stakeholders.
                       

                             

                       

                         

     

                     

                         

                      

                     

                       

                       

                         

                     

                     

                         

                     

                       

                       

                           

                               

                         

                           

                     

                   

                           

                           

                       

                  

                       

                             

                     

                 

                           

                   

                 

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Integration With Other Areas: Stakeholders can serve as important trusted voices that can

spread the Census Bureau’s message, especially among those who may be less receptive to or

hard to reach through traditional advertising. The Census Bureau will regularly inform

stakeholders of all efforts related to campaign activities and will integrate stakeholder voices

into activities including:

	 Partner Outreach: It will be important to coordinate stakeholder engagement with local

and national partnership outreach, as many key audience members of these groups will

overlap. See Page 90 for details on the proposed partnership engagement plan.

	 Public Relations and Events: Stakeholder engagement must be intertwined with earned

media and related efforts. The Census Bureau communications team will ensure that

regional staff connecting with stakeholders work closely with the Census Bureau Public

Information Office so that clear and consistent messaging is provided to news media

and stakeholders. See Page 121 for details on public relations and events.

	 Social Media: Social media provides a platform for credible influencers and trusted

voices to connect with their constituencies, including HTC audiences. We will work with

stakeholders to identify opportunities to integrate the Census Bureau’s messaging into

the online conversation. Social media will also be an important channel for

communicating information to stakeholders. See Page 143 for details on social media.

	 Crisis Communications: In the event of a crisis, the Census Bureau must be prepared to

rapidly address the needs and concerns of stakeholders. We may also be able to lean on

our stakeholders to help better address the public and reach specific audiences in the

event of a crisis. The Census Bureau is exploring including stakeholder training in our

broader crisis communications strategy, which is described further beginning on Page

121.

EXECUTION

Initial and Continuous Engagement: Informing stakeholders of plans, soliciting their input and

feedback, and keeping them abreast of progress will be critical in maintaining strong support

for the count and gaining assistance to promote participation. The Census Bureau will work

with stakeholders during the initial research and outreach phases to determine the frequency

and depth of communications that would best engage them.

To recognize the support of stakeholders and continuously communicate with them in a

meaningful way, the Census Bureau will engage them before, during, and after the count by:

	 Soliciting stakeholder feedback and advice, both through formal requests and by

maintaining a continuously open line of communication: Stakeholder groups

generously offer their time and experience to shape plans leading up to 2020. Their

input will be key to crafting audience‐focused messaging and developing promotional

materials and items that will raise awareness and drive participation.
                     

                         

                      

                     

                     

                         

   

                   

                   

                         

  

                   

                     

                             

                                   

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	 Holding trainings for key and interested stakeholders: These trainings will help ensure

that stakeholders are familiar with key census topics and processes. We will also equip

stakeholders to brief their own networks about the 2020 Census.

	 Holding regular updates with groups such as the Census Bureau’s Advisory

Committees: These updates offer the opportunity for stakeholders to ask critical

questions about upcoming plans and provide insights and advice as plans are refined

and executed.

	 Hosting briefings and producing materials for distribution to Congress, federal

government agencies, tribal governments, and state and local governments: The

Census Bureau will make it easy for stakeholders to monitor progress and review

proposed activities.

	 Enlisting stakeholders to spread the word about Census Bureau activities: Many

stakeholder groups have far‐reaching networks and understand the importance of the

census to the country and to their own specific audiences. The Census Bureau will not

just ask for their support; we will create materials in a format that is best suited for their

needs.

Sample Activation With Members of Congress: Members of Congress have a unique ability

to reach constituents from coast to coast and have a keen interest in the use of the census

for allocating congressional seats and funding for programs that help their constituents. They

also have existing communications networks and reach that the Census Bureau can leverage.

Sample activations could include but would not be limited to:

	 Holding a series of Hill briefings for members and their staffs.

	 Scheduling a Census Bureau official to speak at the members’ lunch and the press

secretaries’ monthly meeting.

	 Encouraging members to build census information into their talking points as they

speak at conferences, to media, and elsewhere.

	 Producing a member toolkit that allows for dissemination of information to
 

constituents. It could include:
 

	 A widget for their congressional websites.

	 Frequently asked questions and answers as well as fact sheets about the census.

	 A calendar of ideas for media and constituent outreach.

	 A sample opinion piece for use in local newspapers and newsletters.

	 A prewritten email to constituents.

	 Examples of local constituents and organizations that have put census data to

good use.
                   

                           

                           

                               

                             

                             

                       

                                 

                         

                         

                         

                               

                           

                       

                           

                     

                   

                 

                       

                               

                       

         

   

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Localized Engagement: Every town, constituency, and community group has unique defining

features, and it will be critical that our outreach approach maintain flexibility for local

customization. The Census Bureau will strive to make issues relevant, timely, and accessible to

people in their own neighborhoods. Grassroots teams in the field, through CPEP, will play a vital

role in both planning and executing local stakeholder relations strategies in their areas. We will

provide them with guidance on our national program goals, as well as tested messages and

toolkits that incorporate approved materials and lessons learned from other communities to

aid them in their outreach efforts. To promote use of these toolkits and make them relatable to

diverse audiences, the Census Bureau will provide customizable materials, including access to a

library of diverse images and messages from which stakeholders can choose those elements

most likely to make an impact with their audiences. Ongoing communication between the

Census Bureau’s national and local staffs will aid in coordination at all levels of the campaign

and will help us take advantage of national and local opportunities as they arise.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Identifying the challenges and concerns that affect communities and neighborhoods is an

important part of the planning process—and a task for which stakeholder input can be

invaluable. This includes understanding previous barriers that stakeholders have overcome to

best serve their constituencies. In serving communities with multicultural populations, for

example, understanding the language preferences and cultural intricacies within the

community—an effort that stakeholders can support—is key. With such information in mind,

we can focus on the appropriate stakeholders, as well as partners, that have already built trust

and open communication within their communities and that actively advocate for their

constituents on the important issues.
                               

                           

                   

      

                         

                           

                       

                       

                           

           

   

     

                           

                         

                         

                       

                       

                             

                           

                           

                         

                   

                         

                         

                         

                               

                        

                 

                         

                               

                       

                     

                           

                           

                               

                           

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PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

OVERVIEW

The Census Bureau relies on the support of partners throughout the country to be able to

perform a complete and accurate count. Partnership outreach is a critical function within our

audience‐focused approach to encourage self‐response and participation among our target

audiences in 2020.

An audience‐focused approach includes ensuring that our efforts fit the needs of our partners,

who provide valuable support in reaching our key audiences. Using feedback and insights from

partners with whom we formed successful relationships during previous censuses, we will

develop a flexible strategy that offers participation opportunities for all partners. This strategy

will integrate the efforts of the following groups to support a nationwide, integrated campaign:

 Community Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP).

 Data dissemination program.

 National Partnership Program.

Working in tandem with these entities, we will identify and enlist partner organizations whose

missions and values align with that of the Census Bureau. Organizations with long‐lasting

relationships in their communities can help the Census Bureau forge local connections and

establish an understanding of the value of the decennial census within those communities.

Additionally, because of the country’s growing diversity and differing interests among segments

of society, partners are the key to reaching and persuading respondents that the census is

relevant to their lives, their communities, and their causes—and that the Census Bureau is

committed to ensuring data privacy and security. In return, partners have the opportunity to

encourage their constituents to participate in a process that will benefit their own communities

and neighborhoods, producing rich data on which many partners rely.

Census Bureau partners have previously included national corporations as well as regional and

local organizations, such as social service groups and grocery stores. For instance, in 2010,

several major corporate entities promoted the census in materials for their customers. In

advance of the 2020 Census, we will also identify partners with large followings on social media

who may be willing to help bolster the Census Bureau’s message online.

Relatively new and emerging technologies present opportunities for partnership engagement

that can get respondents talking about the census and interacting with content through

platforms they haven’t been able to use in the past. Virtual and augmented reality may present

opportunities to partner with video gaming and other entertainment companies as the

technology becomes more accessible and integrated into content consumption activities. For

example, video game services like Xbox Live can run paid advertisements (and private sector

campaigns have taken advantage of these options for years). Virtual home assistants such as

Amazon Echo (aka, Alexa) also present a potentially fun and innovative way to spread the word

about the census. Google has used its wide‐reaching “Google Doodle” on the Google.com home
                             

                                   

                             

                         

                     

                

                         

                         

                         

                 

                     

                  

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page to promote events like primary elections, and Facebook has used its platform to inform

users about the last day they can register to vote in their states. Such promotion of Census Day,

for instance, could reach millions of respondents at very little cost, should major partners see

the benefit of promoting participation. The Census Bureau will continue to explore the

feasibility and appropriateness of such partnerships through initial outreach; further campaign

research and discussions will inform more detailed planning.

We also now have an unprecedented opportunity to track outreach activities and engage

partners: The Partnership Experience Platform (PXP), a tool the Census Bureau is considering

developing, would allow partners to access resources, view events happening in their regions,

and communicate with Census Bureau partnership specialists. An enterprise customer

relationship management (CRM) system will also allow for improved interactions with partners,

streamline partnership effort tracking, and highlight any gaps in partnerships.

What the Census Bureau Provides to Partners: The Census Bureau can provide materials

and support staff for local events, among other things, but cannot provide direct funding

for activities or partners. This is because the Census Bureau does not have grant‐making

authority. As such, we are unable to give money to partners.

For the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will implement a coordinated partnership approach

among national partners, partnership specialists, data dissemination staff, and survey program

areas staff to improve continuity in outreach and strengthen internal and external

relationships. With the understanding that the outreach process for national organizations

typically takes longer, we will prioritize outreach to those groups first. We will then continue to

define a full timeline that details how the different phases of partnership apply to Census

Bureau partners and to public outreach. Our goal will be to have materials for partners ready

and available for dissemination in a timely manner. Distribution of materials will be coordinated

with the Census Bureau communications team and field teams to ensure timely delivery.

APPROACH

INPUTS  

Partnership Experience Platform (PXP): If developed, the PXP would transform the way

partners connect with the Census Bureau and their respective audiences, alleviating some of

the issues expressed by partners in 2010 about accessing information and materials. Through

this platform, partners would be able to customize and print promotional materials, connect

and collaborate with the Census Bureau and other partners, access resources and lessons

learned from previous partners, and share success stories and content with each other. The

Census Bureau is currently considering the build out plan for the PXP, which would be an

important component of campaign outreach efforts.

Existing Database of Partners: The Census Bureau enjoys a broad base of partners who have

participated in previous decennial enumerations and other data collection efforts. The existing

database—the Census Bureau’s CRM system—will allow us to begin to categorize partners by
                       

                         

                         

                       

   

                           

                     

                             

                         

                         

                               

                     

                       

                         

                       

                         

      

                           

                           

                         

                   

                             

                       

                           

                         

                           

                           

                         

                               

                       

        

                   

                           

                         

                               

                         

                       

             

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organization type, level of visibility, reach, and potential for collaboration in 2020—an

important first step in determining a strategic and organized approach to outreach. Close

coordination among Census teams that already have relationships with these partners will be

important for collectively developing a strategic engagement plan that informs priorities and

maximizes reach.

Group Quarters: In the past, the Census Bureau has had success working with various group

quarters (e.g., college residence halls, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and treatment

centers) across the country to ensure that everyone is counted. We will use lessons learned

from the American Community Survey Group Quarters branch and from other data collection

efforts to create tailored materials for each audience and develop outreach strategies as

appropriate. In regards to college residence halls, we will also keep in mind each school’s spring

semester calendar, so that we are reaching campuses at appropriate times.

National Partnership Efforts: The Census Bureau has established relationships with a multitude

of national organizations for each decennial count. With a transition to establishing long‐term

partnerships with national organizations outside of the decennial census—beginning as early as

2017—we can leverage these relationships to extend our outreach efforts and connect with

hard‐to‐count (HTC) populations.

Regional and Local Efforts: Leveraging relationships at the regional level will be imperative, as

these regional staff interact daily with the public through other surveys and their partnership

specialist staff. They can provide critical guidance for reaching those communities they work

with—identifying trusted voices, offering effective outreach materials, and sharing lessons

learned firsthand from previous censuses. In addition, we will seek to identify (early on) Field

Division staff members who have existing relationships with the headquarters of national

organizations.

CPEP works with state, local, and tribal governments, as well as community and faith‐based

organizations, to increase participation in the census. Leveraging the success of the regional

partnership program in 2010, CPEP will rely on more robust partnerships with State Complete

Count Commissions and Complete Count Committees for the 2020 Census. To set up the 2020

Census campaign for success in reaching communities, the Census Bureau has already started

conducting outreach at the local level through CPEP. Using this program, we will be able to

connect with grass‐roots organizations to engage, educate, and encourage people to respond

to the 2020 Census.

Campaign Research: Insights gleaned from self‐response propensity predictions and qualitative

research activities conducted as part of broader campaign research will help the Census Bureau

identify and prioritize HTC areas, informing our approach to partnership outreach. This research

will also shape the outreach materials and items we send to partners to distribute to their

respective audiences, including the messaging, format, and look and feel. In addition to

campaign research, exploratory conversations will help us identify and validate trusted voices

that may be integrated into the campaign.
                           

                       

                           

                               

               

          

                       

                       

                         

                         

                             

                         

                       

                     

                         

                         

                         

                       

                         

                         

                               

                         

                           

                         

                       

                           

                         

            

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Lessons Learned: In 2010 and test censuses, partnership efforts played a major role in a

successful enumeration. They also underscored that an early start to partner engagement is

key, and that we will need to establish relationships with organizations before forming specific

plans for the census. These initial conversations and meetings will help us in getting to know

these organizations—including their challenges and opportunities—and using that knowledge

to better understand their communities.

In previous decennial censuses and other data collections, some potential partners were

contacted on both national and regional levels, leading to confusion and missed opportunities.

In 2020, an integrated strategy with national, regional, and local partnership efforts will

streamline the outreach process and avoid duplicative efforts and multiple contacts for partner

organizations.

Promotional materials and items for partnership efforts will be a critical element of the 2020

Census. Careful planning, using lessons learned from 2010, will help streamline message and

content development as well as ensure efficiency in the process of creating meaningful

translations that will be relevant across varied audiences. Enhanced communication with

partners to capture feedback and educate them about availability of campaign resources will

also be key considerations in developing an approach for the 2020 Census.

PLANNING

Identification of Partners: The Census Bureau currently benefits from the support of national

and local partners, who engage with populations nationwide to encourage participation in

other Census Bureau data collection efforts and early decennial operations. In addition to

building on these existing partnerships, we will use a data‐driven approach to identify

audiences that are expected to lag in predicted census response or are part populations that we

expect to be hard to count—audiences for which outreach by key influencers and

intermediaries is most likely to encourage response. Based on these target audiences, we will

prioritize partner outreach efforts and the allocation of resources to the organizations and

influencers that can help us make the greatest impact on response rates.

Examples of potential national partners for several of our key audiences are identified below.

Partnership examples may serve more than one group and have been identified by

multicultural outreach partners for reference only.

Table 12: Potential Partner Outreach by Interest  

Partner Interest Example

African American/Black  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

 Historically Black colleges and universities.

 National Alliance of Black School Educators.

 National Black Media Coalition.

 Divine 9.

 National Urban League.
   

       

   

       

       

       

   

         

                 

       

           

         

       

   

           

          

       

       

   

           

     

   

                      

   

             

     

       

        

     

       

       

       

         

               

           

Partner Interest Example

American Indian and Alaska  Native American Journalist Association.

Native (AIAN)  American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

 Alaska Federation of Natives.

 Tribal governments.

 Tribal colleges.

 National Urban Indian Family Coalition.

Asian American  Asian Americans Advancing Justice—Asian American Justice Center.

 Asian American Journalists Association.

 Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations.

 Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment.

Business  Local Chambers of Commerce.

 Regional business/economic development entities.

 National corporations such as AT&T and Walmart.

Civic Engagement/Volunteer  Points of Light Foundation.

 Rotary International.

 Order of the Elks.

 Funders Committee for Civic Participation.

 Lions Clubs.

Data Super User  Redfin and Zillow.

 Pew Research Center.

 Academics and researchers.

Faith‐Based  Regional and local faith networks typically associated with Protestant and

evangelical churches.

 Jewish Community Center Association of North America.

 Knights of Columbus.

 U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations.

Government‐Affiliated  State Complete Count Commissions.

 Complete Count Committees

 National Association of Counties.

 National League of Cities.

 National Conference of State Legislatures.

 United States Conference of Mayors.

 National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

 League of United Latin American Citizens.

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Partner Interest Example

Hispanic  National Council of La Raza.

 ASPIRA Association.

 Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

 National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

 National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc.

 Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).

Military/Veteran  Veterans of Foreign Wars.

 American Legion.

 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

 Student Veterans of America.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific  Kamehameha Schools & Alumni Association.

Islander (NHPI)  Asian and Pacific Islanders Association.

 Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

 Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Home Lands Association.

 Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC).

News Media  Broadcast, print, and online outlets.

 Culturally specific outlets, e.g., Univision, MiTú for Hispanic/Latino audiences

(see Public Relations, Page 121, for more detail).

 Industry groups such as National Newspaper Publishers Association and

National Association of Hispanic Publishers.

Rural  National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

 Future Farmers of America.

 Extension services, e.g., National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

 United Way.

Technology/Innovation  Google, YouTube.

 Twitter.

 Mobile application developers.

Youth/Older Population  AARP.

 Children's Defense Fund.

Prioritization of Efforts Through a Tiered Approach: From past censuses, we know that

partners have varying levels of interest, capabilities, and timing requirements for working with

the Census Bureau to promote the census. To engage partners and welcome their support

within a scope that is comfortable for them, we are in the process of forming tiers for

partnership that are based on a partner network model focused on key factors. These factors

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include the size of the organization, potential for reach, and level of desired involvement and

engagement with the Census Bureau.

By offering tiers of partnership and activities, and by making clear suggestions as to how

partners can engage at each level, we will make it easy for potential supporters to understand

their options and identify the level of support that is right for them. This approach will also give

partner organizations access to census data, trainings, and subject matter expertise as well as

provide them with the opportunity to share what they are doing in their community with other

partners. As the Census Bureau begins outreach to organizations, it will be important to use a

flexible approach that allows us to leverage partners’ expertise, reach, and relationships with

their communities.

This focus on localizing partner impact is key to the Census Bureau’s national partnership

strategy. In the years leading up to the 2020 Census, we plan to collaborate with partners to

explore how we can work together to create impact at the community level. For instance, the

Census Bureau intends to work with local partners to identify challenges to a complete count in

their communities, and collectively brainstorm possible solutions to those challenges. This type

of engagement would be co‐designed by the Census Bureau and participating partners, and

could take place through publicly promoted pop‐up events or community challenges. The

Census Bureau is currently exploring opportunities to test this approach within a few pilot

markets, allowing us to further refine and optimize the strategy for a national rollout.

Our first phase of outreach will focus on identifying and engaging national organizations and

entities that have the greatest potential for maximum reach, such as other federal agencies,

private corporations, and national associations. Some existing national partners that have

supported previous enumerations may already have a higher level of awareness of the

importance of the census; other existing partners may have experienced internal turnover,

meaning they have staffs that are unfamiliar with the Census Bureau or the census despite their

organization’s historical partnership with the Census Bureau. The less‐informed partners, as

well as any new partners, may require additional education about the Census Bureau and why

the census matters. Regardless of awareness level, many large national organizations require a

significant amount of time to identify, plan, and act on partnership opportunities. Thus, it is

critical that we begin exploratory conversations with these potential partners immediately.

The next tiers of prioritized outreach will include exploratory conversations with multiregional

and larger regional entities, followed by outreach to community organizations. Many

community‐based groups have been deeply entrenched in their communities for a number of

years; their staffs reflect the demographics of the communities being served, and they

understand the nuances of those communities, including language preferences, customs,

traditions, and other regional distinctions. Because of this, community organizations offer

opportunities for the 2020 Census that should be explored in partnership planning.

Early exploratory conversations are important for identifying types of partnership activities to

which partners would be comfortable committing. For instance, while some partners may be

excited about committing to a large‐scale activity such as printing promotional messaging on

store receipts, others may only be comfortable with committing to a smaller‐scale
                             

                           

                             

promotion, such as including a link to the 2020 Census website in an internal company

newsletter. Regardless of the level of support, the Census Bureau is appreciative and deeply

values the participation of all its partners in helping ensure a complete and accurate count.

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Partner Materials and Items Development: The Census Bureau is committed to making it as

simple as possible for partners to engage with us and participate in the census. Recognizing that

not all partners will have the ability to print materials, we will develop digital and print

promotional materials—including social media and video content, and other promotional items

such as pens, mugs, and chip clips. As much as possible, we will develop templated materials so

partners can tailor them to be culturally and linguistically relevant to their target audiences. We

will also ensure that the materials:

 Help increase awareness of, and trust and participation in, the census process.

 Highlight the importance of participation by and for the community.

 Encourage and facilitate involvement in the campaign.

With an eye for the highly localized outreach conducted by CPEP, we will develop customizable

marketing and communications collateral materials that can be downloaded and printed for

partner use. This could include a general template that allows for textbox customization to

deliver the necessary information on a local level.

In addition to a toolkit of materials, we will also distribute a partnership guidebook—featuring

lessons learned from partners in their support of the 2000 and 2010 decennials. The guidebook

will highlight opportunities and resources that are provided by the Census Bureau and available

to partners as well as strategies for reaching communities and the HTC population.

While the strategic early engagement phase of the campaign begins in early 2019, we recognize

that some partners will benefit from engagement, information, and materials well before then.

The Census Bureau will work with partners to understand their needs for materials and produce

promotional items and materials for their immediate use. These items can be generically

branded and produced with the 2020 Census logo immediately, rather than waiting until

campaign creative materials are finalized later in the campaign.

As we ramp up campaign activities approaching the strategic early engagement phase in 2019,

we will also develop more specific non‐English materials in multiple languages to support the

needs of local regions. For example, to better reach an HTC Asian American population, we

might distribute specific collateral materials through trusted voices and partners that are seen

as leaders in that community. These non‐English materials must be flexible enough to support

highly local customization. The Census Bureau recognizes that the ability to develop custom

marketing communications that meet the needs of both the Census Bureau and the partner will

be critical to that partnership’s success.

Across all materials throughout the campaign, it will remain important to include a clear call to

action, which will shift depending on the phase of the campaign, as well as a reference to the

different ways in which people can participate in the census and encourage others to do the

same.

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Integration With Other Areas: Partners serve as important trusted intermediaries that can

share the Census Bureau’s message, especially among those audiences who may be less

receptive to or difficult to reach through traditional advertising or other means. Close and

frequent coordination with partners will be critical throughout other campaign activities,

including:

	 Stakeholder Relations: It will be important to coordinate national and local partnership

outreach with stakeholder engagement, as many key audience members of this group

will overlap and stakeholders will likely be interested in the Census Bureau’s interactions

with partners. See Page 84 for details on the proposed stakeholder engagement

approach.

	 Public Relations and Events: Partnership efforts must be intertwined with efforts such

as earned media, which is media coverage gained through promotional efforts other

than advertising. We will ensure that regional efforts involving outreach to partners are

working closely with the Census Bureau Public Information Office—and vice versa—so

that messaging is consistent and clear across materials for news media. See Page 121 for

details on public relations.

	 Social Media: Like the Census Bureau, partners use social media to engage with their

constituencies. We will work with partners to identify opportunities to integrate census

messages into the online conversation, leveraging credible trusted voices to encourage

self‐response. See Page 143 for details on social media.

	 Website Development and Digital Activities: The Census Bureau is exploring the

development of the PXP, which could be a major component of partnership outreach.

Accordingly, partner materials and calls to action should be developed with the PXP in

mind. See Page 136 for more information on website development and digital activities.

EXECUTION

Outreach to Partners: Building on the combined efforts of the Census Bureau’s National

Partnership Program, data dissemination program, and CPEP, the Census Bureau will identify

the best means and messaging to approach partners representing diverse groups. Prior to

developing our pitch, we will identify factors that interest influential partner organizations. For

example, some groups are greatly motivated by the ability to receive high‐visibility media

attention.

Distribution Methods to Reach Partners: Getting census materials into the hands of partners in

a timely manner will be imperative to successful partnership operations. In 2010, the Census

Bureau distributed millions of promotional materials and items to its partners through its

National Fulfillment Center and regional efforts. The Census Bureau is currently exploring

options and opportunities for fulfillment in 2020.

In addition to the physical distribution and mailing of materials, the Census Bureau will leverage

its digital properties to facilitate the online distribution of materials. The use of digital products,

such as social media graphics, infographics, and online videos, will reduce distribution costs and

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ensure that materials are accessible to many audiences. The Census Bureau will also explore

online distribution methods such as print‐at‐home materials, or partnerships with print

suppliers like FedEx Office, to allow partners to produce their own paper products at their

convenience.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System: The CRM system will help us avoid

communication gaps and minimize the duplication of outreach efforts. It will also allow CPEP

and the National Partnership Program to keep track of the types of partners involved and their

interactions with the public, fostering improved and more coordinated interactions with those

partners. The Field Division will establish consistent protocols for maintaining the CRM across

all partnership offices—including making sure information is up to date—to ensure accurate

reporting and more streamlined coordination across the Census Bureau.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Strong partnerships will be critical for reaching HTC audiences that represent different cultures

and ethnicities. There is an opportunity to engage segments of a community by enlisting

community‐based organizations and other partners that have worked hand in hand with these

communities and have gained their trust over the years.

For example, while many members of the Asian American community may be digitally

proficient and connected to the internet and their mobile devices, significant portions of that

population rely on traditional sources of information, including community‐based

organizations, grass‐roots retailers such as local ethnic grocery stores, and key leaders of

influence. To reach this audience, we would form partnerships with established community‐

based organizations that offer support related to basic needs, such as housing, social services,

health, and job training. This partnership approach could serve as a model for outreach within

other cultural groups.

It will also be critical to continue expanding our universe of customizable materials—and to

continue coordinating with the National Partnership Program and CPEP—to better reach HTC

audiences and encompass greater numbers of languages to reach them. Partners that can

support outreach in other languages will be invaluable in helping us develop and distribute

language‐specific materials.

In addition, it is important to note, as discussed on page [INSERT PAGE NUMBER that in‐kind

dollars for partner production of materials will not be available. This may place a greater

emphasis on digital materials that partners can easily access and distribute on their own

without significant cost. It will also require us to identify partners unlikely to reach their

audiences using digital materials so that we can prioritize them in determining who will receive

print materials and promotional items.

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ADVERTISING AND MEDIA BUYING

OVERVIEW

Paid advertising will continue to play a crucial role in the 2020 Census, as it did in 2010 and

2000, raising awareness of the census and driving completion through online and traditional

modes.

The rapid growth of technology use among people in the United States, as well as the channels

that can reach those people, create numerous opportunities. The audience reach and

penetration of digital platforms are rapidly growing. As one indicator, Andrew Perrin of the Pew

Research Center reported that in 2015, 65 percent of American adults used social networking

sites, compared with just 7 percent a decade earlier (Perrin, 2015). These developments are

important because with the expanded availability of non‐ID response in 2020, digital advertising

will be able to help people navigate to the questionnaire start with a single click. The Census

Bureau will need to closely monitor how these trends continue to evolve and shift in the years

leading up to the 2020 enumeration to ensure our strategy stays current with the changing

digital landscape.

However, while digital media is a rapidly growing medium, TV, radio, print, and out‐of‐home

(OOH) are still critical types of advertising media, especially among certain hard‐to‐count (HTC)

and hard‐to‐reach populations with limited internet access. Nielsen’s Total Audience Report for

the third quarter of 2016 showed that U.S. adults spend more than 4.5 hours a day consuming

TV, including live and time‐shifted TV, and just over 2.5 hours using an app or the web on a

mobile device. Interestingly, radio trailed both of these media consumption trends, with adults

reporting only 2 hours per day listening to the radio (Nielsen, 2017). Forecasting to

2018, eMarketer expects TV to outperform all other major media at nearly 4 hours spent per

day, followed by mobile (nonvoice) at 3 hours 23 minutes, and desktop at 2 hours 8 minutes

(eMarketer, 2016a).

Given the rate of change in the media environment and varying preferences for media

consumption within the U.S. population, particularly among members of different ethnic

groups, a one‐size‐fits‐all approach will not be sufficient to reach all audiences. Our paid media

and advertising strategy will need to be flexible enough to incorporate the needs of every

region and audience group as well as changing technologies. Local paid media and advertising

will play an important role in setting a baseline for reaching audiences across the United States

while supporting and reinforcing national efforts. Even beyond localized paid media and

advertising, this includes partnership outreach, the Census Bureau’s Statistics in Schools

program, social media, public relations, and other touch points with the Census Bureau’s

audiences.

APPROACH

While encouraging people to respond on their own has been a key goal of previous censuses,

2020 presents some new challenges and opportunities related to self‐response. The Census

Bureau understands that our paid media strategy for the 2020 Census must drive action in a

new census environment in which audiences can respond online, using non‐ID response,

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without having to wait for materials in the mail. However, we are also sensitive to the possible

burdens that increased non‐ID response may place on back‐end operations involving manual

address validation processes. Thus, it is critical that we develop a flexible paid advertising

strategy that can be adjusted to meet our goals and needs in real time.

Our approach to paid advertising and media will be heavily informed by overall campaign

research, especially modeling activities to predict self‐response, and will require coordinated

cross‐team participation from multicultural partners to ensure Census reaches its key

audiences.

In 2010, the Census Bureau created a budget allocation model using HTC factors based on the

2000 Census, in which audience segments that were harder to count received greater

investment. Dollars were then allocated across channels, and during the campaign the media

mix was optimized based on questionnaire responses. This approach, which prioritizes HTC

audiences and leverages real‐time response data to optimize activities during the campaign,

has laid the groundwork for the more robust data‐driven approach to the 2020 Census. As the

Census Bureau further refines its paid media and advertising strategy for the 2020 Census, and

as more details about budget allocation become available, the Census Bureau communications

team will consider these processes and models.

INPUTS

Campaign Research: As described on Page 67, the result of our campaign research and creative

platform development will be the creation of a comprehensive communications strategy,

including an overarching campaign audience, channel, and messaging framework that indicates

which audiences should be reached through which channels (e.g., partner outreach, social

media, paid advertising, etc.). The framework will also outline the messages to be used and the

budget allocation by channel. This is the plan from which we will draw our initial assumptions

and strategic insights to develop a paid media and advertising‐specific strategy.

Advertising at the Appropriate Level Using Predicted Self‐Response Propensity: Early

campaign research will focus on the creation of self‐response propensity scores generated by

predictive models. These scores are primarily modeled at the household level but will be

incorporated into more aggregate levels (neighborhood, ZIP code, DMA, etc.), depending on the

data needs for media planning. These data—and the flexibility to access them at various levels

of targeting—will be instrumental for our planning process, as it is not possible to target all

media at the same geographic level. For example, knowledge of DMA‐level self‐response

propensity scores will allow the Census Bureau to prioritize broadcast TV and radio advertising

in specific DMAs over others.

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Figure 8: Advertising and Media Buying Approach  

Key Communications Phases: These phases for the overarching campaign strategy, described

on Page 51, will be especially relevant for paid media and advertising activities. This timeline

will be a guidepost for not only the channels Census advertises through, but also the messages

featured in the advertising that runs.

Paid media will have the greatest impact on self‐response during the awareness, motivation,

and reminder phases. As referenced in the rapid response section on Page 182, we will build a

response model depicting response by week, as was done in 2010.

Real‐World Tests and Experiments: In addition to relying on existing data sources and real‐

world results received during the early targeted awareness phase, experiments may be carried

out to provide insight into processes for which pertinent historical evidence is not accessible,

should funding be available. These real‐world tests and experiments may address topics such as

the ideal timing of messaging (e.g., awareness vs. self‐response messaging), the impact of

general Census Bureau brand advertising, and the effect of direct text‐messaging contact on the

response rate, among other factors. Based on resources and time, the Census Bureau is

currently assessing the feasibility to conduct such tests and experiments and would plan

accordingly upon a final decision.

Rapid Response System: The ability to reallocate paid media spending and refine messaging

during the campaign will be a critical component of our rapid response activities. Media

planning will be conducted with an eye for this requirement, ensuring that our media buying

and reporting processes are aligned with the needs of the rapid response system. The ability to

optimize and refine media placements throughout the campaign will differ according to the

type of media used. For example, digital placements can be altered quickly, and many will be

continuously and automatically optimized for best performance by ad platforms. However, it

takes longer to reserve space and deploy static billboards and bulletins, so it may not be

possible to alter them within the campaign. See Page 114 for details on paid media lead time by

type.

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Participation of Multicultural Partners: The Census Bureau’s multicultural partners have vast

knowledge of how to best reach specific audiences through culturally appropriate means

through their experience with audience‐based media buys at national and local levels. These

partners will be integral participants in the media planning process. For example, they have

identified microtargeted advertising in local ethnic grocery stores or at cultural festivals and

other events as key avenues through which to reach multicultural audiences. Close

coordination with these partners and stakeholders will also provide direction for identifying

trusted voices that can be integrated into advertising collateral, such as billboards featuring

individuals that audiences recognize. These insights and more will be key inputs for the media

plan.

Inputs to the Plan From Regional Offices: Like multicultural partners, regional directors will

have important insights to contribute to the advertising and media buying plan—particularly

regarding how to reach HTC populations—and will be involved in the media planning process.

Regional directors will be able to help us prioritize those critical outlets that should be included

in the media plan before the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to media vendors. As part of

the process, we will provide clear direction and tightly defined parameters to ensure that

regional directors can provide actionable feedback.

Lessons Learned From 2010: Among the many successes of the 2010 Census advertising

campaign, one of the top 10 lessons learned was to improve the understanding and

transparency of the media buying process among key stakeholders and the paid media

community. Confusion over terminology, the highly public visibility of the process, and

coordination among various Census programs and stakeholders were key challenges in 2010.

The 2020 Census will require a more clearly defined and communicated process for media

planning and buying.

PLANNING

While campaign research will be important across all areas of the campaign, it is perhaps most

instrumental in determining the paid media and advertising plan for the 2020 Census. Upon

completion of this research, the media plan will identify the amount of spending to be directed

to the various media channels that will be used for the 2020 Census, as well as the mode, main

message, and creative materials that should be used to reach each audience.

To create an effective media plan, the Census Bureau will develop a streamlined planning,

review, and approval process that involves the appropriate internal stakeholders, including but

not limited to representatives from regional teams. External stakeholders and partners will also

be kept informed of our advertising approach, including the research and data informing our

plans, so that we can work together to identify gaps in outreach to audiences—especially HTC

groups.

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“Paid Media and Advertising 101”: To ensure alignment and a common foundation of

understanding of the media buying process, the communications team will hold “Paid Media

and Advertising 101” training sessions with key Census stakeholders to educate them on the

terminology, process, and important milestones for 2020 media buying. The Census Bureau will

work to understand the needs of training participants, as well as the most efficient method of

delivery for these trainings.

Paid Media Review Team: Close and regular coordination with stakeholders across the Census

Bureau will be critical for an efficient media buying process. The Census Bureau will assemble a

group of key internal stakeholders to review potential paid media and advertising placements

for appropriateness. A subset of this team may include an Advertisement Creative Review

Team, which will be responsible for reviewing the campaign creative that will run in those

placements.

Media Channel Planning Tool: Some data produced through campaign research will be fed into

a proprietary tool called Resolve. This comprehensive decision‐making framework informs

channel strategy that uses shopper data, secondary research tools like Mediamark Research

and Intelligence or Live Panel, and case study data to establish the most effective touch points.

It provides a strategic guide in channel selection by prioritizing which channels will best drive

behavior change. Resolve helps answer questions like:

 Which communication tasks should I focus on to meet my objectives?

 Which touch points will best deliver my required communication tasks?

 Where should I focus my energies within the consumer journey?

 How should I best spend my budget across touch points and communication tasks?

We will use this tool in conjunction with other campaign research and self‐response propensity

scores to develop overall budget levels and allocations.

Focused Local Advertising Supported by National Baseline: To ensure that Census reaches

diverse audiences across the United States, the media plan will include a mix of focused paid

advertising at the local market level, supported by a foundational base of national paid

advertising. While preliminary insights, including the success of local efforts in 2010, suggest

that advertising activities may skew toward a heavier local effort, final budget allocation

between national and local media will be informed by findings generated by self‐response

propensity modeling, other campaign research conducted by the Census Bureau, and input

from multicultural partners.

While the focused local support will target individual HTC audiences, the foundational base of

national paid advertising will be important for driving self‐response among both HTC and non‐

HTC audiences (i.e., audiences that have a higher predicted self‐response propensity and

therefore do not require as much focused advertising). Further, this baseline of coverage across

the nation will serve as a strong backdrop for tailored local advertising that can speak directly

to the audiences that live in those markets, such as specific cultural and ethnic groups, which

may include HTC audiences.

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Because local media often has a smaller audience than national media, the Census Bureau will

consider relative price when determining the right mix of national and local budget and how

various advertising channels can be leveraged to reach audiences at a local level. For example,

the Census Bureau’s future research and self‐response propensity modeling may indicate that

rural households are an important audience that the Census Bureau should focus more of the

digital advertising budget on. Because rural households exist across the country in several

geographic areas, the Census Bureau might choose to pursue a national‐level buying strategy to

reach them. That national budget would then be directed to specific local areas that include

rural households, allowing the Census Bureau to optimize a cost‐efficient national buy to

maximize local reach.

Media Channels: The resulting proposed media mix will encompass the channels identified as

being most appropriate for reaching our target audiences, with particular consideration for how

they can be leveraged to reach multicultural groups using non‐English messaging. These

channels will likely include:

	 Digital Advertising: Our approach will determine the appropriate mix of display, search,

video, social, mobile, email, text messaging, and audio streaming advertising. Especially

on the local level, digital advertising—more than any other medium—can deliver

tailored messaging to target audiences, and can be optimized based on real‐time

results. The 2015 Census Test in the Savannah DMA revealed several key lessons for

digital activities, including the needs to better track users and identify pain points within

the census response tool and to ensure that proper tracking is established at the front

end of development.

These results will allow us to collect insights at the household level and aggregate them

at various geographic levels. We will then take what we know about these geographic

areas to identify priority areas and create “geo‐fence” digital ads, targeting them

exclusively to internet users in high‐priority areas.

When working with digital advertising vendors, especially large platforms such as

Google, the Census Bureau will consider nontraditional advertising and traffic‐garnering

tactics. For example, we could work with Google to set a custom search result when

someone searches “Census.” A special search return could include a direct call to action

to complete the census within the Google search page. This would be like the special

search results that Google employs in partnership with the National Suicide Prevention

Lifeline:

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Figure 9: Example of a Google Partnership

	 Radio Advertising: Radio advertising will use a combination of national and local buys,

incorporating terrestrial, satellite, and streaming radio ads, as well as prerecorded and

live reads to take advantage of local hosts through spot radio. Network radio could be

used as an efficient layer of national media and employ trusted voices to reinforce the

Census Bureau message. The combination of these radio outlets will allow Census to

customize advertising for audiences by geographic area, station, genre, ad format,

language, and time of day. To extend the reach of radio among key audiences, we will

also explore podcast advertising with major outlets.

	 TV Advertising: Like radio, TV advertising will include national and local buys. Our plan

will prioritize programming, networks, and genres based on the efficiency with which

they can deliver messaging to target audiences. Local television advertising will be

overlaid onto national advertising to reinforce the national strategy and more directly

target HTC groups, and to ensure that media is purchased as efficiently as possible.

Technology developments related to smart TVs and connected devices will be important

considerations for the 2020 Census campaign. As digital streaming services continue to

advance, so will Census’ approach to incorporate these key channels into our overall

strategy.

	 Print Advertising: Print advertising will include magazines, newspapers, and other

publications at the national, regional, and local levels where appropriate. For HTC

audiences, this could include advertising in highly localized publications such as local

grocery store weekly circulars.

	 Out‐of‐Home (OOH) Advertising: OOH advertising will be another important

component of the media mix. Based on campaign research, we will identify the areas

where key audiences live. Our media buyers will then locate OOH opportunities to reach

those groups, identifying placements where billboards and posters are most likely to

attract attention and be seen by HTC audiences—or those we are otherwise seeking to

reach.

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Understanding how to best leverage digital OOH ads in 2020 will offer important

opportunities for Census. The ability to quickly adjust messages and creative elements

based on environmental factors, such as the time of day or the weather, will allow us to

swiftly implement innovative and responsive advertising. In addition, digital OOH

advertising can be used to connect with mobile advertising, providing an opportunity to

reinforce messages through a variety of channels.

	 Event‐Based Advertising and Sponsorship: Advertising at events can be an especially

important channel for reaching key audiences, particularly those that may be difficult to

reach through traditional or online media. Advertising at cultural events, and close

coordination with the Census Bureau’s outreach programs such as the Community

Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP), will be important in reaching multicultural

audiences. Examples of culturally relevant events and observances are listed in the

following table. This list is meant to be illustrative; additional events will be added or

deleted based on research.

Table 13: Sample Cultural Events

Event Audience Location

Lunar New Year events

(late January/early February)

Asian American (specifically

Chinese, Korean, and

Vietnamese)

Communities nationwide

Black History Month events (February) African American/Black Communities nationwide

Arizona Aloha Festival (March) NHPI Phoenix

Calle Ocho Festival (March) Hispanic Miami

Denver March Powwow (March) AIAN Denver

Merrie Monarch Hula Festival

(April)

NHPI Hilo, Hawaii, and televised and

streamed online

Asian American and Pacific Islander

Heritage Month (May)

Asian American/NHPI Communities nationwide

Cinco de Mayo (May) Hispanic Communities nationwide

Juneteenth events (June) African American/Black Communities nationwide

Pride events (June) LGBTQ Communities nationwide

Houston Latin Festival (August) Hispanic Houston

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct.

15)

Hispanic Communities nationwide

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Event Audience Location

Native American Heritage Month events

(November)

AIAN Communities nationwide

	 New Platforms and Emerging Trends: The Census Bureau will stay attuned to rapidly

evolving advertising platforms and identify which are the most advantageous. We will

scan the media landscape for emerging trends like Bluetooth low‐energy mobile,

wearable technology, augmented reality, and video game advertising and integration,

and we will test those that show the greatest potential to deliver the Census message

effectively and to drive self‐response.

For example, in the Asian American community specifically, social networking and

messaging apps (like WeChat, Kakao Talk, LINE, and WhatsApp) are gaining popularity.

These apps enjoy strong adoption among specific segments of the population given the

high concentration of usage of these apps in native Asian homelands. With the rise of

immigration from Asian countries—more than 12.7 million in 2014 per American

Community Survey data—and projections from the Pew Research Center suggesting

that Asian immigrants are expected to become the largest foreign‐born population by

2055,we will consider which communications platforms are being used by particular

segments to ensure that we reach those audiences (Pew Research Center, 2015a).

Contingencies and Reserving Budget for Rapid Response: The Census Bureau recognizes that

the plan must include contingencies in the event that our plan must be adjusted. For example,

if an upfront media buy—a media purchase that is made several months in advance of when

advertising is scheduled to air—cannot be realized due to significant shifts in the media

landscape or other unforeseen circumstances, we must be able to adapt accordingly.

A key component of the rapid response phase will be adjusting our paid media and advertising

activities to reach those audiences with low response during data collection. The advertising

and media buying plan will include considerations for how the budget is allocated for use

during that phase.

Planning Timeline: Based on the key communications phases described on Page 51, it is

possible that very limited paid media and advertising activity will be warranted during the

strategic early engagement phase (January 2019 – December 2019) to reach audiences that

may require more time to understand the upcoming 2020 Census and its importance. After

that, the awareness, motivation, and reminder phases will encompass broader advertising and

media coverage to urge people to complete their census questionnaires.

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The timeline below describes the progression of key activities in the media planning process:

	 June – July 2018: We will conduct a media planning kickoff meeting, prepare an initial

media brief that incorporates outputs from campaign research and creative insights,

and host a multicultural media conference.

	 August – October 2018: We will develop a media plan, initially developing and then

building on media plan scenarios (including targets, media mix, spending allocations,

timing of media runs, and unit mix) timed to support public relations and partner

outreach and encompass all phases of the campaign. This planning process will

incorporate multicultural agency collaboration as well as feedback from Census Bureau

subject matter experts, regional staff, and key stakeholders.

	 November – December 2018: We will submit a draft media plan confirming the

prioritization of media channels (including digital advertising and online video,

television, radio, print, and OOH), as well as the proposed budget, for approval by the

Census Bureau by the end of calendar year 2018.

	 January – April 2019: We will confirm the available advertising budget. Due to the

federal budget and appropriations process, this would be the earliest point at which the

Census Bureau could commit to any potential long‐lead paid media opportunities, such

as sponsorships.

	 May – June 2019: We will begin negotiations for upfront television media buys for the

2020 Census campaign. These negotiations—which focus on securing placements and

pricing well in advance of the launch of the campaign—will begin after the networks

present their schedules for the upcoming “broadcast year,” which goes from the end of

September 2019 to the start of September 2020.

	 June 2019: Limited strategic early education advertising may begin airing. While it is

likely that activities such as partner outreach and public relations will comprise the bulk

of activities during the strategic early education phase of the campaign (January to

December 2019), it is possible that some paid media advertisements will be used to

target HTC audiences in particular.

	 July – September 2019: As the 2020 Census approaches, we will validate the proposed

media plan, refining it as needed. The Census Bureau will commit to upfront television

and other media before securing advertising inventory. Media starting in October 2019

will need to be purchased at this time, as would any additional long‐lead opportunities

(such as sponsorships).

	 October – December 2019: In fall 2019, media buying activities will ramp up in

preparation for the launch of the 2020 Census campaign, with the earliest awareness

advertising starting during this time.

	 January – August 2020: Most paid media will be allocated in support of the launch of

the broad public campaign in January 2020. Paid media will build awareness that the

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2020 Census is coming (awareness phase, starting in January 2020), motivate people to

fill it out (motivation phase, starting in March 2020), and remind those who have not yet

filled it out to do so (reminder phase, starting in May 2020). As the overall campaign

ramps up toward the March 2020 motivation and May reminder phases, so will the

advertising spend. Advertising will wind down as we near fall 2020, when the campaign

enters the “thank‐you” and data dissemination phases.

It is important to recognize that ongoing research, periodic updates to self‐response propensity

models, and real‐time results and feedback from Census tests, experiments, and the ongoing

campaign will inform the planning of subsequent phases of advertising. The Census Bureau will

continue to develop the paid media planning timeline in future iterations of this plan.

Integration With Other Program Areas:

	 Social Media: Advertising through social media channels will be an integral part of our

strategy. Alignment of paid and organic social media activities will be important in

establishing and reinforcing a consistent Census message across channels.

	 Partnership and Stakeholder Relations: Paid advertising can provide a backdrop against

which partnership and stakeholder relations activities can be leveraged. In addition, it is

possible that trusted community voices will become an important part of a paid media

push, especially at the market level.

	 Public Relations: Advertising activities, especially through print magazines or

newspapers, can help the Census Bureau leverage additional earned media

opportunities. Especially for smaller ethnic community publications, advertising can

result in editorial pieces or other coverage.

	 Rapid Response: Paid media and advertising will be a critical component of rapid

response activities. It will be important to design our tools, systems, and processes with

this requirement in mind.

	 Operations: While all program areas require coordination with Census Bureau

operations, it will be especially important for paid media to be coordinated with

operations activities, such as the Census Bureau’s mail contact strategy and other

operations. Branding, messaging, and calls to action across all campaign materials need

to be consistent.

EXECUTION

During the execution phase, the Census Bureau will engage in media buying, production,

measurement, and evaluation of the placements. We will schedule and buy placements based

on market availability and on insights regarding the optimal time to purchase or hold back on

inventory, given real‐time conditions. Placements will be selected from the top‐rated and most

cost‐efficient TV, radio, and digital outlets reaching target audiences, in their native languages

as needed, with a special focus on reaching HTC populations. Advertisements in newspapers

and magazines will target populations that are more likely to notice and/or trust ads in a local

or demographically oriented publication than ads served digitally or by broadcast.

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Placing Advertisements in Appropriate Outlets: The Census Bureau will not place ads in outlets

that may be considered inflammatory, highly controversial, or offensive, and monitor

placements to minimize the risk that ads run adjacent to potentially inflammatory, highly

controversial, or offensive content. However, finding the right balance between selecting

effective programming/outlets that will reach all target audiences and maintaining the integrity

of the 2020 Census campaign is key. This is especially important because audiences with low

response rates, such as men ages 30 to 49, use media and content platforms that may be

considered controversial by some but could also prove to be highly effective in reach and

credibility. In addition, given the rapidly changing media environment and the speed at which

controversial content and comments may spread (e.g., through social media), placements will

require constant monitoring well after they have been selected and executed.

A key part of our media buying process will be developing a policy that outlines the Census

Bureau’s requirements and expectations for appropriate placement of advertising, which will

be clearly communicated to stakeholders, partners, and the public. As described previously in

this section, a key function of the Paid Media Review Team will be to review those proposed

outlets for appropriateness; as a subset of that group, the Advertising Creative Review Team

will review the creative elements of all advertisements that run as part of the campaign.

Negotiating the Best Rates and Cost Efficiency: We will determine the best strategies for

entering each media marketplace and negotiating rates. For example, based on the national TV

marketplace conditions, a particular mix of upfront spending and “scatter” may be advisable to

provide both flexibility and cost containment. Through upfront spending, national TV buyers

enter the market before the new television season to negotiate favorable rates, guaranteed

ratings, options for the opportunity to reduce a portion of the initial buy, and access to

premium content. Conversely, “scatter” buys occur closer to the advertised period and allow

advertisers to select the remaining unsold inventory at variable prices. Sellers’ models are

based on selling “scatter” inventory at a premium to the upfront. Historically, these premiums

fall between 5 and 20 percent (GroupM Historic Modeling, 2016).

Leveraging Both Large and Small Businesses for Buying Power: The Census Bureau values

highly its commitment to engaging small businesses, and leverages their expertise and

experience to reach various audiences, particularly within HTC communities. Census also values

the benefits and cost savings that come with using large media buyers who are often able to

negotiate deals that would otherwise be unavailable. As such, the Census Bureau will place 51

percent of advertising through a national leader in ad placements; small businesses will place

the remaining 49 percent of the budget, working in close collaboration with the larger media

buyer, which will also serve in an advisory role to the small multicultural partners. Small

businesses will place paid media at both the local and national levels, as guided by the needs of

their audiences and available placement options.

Streamlining Cross‐Team Participation: The Census Bureau will work closely with media buying

partners who specialize in outreach to diverse groups. The Census Bureau and team members

will have access to media planning and buying systems that each buyer can use to determine

how best to reach its target audiences. Multicultural partners will provide inputs to the media

plan from both the national and local perspectives, in addition to executing buys at both levels.

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The Census Bureau’s media buying partners have expertise in reaching important audiences

across various media channels—and together they have experience with national and local

media buying for TV, radio, print, OOH, digital, event‐based, and nontraditional channels. In

addition, many multicultural partners have strong relationships within various ethnic media

communities, such as the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a trade association

representing more than 200 African American‐owned community newspapers.

A summary of the team members and their relevant audiences follows:

Table 14: Cross‐Team Participation for Media Buying

Media‐Buying Partner Key Audience

Carol H Williams African American/Black audiences

Culture ONE World Hispanic audiences

G+G Advertising American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) audiences

The Kālaimoku Group Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) audiences

Maxus Diverse mass audiences

Reingold Diverse mass audiences

TDW+Co Asian American audiences

In addition to delivering the media placements, multicultural partners will be responsible for

measuring, optimizing, and providing benchmark reporting on media spends in a way that

aligns with the overall team’s reporting. As media planning progresses, the team will

continuously collaborate to define a consistent process for buying, delivering creative for,

reporting on, and evaluating paid media advertising.

While the Census Bureau is working with partners that have expertise in major segments of the

U.S. population, we recognize that there are numerous and nuanced population groups that

must be addressed as our research and planning progresses. These audiences will be

incorporated into future drafts of the 2020 Census Integrated Communications Plan.

Continuous Refinement: The Census Bureau’s data‐driven campaign approach will allow us to

continuously refine paid advertising tactics and strategy, drawing insights and analysis from

real‐time response results and audience engagement with media.

Continuous refinement refers to our ability to respond to the question “How is our advertising

working?” Answering this question will allow us to make in‐campaign adjustments to maximize

response. Analysis of metrics at different levels will help us adjust our activities to work toward

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questionnaire completion. The following graphic depicts the Census Bureau’s framework for

understanding how to measure effectiveness:

Figure 10: Measurement of Effectiveness in Paid Advertising

Real‐Time Results Informing Creative Adjustments: While the creative elements and

messaging for advertising used across all channels will have gone through a robust research and

testing process before launch, digital advertising will allow us to use real‐time A/B testing

online to test every aspect of each creative execution, including message, language, format,

image, font, color, text size, platform, and audience reached. We will observe the impact of

each of these on the audience’s action, such as clicking through to or filling out a census

questionnaire in real time. We will also evaluate interactions between different elements of a

creative execution within ad platforms, and use tools such as Google Optimizer—along with

proprietary tools belonging to Census Bureau contractor teams—to identify when a particular

image or message resonates especially well with a targeted audience or on a specific platform.

Optimizing Paid Media During the Campaign: For a campaign as dynamic as that for the 2020

Census, flexibility will be a critical factor in determining media buys. Being able to adjust media

(channels, programming, and messaging) will add significantly to the effectiveness of our media

flights and responsible allocation of the budget.

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The table below shows the options for changing advertisements after the initial purchase for a

sample of paid media placement types. The levels of flexibility depicted are intended to provide

directional considerations for the media planning process; final thresholds for canceling,

adding, and shifting inventory, as well as replacing creative, will be determined upon

negotiation with media companies. The Census Bureau recognizes that individual vendors may

have varying requirements for inventory adjustments, and these will need to be identified early

to ensure efficiency in the media buying process. For example, some smaller media companies

that have the ability to reach niche audiences or small populations may require more lead time

than other vendors.

Table 15: Paid Media Flexibility by Type

Placement

Type

Canceling

Inventory

Adding

Inventory

Shifting

Inventory

Changing

the Message

Additional

Comments

National TV Usually 75 percent of Depends on Depends on 3–7 days. Refers to long‐term

Upfront (long‐ total spend is marketplace availability and Syndication may purchases made for

term) committed, conditions. when/where be longer, broadcast year Q3 –

Broadcast, depending on Can incur inventory is depending on Q4.

Cable, quarterly spend. additional moved. Can the program.

Syndication, costs. incur additional Cinema is 2

Cinema costs. weeks.

National TV 100 percent firm at Depends on Depends on 3–7 days. Refers to short‐

Scatter (short‐ time of order. marketplace availability and Syndication may term purchases

term) conditions. when/where be longer, usually made across

Broadcast, Can incur inventory is depending on one quarter.

Cable, additional moved. Can the program.

Syndication, costs. incur additional Cinema is 2

Cinema costs. weeks.

National TV 100 percent firm at Depends on Depends on N/A Last‐minute

Opportunistic time of order. available marketplace purchases made

(last‐minute) inventory and conditions and within days of

Broadcast, client available airdate. Offers

Cable, flexibility. inventory. advantageous rates

Syndication, but can’t guarantee

Cinema inventory will be

difficult, and is

therefore difficult

to plan.

Network 100 percent firm at 2–3 weeks Minimally 30– 1 week Network radio :30

Radio time of order. 45 days,

depending on

market

conditions at

copy must be

provided 2 weeks

prior to start date.

If campaign incudes

Traffic Service

vendors that

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Placement

Type

Canceling

Inventory

Adding

Inventory

Shifting

Inventory

Changing

the Message

Additional

Comments

the time of require :10 and :15

request. scripts, copy can be

provided with 1

week notice.

Local 2–4 weeks depending 1 week 72 hours 24–72 hours; Depends on

Television on the vendor and

market conditions.

local cable will

be close to 72

hours.

Accelerated log

times for

holidays.

number of markets

affected and

marketplace

conditions.

Local Radio 2–4 weeks depending

on the vendor and

market conditions.

1 week 72 hours 24–72 hours;

accelerated log

times for

holidays.

Number of markets

affected and

marketplace

conditions both

affect turnaround.

Local Cinema Screenvision:

Cancellations are only

offered to

multiquarter

commitments upfront.

The first quarter is

always firm, and the

subsequent quarter(s)

require 60 days’

notice before the start

of the quarter. NCM:

60 days before start of

campaign.

Screenvision:

1 week

NCM: 60 days

Screenvision: 1

week

NCM: 60 days

Screenvision: 1

week

NCM: 1 week

notice, but the

actual creative

can arrive on

the Tuesday of

the same week

as the Friday

swap.

Varies by vendor:

NCM or

Screenvision vendor

selection varies by

market.

Newspapers 24–48 hours 24 hours 24 hours 24 hours N/A

National 8–12 weeks before actual issue date; dependent on 6–10 weeks N/A

Magazines published space closing date. before issue

date; dependent

on published

material closing

date.

Local 4–6 weeks before actual issue date; dependent on 2–4 weeks N/A

Magazines published space closing date. before issue

date; dependent

on published

material closing

date.

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Placement

Type

Canceling

Inventory

Adding

Inventory

Shifting

Inventory

Changing

the Message

Additional

Comments

Out‐of‐ Home Typically, 60 days Depending on 1–3 days 24 hours N/A

Digital before campaign start. available

inventory,

lead time

could be as

little as one

week.

Out‐of‐ Home 60 days before 48–72 hours Bulletins: Bulletins: N/A

Static campaign start. to secure, Minimum of 1 Minimum of 1

Bulletins and based on week, based on week, based on

Transit availability.

Printing and

shipping can

take 3–4

weeks.

available

inventory and

materials.

Transit: Costly

and not

recommended.

available

inventory and

materials.

Transit: Costly

and not

recommended.

Online Display Immediate Immediate,

depending on

available

inventory.

Immediate,

depending on

available

inventory.

Immediate Lag time between

adjustments may

last between a

couple minutes and

a couple hours.

Content Immediate Immediate, Immediate, Immediate Lag time between

Marketing depending on

available

inventory.

depending on

available

inventory.

adjustments may

last between a few

minutes and few

hours. This assumes

programmatic, and

not reservation,

buys for placement.

Reservation Timing and penalties Timing and Timing and Timing and As reservation buys

Buys dependent on penalties penalties penalties are typically directly

(guaranteed publisher and depending on depending on dependent on purchased through

advertising available inventory. publisher. publisher. publisher. the publisher, the

inventory) rules around

inventory purchase

will vary.

Online Video Immediate Immediate,

depending on

available

inventory.

Immediate,

depending on

available

inventory.

Immediate Lag time between

adjustments may

last between a

couple minutes and

a couple hours. This

assumes

programmatic, and

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Placement Canceling Adding Shifting Changing Additional

Type Inventory Inventory Inventory the Message Comments

not reservation

buys for placement.

Search Immediate Immediate, Immediate, Immediate Given the scale of

depending on depending on the 2020 Census,

available available we should explore

inventory. inventory. opportunities to

partner with large

search engines for

promotion.

Social Media Immediate Immediate,

depending on

available

Immediate,

depending on

available

Immediate Lag time between

adjustments may

last between a

inventory. inventory. couple minutes and

a couple hours.

Non‐

traditional

Outlets

Varies, but normally

not immediate.

Varies, but

normally not

immediate.

Varies, but

normally not

immediate.

Varies, but

normally not

immediate.

Includes

opportunities such

as advertising at

ethnic

supermarkets,

cultural events, etc.

Advertising Materials Repository: As Census develops its library of advertising materials, we

will store them in a repository of all paid media materials, which includes a system for

registering and monitoring the status of all relevant licensing and copyright agreements.

Testing and Analysis: In 2010, the campaign established targets for reach and frequency during

each phase of the paid advertising campaign, as shown in the table below. Reach is the

percentage of households exposed to the media, while frequency is how often the households

are exposed (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).

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Table 16: 2010 Campaign Reach and Frequency Targets

Phase Population Reached by Media

Awareness Phase 95% (at least 10 times with base funding)

95% (at least five additional times with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

[ARRA] funding)

Motivation Phase 95% (at least 20 times with base funding)

95% (at least 11 additional times with ARRA funding)

Nonresponse Followup Phase Lowest‐responding population (at least three times with base funding)

Lowest‐responding population (at least two additional times with ARRA funding)

While the ultimate success of the advertising campaign in 2020 will be dependent on rates of

self‐response, metrics for reach and frequency—including how many people were shown an ad

and how often they were shown it—will be captured as part of our evaluation plan. This will

allow the Census Bureau to recommend adjustments to advertising activity based on ad

performance and response rates—and on the integration of the self‐response propensity scores

and the media optimizer. Prior to the launch of the campaign, we will clearly outline and

identify key metrics by channel, including but not limited to:

Table 17: Key Metrics by Channel

Channel Common Metrics

TV Impressions and gross rating points (GRPs)

Radio Impressions and GRPs

Digital Varies by channel—includes but is not limited to impressions, click‐thru rate, website visits,

video views, engagements (such as social media engagements and the number of times visitors

complete the questionnaire), bounce rate, and page views

Out‐of‐Home Impressions and showings

Print Impressions, GRPs, and circulation numbers

During the campaign, these metrics will feed into our rapid response system and inform

campaign activities. After the campaign, we will review the results of our paid media

advertising, to be detailed in a comprehensive post‐campaign report.

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KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Digital Audience Buying: Advances in the media buying process, spurred by access to data

about how audiences consume media and interact with communications channels, rather than

data that estimate where audiences will be based on demographics, now allow marketers to

better reach their intended audiences. These advancements will be central to our advertising

approach.

Concerns About Emerging Digital Technologies: As 2020 approaches, we will need to harness

the latest digital media capabilities without raising privacy concerns among potential

respondents or violating policies governing privacy and intrusiveness. Early discussion among

internal and external Census stakeholders about the policy and messaging implications of using

new digital technologies will be important for ensuring that the Census Bureau can employ

those technologies in 2020. This will be especially important when considering that some

technologies can be used to reach multicultural audiences more directly.

Impact of Political Advertising: The Census Bureau will be advertising during the 2020

presidential election year, so it is important to consider the impact that political advertising will

have on the marketplace. Based on observations from 2016, we anticipate that political

advertising will have the greatest impact on local broadcast pricing and inventory from the first

through the third quarters of calendar year 2020,directly corresponding with the awareness,

motivation, and reminder phases (Maxus Internal Data, 2017). Most of the spending in 2016

occurred during the primaries, which vary in date by state. The following actions could minimize

the impact of political advertising:

	 Identify key primary markets. Understanding that elections affect local advertising

primarily, early identification of likely key primary states will help us plan and adjust our

tactics accordingly.

	 Get in early. Advertisers who place schedules upfront could do so at a cost advantage,

while those with short lead times are usually met with premiums and limited inventory.

	 Avoid shorter units. In broadcast, 15‐second ad units are more likely to be bumped

from ad lineups than standard 30‐second ads. For local television, 15‐second ads are

also sold at a relative premium (usually 65 percent the cost of a 30‐second ad).

	 Investigate TV sponsorships and sponsored segments. This helps avoid being pre‐

empted by the Lowest Unit Rate (LUR)—a low‐cost rate afforded to political candidates

by advertisers.

	 Build flexibility into plans. It will be important to recognize the potential need to

reallocate ads to different programming/dayparts and timing during the advertised

window. Television advertising may also need to adjust to primary schedules—ramping

up after a state’s primary is held—to avoid competition.

	 Think local radio. Except for news and talk stations, local radio is less affected by

political spending compared with TV. The Census Bureau will also consider digital radio

streaming and related services.

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	 Consider digital OOH advertising as a broad‐reaching alternative. If pricing of other ad

inventory is high and availability is limited, especially in battleground states, digital OOH

advertising could be a good replacement. The battleground markets in 2016 had good

static bulletin and digital OOH coverage and were not dramatically affected by the

increase in political pressure in the market.

Audience‐Level Considerations: The Census Bureau communications team includes members

with extensive experience in reaching multicultural audiences through their preferred media

channels. In addition to these insights, Census Bureau research will augment our understanding

of audience‐level considerations, including HTC audiences, that will inform our media planning

and buying. For more information about specific audiences, refer to Page 27.

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PUBLIC RELATIONS AND EVENTS, AND CRISIS

COMMUNICATIONS

OVERVIEW

As a complement to the partnership and advertising programs, public relations and related

activities will assist the Census Bureau in reaching hard‐to‐count (HTC) audiences. The public

relations effort will anticipate and address common questions about the purpose of the census,

including those about the process, data security, and how the information will be used. The

effort will also inform the public of how to respond to the census questionnaire, including the

new internet response option.

The Census Bureau’s goals for public relations for the 2020 Census will be to:

	 Increase awareness about how census data are used and how those data influence

people’s everyday lives.

	 Deepen the public trust in the Census Bureau and in the confidentiality of collected

information.

	 Respond quickly and effectively to any events or actions that jeopardize the public’s

confidentiality or may otherwise reduce the willingness of the public to respond to the

2020 Census.

Most important, the campaign will be structured to support the Census Bureau’s goal of cost‐

effectively achieving the highest possible count.

APPROACH

Active engagement with the media and with local trusted voices will form the cornerstone of

the public relations effort. Media engagement will start well in advance of 2020, focusing

especially on reaching HTC audiences who may be less familiar with or more skeptical of the

census and who may require more information to be comfortable with responding.

Americans now consume news and information from multiple sources and in ways that differ

greatly from those of 2010. The Census Bureau will identify and engage early with the trusted

media sources and influencers of our target audiences to create compelling content and story

angles that connect audiences with the issues they care about. Early in the campaign planning

process, we will also develop a detailed plan for managing communications crises that

emphasizes quick and effective action.

The following approach discusses both aspects of public relations: the planned campaign

communications and crisis communications activities.

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INPUTS

Audience Research: Insights from self‐response propensity scores and other campaign research

will help us identify which audiences will need more education or encouragement to self‐

respond, and which messages are most likely to resonate with them. This input will also

indicate what issues or concerns might inhibit self‐response, helping the Census Bureau

determine where early education and crisis communications efforts could be needed.

Media Tools: A variety of tools available in the commercial marketplace will be employed to

provide insight on the preferred media channels for reaching target audiences and to shed light

on public conversation about the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau will supplement its ongoing

robust tracking and listening approach with social media listening tools that offer detailed,

audience‐focused analysis. Some tools that may be used are Radian6, Synthesio, and Crimson

Hexagon, among others.

Inputs From Regional Offices: Regional staff members are valuable resources when it comes to

understanding the landscape of their local news media. They can also help identify regional

influencers and nontraditional partners that play a role in the media landscape. We can ensure

that we are taking the right approach to working with these regional influencers by working

closely with regional offices from the start and throughout campaign planning and execution.

Multicultural Agencies: In addition to the wide range of relationships the Census Bureau

maintains with trusted sources of information across the country, the Census Bureau’s

multicultural agency partners bring relationships with individuals and organizations that can

help shape both the planning and execution of public relations activities.

By incorporating research and data insights from partners into the media relations approach,

we will be able to apply a deep understanding of the influencers who are important to our key

audiences—including those influencers who resonate strongly with specific audiences.

Lessons Learned From 2010: The 2010 Census highlighted several areas for improvement in

2020, including:

	 Timing of and Access to Information: In 2010, public relations efforts sometimes started

too late to have the greatest possible impact. The 2020 Census campaign will prioritize

building public relations strategies and materials early in the process, ideally in 2017,

and making those materials easily accessible to Census stakeholders, partners, and staff.

	 Integration of Partnership, Stakeholder Relations, and Public Relations Efforts: Lack of

coordination among key public‐facing Census Bureau efforts was an area noted for

improvement after the 2010 Census. We recognize that these areas should not be

treated as separate programs; better collaboration across these efforts can help us

enhance outreach opportunities, avoid miscommunication, and rapidly respond to any

threats to a complete count.

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	 Localization of Efforts and Integration at All Levels: The 2010 Census underscored that

the ability to customize and tailor materials for local audiences is important for

encouraging participation—among partners and stakeholders as well as individuals. In

2020, we will ensure that public relations materials can be tailored for a region’s specific

geography and demographic makeup, making them more effective and relevant. These

local and regional efforts, conducted through the Community Partnership and

Engagement Program (CPEP), should be coordinated and integrated with broader

national efforts. Consistent use of the customer relationship management (CRM) system

by Census staff can help in tracking and monitoring ongoing outreach nationally and

locally.

Risk Register: From a crisis communications perspective, we will need to frequently review the

risk register to assess possible vulnerabilities that can be addressed through public relations

outreach. The Key Program‐Level Risks section of the 2020 Census Operational Plan provides a

starting point for this effort, particularly in the identification and classification of possible issues

that could hinder design and implementation of the campaign. The Census Bureau Public

Information Office will build on that work, conducted in 2015, to augment the risks identified in

the operational plan, and finalize and prioritize them based on impact and probability. We will

then develop specific guidance for messaging and response for those risks with the highest

impact and probability. Because we are implementing this activity early in the campaign

planning process, we will continually revisit the risk register as it is updated to determine if new

vulnerabilities that require a prepared response have been identified.

PLANNING

“Early and Often” Approach to Engagement: Building awareness about the new online

response option and emphasizing the importance of responding early requires that we engage

media earlier than in previous decennial counts. Beginning in 2018—two years in advance of

the 2020 Census—we will aggressively engage broadcast, print, and digital media with

storylines tailored to national media outlets and local markets to educate reporters about the

2020 Census and the benefits of participation for their respective audiences. We will prioritize

HTC audiences and low‐coverage areas, engaging broadcast, print, and digital media that have

been shown to reach these audiences and areas, including minority media outlets.

Story Development: Based on insights from campaign research, self‐response propensities, and

previous successes working with media, the Census Bureau will bring to life the stories that

engender interest in the census process and raise awareness about our mission. Storylines will

be organized around distinct themes; for example, one could explore the value of the census to

local neighborhoods, and another could make the value of census data clear to the news media.

This approach will be designed to demonstrate the relevance of Census Bureau data to citizens’

daily lives, connecting our messages and calls to action with trending topics, relevant news

cycles, and the previous reporting of targeted journalists.

We envision that these story themes will be rolled out in distinct phases designed to build a

groundswell of interest—culminating in an educated public that is motivated, and even

compelled, to participate in the 2020 Census.

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Our stories will reinforce the following:

	 The human face of the census process through stories, including:
 

 Census data used to secure grants for nonprofit work in HTC communities.
 

 Census employees on the front lines.
 

 Respondents taking the census online for the first time.
 

 Explanations of the new online questionnaire, including its accessibility and ease of use.

 Confidentiality, , and security surrounding the census and Census Bureau data,

particularly as they relate to online response.

 The Census Bureau’s pre‐eminence as a data dissemination agency—and how different

groups can use the data.

 Important technological advancements since the 2010 Census.

 Call‐to‐action messages that drive people to self‐respond.

 The importance of everyone being counted—particularly young children (ages 0 to 5), a

group that has been historically undercounted in previous decennial censuses.

Early identification of these stories and messages will help us determine how to turn census

data into compelling, sharable content, as has been done in the past by other major

organizations:

 For General Electric, a hosted video series called “GE Masterclass” explored the

interesting science behind GE innovations (General Electric, 2014).

Figure 11: Screen Shot From “GE Masterclass”

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 For McDonald’s, a series on owner‐operators showed what they’re doing for their

communities (McComb, 2016).

Figure 12: Photo From Story About McDonald’s in the Community  

The Census Bureau will reference these and other examples from public and private

organizations as we plan messaging and materials related to our public relations and other

outreach efforts.

Spokespeople Identification and Training: We will work to identify spokespeople and interview

subjects who can speak on behalf of the 2020 Census efforts, finding those who carry the most

credibility and offer the most impact. Our Census spokespeople, staffed out of regional offices

to streamline local engagement with the media, will vary based on the audiences we are trying

to reach. We will also provide spokespeople with a document of key talking points to guide

them in interviews and a toolkit with other useful media materials, such as fact sheets and data

explainers.

Collaboration Among National and Regional Officials: The Census Bureau’s national Public

Information Office will also support regional officials and their spokespeople with media

training, as well as on‐site staffing as needed and feasible, so that they are prepared to respond

effectively to matters that arise, particularly during the rapid response period. This sharing of

support and resources among national and regional offices can streamline the coordination

process, ensuring that the appropriate spokespeople and officials respond accurately and

efficiently to the issues that they are best poised to speak on.

Media Monitoring: The Census Bureau will conduct ongoing media monitoring activities,

increasing from weekly, to daily, to real‐time updates as we move into 2020. We will first

conduct baseline background monitoring, with monitoring and listening increasing throughout

2018 and 2019. Activities will reach a peak in 2020, when Census Bureau leaders will require

access to daily and real‐time reporting of media coverage and events to inform actions.

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Crisis Communications Planning: The purpose of our crisis communications preparedness

effort is to establish plans and processes that anticipate and strengthen readiness for specific

risks and scenarios we may encounter as we launch and conduct the 2020 Census. The goal is to

ensure the ability to communicate swiftly and effectively with affected stakeholders as we

address crisis situations—particularly those identified in the Key Program‐Level Risks section of

the 2020 Census Operational Plan. The challenge is to ensure timely awareness and efficient

management of potential crises given the Census Bureau’s structure, which is necessarily

decentralized across the United States. Given the ongoing requirement for the Census Bureau

to be prepared to respond to a crisis in the years leading up to the 2020 Census, we recognize

that crisis communications planning must begin immediately.

Establishment of a Crisis Communications Team: To help ensure that we can effectively

identify, address, and recover from any potential crisis, the Census Bureau will create a crisis

communications structure. Given the decentralized nature of the Census Bureau, we will create

multiple teams, including a core team at the headquarters level and separate teams for each of

the six regions. A more detailed crisis communications strategy in the future will:

	 Delineate roles and responsibilities of members, aligning these with team members’

areas of expertise whenever possible.

	 Establish how the teams will be notified and activated to manage potential crises, and

develop triggers for escalation to the director level.

	 Detail how the teams will coordinate, as well as the types of issues and crises to which

they will respond. To ensure timely and efficient response, issues and crises should be

handled at the most local level possible—recognizing that the specific issue or crisis will

dictate the appropriate level of response. While the national core team will always be

apprised of and able to support unfolding crisis situations, response to regional and local

issues will be executed by regional teams. For some issues that pose an especially high

risk, such as those related to cybersecurity, we may consider creating a dedicated team.

Such teams would work seamlessly with the core and regional crisis teams as well as the

rapid response team.

	 Define decision‐making authority among the teams, including identifying a hierarchy of

decisions and issues that need to be elevated to various levels of Census leadership.

	 Identify respected third‐party validators who can lend credibility to Census’ message,

as well as the materials and information they may require to support our message.

Scenario Plans for Key Risks: Based on the risks identified as having the highest probability and

greatest potential impact, we will develop scenario‐specific plans, which will include the

following elements:

	 A description of the scenario.

	 A draft core message in response to the scenario, which would serve as a starting point

if the Census Bureau were to face that situation or a similar one.

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	 Messages, in addition to the core message, that could be used with specific

stakeholders; we will develop dedicated messages for employees, including those who

interact with the public through Census Questionnaire Assistance (CQA) and other

platforms.

	 Communications tactics for delivering messages to those stakeholders, such as a
 

website posting, social media post, email, or phone call.
 

	 The point person at the Census Bureau who would communicate with the stakeholders

and keep in touch; the point person would also report back to the core and regional

crisis teams, as well as the Census Bureau outreach teams, about what he or she is

hearing regarding status and concerns from the stakeholder or stakeholder group.

Measurement and Evaluation: As Census further refines its media strategies and tactics, it will

be important to plan the specific evaluation strategies and metrics for tracking the

effectiveness of our work before it starts. Example metrics for public relations efforts include

overall positive mentions of the Census Bureau and/or the 2020 Census, awareness of the

availability of online response, and the timeliness of the Census Bureau’s response to reporters’

requests. These will become more defined as planning for the 2020 Census progresses.

Integration With Other Program Areas: Given the dynamic and integrated nature of

communications in today’s digital landscape, there are many overlaps between and among the

public relations program and several key areas of the 2020 Census. Careful coordination

between the Census Bureau’s public relations team and other program areas will be critical in

maintaining a clear, consistent, and actionable message that is useful to all the Census Bureau’s

media, influencer, and stakeholder audiences and their respective networks.

	 Social Media: Considering this is the first census that can be completed online, it is

essential that we place heavy emphasis on our use of social media and other online

platforms to share messages with journalists and members of the media—and direct

them to the information, stories, and spokespeople they need in order to act. We will

also use tools to track media mentions of online conversations and other census issues,

informing a variety of outreach strategies and tactics. For more information on social

media, see Page 143.

	 Partnership and Stakeholder Relations: Partners provide important trusted voices that

can be amplified through the media, so we will leverage partner stories and activities to

create compelling content. We will also equip Field Division staff with materials that will

enable them to conduct their own media relations efforts at a local level.

	 Rapid Response: We will establish an “always‐on” social listening operation using a

mixture of third‐party and proprietary technologies. This early warning system will

automatically alert our team to the emergence of an issue that needs immediate

attention, and twice‐daily manual checks will ensure that we identify smaller moments

to neutralize or capitalize on.

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EXECUTION

Because the Census Bureau will need to be prepared to respond with crisis communications at

any point in the years leading up to the 2020 Census, execution of those communications must

begin immediately. Execution of additional public relations activities will follow a phased

approach. Building on the previously described plans, materials, and content, we will work with

the national and regional public information offices to leverage on‐the‐ground media

relationships in every media market and U.S. congressional district, ensuring that the message

gets conveyed everywhere. We will engage broadcast, print, and digital media with storylines

tailored to national media outlets, as well as local markets, to educate reporters about the 2020

Census and the benefits of participation for their respective audiences. Throughout our efforts,

storylines will consistently demonstrate the value of census data and connect our core

campaign messages and calls to action with relevant previous reporting.

Crisis Communications Execution: It will be critical that we remain vigilant regarding any

potential risks that need to be mitigated through the media, and that we stand ready to act at

any moment. To further strengthen our crisis preparedness, we will conduct trainings and drills

at periodic intervals with the crisis communications teams and others within the Census

Bureau. This training will be repeated as staffs continue to grow in advance of 2020, and will

include:

	 Crisis Desktop Exercises: A crisis simulation exercise provides an opportunity to test the

crisis plan and gives team members the chance to familiarize themselves with the

procedures and protocols in a crisis communications preparedness plan and with their

associated roles and responsibilities.

For each exercise, we will use one of a set of high‐level risk scenarios. Like a real‐world

situation, participants will be presented with key developments and then asked to

discuss the communications strategy and response actions, through prompts by a

facilitator. The scenario will escalate over time, and we will use mock media inquiries,

news stories, and phone calls from stakeholders to make the exercise as realistic as

possible. Each exercise will conclude with a team debrief to identify successes and

challenges, and to set goals for the next exercise.

	 Whom we will train: A core national crisis communications team and regional teams

separately, as well as joint exercises with regional teams, the core national team,

and trusted voices representing each target audience.

	 Frequency: Twice per year for each team, likely beginning in 2018.

	 Crisis Management Training: Several Census Bureau personnel at the national and

regional levels may serve as spokespeople during a crisis. For these exercises, we will go

beyond basic media training techniques by focusing on the special challenges of

communicating during a crisis. We will use one or two scenarios in this training and

provide each spokesperson with an opportunity to participate in a mock on‐camera

interview.

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	 Whom we will train: Potential spokespeople from the core national crisis

communications team and regional teams, plus any others who may be called on to

serve as spokespeople because of their positions or areas of expertise.

	 Frequency: Once per year for each participant, likely beginning in early 2018.

Identification of a Crisis, and Team Activation: A critical factor in effective crisis management is

ensuring that both the operations and crisis communications teams are made aware of

potential crises as early as possible so they can assess and take steps to mitigate and contain

the situation. Early warning may also allow the teams to resolve an issue before it escalates into

a full‐blown crisis.

Given that reports or concerns could first be identified by employees in any part of the

organization, we will establish a mechanism—such as a toll‐free number, live chat, and SMS

text messaging—for all employees and partners to alert the core national crisis communications

team or a regional team to the situation. Starting in 2017, we will provide yearly training to

employees in the form of a webinar that explains the types of situations that need to be

reported.

The national and regional teams will review daily media monitoring reports, including social

media, to flag any stories that could signify the development of an issue or the start of a crisis.

Similar to the training for employees, the teams will receive detailed guidance on how to

determine if a situation requires activating the team and initiating crisis communications

activities. This will include a checklist of evaluation questions, such as:

	 Does this situation have the potential to adversely affect the census response rate?

	 Does this pose any threat to data security?

	 Is the situation expected to raise significant concerns with a key stakeholder?

	 Is this considered negative content? If so, does it appear to be going viral? Is it crossing

over into other media channels?

We will also lay out an escalation and notification process with three levels for classifying

situations:

	 Level 1 – Issue: Situations that can be managed by staff with minimal involvement of

the crisis communications teams, such as a minor information technology (IT) system

outage that is easily mitigated.

	 Level 2 – Serious Issue: Situations that the core national crisis communications team

and/or a regional team will manage with notification to the director level, such as a

media story alleging that enumerators in a community are missing a significant number

of members of a target population.

	 Level 3 – Crisis: Situations that must be escalated immediately to the director level, such

as a significant cybersecurity incident.

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Crisis Management: We will create tools and templates for the crisis communications teams to

use in assessing the situation and taking appropriate actions. These tools will include:

	 Fact‐Gathering Questions: Gathering as much information as quickly as possible is

essential. This checklist will include specific questions under categories such as “What

happened?”, “What is the scope of the situation?”, and “What is the perceived

responsibility of the Census Bureau?”

	 Top Questions Received in a Crisis: This will identify what questions are expected from

the media and other stakeholders, allowing for the preparation of answers.

	 Initial Actions: This is a checklist of steps that should be initiated as soon as possible in a

crisis. These steps include:

	 Draft initial messages, statements, and talking points.

	 Identify spokespeople and point people for inquiries from media and other

stakeholders.

	 Implement real‐time media monitoring.

	 Communicate with key stakeholders who may be affected by or interested in the

situation.

	 Messaging in a Crisis: This includes guidance on developing messages when all the facts

are not yet known (which is often the case in a crisis), but when it is critical to have at

least a basic response to inquiries.

	 Guidance for Choosing a Spokesperson: This will have tips for determining who should

serve as a spokesperson, including the pros and cons of selecting a senior executive,

subject matter expert, or communications person for the role.

	 Tips for Spokespeople Dealing With Media in a Crisis: This item will include practical

ways to manage media in the wake of a crisis—or as it is unfolding.

	 Media Interviews Do’s and Don’ts: This document will include guidance on how to

conduct a great interview, regardless of whether it is in response to a crisis or not.

Execution of Public Relations Activities: In addition to being prepared to handle a media crisis,

the Census Bureau will implement a proactive strategy for engaging local and national media.

A key first step to directly engaging media is understanding and practicing how to communicate

with them. Providing spokespeople with media training and the necessary background

information on reporters, outlets, and topics will ensure the best possible interviews. Some

national and regional spokespeople will receive media training to ensure that the Census

Bureau’s message is being conveyed in the most articulate and impactful manner. These

spokespeople will also receive talking points reflecting insights from research activities like

Census Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators Survey (CBAMS) 2020 and from regional offices,

based on their experiences with the media. Multicultural partners will be engaged to provide

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specific talking points that will resonate with their diverse audiences. Our media trainers—most

of them former journalists—will polish skill sets through discussions of technique and “learning

by doing” communications exercises. These include hands‐on simulations of intense and

challenging interviews, which teach participants how to stay calm in similar real‐world

interview situations.

Phased Execution: Campaign research will inform the timing of specific phases of public

relations activities, but efforts should start early and essentially be ongoing—especially

preparation for crisis communications. While public relations activities will take place in distinct

phases with discrete messages for the public, as described on Page 51, the activation tactics

used will be similar across all phases:

	 Deskside briefings with key media, editorial writers, and social media influencers (e.g.,

bloggers)—including early outreach at the editorial level to begin developing

relationships with Census Bureau public affairs specialists.

	 Interview opportunities and platforms including satellite media tours, drive‐time radio

interviews, and broadcast programs such as NPR’s “By the Numbers” and Noticiero

Univision with Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas.

	 Working with media outlets to create visual stories and content illustrating the

importance of census data in shaping communities (e.g., infographics, b‐roll video, and

animations, including those depicting shifting residential patterns over time).

	 Media roundtables, webinars, and conference calls with key Census Bureau leaders and

third‐party validators.

	 Op‐eds, blog posts, and letters to the editor authored by regional Census spokespeople

as well as local stakeholders.

The following activities will support the six key phases of the overall campaign, described on

Page 51.

	 Strategic Early Education (January 2019 – December 2019): The goal of this first phase

is to build greater public awareness of and readiness for the 2020 Census. Census

Bureau staff from the Public Information Office will connect media contacts with data

dissemination specialists, who will conduct tutorials for how to use the data tools on

Census Bureau web properties to aid in their reporting about the 2020 Census. The

Census Bureau core team will work with the data dissemination specialists to develop

data sets tailored to issues of interest in local media markets, or aligned with national

headlines. For example, we may consider developing data sets for education reporters

about the numbers of youths who participate in federally funded early childhood

education programs or, for reporters covering local economic development, about job

creation and local migratory patterns.

	 Awareness (January 2020 – February 2020): Most Americans have a general

understanding of how census data points are used in the process of reapportionment

and in determining the number of electors each state receives for presidential elections.

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But when it comes to the role that census data plays in shaping communities through

the allocation of hundreds of billions of federal program dollars, the public seems to lack

a deeper understanding (Lake Research Partners, 2016). Further campaign research will

explore this assessment and provide more insight into audience understanding of the

census.

Throughout this phase, the objective for public relations activities is to broaden that

understanding by creating “a‐ha moments” for reporters—and by extension, their

audiences—in the form of “I had no idea that my participation in the census made this

possible.” During this phase, we will illustrate the numerous ways in which census data

directly affect decisions made on matters of national and local importance: education,

employment, veterans’ services, public health care, rural development, the

environment, transportation, and housing. This also presents an opportunity to work

with partnership specialists to further enhance relationships with influential

stakeholders in these areas.

Using a diverse range of content—including infographics, animations, photos, blog

posts, videos, podcasts, and monthly newsletters (in English or key non‐English

languages) featuring story ideas—we will spotlight programs, projects, and initiatives

across the country that exist because a need was identified by decennial census data.

This phase could highlight tangible examples of community members using census data

to address critical needs and concerns regarding hospitals, emergency services, job

training centers, schools, senior centers, and other services. For example, stories could

highlight how the use of census data allowed the city of New Orleans to predict the

presence of fire alarms, distribute free alarms where needed, and ultimately saved lives;

how these data have helped communities understand where to open more senior

centers to serve their aging baby boomer populations; and how the data have inspired

the implementation of programs for students with limited English proficiency in schools

with significant numbers of foreign‐born students.

The Census Bureau will also pitch these types of stories to network nightly news

programs as regular segments throughout the year. In addition, we will explore

opportunities in cable programming, such as those through Fox Cable Networks, which

reports the most viewers among cable news networks and has a strong following on

digital properties like Facebook.

As the campaign moves closer to the motivation phase, in which self‐response becomes

available, we will pitch stories that position the Census Bureau as an innovator, and the

count as an example of smarter government for the 21st century. We will host

demonstrations of new technology for media and will pitch stories to a wider range of

media that includes technology reporters. Examples of potential media demonstrations

include the handheld device and application used by enumerators; technology that

tracks response rates in real time; satellite imagery used to conduct address canvassing;

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and the online questionnaire that people can complete anywhere, anytime, from their

desktop or mobile device.

The key to this phase will be our consistent and effective explanations and

demonstrations of “how it works”—particularly how enhanced technology is in place to

keep personal information confidential and secure.

	 Motivation and Reminder (March – July 2020): Once the self‐response option is

available, public relations efforts will focus on encouraging participation in the 2020

Census and driving this type of response. Recognizing that no two markets are alike, the

Census Bureau will mobilize the Field Division, including local experts, to work within

each local market to ensure the strategy is tailored to the nuances and culture of that

area. Our partnership specialists working in the field will coordinate with our

multicultural outreach partners on this effort. Sample engagement activities include:

	 Press Kickoff Event: Press events may serve to kick off the countdown to the 2020

Census (and highlight early enumeration efforts in areas such as remote Alaska or

for some group quarters). The use of livestreaming technology, such as Dejero and

LiveVU, would allow the Census Bureau to simultaneously stream multiple events

online, including on social media. Live events might be followed by satellite and

audio media tours, inviting the public to learn more by visiting the Census Bureau

website and attending activities and events where the Census Bureau is

participating.

	 Pop‐Up Museum Concept: The Census Bureau may consider a pop‐up museum

concept in which a portable interactive exhibit travels across the country, making

stops at different population centers. This traveling museum could highlight the use

of census data in the various population centers that the Census Bureau visits,

bringing a local angle to the exhibit.

	 “Census Day” Event Series in Multiple Locations in Different Markets: The Census

Bureau may consider hosting a national kickoff event on Census Day in a select city,

followed by or in conjunction with local and regional events. The Census Bureau and

its partners may host multiple events, including events hosted in languages such as

Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. Planning and execution of these events would benefit

from a market‐based and heavily localized social media push, requiring coordination

across several programs and initiatives of the Census Bureau, including paid

advertising efforts, CPEP, the National Partnership Program, the Statistics in Schools

program, and regional office activities.

	 Festivals, Parades, and Community Events: Using campaign research and working

closely with CPEP and regional staff, partnership specialists will help identify pockets

of people who may not be easily reached through other communication channels. In

response, we will prioritize events that attract HTC audiences or offer opportunities

to drive mass response. These activities will benefit from the extensive experience of

regional staff and multicultural partners in identifying and participating in such

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events. We may also leverage pre‐, mid‐, and post‐event opportunities, including

advertisements, booklets, and follow‐up newsletters, to continue engagement with

audiences beyond the parameters of the event.

	 Thank‐You (August 2020 – December 2020): Public relations can play a key role in

sustaining public engagement with the Census Bureau after the completion of the

decennial enumeration. Initial messages will focus on thanking the public for their

participation in the 2020 Census, using preliminary releases from the enumeration (such

as response rates) to build engagement for the subsequent data dissemination phase.

	 Data Dissemination (January 2021 – ongoing): After apportionment counts are

delivered to the president by the end of December 2020, data derived from the 2020

Census will provide useful news hooks that the Census Bureau can use to further

emphasize the importance of data collection efforts. Ongoing story development using

these data will foster positive attitudes about the Census Bureau, creating a beneficial

backdrop against which intercensal and ongoing data collections will take place well

after 2020.

Activation of Stakeholders to Support Media Efforts: The Census Bureau will augment our

foundation of stakeholders by identifying a set of trusted influencers—spanning from

community leaders to media personalities—who are credible and persuasive in driving

awareness of the 2020 Census and who can underscore its value in the media. We will work

with these trusted voices to integrate them into earned and owned media efforts, as well as

social media partnerships. Outreach‐oriented activities could include:

	 News media interviews.

	 Speaking engagements at events.

	 Content distribution through their networks and platforms.

	 Creation of web videos.

	 Briefings to Congress.

For more information about engaging stakeholders, see Page 84.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Changes in U.S. Media Landscape: Major shifts have occurred in the news media industry since

the 2010 Census, including corporate mergers that have reduced the number of media

companies, while increasing the size and reach of the largest companies. At the same time, the

emergence of smartphones and tablets has led to the hypercustomization of news and

information across specialty or niche channels—the most influential of which are increasingly

nontraditional news organizations. Audiences now get their news from multiple media outlets,

depending on the topic, and through social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and

Twitter.

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Competition With Other Big News: Contraction within the news industry has reduced coverage

of a range of issues, including demographic and other census‐related news. As in 2010, the

Census Bureau will be competing for coverage with state and local government elections. And

unlike in 2010, we will also be competing with the U.S. presidential primaries, which typically

dominate the news cycle.

Concerns With Validity of Online Content: At the time of developing the initial draft of this

communications plan, inaccurate content marketed as real news has been a topical concern for

many Census Bureau stakeholders, as well as for the general public. It will be important to

monitor this issue to see how it affects audiences’ willingness to respond to the 2020 Census.

Responding to Cyber Threats: Cybersecurity‐related incidents present unique communications

challenges and reputation‐related risks, as an incident has the potential to undermine public

trust. No matter the cybersecurity‐related incident, substantial questions would be raised

about whether the Census Bureau invested enough in establishing the people, processes, and

technology to protect the public’s data. To preserve the public’s trust, the Census Bureau will

need to be able to communicate—at a moment’s notice—both what it did to try to prevent

cyber incidents and how it is responding to the incident, which would include supporting those

whose information may have been compromised. Having the capacity to do this successfully in

the aftermath of an incident is largely dependent on having an effective crisis communications

infrastructure, both a team and a plan, in place in advance.

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WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT AND DIGITAL ACTIVITIES

OVERVIEW

The digital environment in 2020 will be fundamentally different than the one that the Census

Bureau navigated for the 2010 Census. The Census Bureau’s web and digital properties will

remain critical promotional tools, informing our paid and earned media and partnership efforts,

and helping to educate, engage, and motivate the population of the United States and its

territories. But in 2020, for the first time in the history of the decennial count, these properties

will also be important avenues for individuals to respond to the census.

The power of using digital platforms and tools to engage audiences continues to grow. During

the 2015 Census Test in the Savannah Designated Market Area (DMA), 80 percent of responses

arrived online; that included 69 percent of people who received the mail package (Vines, 2016).

During the coming years, mobile use will be increasingly important, as smartphone penetration

in the United States is expected to reach nearly 83 percent by 2020 (eMarketer, 2016b). As we

work toward the 2020 Census, it will be critical to emphasize a mobile‐first approach and to

ensure that websites work effectively on the devices that the majority of visitors will be using.

Throughout the 2020 Census campaign—from driving early education and motivating audiences

to respond, through the thank‐you and data dissemination phases—the Census Bureau’s web

properties will be critical in educating and engaging individuals, partners, stakeholders, and the

media, as well as in driving responses both online and through other modes. To realize this

potential, the Census Bureau will create web content for each audience and for each stage of

response, including landing pages in the audience’s language of choice that serve as tailored

front doors to the census questionnaire and/or the Census Questionnaire Assistance (CQA)

center. This will enable different populations to see themselves on our landing pages, while also

expanding our language reach.

Landing pages and other web content should help drive the key action of response, in addition

to enabling users to find more information, share content, and access data. We will create web

content that is easy to navigate and tailored to specific audiences, with clear calls to action.

Regardless of the entry point, we will maintain consistency between the web and other

communications activities, such as digital advertisements, to ensure seamless, integrated

engagement of audiences. This content also must be optimized for mobile devices.

The strategy for the web must remain flexible even after the campaign launches, as the Census

Bureau will continue to adjust the messaging, content, tone, and other factors as the rates of

response are examined during testing and realized during the enumeration. As our

understanding of self‐responders shifts throughout the campaign, our landing pages and other

content must evolve to adapt to the needs of audiences who have not yet responded. This will

support maximum response rates and result in a unified experience that helps guide

respondents from ad, to landing page, to response tool, to exit page.

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Of course, not all respondents will have the capabilities, interest, or experience needed to visit

the Census Bureau landing pages or respond online. Partnership and regional teams, in addition

to multicultural partners, will play a particularly important role in engaging potential

respondents offline.

APPROACH

INPUTS

Campaign Research: Our ability to predict self‐response propensity, as well as other campaign

research activities, will help us identify the universe of webpages to create, including landing,

exit, and informational pages. This research will also allow us to tailor these pages to distinct

audiences, with specific messaging and features designed to maximize response.

Partnership Experience Platform (PXP): The Census Bureau plans to develop the PXP to

consolidate partner‐facing content and current web services and make them more accessible—

to foster continuous engagement with the Census Bureau year in and year out. The PXP would

make it easy for the Census Bureau to distribute content such as toolkits, social media posts,

videos, and other information about the 2020 Census, while also allowing partners to upload

and share their own stories and content with each other. The PXP and the website need to be

aligned from a user experience perspective, as partner‐relevant calls to action on the website

will direct them to the PXP. There should be consistent branding across both of those

platforms, and across all other campaign materials.

Web and Campaign Data: Web analytics and lessons learned from prior campaigns and ongoing

survey efforts—including the 2010 Census and 2015 Census testing, among other tests—will

inform an initial set of recommendations for webpage development. Both Canada and Australia

recently used digital and web‐based technology to conduct their national enumerations,

offering valuable findings and insights as the Census Bureau looks ahead to 2020.

Analytics from ongoing, iterative A/B testing throughout the 2020 campaign will provide

additional information on what types of pages are proving effective, what messages are

resonating with audiences, what is prompting visitors to take action, and which audiences are

and are not responding.

Decennial and Census IT Standards and Guidelines: We will ensure that the 2020 site fits

seamlessly into other Census digital properties, allowing content and other features to be

repurposed and brought back over to census.gov at the end of the 2020 Census campaign.

We will also make sure all landing pages and web content adhere to the highest standard of

technological and security requirements, in addition to being compliant with Section 508 as

well as mobile‐friendly to enhance the user experience. Section 508 criteria require federal

agencies to ensure that electronic and information technology is accessible to employees and

members of the public with disabilities. This can include sign language, large print, and braille

features. All materials, including but not limited to downloadable PDFs, presentations, and

videos, will be built on a 508‐compliant foundation by a team of graphic designers, video

editors, and web developers.

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The Census Bureau will also continue to adhere to its existing policies for the 2020 Census

website, including policies for website governance, security, and web support. All data storage

will also comply with our confidentiality (or data stewardship) policy.

Finally, to foster maximum access across audiences—especially those that may not be digitally

proficient—we will ensure that pages render on older browsers and devices as well. We will

also conduct additional research on and have discussions about hard‐to‐count (HTC) audiences

to better understand the devices from which they are accessing the internet.

Lessons Learned: The work surrounding the Census Bureau web properties has offered several

lessons and insights for 2020 Census campaign efforts, including needs to:

	 Clearly define the role of the website, the audience, the content, technical components

and requirements, and key performance indicators early in the process, so as to avoid

delays once development begins.

	 Consistently review and approve meaningful translations in different languages, as the

2010 Census efforts saw some inconsistencies—particularly with Spanish materials—

between the website and other digital properties.

	 Allocate appropriate time for full usability testing before launch.

PLANNING

Mobile‐First Approach: The trend toward mobile internet adoption continues to grow, with

mobile and tablet devices accounting for more than 42 percent of internet usage within the

United States and more than 51 percent of internet usage worldwide (StatCounter Global Stats,

2016). Of the more than 265 million internet users in the country, more than 80 percent are

accessing the internet regularly from both mobile phones or desktop devices. Desktop/laptop‐

only users are expected to fall from 7 percent in 2016 to less than 4 percent by 2020, while

mobile‐only users are expected to increase by more than 33 percent by 2020 (eMarketer,

2016b). Additionally, user habits regarding multitasking indicate that even when a person is

otherwise engaged with something like watching television, he or she may be using a mobile

device: 20 percent of TV users simultaneously use mobile devices. (That percentage was 15

percent in 2014.) In the years between now and 2020, the proportion of media consumers

multitasking across devices is likely to continue to grow (Ericsson, 2016). We must make sure

webpages are mobile‐optimized for both individuals and partner events to ensure that every

potential respondent can have the easiest response experience possible.

Some HTC audiences may be particularly drawn to using mobile devices for their web browsing.

For example, 70 percent of African American adults own a smartphone, compared with 64

percent of the U.S. adult population as a whole (Smith, 2015). Additionally, 62 percent of

African Americans are more likely to find mobile advertisements useful to them (Nielsen, 2014).

Understanding such nuances among various cultural groups and other audiences will help us in

our audience‐focused approach to developing the website.

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UI/UX Considerations: While planning and developing web content, the Census Bureau will also

conduct user interface (UI)/user experience (UX) testing to ensure a positive user experience.

We will conduct web‐specific focus group and/or usability testing, including eye tracking and

audience interviews. A consistent and optimized user experience that proactively removes any

roadblocks or hesitations that potential respondents might encounter will create a seamless

awareness‐to‐response flow.

Multiple Languages: The Census Bureau will support multiple languages with its CQA response

option and is currently determining, in conjunction with stakeholders, how many languages will

be used for 2020 Census digital content. These considerations will be important as we plan the

development of web and digital properties.

Non‐English landing pages will largely be informational, as they seek to drive users to a

corresponding non‐English response tool, or to contact a call center to complete the census. As

needed, we will add downloadable marketing and communications collateral materials to

provide additional details. We can also add links to more support and information. Related

multimedia and outreach efforts, including public service announcements, earned media

coverage, and partner and stakeholder relations activities, will lend additional credibility.

The Census Bureau will provide landing pages in as many languages as is needed, while still

being cost‐effective. And based on the habits of some target audiences who speak other

languages, it may be more effective to create print materials for distribution by partners, rather

than develop a dedicated landing page. Landing pages that are created in other languages could

support social media outreach in those languages. These pages could be adjusted to display the

appropriate language using signals like a user’s browser settings, the URL linked to by web

advertisements, and/or an option that the user can select at the webpage. Given that the

response tool itself may not be available in all languages, we may refer respondents to a

specific phone number for responding in their preferred language.

All webpages must incorporate best practices in linguistically and culturally engaging design and

content. We will ensure that every page is thoroughly vetted with a quality control check, and

that each maintains the same level of quality as the corresponding English‐language page.

Integration With Other Program Areas: Web development will touch all aspects of the

communications campaign, and appropriate web content will be built depending on the needs

of each program area. For example, we will develop landing pages to support recruitment

efforts, enhancements to regional web properties, online event calendars to support

partnership engagement and data dissemination, and tailored web content for media engaged

through our public relations efforts. Metrics from these webpages will be integrated with

Census Bureau reporting systems and platforms, such as the customer relationship

management system.

We will also conduct integrative planning sessions with the rapid response team to ensure we

have built flexibility into the web and digital properties to handle predefined contingency

plans—for example, a secondary follow‐on campaign such as the “March to the Mailbox”

campaign that was carried out in 2010.

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EXECUTION

Developing Public‐Facing Content: In addition to creating content that supports activities in

other program areas, we will create landing pages for multiple phases and efforts of the

campaign. This could include creating pages that show the value of the census during the

awareness phase, or how individuals can support Census Bureau activities during the

motivation phase. Additional pages could provide information for media members and

partners, and refer visitors to the questionnaire.

We will also develop tailored exit pages for people who have completed the questionnaire.

These pages will include shareable social media content and multimedia features such as

videos, offering opportunities to keep visitors engaged. In addition, these pages can serve a role

in thanking respondents for their participation and in highlighting when critical pieces of data

will be available following the count, including by inviting them to sign up for an email or text

message to alert them of the new data for their area once it is published.

In addition to putting mobile first, it is important that this content also be integrated into the

larger communications campaign, with consistent branding across all platforms. The Census

Bureau will ensure that webpages maintain a similar look and feel with other platforms—

including similar fonts and colors, and trusted symbols such as the Census Bureau logo and/or

Department of Commerce seal—to maintain seamless engagement and engender trust among

visitors. Similarly, it will be critical to ensure a cohesive user experience from the website to the

online response tool.

This is particularly important when engaging people who have received the mail package. The

site must reinforce trusted symbols and match the look and feel of the mail package and should

reflect where the Census Bureau stands in its broader communications campaign. For example,

during the reminder phase, landing pages could call attention to the fact that some individuals

may have received a sticker on their door, and that another Census representative will return. It

is also important that landing pages reflect the referring ad units and materials that brought

visitors there.

We will also remain mindful that not all audiences are active web users. In these cases, we will

ensure that we are engaging influencers who can carry messages to audiences offline.

As audience research dictates, we will make sure content is interactive and shareable whenever

possible. While a full list of proposed digital content for promotional and thank‐you campaigns

will be developed after campaign research occurs, and after more input from stakeholders and

partners is collected, it is likely content will include:

	 Video and written testimonials speaking to the benefits of the use of the data (e.g., a

councilmember whose area built a new school based on census data, a business owner

who used census data to expand to new locations, or a nonprofit that applied for and

received a grant using census data).

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	 Brief, visually rich tutorials and language assistance guides that demystify, or alleviate

the stress of, filling out the census questionnaire; they may show the ease with which

participants can complete their questionnaires and may provide a view of how to

navigate the questionnaire.

	 Shareable social media content for a variety of platforms, making it easy for users to

share relatable, promotional posts with their audiences.

	 Interactive features such as maps and other data visualizations, as well as sample

annotated census questionnaires that explain various questions.

	 Easily digestible content, including infographics and other shareable visual components,

hashtag campaigns, and more.

	 Bilingual content that can be shared among family members, across generations.

When possible, we will feature trusted voices and a local feel for visitors from across the

country.

We will also work to ensure that web content remains customizable and that it can be shared

and downloaded easily. This will be important for groups such as rural veterans, for example,

who report even lower internet usage and access than rural communities in general (U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). We will aim to engage them through tailored web

content for rural and veteran community leaders, which can be downloaded, printed, and

shared. More information about personalized web content is below.

Personalizing Web Content: It is critical that Census Bureau landing pages be customized to

engage a wide range of target audiences—such as news media, lawmakers, and partners—

while all achieving the same goal: to quickly refer visitors to the online questionnaire or engage

them in another activity, such as sharing social media content, engaging with trending topics,

accessing partnership toolkits, or watching a video.

For example, if a potential respondent is from San Francisco, the imagery on that landing page

could represent the West Coast. Similarly, landing pages for visitors brought in from

advertisements aimed at the security‐conscious should include messaging underscoring the

Census Bureau’s commitment to privacy and data security. Advertisements in Spanish should

lead visitors to landing pages in the same language. And once the response period begins,

landing pages can be used to motivate potential respondents in specific cities—for example,

“Hey New York, 50 percent of Chicagoans have completed their census questionnaires. Catch

up!”

The Census Bureau will conduct testing throughout the response period, and given the volume

of traffic, it will not take long to identify which landing pages are driving the highest rates of

response. Once we have conclusive results, we will remove those pages that aren’t performing

and work from those that are.

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A need may arise to build new landing pages for reaching additional audiences with low

response rates. To address this possible outcome, we will create a team and a plan to provide

quick turnarounds on proposed webpages and changes based on real‐time response results and

web analytics. For example, we might initially segment landing pages by language, but after

reviewing web engagement by age, we may decide to segment pages that way (younger

households vs. older households).

Continual In‐Market Analysis and Refinement: A fully functional website will capture the key

behaviors of users so that the campaign can be optimized in near‐real time during the response

period. The Census Bureau will use web analytics to measure the effectiveness of landing pages

and other web content.

We must ensure that relevant data are being collected for all pages created. This will help us

not only continue to refine these landing pages and the audiences we are targeting, but also

identify the sources of landing page traffic.

We will create dashboards to capture and report on these metrics, providing a view of the

number of visitors, where they’re coming from, and what they’re doing on the site. These

dashboards will help drive actionable insights that can further optimize the campaign.

This information is critical to understanding our audiences—what they’re interested in, what’s

bringing them to the site, and what’s motivating them to take action—and it can inform and

help in refining many aspects of the overall communications campaign. For example, if the

Census Bureau sees that many people are visiting pages with information on security and

privacy, the Census Bureau could create more content that educates and engages audiences on

those issues.

We will also regularly review other sources of qualitative information regarding the website,

such as social and earned media discussions or findings from site satisfaction tools like ForeSee.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Cybersecurity: The Census Bureau is aware of and closely monitoring risks related to

cybersecurity, including, but not limited to, the potential for phishing scams and false

advertising purporting to be from the Census Bureau. Across the campaign, we will prioritize

opportunities to reinforce the validity and credibility of messaging to reassure audiences that

our communications are safe and authentic.

Rapid Response Team Needs: We must ensure that webpages support rapid content updates

so that the rapid response team can post responses to any issues or concerns as they occur,

and proactively address any issues on official Census Bureau communication properties that

provide clear and authoritative information.

Scaling Data Dissemination: We can help encourage innovators and the general public to use

census data by building out specific web properties that make these data more accessible and

by developing technologies (such as an application programming interface) for more

sophisticated users. These features can be highlighted in thank‐you messaging following the

response period.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

OVERVIEW

The goal of social media is not only to reach target audiences, but also to encourage them to

engage in a conversation, share content, and ultimately take action by participating in the 2020

Census. The Census Bureau will take a comprehensive approach to social media outreach that

includes working with social media influencers and using emerging technology such as

Snapchat, Instagram Live Stories, and Facebook Messenger.

We must reach our target audiences with timely, shareable content that is both culturally and

linguistically appropriate—effectively communicating the purpose of the 2020 Census,

conveying why participation is necessary and important, and promoting participation. We must

also engage influential partners to amplify messaging, increase engagement, and encourage

self‐response. And we must be ready to respond quickly and clearly to questions and concerns

from partners, stakeholders, and the public.

Social media offers several key benefits for the 2020 Census campaign.

	 It provides an opportunity for real‐time customer service. Social media is two‐way and

conversational, and it can offer an effective mode of customer support before, during,

and after the 2020 Census.

	 It is a rapid form of earned media. Social media can help spread messages and promote

engagement among friends and acquaintances easily and quickly, making social

endorsement an important message amplifier. As content gets shared, free impressions

accumulate.

	 It delivers a message at the right time. Social media is an effective gateway to online

self‐response by driving traffic to the census questionnaires—while audiences are

already online.

	 It provides a consistent, accurate source of audience data and feedback for the Census

Bureau. Data do not just inform our research; they offer a continual feedback loop for

improving messaging, branding, and other elements of communications.

	 It supports digital and on‐the‐ground events by raising awareness of those events,

enhancing the experience, and keeping regional and other Census Bureau staff engaged

and connected with key audiences.

The tactics described in this plan are designed to help move audiences across a continuum of

engagement, from awareness of, to participation in the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau will

aim to leverage its existing social media presence to maximize engagement during the 2020

campaign, while looking for opportunities to integrate new channels, tools, and technology

aligned with our longer‐term goals and capacity.

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APPROACH

Social media will play a critical role throughout the communications campaign. Primary

objectives include raising awareness of the census—particularly among hard‐to‐count (HTC)

audiences—as well as enhancing customer service efforts, promoting recruiting efforts, driving

online completion of the census, and assisting with data dissemination.

Social media tactics must remain dynamic, with the flexibility to incorporate new platforms,

emerging trends, data interpretation, and the changing needs of the campaign. In a rapidly

evolving digital environment, continuous evaluation and analysis of the social media landscape,

coupled with a strategic framework for execution in a real census environment, will provide the

data‐driven approach to help the 2020 Census campaign succeed on social media.

With the rise of social media has come dozens of expanding and emerging social media

channels. And while all the major platforms focus on real‐time generation and regeneration of

content as it gets shared online, the audiences that each channel attracts—and the ways in

which people engage on them—vary. While it is important that the Census Bureau find

meaningful ways to reach target audiences through social media, it is equally important that

the Census Bureau evaluate the most effective and efficient use of social media to accomplish

that goal.

The Census Bureau will align content and outreach strategies by channel and audience, and

integrate ongoing monitoring and analysis—along with inputs from partners and

stakeholders—to continually refine social media efforts. Evaluation of social media tactics and

channels should aim to answer the following questions:

	 What audience(s) will we best reach on different social media channels?

	 ... With what content?

	 ... Through which partners and organizations?

	 ... Through what means (owned, earned, and/or paid)?

To answer these questions, the Census Bureau must:

	 Continually perform research on the landscape to understand how the census is being

mentioned.

	 Analyze the use and performance of its current social media networks.

	 Evaluate new social media features and tools against established procedures and

protocols.

	 Prioritize goals and supporting strategies for expanding social media outreach.

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INPUTS

Campaign Research: Using campaign research, including self‐response propensities, we will be

able to identify the audiences and channels that should be prioritized through social media

outreach, with particular attention given to how to reach HTC audiences. We will also

determine the languages and messages that should be used to reach those audiences. Such

insights will help us plan and prioritize our efforts according to geographic locations as well as

audience behaviors, beliefs and attitudes, and media preferences.

Analysis and Audit: A comprehensive social media audit will inform the social media strategy,

as well as provide valuable insights on where key audiences are interacting, how they’re

interacting, and what they’re talking about in relation to the census and census‐related topics.

It will also identify strengths in ongoing social media outreach and opportunities for further

owned and earned outreach on existing and new channels. The social media audit will include:

	 Landscape analysis across social media channels to prioritize and understand the

conversations, perceptions, influencers, and key topics related to the census and survey

participation.

	 Social media trend analysis to understand U.S. media behaviors (including those of

specific audience demographics), platform usage, and emerging channels based on

consumer data reports and studies.

	 Census Bureau platform audit to understand the current usage and performance of

social media channels, including audience demographics and content and message

effectiveness—both at the national and regional level.

Several social media tools can be used to perform the audit and analyses. These tools scrape

data from across the social media landscape in real time as well as quickly dissect and extract

key insights and trends from the data. They also provide historical data for evaluating changes

over time.

Some tools, such as Simply Measured, can be used for social media analysis and monitoring of

specific topics on various social platforms. A configured search can retrieve results from millions

of sites and sources, including mainstream news properties, blogs, forums, and photo‐ and

video‐sharing sites, in addition to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Use of tools like Simply

Measured would allow us to continually monitor, track, and analyze relevant conversations

about our communications and outreach efforts. They would also allow us to examine

demographics‐related trends in conversation, volume over time, trending hashtags and topics,

and influencers or conversation drivers.

Other social media tools evaluate specific platforms, such as Facebook. One such tool, NUVI, is

part of a consortium of brands that has exclusive access to Facebook topic data, which

comprises anonymous and aggregated content on specific activities, events, brand names, and

other subjects. The Census Bureau is considering using this tool to form a comprehensive

sample of data across populations, industries, and topics.

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Crimson Hexagon could complement Simply Measured and/or NUVI. While it has monitoring

features similar to those of Simply Measured, it also can be “trained” to see beyond simple

sentiment to help us understand drivers of this sentiment or other issues. Its features also

provide information on audience demographics and interests, which could help us identify

possible influencers—and the type of content these groups and people most frequently share.

We will use social media tools daily, even hourly, to develop data‐driven insights that we can

then use to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate strategies to reach target audiences.

These tools are also critical for ongoing crisis and reputation monitoring, both of which will be

essential in the 2020 environment.

Social Media Platforms: An effective social media presence in 2020 can be accomplished

through owned media on existing channels, as well as through earned and paid outreach; it

may not necessarily require the development of new Census Bureau social media networks. In

2020, it will be important to consider the relevance of platforms to diverse audiences, as well as

the cost of, reach of, and ability to manage the platforms, including any information technology

(IT) challenges. It will also be important to determine which platforms will stay active after the

2020 Census. While some platforms may show strong potential for long‐term Census Bureau

growth and use, other platforms may be better suited for specific earned or paid outreach

opportunities, meaning they would not require maintaining a Census Bureau‐owned network.

The Census Bureau’s goal is to use existing platforms and channels whenever possible. Upon

completion of campaign research and strategic planning, the Census Bureau will evaluate which

existing social media platforms to maintain throughout the 2020 Census campaign to maximize

efficiency and minimize overhead costs. The investment required to develop and maintain new

channels is significant, so the cost and capacity of staff to manage platforms will be considered

before the Census Bureau invests in any new platforms.

Included in the eventual social media plan will be a platform evaluation grid, for mapping both

current Census channels and potential new channels to the social media objectives. This tool

will help Census consistently evaluate existing and emerging platforms, define ways in which

Census platforms might be used and expanded for 2020, and set both overall and on‐platform

goals for Census Bureau communications. It will also help the Census Bureau consistently

assess:

	 How the various social media platforms work and what content is distributed on them.

	 Whom each channel aims to reach (and the geographic and demographic distribution).

	 The level of management and maintenance required for decennial activities on the

channel.

	 For which channels the Census Bureau will use partners, influencers, and trusted voices

to reach audiences.

	 Which partners will be engaged on the channels and what opportunities they present.

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The grid will also help the Census Bureau determine the appropriate use of platforms,

including:

	 Owned vs. earned vs. paid outreach.

	 National vs. local outreach (and how the regional teams can best support the 2020

Census).

	 English vs. other languages.

The following table shows what such a grid could look like, and includes preliminary

information and insights about sample social media platforms that could play a role in the 2020

Census campaign.

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Table 18: Social Media Platforms

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Snapchat

Overview The data

storyteller

The news

media and

influencer

channel

The business

stakeholder

network

The video hub The visual

storyteller

The dynamic

influencer

Content to Stories and Timely news‐ Longer‐form Continued Short‐form Short‐form

share on this multimedia focused pieces about storage of stories and video and

platform focused on data content or data by owned video multimedia images focused

and their impact data releases industry/topic content, focused on data on events and

on people and organized by and their impact acute phases of

communities Sharing of on‐ Recruitment type (data recruitment,

message content visualizations, pre‐response,

Census testimonials) and self‐ Bureau response

coverage

Audience(s) Primary Primary Primary Primary Primary Primary

to be audience: audience: audience: audience: audience: audience: casual

reached on partners and media/journal business sophisticated partners and data users

this platform organizations, ists organizations data users, organizations, (general public),

casual data users expert data casual data partners and

(general public) Secondary users users (general organizations audience: public) sophisticated Secondary

data users, audience:

expert data casual data

users users (general

public)

Potential Demographic‐ Journalists Private sector Journalists and Demographic‐ Demographic‐

partners for specific: National and their industries: their media specific: (see specific groups

distributing Council of La media health care, organizations examples in

content and Raza, National organizations, real estate, Facebook Industry‐specific

driving Urban League industry and scientific/ Industry and column) groups

conversation demographic technical, demographic

Industry‐specific: influencers transportation/ influencers Industry‐

American

Geographers,

American

Planning

Association

Research and

warehousing,

media, food

service, retail,

finance/

insurance,

construction

Research and

data groups:

Pew Research

Center, Gallup,

Gates

Foundation

specific: (see

examples in

Facebook

column)

data groups and

think tanks: Pew

Research Center,

Gallup, Gates

Foundation

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Lessons Learned From 2010: In 2010, the public’s ability to get involved in the census and the

corresponding campaign through social media channels was limited, and consequently there

were some missed opportunities to drive engagement and further spread the Census Bureau’s

messages online. The 2020 Census strategy will consider the perspective of our audiences, so

we will identify opportunities to encourage participation by soliciting and promoting user‐

generated video responses, photos, artwork, essays, and other content that support key 2020

Census messaging.

PLANNING

The ultimate social media strategy will align social media objectives with 2020 Census

objectives, and provide a roadmap for achieving those within the 2020 timeline. Using findings

from our campaign research, as well as from a comprehensive landscape analysis and channel

audit, the Census Bureau will develop a social media strategy indicating appropriate channels

mapped to Census Bureau audiences. This will include how each channel will be used for

outreach and engagement, a content strategy with messaging and multimedia plans, and

operational plans such as processes and procedures for how work will be executed. In addition,

the strategy will detail how each channel will be used for regional outreach and engagement,

plans for monitoring each channel, and the key performance metrics that will help define

success. Finally, the Census Bureau will plan for any new properties or assets, and achieve

appropriate approvals to launch them, if and as determined through our platform evaluation.

We will work closely with digital partners from Facebook, Google, Twitter, Snapchat, and other

platforms as appropriate to determine opportunities to promote the census, through new

products, targeting capabilities, data sets, or other tactics. We will also seek opportunities for

those platforms that wish to serve as partners to promote census participation through the

popular sections and main pages of their networks. Similar promotion has been provided by

outlets for such civic activities as registering to vote and then ultimately voting and has proved

beneficial for bringing motivational and informational messages into the public eye. The Census

Bureau’s multicultural partners will also play an important role in the planning process, lending

valuable insights into their audiences’ preferences and behaviors on social media platforms.

This information will help us craft a content strategy that is attuned to these audiences’ unique

needs.

Content Development: Once a social media platform evaluation grid (similar to the example

above) has been developed, a content strategy will be established. This strategy will be the core

of social media implementation. It is important to develop a structure around the content that

is shared, including how often and where the content will be shared. With a strong foundation

from 2010, the Census Bureau will aim to optimize social media activities for 2020 through data

insights, layering on advanced content outreach and engagement strategies to align content

with partnership efforts, in‐person events, media outreach, and/or paid advertising efforts. The

content development strategy will include a focus on creating content for partners to use in

reaching their audiences, both in English and in other languages.

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Content development should be a thorough and iterative process. Today’s landscape requires

rich media, interactive graphics, and timely hooks showing that organizations are engaging

audiences around the most relevant topics and issues. While the 2020 Census will be an

innately relevant topic, it must break through the clutter with dynamic and highly tailored

content. This content will need to be customized for each channel and tailored for different

audience segments, interests, languages, and geographic areas to ensure we’re engaging each

audience with the right message and in the right place. Census Bureau social media content will

be developed for owned Census Bureau platforms and for earned outreach through partners

and influencers. By developing content in tandem with or for partners and organizations to

share on social media, the Census Bureau can tie the 2020 Census to topics and issues that

partner audiences care about. Through organizational outreach, partners provide the means for

message amplification, credibility, and ultimately impact—particularly during the self‐response

period.

The content development process will take the following steps:

	 Develop a master content strategy, outlining the platforms for which the Census
 

Bureau will be developing content, the types of content and messages for each
 

platform, the frequency of posted content, and any partners for content sharing.
 

	 Develop customized content templates and calendars. Setting up a framework will

allow for early planning with internal Census departments, ongoing collaboration with

stakeholders and partners, and an iterative approach to expansion and optimization

over time. Content templates will provide specifications and requirements for

formatting and best practices organized by channel. Content calendars will map out this

content by platform, including messaging and supporting collateral or multimedia. This

content will be customizable by region and audience.

	 Create rich media, including video and graphics. Using various types of multimedia

content, tailored to each platform, will be critical for building social media engagement.

Content should be developed in multiple formats and styles, including:

	 Branded graphics.

	 Animated graphics.

	 Short “how‐to” video snippets.

	 Video testimonials.

	 Graphic and video slideshow stories.

	 Plan for user‐generated content. Employing user‐generated content will also be an

effective way to amplify audience voices and leverage peer‐to‐peer interaction on social

media. The Census Bureau will develop strategies for promoting and sharing user‐

generated content sparked from in‐market outreach events or crowdsourced calls to

action on social media, and use them as part of our owned and earned outreach during

the 2020 Census campaign. Hashtags provide flexibility in how this content can be

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shared and hosted, without requiring the Census Bureau’s ownership or hosting of the

content. All user‐generated content strategies will take into consideration existing

Census Bureau review and clearance processes.

The content mix for 2020 will be informed by the latest social media audit and research

findings. The Census Bureau will consistently use new types of content to display statistics,

data, or quotes over images or in video clips representing the different sectors that the Census

Bureau touches. We will also emphasize producing materials that are easily digestible and

shareable (e.g., infographics and other visual components, hashtags campaigns, and more).

Messages or quotes from trusted voices may be valuable additions to social media content as

well.

Social Media Monitoring, Moderation, and Approval Processes: The process by which the

Census Bureau responds to social media activity will be flexible yet clearly articulated. This

process will include several key elements:

	 Content Approval Process: In the decennial census environment, timely content

approval will be critical to the execution of social media outreach. To ensure a common

foundation of understanding about social media, the Census Bureau will host a “Social

Media 101” training for internal reviewers to establish a shared foundation of best

practices, lessons learned, and historical successes from previous Census Bureau

activities. We will define a process for the relevant parties to create, share, and review

content, including creating an internal Social Media Review Team to review and approve

social media campaign content. In addition, the master content strategy outlined above

will indicate timing and frequency to allow the Census Bureau communications team to

plan accordingly. All content will also be archived for easy review and reference.

	 Platform Management, Monitoring, and Response Plan: Predetermined content

management and monitoring roles will allow the Census Bureau to manage outreach in

a reliable, consistent, and timely manner. Content development roles will allow the

Census Bureau to delegate operations among staff members, aligning resources with

strategic components and ensuring appropriate coordination with internal systems such

as Census Questionnaire Assistance. Efficient and coordinated maintenance of the

Census Bureau’s social media presence will also be essential for optimal user

engagement. The Census Bureau can proactively manage social networks by:

	 Identifying roles and times of day for checking Census Bureau social networks.

	 Creating tools and templates to maximize work efficiency, tracking efforts, and data

collection.

	 Setting up processes and protocols for responding to individual user comments.

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The following graphic illustrates the general process:

Figure 13: Social Media Management, Monitoring, and Response Approach

	 Monitoring: Listening to and engaging with social media audiences periodically

throughout each day of the campaign is critical. When paid media advertising begins,

the Census Bureau will implement 24/7/365 monitoring of social properties. Proactively

monitoring every social platform will help in determining which types of posts drive the

most website traffic. In addition, social listening tools will allow us to continually

monitor comments and conversations on related content and properties. A monitoring

plan will be developed with roles and responsibilities delineated by channel, along with

the required frequency for monitoring and for responding to users. We will also build a

library of preapproved responses that can be posted quickly and efficiently in response

to user comments. In addition, we will secure the appropriate authorities to tweak and

tailor those responses for authenticity and voice. As more comments come in, we will

expand the library as part of a working document that all staff can use throughout the

outreach period.

	 Crisis Management: Social media is a critical platform for quickly disseminating

messages during a crisis. In the event of a social media security breach, or in the

emergence of certain other crisis circumstances (such as a significant political or other

societal event, or a website lapse), the Census Bureau will have a social media risk

management plan in place. Designated Census Bureau employees will continually

monitor the Census Bureau’s social networks, with periodic checks throughout the day

and intermittently outside of business hours. This system will ensure that the Census

Bureau quickly becomes aware of inadvertent or inappropriate posts. A protocol for

accidental posts will ensure that the content is corrected or removed as soon as

possible. We will develop a response bank of prewritten posts, organized by user

comment sentiment or topic, that can be posted as responses to inappropriate or

attacking user comments on the Census Bureau social media networks. The preparation

of these responses will ensure that we can react to threatening messages in an

appropriate and timely fashion. For more information about the Census Bureau’s crisis

communications approach, please refer to Page 121.

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Metrics and Evaluation Planning: Performance metrics specific to social media will be aligned

with the overall goals of the campaign plan. While the metrics for each platform vary, several

types of data will be captured to understand the Census Bureau’s impact on social media:

reach, engagement, leads, and conversions (e.g., certain actions taken online that support the

campaign). Collectively, performance metrics should reflect how many users are being served

Census Bureau social media content; how many are actively engaging with that content and

having conversations; how many users are being referred to the Census Bureau’s website from

its social media platforms; and, ultimately, how many of those users are filling out the census.

Integration With Other Areas: Social media will be planned and executed in close coordination

with other communications and outreach efforts, including digital advertising, partnership and

events, and earned media, as these efforts present opportunities for social media integration

and amplification. As content is developed for the campaign, the Census Bureau will create

plans indicating how content will be used for social media and, likewise, how it can be used for

other types of outreach.

	 Partnership and Stakeholder Relations: To reach broad and diverse audiences through

social media, Census Bureau partners, stakeholders, and influencer groups must be able

to distribute content across their channels. Close coordination with the National

Partnership Program and CPEP will be required to identify opportunities to work with a

variety of partners that have important social media presences, including non‐English‐

language media (e.g., radio stations and online newspapers). Especially for audiences

that exhibit a general lack of trust in news media and communications from the

government, Census partners and stakeholders will be incredibly valuable, trusted, and

direct channels to reach them.

Each channel will offer a specific, culturally relevant connection to a given community,

which can vary based on not only language preference, but also on level of acculturation

and country of origin, as well as degree of knowledge of and trust in the census process

and purpose. For example, when trying to reach Hispanic audiences, the Census Bureau

will work to coordinate social media efforts with Hispanic‐focused nonprofit

organizations, bloggers, and social influencers geared toward younger, English‐

dominant, Hispanic audiences, as well as community and faith‐based organizations.

	 Public Relations: Social media will be an important tool for augmenting media outreach

and engagement efforts. Events will have a particularly strong connection to social

media, as they may be “broadcast” using livestreaming, hashtags, or other tactics to

reach an audience beyond those physically in attendance.

	 Paid Media Advertising: Campaign research will inform which audiences we should

target using paid media. Microtargeted paid media through social media channels will

be an important part of that strategy. Once the Census Bureau has identified key

audiences that should receive social media advertising, we can work with social media

advertising vendors to develop data sets on different HTC populations. Included in these

audiences should be ethnic minorities, people who do not speak English or have limited

English proficiency, low‐income individuals, and the young and mobile population.

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	 Website and Mobile: Because much of our social media messaging will aim to drive

online actions—such as completing the census, spreading the word through online

networks, or learning more about the Census Bureau—our web and mobile properties

will need to be designed to easily facilitate them.

	 Rapid Response: During the campaign, the Census Bureau will optimize its social media

activities based on real‐time response data and engagement with audiences. In addition,

social media can allow the Census Bureau to quickly respond to rapidly breaking news or

events and communicate important information to key audiences, especially news

media, partners, and stakeholders. Consequently, social media will be a critical

component of the campaign’s rapid response strategy.

	 Field Recruitment: Recruiting field staff will be an important part of the 2020 Census

campaign, so social media will be incorporated into that strategy to encourage potential

applicants to learn more and apply. Social media and hyperfocused advertising could be

used to support recruitment efforts in the top 10 hardest‐to‐recruit areas in each

region, and/or the top 15 most difficult markets for recruiting.

Timing of Campaign Launch: The years leading up to 2020 serve as important building blocks

for the census. As activities surrounding the census increase, social media will be a critical

channel for educating audiences—not just about the Census Bureau and how the enumeration

will work, but about why they need to participate come 2020.

Because social media activities will complement various other efforts—such as earned media

outreach, field recruitment, and partnership development—social media communications will

start early and be used to support Census Bureau activities well before the “official” launch of

the 2020 Census campaign. A steady drumbeat of census‐related messaging on social media will

strategically build momentum without overwhelming our audiences, helping to gain attention

and drive engagement with the 2020 Census over time.

EXECUTION

Once the social media plan is finalized and the frameworks for content and outreach are

developed, the Census Bureau will start executing outreach on our channels and through

partners and influencers. While outreach will be a combination of preplanned posting, events,

and engagement, coupled with real‐time opportunities based on social media conversations

and interactions, data will consistently be used to inform decisions and next steps.

Below are examples of the types of tactics we will consider executing in each phase of

outreach, which are described beginning on Page 51.

Strategic Early Education and Awareness Phase Tactics: These tactics, which will be

implemented before the availability of the census questionnaire, will focus on building and

promoting stories of impact, and on forming influencer and partner relationships, including

content for them to share with their networks.

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	 Continually monitor listening tools to identify hot topics or outreach opportunities.

Social media listening profiles will be tested and monitored early on and after outreach

starts to quickly identify needed changes or optimizations. Frequent monitoring reports

will be pulled and shared with the team to inform ongoing outreach.

	 Post content with an emphasis on storytelling. We will explore developing long‐form

content to post on story‐focused platforms, such as Medium and Reddit. When created

thoughtfully and strategically, long‐form content can generate large amounts of organic

traffic over the long term and lead to more conversions. Long‐form stories also present

the opportunity for co‐authored content. The Census Bureau could work with

established partners and stakeholders to co‐develop content that aligns Census Bureau

messaging with partner audiences’ interests. An increased focus on storytelling and

impact‐related messages will help the Census Bureau demonstrate its value and

influence, particularly as a premier data dissemination agency. During the pre‐response

phases, the Census Bureau can post stories of individuals and communities talking about

how they use census data, in addition to using data to create compelling stories with a

human interest element. Humans of New York offers strong examples of the personal

storytelling tactic:

Figure 14: Example of Humans of New York Social Media Post

	 Continually monitor owned platforms to provide 24/7/365 customer support. We will

develop protocols for monitoring and responding to questions and comments posted on

social media. Protocols could include monitoring procedures, response templates, and

contingency workflows to triage crisis communications. Developing these protocols will

support the Census Bureau’s ability to provide excellent customer service and will also

result in important data that can inform future efforts.

	 Launch tools or technologies to support timely customer service. Multiple government

organizations have implemented dedicated customer service hashtags and messaging

applications that serve as a vehicle for audiences to ask questions, get information, and

receive support. In an effort to reach our audiences where they are and respond to their

needs, the Census Bureau will deliver customer service through prompt monitoring and

information sharing across our social media channels. This will complement ongoing

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two‐way conversation that the Census Bureau is already contributing to on its

properties. Users can be encouraged to ask questions about the census and get quick

responses to their questions. There will be several ways in which this could be executed,

including a curated hashtag or a one‐to‐one tool like Facebook Messenger.

A customer service hashtag is a flexible option through which users can ask questions

and provide comments on any channel that supports hashtags; however, responding to

all user inquiries would require the Census Bureau to carefully monitor all channels for

questions and use each channel’s individual method of response to follow up with users.

The inquiries would also not live in a consolidated space for others to see; rather,

different questions and answers—all of which could be useful to the public—would

appear across different platforms. The customer service hashtag could be used in a

smaller environment (e.g., just on Twitter) to help control the level of effort for Census

Bureau staff. For example, the Office of Federal Student Aid has used a #AskFAFSA office

hours hashtag, which allowed users to ask questions about student aid and get timely

responses through Twitter.

Figure 15: Example of Customer Service‐Oriented Post Using Hashtag

The Census Bureau will also consider integrating Facebook Messenger into customer

service efforts. Use of this tool would require us to develop and program a series of

queries and appropriate responses, which could include a combination of automated

responses to frequently asked questions and customizable real‐time answers. To

accomplish this, we would develop specific guidelines, processes, and procedures for

Facebook Messenger, including the monitoring of information submitted on Facebook

Messenger to ensure its alignment with Census Bureau policy. Facebook Messenger use

for the 2020 Census campaign is an attractive option because use of the tool is on the

rise (as is the use of messaging applications overall), and it offers a user experience that

is well‐integrated with the main Facebook network (Cohen, 2015a).

Tools will be evaluated based on applicability of implementation, potential impact—

informed by the landscape audit and consumer behavior trends—and Census Bureau

policy and privacy considerations.

	 Activate hard‐to‐reach populations through multilingual social media content. To drive

participation of historically hard‐to‐reach populations, the Census Bureau will explore

the creation of multilingual social media content for sharing on our existing channels

and for providing to culturally sensitive and language‐specific organizations, bloggers,

and other influencers.

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	 Activate influencers and partners through prepackaged social media content. The

Census Bureau plans to develop a Partnership Experience Platform (PXP) to deliver

promotional materials to partners efficiently and cost‐effectively. The PXP would allow

partners to easily access, customize, and download materials—including social media

content—to be used with their audiences.

	 Implement social media link building. The Census Bureau will consider sharing earned

content from partners, on a limited and defined basis, on Census Bureau social media

properties. Link building can be done by:

	 Tagging organizations on social media when cross‐promoting their content or
 

referencing them in a post or tweet.
 

	 Sharing posts, tweets, and links from partner organizations’ social media networks.

	 Providing a list of post/tweet URLs for partners to share once published on the

Census Bureau’s networks.

	 Crowdsource content. Another potential tactic is soliciting brief video clips, quotes, and

photos from the general population, HTC populations, and influencers to use in social

media promotional efforts. Content would capture civic and social life, such as

community service, school gatherings, and use of public transportation.

	 A hypothetical campaign title (pending exploration and testing) could be “Why We

Count,” and a possible related prompt could be “Show us what matters to you about

where you live.” We could collect and post video clips as part of this campaign to

communicate the importance of the census in supporting the needs of communities.

	 Another opportunity could encourage different communities, regions, or states to

be counted by asking them to share a message with a geotargeted hashtag for a

chance to be recognized on the Census Bureau’s social media properties.

All crowdsourced content strategies will take into consideration existing Census Bureau

review and clearance processes, as well as privacy and IT guidelines.

	 Use a customized Facebook product. The Census Bureau will consider working with

Facebook to develop a targeted tool for promoting the 2020 Census. An example of such

a product is Facebook’s voting planning tool, developed in partnership with USA.gov for

the 2016 primary election:

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Figure 16: Example of Facebook’s Voting Planning Tool

Launched in the weeks leading up to Election Day, the tool used people’s locations to

inform them of their political candidates at the local, state, and national levels. The

Census Bureau could partner with Facebook to launch a similar tool in the days leading

up to Census Day, with information on how to take the 2020 Census and what to expect.

Self‐Response Phase Tactics: Once online self‐response is available—beginning in February

2020 with a concerted communications push around April 1, 2020 (Census Day)—we will

motivate the population to complete the questionnaire online. To do this, we will employ a

push on social media that uses clear calls to action to go to the website to complete the

questionnaire.

Tactics to be implemented during this phase include:

	 Host online events. Online events (e.g., Facebook Q&As, Twitter chats, or live videos on

Instagram, among other platforms) will allow the Census Bureau to raise awareness of

the questionnaire and foster open, two‐way dialogue about the census with online

audiences. Social media events will also help us engage current partnerships and build

new ones, as these events allow both parties to expand the organic reach of their

content. Examples include:

	 YouTube Live roundtable with school superintendents or national PTAs about the

impact of Census Bureau data on education in communities (with a focus on the

Census Statistics in Schools program).

	 Facebook Live event with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or the National

Association of Convenience Stores on the relationship between Census Bureau data

and businesses, especially among HTC communities.

	 Twitter chat with a prominent community‐based organization focused on the

changing Hispanic population in the United States.

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	 Integrate social media into on‐the‐ground events, in‐person engagements, and digital

recruitment of field representatives. The Census Bureau will develop prewritten,

preapproved messaging (and guidelines for messaging) that staff can easily publish in

real time, from any location. These messages can:

	 Crowdsource feedback to determine the preferred location of an event.

	 Promote events and drive participation.

	 Collect on‐the‐ground event content (and live content) for sharing on social media.

	 Live‐stream relevant events that encourage self‐response.

	 Create hyperlocal social media content. The Census Bureau is in a unique position to

develop customized content for its regional teams and to respond to the specific needs

of individual communities and populations. We will develop content for regional and

other related outreach efforts that specifically considers local characteristics, including

geography, language, and culture. Hyperlocal social media content can empower local

offices and provide relevant and authentic information to the many distinct

communities across the country.

	 Use Snapchat for event integration. Major national brands and government

organizations, such as the State Department, are creating live Snapchat stories to reach

millennial audiences with live and exclusive content (Twiplomacy, 2016). Snapchat

stories are posts on Snapchat (or “snaps”) that build on each other to tell a story. The

Census Bureau could create a Snapchat story to share footage from live events, such as

behind‐the‐scenes content from the Census Bureau’s on‐the‐ground efforts. The Census

Bureau will also consider use of a Census Day filter, which would be overlaid on snaps to

brand that content using logos, icons, text, or other visuals. Users could also share a

photo or video with a customized “2020 Census Day” filter. In addition, geofilters could

be used to target audiences in specific locations. (For example, a local event could use a

geofilter to reach audiences at or near that event.)

“Thank‐You” Phase Tactics: Engaging audiences is important—not only during census data

collection, but also after. The thank‐you phase offers an opportunity to foster ongoing

interactions between the public and the Census Bureau, showing the Census Bureau’s

appreciation for participation and encouraging ongoing use of census data. By showing this

appreciation on social media, the Census Bureau can maintain the momentum of the 2020

campaign to encourage response to other data collection efforts and continuously show the

public that the data collected are freely available for their access, use, and benefit (while

stressing that the data do not identify individuals).

During this campaign, the Census Bureau will create content calendars to thank partners and

respondents for their time and contributions. This content can leverage emerging formats that

have been shown to rank higher in news feed algorithms, boosting organic reach and fostering

increased engagement. Content could look like the below GIF from Mashable that shared facts

about sharks during Discovery Channel’s 2015 “Shark Week” (Al‐Greene, 2015).

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Figure 17: GIF From Mashable During “Shark Week”

Data Dissemination Phase Tactics: From summer 2020 to the end of the campaign, we will

conduct the follow‐up phase of the social media plan. Before and after the public release of

census data, social media activities will raise public awareness of the census’ importance and

relevance, promote the increased use of census data and Census Bureau services, and widely

share the results of the 2020 Census. Because social media can be tailored for many uses, we

will be able to target results‐oriented content to groups with specific interests.

Data dissemination phase tactics will primarily aim to demonstrate the value of census data and

educate and activate data users. The Census Bureau has the opportunity to expand the number

and type of people who knowingly use census data—and social media is an ideal conduit to

teach the use of census data to the general public and data specialists. To achieve this, the

Census Bureau must consistently develop content that tells the story of census data and why

they matter—and tailor this content to all its social media channels used in outreach. The

Census Bureau must be proactive in driving the conversation around these data and drawing

more attention to all Census Bureau surveys as the sources. Such social media content could

include branded graphics and visualizations of data, long‐form narratives derived from data,

stories of individuals and communities talking about how they use data, and posts promoting

data releases.
                           

                         

                   

                         

                        

                     

                               

                           

                               

                    

                               

                     

                     

                       

                           

                    

                 

                           

                           

                         

                               

                             

                   

       

The Census Bureau will focus on images, videos, GIFs, and animated graphics paired with

impact‐related messages to demonstrate the census’ value and will use tactics to reach

channels and influencers that represent specific cultures and languages. By disseminating

results, the Census Bureau can maintain momentum from 2020 and continuously show the

public that the data collected are available for their use and benefit.

Measurement and Evaluation: Upon further development of the social media strategy,

including the channels and tactics to be used, a range of metrics will be identified, captured,

and analyzed throughout the campaign to help the Census Bureau understand how content is

performing. This will show us what formats, messages, and media are turning out to be most

effective, allowing us to continually refine and optimize our efforts.

It will be critical to develop and implement a sound social media management system that is

tied to key performance indicators, supplementing the listening and monitoring of

conversations. The rising potential of inaccurate, damaging information spreading rapidly over

social media also underscores the importance of this management strategy. Especially during

the rapid response phase, the Census Bureau will ensure close coordination to identify the

channels that can reach those audiences with lower‐than‐desired response rates.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Alignment With Other Federal Government Agencies: In coordinating with government

partners to reach particular audiences (e.g., the Department of Defense for service members or

the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans), social media content must align with those

agencies’ standards and protocols. For instance, any content developed for the Department of

Defense will need to be written with an eye for Operations Security, known as OPSEC. This

specific protocol refers to the processes that service members use to ensure that their public

communications do not compromise national security by inadvertently revealing personal

information, like their location.

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STATISTICS IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM

OVERVIEW

The Statistics in Schools (SIS) program has been one of the most successful outreach efforts for

the Census Bureau. Over the last decade, the Census Bureau has transformed its engagement

with schools into an evergreen program that has expanded beyond teaching about the

decennial census and is now focused on statistical literacy in intercensal years. This is a critical

subject: Data from the Bureau of Labor predict that statistics‐related jobs will increase by more

than 30 percent between 2014 and 2024.

The program offers activities for students and resources for teachers that help to highlight the

census, the data it helps collect, and the ways in which those data can then be analyzed and

used. Activities are designed to align with existing curriculums and supplement studies in math,

geography, history, and sociology with lessons incorporating statistical and data‐oriented

concepts. The goal for 2020 is to increase awareness and overall public response by engaging

teachers, students, and their households in public conversations about the census.

The Census Bureau is continuously adding activities and resources to the SIS repository, and

over the next three years we will work to build direct relationships with contacts who can help

increase the reach of SIS. This will allow for continued engagement through the successful

evergreen program, reducing the need for intermediaries to reach out to and engage with

educators on behalf of the Census Bureau.

SIS will also continue to expand on the avenues through which it delivers information, including

through parent‐teacher groups and after‐school activities. Schools, teachers, and

administrators are often viewed as authorities for official information, so school stakeholders

can play an important role in lending credibility to the census. SIS will also be particularly

important in reaching hard‐to‐count (HTC) audiences and individuals who do not speak English

or have limited English proficiency, as they may rely on their children to translate and/or

interpret information from English into their native language.

APPROACH

INPUTS

Ongoing SIS Transformation: Since 1950, the Census Bureau has worked with the education

community for decennial efforts. That year, we partnered with the National Education

Association to create a book titled “We Count,” and these efforts have continued to evolve

through each decennial census since then. In 1990, the program, called the Census Education

Project, involved posters, lesson plans, and more. In 2000, it expanded to become the Census in

Schools program, continuing to evolve in the years thereafter.

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In particular, after 2010, the Census Bureau transformed and elevated the program,

emphasizing the use of data to engage students as well as to promote awareness and

understanding of the national enumeration. The transformation from “Census in Schools” to

“Statistics in Schools” addressed the importance of promoting statistical literacy in the

classroom and met educators’ demand for an evergreen program.

As part of these efforts, the Census Bureau recruited 138 diverse K‐12 teachers (early adopters)

to field‐test activities and collected feedback through a biweekly survey, Google Hangouts, and

telephone interviews. We also gathered feedback and recommendations through online

qualitative and quantitative surveys of 330 teachers and 20 home‐school parents in addition to

two focus groups with teachers. And we engaged nine subject matter experts from leading

statistics, education, and subject‐specific organizations to offer further suggestions for program

improvement.

This resulted in a program that is:

	 Informed by extensive qualitative and quantitative research and expert input.

	 Optimized for the latest rigorous education standards.

	 Designed to serve a crucial need in modern classrooms.

Recommendations from educators and subject matter experts included overhauling existing

activities to increase rigor, creating activities with input from classroom teachers and experts,

and strengthening the link between the activities and popular education standards. Experts also

recommended that we broaden the subjects covered to include sociology and geography, and

that we make the census.gov/schools website more user‐friendly.

Based on this feedback, we took the following actions:

	 Built eight content teams of experts (exceptional teachers, standards experts, and

grade‐level and subject‐specific experts) to refine existing activities and develop new

ones.

	 Expanded the subjects covered to include geography and sociology for high school.

	 Expanded the subjects covered to include history for elementary and middle school.

	 Created three informational videos for students and teachers.

	 Developed an informational toolkit for teachers.

	 Redesigned the program website.

	 Revised 41 existing activities and developed 38 subject‐specific activities as well as three

data tools activities.

The SIS program, as it is currently known, is a fully functioning component of the Census Bureau

that is continually updated and optimized with new content and tactics.

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Lessons Learned: Census Bureau tests in 2016—which included Harris County, Texas, and Los

Angeles—have helped shape SIS outreach efforts. The Census Bureau recognizes that each

school district is different, but when possible, we will start outreach at the highest level with

school superintendents. In 2010, outreach was also conducted with individual schools—and in

some cases for 2020, particularly when superintendent outreach is not feasible or efficient, we

will take this approach.

Other lessons learned include the following:

	 Census Bureau testing has shown that some teachers prefer materials to be distributed

to schools as PDFs, and the distribution of materials that ask for a parent signature is

not an effective approach. In many cases, teachers did not want to burden parents or

guardians with such a task.

	 It is important to coordinate production of materials in advance. In 2010, initial

challenges with centralized printing in Washington, D.C., resulted in the movement of

printing to a regional office.

	 Distribution of materials through centralized networks is cost‐efficient. Special

considerations need to be taken for delivery of materials in Puerto Rico. As possible, we

will also aim to make individual student activities relevant to students in Puerto Rico and

additional Island Areas as appropriate.

	 The internal management and review process for the Puerto Rico SIS program led to

multiple challenges and misunderstandings in 2010. Some of these were related to a

lack of a clear approval hierarchy for resolving conflicts in the review process for

Spanish‐language and other non‐English materials. For 2020, the Census Bureau will

ensure that an appropriate team of Puerto Rico specialists is an integral part of content

planning, development, and printing.

	 In 2010, several opportunities were missed to integrate SIS into general public relations

efforts. Ensuring appropriate support and the scope to integrate public relations and SIS

efforts can be a cost‐efficient approach for promoting Census’ message.

Census Data and Research: Using current Census Bureau data, such as those from the American

Community Survey and the 2010 Census, will help us prioritize outreach efforts to schools in

HTC areas and strategically plan SIS events in those locations.

In 2010, determining which schools served HTC populations often proved more challenging

than expected because of the varied and unique methodologies that school districts use to

match students to school buildings each year. In 2020, campaign research and predictions

about self‐response propensity will support our approach to identifying HTC schools. In

addition, we will review the two‐pronged approach to predicting HTC student populations that

we used in 2010 and that is described in the Census in Schools lessons learned report.

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PLANNING

Prioritization and Planning of Outreach and Partnership Efforts: The SIS outreach plan will

focus on two key goals: To quickly expand our network to include more schools—especially HTC

schools—and then activate that network to motivate response.

We will use campaign research and other data to identify schools in HTC and hard‐to‐reach

areas, and begin building relationships there. Identifying these schools early on could also affect

the activities themselves, as we could tailor some activities to specific areas or audiences. For

example, to support outreach to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations, we

could identify schools on reservations or in urban areas that have significant AIAN

representation, and target them with activities that include an AIAN angle. Similarly, Native

Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students may benefit from activities using data that reflect

their population and experiences.

The Census Bureau will kick off early partnership development efforts to recruit teachers who

can help develop activities. Partner groups could include education organizations whose

members are teachers—like the National Council for Geographic Education. This type of

partnership would help in gaining immediate buy‐in from both teachers and the partnering

organization as a whole, while providing a promotional opportunity for the partner. We may

also contact teachers with whom we’ve established a trusted relationship and who have

worked on the SIS project in the past.

Identification of Activity Topics: Most activities will not be about the 2020 Census specifically,

as learning about the census is not part of most curriculums. Instead, the activities should teach

math, social studies, geography, and sociology concepts while using the 2020 Census as a

theme to drive home those concepts. (We may explore expanding beyond these topics into

other subject areas, such as English or economics.)

For example, one existing social studies activity on the SIS website titled “Adopting an

Entrepreneurial Mindset—Using Data for Business” calls for students to use census data and

the Census Business Builder tool to examine population data and determine the best ZIP code

in which to open their projected business. This activity teaches skills such as comparing data,

using online databases, and thinking like an entrepreneur.

Whenever possible, activities should use data tools such as the American FactFinder or

QuickFacts to enable customization for a specific state or even a particular city so that students

and teachers can see how the data relate to them. While the activities will not have the 2020

Census as their main subject, the goal will be to demonstrate the power of census data and

how these data can be applied to other subject areas through the activities—thereby

promoting the 2020 Census.

Because teachers cannot require students’ parents to participate in their activities or

homework, activities for younger children should have an optional component of involving

parents or guardians. Examples could include asking students to interview their parents or

guardians, or even to talk to them about their experience completing the census in 2010. (Did

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they participate? Do they remember the experience?) Students could volunteer to share what

they learned with the class the next day.

Development of Activities: The Census Bureau will develop new activities in support of the

2020 Census, rather than repurposing existing ones. All activities will in some way incorporate

the decennial census and census data, while teaching skills that all students should have.

In developing these activities, the Census Bureau will engage teams of experts—including

internal Census subject matter experts and external education experts—to enlist ideas for,

create, and review new activities, ensuring they are timely, relevant to curriculums, and

effective. Ideas for activities tailored to specific populations, such as AIAN and NHPI individuals,

will serve as a starting point.

The Census Bureau will also ensure that these activities are using the latest and most relevant

data—and that the use of data is accurate, rigorous, and objective. We will conduct an

appropriate editorial review of these activities, before they are designed and finalized for

distribution.

Expansion to Pre‐K Grade Levels: To address high undercounts in 2000 and 2010, we will

expand our reach to younger students (and by extension, their families) by developing age‐

appropriate activities—potentially through a partnership with an organization like Head Start.

The Census Bureau will also consider indicating popular activities such as its existing coloring

book and “Counting Way” activity as available for Pre‐K grades. Also, by adding day care

facilities to the SIS outreach list, we could then promote and eventually distribute these

materials to such facilities.

Development of Games and Digital Tools: As appropriate, and pending funding, the Census

Bureau will explore creating separate games and digital tools to reinforce SIS activities. If

developed on a digital platform, these educational games could give teachers in wired

classrooms a chance to access and use items for free.

A digital exercise for younger children could simulate a census questionnaire by asking students

to take on the personas of different animals at the zoo to answer the question “How many pets

live at the zoo?” In this exercise, the zebras would have to fill out the census, as would the

cheetahs, and so on, as the students pretend to be each type of animal. The final result is a tally

of the different types of animals at the zoo.

Development of Take‐Home Materials for Parents: The take‐home materials for parents and

guardians—which could be emails or one‐page printouts—would be completely separate from

the activities that students complete in class. The purpose of these materials would be to

explain the SIS program—how the teacher may use the activities in the classroom, why it is

important, and how parents can foster the learning at home.

Overall, use of these parent materials should be limited. The Census Bureau understands that

parents and guardians receive an abundance of information from teachers and schools, and

educators are mindful of not overwhelming them. However, thoughtful and strategic

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development of take‐home materials could complement ongoing SIS and other campaign

efforts.

These materials should be directly relevant to the child’s classroom, letting parents and

guardians know that their child will be learning about the census and data through a variety of

classroom activities. Knowing that every teacher will choose to use the activities in a different

way or with different frequency, we will develop take‐home materials for parents to be as

general and open‐ended as possible.

The materials would not be promotional in nature, nor would they try to educate parents about

the decennial census outside of the context of their child’s classroom. The Census Bureau

recognizes that teachers are frequently bombarded with promotional materials, so if there is

not a direct connection to their classrooms, teachers may not be inclined to distribute the

materials.

Translation of Activities and Materials: The Census Bureau has heard from stakeholders and

educators that English‐language activities are often preferred, even for students with limited

English proficiency. In these instances, SIS activities will serve two purposes: teaching about

data use and reinforcing English‐language skills. However, fluid and shifting language

preferences across the United States offer several opportunities to provide materials that reach

students and their families in languages other than English.

For those schools that prefer to teach in Spanish, as well as for schools in Puerto Rico, the

Census Bureau is considering creating bilingual activities. This consideration will be solidified

through additional research.

In addition to Spanish, the Census Bureau is considering offering activities in Asian languages

such as Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean. The extent of languages used in materials

will be determined upon the completion of campaign research, as well as through the

solicitation of feedback from the Census Bureau’s stakeholders and multicultural expert

partners. The Census Bureau will also consider that many schools have translators on‐site who

can help in communications with parents and guardians.

Another consideration is that younger students are often more likely to share their assignments

with their parents, asking for help when needed. This presents an opportunity to make some

materials bilingual to better engage parents of younger students. Additionally, some take‐home

materials for parents and guardians may be translated into other languages to make it easier

for students to convey census information to their parents.

Integration With Other Program Areas: The SIS program will be integrated with several other

programs, including public relations, the National Partnership Program, the Community

Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP), and the data dissemination program.

	 Public Relations: As a successful Census program that involves engagement with

schools, the SIS program offers numerous opportunities to garner interest from the

news media.

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	 Partnership and Stakeholder Relations: As described at the beginning of this planning

section, key partnerships at the national and local levels will help support SIS in different

ways, such as informing activities (e.g., the American Statistical Association could help

review use of statistics in activities); recruiting teachers to assist with activity

development (e.g., the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics could let teachers

know that they can contribute to SIS by helping create math activities); and promoting

the program (e.g., through the U.S. Department of Education). One example of a

successful partnership to date is that between the Census Bureau and the Federal

Depository Library Program, which helped conduct webinars about SIS for librarians. The

Census Bureau will continue to pursue relationships with partners that will support SIS

and the 2020 Census.

	 Data Dissemination: We will ensure that regional staff and data dissemination

specialists have copies of the materials that are being distributed to schools well before

they are distributed—as well as potential promotional materials, like a pamphlet or a

sticker featuring the SIS website URL. This will allow staff to become familiar with the

product, prepare schools to receive the product, and help them in responding to

questions appropriately. We will also provide webinar materials and scripts to data

dissemination specialists, who can potentially set up and conduct events that show

teachers how to effectively use SIS in their classrooms or that highlight specific census

concepts and data.

EXECUTION

Initial Outreach Efforts: The SIS program can help support early efforts to educate audiences

about the Census Bureau and the value of the census, particularly for schools in HTC areas. We

will focus these efforts around events, when and if a partnership specialist is in that area; we

will likely not provide take‐home materials at this stage, so as not to send too many items home

in advance of the decennial count. These events could include mock Census events at schools

and Career Day appearances by Census Bureau staff, as described on Page 170.

With these initial outreach efforts, we will also emphasize that SIS is not a full curriculum, but

that the activities are meant to be easily incorporated into an existing curriculum.

Distribution and Promotion of SIS in Schools: We will distribute three types of materials to

promote SIS activities in schools:

	 Tailored one‐page documents or emails with clear calls to action for target audiences.

	 A toolkit that explains what SIS is and how to use it, building off an existing Census

toolkit.

	 Promotional materials that are of value to classrooms, such as maps and pencils that are

in demand by teachers.

These promotional items can be shipped to the Census Bureau’s regional facilities and partners

for distribution, and we will explore ways to take requests through the Partnership Experience

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Platform (PXP). Other materials will be electronic PDFs, with print copies made available to

school districts by request.

The Census Bureau is currently exploring the best approach for promoting the evergreen SIS

program. This approach may be adjusted slightly for decennial efforts, where we will want to

ensure an efficient nationwide approach as well as buy‐in from top officials for activities like

connecting with parents. In some cases, we will still work to reach teachers directly through

partnerships. In general, the Census Bureau will consider distributing materials for the 2020

Census as follows, in coordination with partnerships throughout the 50 states and the

territories:

	 We will aim to distribute outreach materials first to the Council of Chief State School

Officers, which is best positioned to provide access to local superintendent offices, state

boards of education, and state supervisors of social studies and math. We will take a

similar approach with our distribution to private schools. (The Council of Chief State

School Officers also has representation from the Island Areas, the Bureau of Indian

Education, and Department of Defense education.)

	 Our goal is for these leaders to distribute materials to principals, administrators, math

coaches, media specialists, district curriculum coordinators, and others. These principals

and administrators would then be asked to distribute SIS information to their teachers,

encouraging them to participate in the program and directing them to 2020 activities

and the program as a whole.

	 We will ask teachers to distribute take‐home materials to parents and guardians, and

we will provide an email template and/or written content for them to use as they see

fit. These take‐home materials would encourage parents and guardians to ask their

children what they’re learning about the census and its data.

We can also coordinate with Department of Defense Education Activity facilities,

administrators, and teachers to help in reaching active duty military families.

Distribution and Promotion of SIS Outside of Schools: We will also reach out to partners and

education organizations, asking them to distribute SIS materials and information to their

audiences, whether teachers or parents. This can be done by providing sample newsletter

content, making phone calls, and emailing information. We will prioritize organizations that

train or provide resources to teachers, such as the American Federation of Teachers and

National PTA.

Participation at Conferences: Many education organizations host conferences, which will

provide valuable means of engaging with educators in large groups and putting SIS offerings on

display. We may promote SIS by attending key conferences and other events, particularly those

for superintendents and principals. We may also submit applications to present at such

conferences. In advance of the 2010 Census, officials attended 20 such conferences.

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Newsletter Distribution: We will develop and distribute HTML newsletters to teachers and

other educators on a regular basis from 2017 to the 2020 Census. Using this tactic, the Census

Bureau will solicit input for and share information about SIS.

New Possible Features and Events:

	 National SIS Kickoff Event: The Census Bureau may host a national kickoff event for the

2020 Census through SIS, possibly at a school in a HTC area. This would involve

livestreaming local promotional activities and inviting media to attend in person or

listen in remotely. We will also consider hosting a media‐only conference call before the

event for reporters who need quotes and information for their stories.

If the Census Bureau is able to secure partnerships with Sesame Street Workshop

characters, as we did in 2010, we may be able to feature characters like The Count and

Rosita at the event. We may also host a quiz bowl as part of the event to showcase

some of the content in the activities. In addition, we will explore the possibility of

partnering with corporate organizations such as Target and Staples for hosting the event

or to donate materials to schools. Invitees may include the secretary of education, local

government officials, the U.S. Census Bureau director, a congressional representative of

the area where the event is being held, a state or local superintendent, school board

members, the mayor, PTA representatives, school participants, partners like the

American Statistical Association, and local media.

	 Mini “Mock Census” Events at Schools: As a new feature leading up to the 2020 Census,

or potentially to reinforce a local connection to the national kickoff event, Census could

support schools across the country in hosting mock census events. Having schools

conduct their own censuses to simulate an actual count would promote an awareness

and understanding of the decennial count, particularly in HTC areas.

SIS promotional materials—including maps, pens, pencils, hand sanitizers, and

notebooks—could be distributed at these events, saving money on shipping and easing

distribution logistics. (The hand sanitizers, for example, cannot be shipped because they

are liquids.)

We envision this as a half‐day event, potentially in the school gym, where classes are

called down to be counted. We could enlist college students—in particular, those

training to become teachers—as well as PTA members and other parents to volunteer

as enumerators for the event. Students would have the opportunity to complete a

questionnaire that is similar to the actual questionnaire used for the census. Regional

staff would help identify schools and promote the events, and SIS could pitch these

events to local broadcast and newspaper outlets, inviting the outlets to cover them.

	 Career Days: The Census Bureau will consider offering teachers the opportunity—

perhaps through requests on the SIS website—to secure a guest speaker from the

Census Bureau to speak in their classroom at a Career Day or during a themed week. We

could test this approach in specific areas and expand to a wider geography if we are

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successful and if resources allow. Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida, could be

considered as locations for the first engagements, since they annually hold The Great

American Teach In. To support this effort, Census would enhance pages on the SIS site

with search engine optimization keywords to ensure that those pages appear near the

top of Google search results when teachers search for “guest speaker ideas” and other

related keyword phrases.

Program Evaluation: The Census Bureau will aim to evaluate the SIS program as it relates to

2020 Census efforts in three key ways:

	 Collect feedback on the program. This could be accomplished through offering a

feedback form on the SIS website, or through asking for feedback during the thank‐you

phase of the campaign.

	 Measure use of the program. The Census Bureau will measure how (and how many)

people are using the program by tracking website metrics like downloads from the SIS

pages on census.gov and requests for printed materials. It will also be important to track

engagement at schools—and subsequently, response rates—in HTC areas.

	 Measure awareness of the program. The Census Bureau will measure awareness in part

by keeping track of the number of conferences attended and speaking engagements for

SIS. We will also explore methods for capturing email addresses of teachers who express

interest in the program.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Shorter, More Flexible Activities: The Census Bureau will move away from the packets of

lesson plans we sent to teachers as part of large kits in 2010. Teachers have very specific

curriculums they must follow, so it is not always realistic to expect them to use a kit of that size

in its entirety. Instead, we will provide shorter, more flexible activities that teachers can

incorporate into their existing lesson plans—a model we are already using as part of the

evergreen SIS program and will continue for 2020 Census activities.

Alignment with School Curriculums: SIS activities are intended to support teachers’ classroom

priorities, and are designed to supplement—rather than replace—school curriculums.

Outreach to Home‐School Educators: Based on previous research, we will attend conferences

and use social media channels to make home‐school educators aware of SIS activities and their

benefit. Additional methods for reaching home‐school educators will be considered as well.

2020 Census Page on SIS Website: The Census Bureau is considering creating a separate

landing page on the SIS website for activities and resources specific to the 2020 Census, to

distinguish these from the materials that are currently on the website. Doing so will help the

Census Bureau track SIS site visitors who are seeking 2020 Census‐specific information, thus

enabling us to better evaluate the success of the 2020 Census campaign in driving engagement.

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FIELD RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING AND

COMMUNICATIONS

OVERVIEW

Not only will the 2020 Census mark the first decennial census to enable online responses, but a

notable share of recruitment applications will also be collected online. This digital approach will

allow the Census Bureau the flexibility and optimization capabilities to maximize results and

ensure the right people are hired for the right places and needs.

While the Census Bureau is still finalizing its recruitment goals, we recognize that we will need

to recruit several million applicants to be able to hire a few hundred thousand staff, most of

whom will serve as temporary enumerators for only 1‐2 months. To reach our goals, our

communications campaign for the 2020 Census must include a streamlined approach to

recruiting for these positions. Regional efforts will continue to play a critical role in recruiting as

recruiting local enumerators has multiple advantages include knowledge of neighborhood and

providing a familiar face. To that end, the Census Bureau’s regional and Field Division teams will

be empowered to leverage resources to meet their specific needs.

The Census Bureau will develop a central location—the 2020 Census jobs website—with

information pertaining to all available positions, including descriptions of work, guidance for

completing job applications, and other key details.

Realistic and in‐depth position descriptions on this site will be critical to helping interested job

seekers properly evaluate opportunities and manage their expectations, enabling candidate

self‐selection. Position descriptions will also be augmented with tailored, relevant content

including realistic job previews, success stories, videos, blogs, and other features to aid

candidates in determining whether they would like to apply. Tying content directly to jobs

means candidates will have a clearer understanding of the opportunity, leading to higher

conversion rates, lowering the overall cost per hire, and increasing the overall value of the

program.

The goals for field recruitment activities are to:

	 Recruit the maximum quantity of 2020 Census employees in the right geographic
 

locations with the most tailored effort possible, at the lowest reasonable cost.
 

	 Use recruitment as an early messaging and promotional activity with key communities

about the 2020 Census.

	 Leverage potential existing opportunities by identifying and reaching out to former

Census Bureau employees.

	 Advertise cooperatively with overall 2020 Census communications.

	 Jump on trends in social media and other emerging and future media to maximize

exposure to 2020 Census opportunities.

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An overarching national plan, leveraging various media channels (emerging, digital, and

traditional media, out‐of‐home, broadcast etc.), will address the large‐scale hiring needs for all

positions in all locations. However, understanding that individuals will be working in their own

neighborhoods, we will also create supplemental plans that are managed at the regional level

with local considerations. We will examine census data with the objective of analyzing hard‐to‐

count (HTC) areas to determine which specific neighborhoods will need to be the focus of

additional recruitment efforts.

Additional involvement from partners, who will spread the word about our opportunities, will

augment recruitment efforts. The Census Bureau recognizes that at the national, regional, and

local levels, we must maintain coordinated and consistent communications with partners and

stakeholders who will aid in the recruitment effort.

Throughout this work, messaging will be developed with the goal of addressing perceived

challenges within specific audiences. For example, areas of high employment may receive a

message about supplementing their income; hard‐to‐reach/rural audiences could receive ads

through traditional and local channels, as well as local referrals through partners.

APPROACH

INPUTS

Campaign Research: We will conduct discovery sessions to fully understand the job types, hire

volumes, needs, budget, timelines, and other recruiting factors required to successfully execute

the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau will then leverage data dissemination networks, third‐

party tools, and benchmarking media metrics to understand the marketplace.

Existing Census Bureau data will also help identify and analyze HTC areas and the specific

neighborhoods that will require additional recruiting efforts. Self‐response propensity (SRP)

modeling activities can be used to prioritize enumerator recruitment across tracts. In general,

the lower the average SRP in an area, the more enumerators will likely be needed to count that

area.

Audience Insights: The Census Bureau will work to identify audience members who are ideal

candidates for the short‐term jobs in question. Crafting messaging and outreach to this

audience will result in applicants that are more likely to be successful with the Census Bureau.

Initially, we have characterized this audience as people in service, retail, and restaurant

industries; those currently performing “temporary‐type” functions (e.g., food delivery, cab

driving); older people and second‐career candidates; veterans; and those who are

underemployed. A significant number of candidates can likely be reached largely through

digital/electronic outreach mechanisms, but others will be more resistant to those channels

and/or may not be exposed to them. In those cases, outreach should include more traditional

and direct channels such as out‐of‐home advertising and partnership outreach efforts, which—

if validated through research—could be focused on recruiting in HTC areas, as well as those

areas with limited internet access.

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Lessons Learned: In 2010, we saw opportunities to enhance overall recruiting efforts, including

providing more detail and information about decennial census jobs, starting recruitment

earlier, increasing the representation of ethnic groups in the campaign, revamping the approval

process to include earlier involvement from senior management and planning for an extended

approval timeline, and evaluating the user experience throughout. Our approach to 2020

Census recruiting takes these factors into consideration.

PLANNING

The Census Bureau’s approach to an effective, comprehensive recruitment marketing strategy

begins with an understanding of the recruitment ecosystem. That foundation is built by

identifying the goals and objectives of the overall campaign through close collaboration among

Census Bureau recruitment staff from headquarters and regional offices.

The process begins with building a well‐crafted recruitment platform for all job information—

one single site, the 2020 Census jobs website, with customized local landing pages for different

audiences—and then implementing tactics to optimize the visibility and increase the awareness

of the job opportunity. We will then develop a paid advertising strategy to drive potential

candidates to this platform.

Our approach is grounded in three key pillars:

	 Message and Communication Activation: This includes understanding the audiences,

developing an overarching value proposition, and defining and tailoring a core message

and creative approach through various executions. All communications along the

engagement landscape will lead back to the jobs website or jobs landing page, as it is an

essential activation point.

	 Attraction and Engagement: Once the message is developed, the Census Bureau will

determine the best channels and strategies for reaching the key audience segments,

including the jobs site, search engine optimization strategies, traditional and digital

media, social media, and establishing a pipeline of interested potential candidates. We

will take a hyperlocal approach to recruiting among HTC audiences, which will allow us

to reach potential applicants as narrowly as by specific neighborhoods.

	 Analytics and Optimization: Finally, it is imperative to understand the yield from each

engagement channel—through web analytics, media metrics, and return‐on‐investment

data—to improve on the strategy.

The Census Bureau recognizes that many partners and stakeholders will be interested in

learning more about Census Bureau job opportunities, so we are exploring ways to make this

information before the launch of the full 2020 Census jobs website. This could include providing

information about 2020 recruitment on a page on census.gov until the full site can be

developed.

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Use of Existing Contacts: One of the first steps we will take is to reach out to the talent pool

from past Census activities—perhaps as far back as the 2010 Census—and recruit them to

return as supervisors and enumerators. This presents an opportunity to quickly create a

pipeline of potential candidates.

We will develop and launch a 2010 Census alumni outreach strategy, conducting outreach to

candidates who were strong performers and who contributed to previous enumeration efforts

(i.e., people who were hired for key roles and stayed until completion). This strategy may

include the following actions:

	 Conduct a broad awareness push through social media.

	 Deliver email messages to candidates, highlighting their exemplary performance and the

desire to have them return for the 2020 Census.

	 Establish a Facebook Census Bureau Alumni (or other social media) page to alert former

part‐time employees that the Census Bureau is hiring for 2020 and is interested in

bringing them back.

	 Consider non‐digital communications channels (e.g., phone/direct mail) to reach
 

potential candidates who are not easily reachable by digital means.
 

Through the Community Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP) and other Census

outreach initiatives, our regional and local partnerships will play a critical role in local recruiting.

Those partners can leverage their community networks to find candidates with capabilities in

languages other than English. This is crucial for helping enumerators identify with the HTC

audiences they are trying to count.

Referrals: We will develop a referral strategy that enables former 2010 Census and recently

hired employees to refer their friends to jobs for the 2020 Census. The online system would

feed directly into the customer relationship management system and enable email

communication with the person being referred.

Message Development: We will use focus group research with audience segments and

employees from the 2010 Census and other surveys to understand why people joined the team

and stayed through the census process. Based on that understanding—and factoring in lessons

learned from the previous censuses and other data collection efforts, as well as goals for the

2020 Census campaign—we will develop an overarching employment message that will

resonate with potential candidates. We will continue to refine that message to develop

regionally and culturally nuanced messaging that is consistent with the overarching positioning

of the Census Bureau and the 2020 Census.

Clear and Consistent Communications: To avoid a disjointed recruitment effort, it will be

important to have a singular and consistent recruitment brand and employer value proposition.

To ensure consistency of the message and to gain confidence among the job‐seeking audience,

it is vital that only approved, properly branded recruitment materials be used for outreach

efforts. It is also essential that we start disseminating these materials early.

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Examples of digital and physical recruitment materials that will be produced for the overall

campaign include flyers, posters, online banners, brochures, videos, tabletop displays,

giveaways, direct mail pieces, radio ads, print ads, billboards, and printable PDFs.

To manage expectations among applicants, as well as to attract the most qualified pool of

candidates, it is critical that we develop clear messaging about job requirements and

descriptions, as well as for the hiring process itself. With a long hiring process, it will also be

important to consistently stay in touch with applicants.

2020 Census Jobs Website: The 2020 Census jobs website will be programmed using responsive

web design to maximize opportunities for interaction, portability, and ease of use on all

computers, phones, and other devices used to access the internet. The goal of this design is to

increase accessibility for all audiences.

To enable a more localized adoption of the job website resources, the Census Bureau will

consider deploying customized regional and state landing pages for field‐level use. Landing

pages could be developed for the six Census Bureau regions to help users more quickly find

information about the needs in their states. These landing pages would feature content and

resources pertinent to the area and be optimized for search on major search engines and within

the Census 2020 jobs site.

The job search function of the website can be customized to deliver jobs within the covered

geographic area. Integrations with USAJobs and/or the 2020 Census Applicant Tracking System

(ATS), known internally at the Census Bureau as the Census Schedule A Hiring, Recruiting and

Payroll System (C‐SHaRPS), will result in centralized and consistent job information, and

relevant content (other than job descriptions) will be localized and optimized for search. This

helps ensure that the message received by the job seeker is consistent and local, and important

to that user. Not only will job seekers have a local experience, but Census Bureau staff in that

area will have a personalized resource for recruitment outreach. And talent acquisition staff—

both national and local—will benefit from a single application stream and talent database,

regardless of entry point.

Online Attraction and Engagement: The jobs website will include general information about

Census jobs and the opportunity to be part of this important effort, specific job description

pages with candidate data capture fields, and the functionality to upload resumes and/or

applications.

Testimonials, “day‐in‐the‐life” stories and videos, and success stories—along with depictions of

the working environment—will allow potential applicants to “see themselves” as enumerators.

We want to empower interested candidates to make informed decisions about their level of

interest and self‐select to continue or opt out. This factor alone will contribute significantly to

improved hiring efforts.

The better the Census Bureau can understand our audience and the personas we are targeting

as potential candidates, the more we can conduct search engine optimization research to

understand what keywords these audiences are commonly searching for. By adding those

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common search terms to the content of the Census Bureau pages, we can ensure greater

visibility for these job opportunities.

National Outreach Strategy Development: Using the SRPs, we will identify where potential

talent is most likely to be found online and offline. Using digital media, supported by traditional

and other media and outreach mechanisms, this national outreach strategy will aim to engage

candidates by identifying the right tactics based on audience segment, budget, timing, and

potential for measurement. These outreach efforts must be closely coordinated with the

Census Bureau’s other outreach efforts—including those of the National Partnership Program,

CPEP, and the Field Division, among others—to ensure that the requests of partners and

stakeholders are aligned and consistent.

Potential audience‐specific campaigns include:

	 Colleges: The Census Bureau can set up traveling displays that educate college students

who may be looking for temporary work on the value and importance of the Census

Bureau and its data collection efforts.

	 Diverse Groups: The Census Bureau will consider employing a “hub‐and‐spoke strategy”

to capitalize on the efficiency offered by national diversity and affinity groups that

include local representation of their organizations. Through this strategy, Census

recruitment materials could be distributed to these groups at the national level, then

disseminated through their affiliated and existing local channels (e.g., associations and

publications that serve diverse communities).

	 National Associations: The Census Bureau will explore opportunities to partner with

associations and publications that promote diversity and inclusion to recruit

representative enumerators with the linguistic capabilities and cultural understandings

to avoid an undercount in underserved neighborhoods. Partners would include faith‐

based organizations that serve poor and rural communities as well as associations such

the League of United Latino American Citizens (LULAC), NAACP, the Hispanic College

Fund, African American Greek fraternities and sororities, the National Council of Asian

Pacific Americans, the National Network of Arab American Communities, the Arab

American Institute, the minority Chambers of Commerce (e.g., Pan Asian, Asian Pacific,

Pakistan, Indian), the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations, and the Russian American

Foundation.

	 Faith‐Based Groups: This can include Hispanic Catholic organizations within

archdioceses, the National Council of Black Churches, the Association of Black Churches

of America, and local Muslim communities and mosques (e.g., Islamic Association of

Greater Detroit).

	 Census Bureau Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs: In coordination

with regional efforts, the Census Bureau can provide messaging and materials, such as

sample social media posts, to encourage lawmakers to engage their constituents about

the importance of the census, as well as potential job opportunities.

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	 Retirees: This would include retired federal workers across the country, involving

organizations such as AARP, the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC), and

National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE).

	 Veterans: The Census Bureau could work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

and other federal initiatives, federally funded state Local Veterans Employment

Representatives, veterans service organizations, and veterans’ publications.

	 Women: This could include 9 to 5 (National Association of Working Women), the

American Association of University Women student program, and other national and

local women’s organizations.

In‐Kind Advertising: This includes simple recruitment materials (like messaging, branding

symbols, and URLs) that cooperating partners, such as pizza delivery companies, grocery stores,

and other corporate partners, can place on their own packaging or marketing materials to

spread the word about Census Bureau jobs (e.g., placing the 2020 Census jobs site URL on every

major pizza delivery service box, prescription bottles filled through major chain drug stores, or

fast‐food tray liners).

Paid Advertising: An important component of field recruitment will be paid advertising to drive

applications. In addition to new and emerging media approaches, we will deploy more

traditional recruitment advertising methods (including print, radio, and outdoor) to

compensate for where digital and web‐based media is not a primary communications channel.

Campaign research will help illuminate HTC areas that will likely require additional recruitment

efforts. Once identified, these areas will be the focus of directed campaigns specifically

intended to attract candidates from those small geographic areas.

With as much advance preparation as possible, the Census Bureau will also develop regional ad

hoc strategies—like local print, local radio, and out‐of‐home advertising—to be activated based

on needs as they develop in the field during the decennial.

Integration With Other Areas: Jobs are often a high‐priority interest among stakeholders;

therefore, many partners, data users, government agencies, and even members of the general

public will want to learn about the Census Bureau’s recruiting efforts and know how they can

find out more about jobs and other opportunities. The Census Bureau will share promotional

and educational materials on open positions with interested partners, solicit the help of local

government agencies in posting information about positions and hosting testing for applicants,

and develop web and social media content to push out notices of openings to large audiences.

The recruiting teams will work closely with other Census Bureau program areas to make sure

activities are integrated throughout the campaign, and that recruiting messaging does not

deviate from the approved 2020 Census campaign theme and main messaging. Should

recruiting materials be developed and distributed before the development of a campaign

theme, messaging and branding will be made consistent with the 2020 Census brand.

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EXECUTION

Early Partnership and Stakeholder Relations: As we begin reaching out to individuals and

organizations about supporting the 2020 Census, we will provide those partners and

stakeholders with basic messaging for promoting recruitment efforts among their networks and

audiences. These resources can be used by partnership organizations to promote 2020 Census

opportunities to their constituents, as content about the jobs for relevant partner websites,

and/or to use within their own marketing materials.

Partnering organizations could include state and federal agencies and communicators that can

help amplify and promote these job opportunities, including state and city job sites, the Office

of Personnel Management’s USAJobs, the U.S. Postal Service website and offices, and the

General Services Administration’s USA.gov website and email newsletters. The Census Bureau

will also explore ways to incorporate job information for congressional representatives to

include on their own sites.

Activation of Messaging: Once the employment messaging is determined, the Census Bureau

will activate it on the jobs website and associated pages. We will position the site as the key

destination for in‐depth information on job opportunities; success stories; and testimonials

from past and current Census Bureau efforts. This will help engage potential candidates, while

also conveying the importance of the work and the value of the data.

The Census Bureau will also:

	 Refine and distribute a recruitment brand toolkit that ensures seamless integration with

the Census brand and consistent use and application of recruitment materials across all

outreach channels by staff across the Census Bureau.

	 Stand up an online ad development portal to make approved branded recruitment

outreach materials (print, digital/electronic, other) available to approved users and

customizable for the needs of regional teams.

	 Ensure that a consistent employment message is woven across the recruitment

ecosystem—from the Census Bureau’s owned properties (e.g., jobs website) to earned

(e.g., search engine optimization, word of mouth) to paid (e.g., ads on Indeed or

Facebook).

Candidate Flow: The 2020 Census candidate destination site would comprise the following

elements:

	 Main jobs landing page, to provide general information about the 2020 Census,

including a map of the United States with the locations of local offices, pay rates, etc.

	 Regional pages, with information on the impact of the census in that area.

	 Job description pages (separate content for recruiter, enumerator, human resources,

and other critical roles), which would each contain, at a minimum:

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	 A detailed job description including work environment and other nontechnical

details.

	 Information pertinent to that location (e.g., office location).

	 Data capture form fields and resume upload functionality.

	 Access to online application.

Figure 18: Examples of Candidate Website  

Recruiter Flow: All job seekers visiting a careers website represent potential leads, but they do

not always take the action to apply on their first visit. Recognizing this reality, the 2020 Census

jobs site may capture the interest of each of these leads to build a candidate pipeline and

extend the capabilities of 2020 Census recruitment outreach efforts, if approved under Census

Bureau IT and security policies.

Visitors may be presented with the opportunity to sign up for “job alerts” by providing their

email address and preferred location to receive automatic emails about relevant jobs to which

they can apply. This list of interested individuals—essentially comprising a community of

potential talent—would be integrated with the jobs site and provide a resource for the Census

Bureau to rapidly connect with interested potential applicants. It would also provide Census

Bureau talent acquisition staff with tools to better manage candidate networks and reach and

refer candidates more readily.

Within the talent community, each region would be able to have its own portal through a drop‐

down menu. With the correct region selected, regional recruiters can:

	 Manage lists of interested candidates collaboratively.

	 Batch candidates into groups to be contacted based on set geographic criteria.

	 Indicate where the candidate is in the hiring process (e.g., Active, Not Active/Obsolete,

Offer, Hired, or Not to be Contacted).

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Continued Testing and Analysis: The Census Bureau will track all marketing placements and use

those metrics to evaluate effectiveness and return on investment, and then optimize the

strategy. We will also ensure that the online application technology (currently being developed)

integrates with media‐ and candidate‐tracking capabilities to enable tracking and reporting all

the way through final hiring decisions.

In addition, implementing web analytics coding on the jobs site, without collecting personally

identifiable information, will allow us to better understand target candidate behavior and

appropriately realign investments and adjust site content.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Federal Hiring: The federal hiring process is lengthy and includes a thorough background check.

The wait times between completing an application, being offered a job, and beginning work can

be several months, which might seem burdensome for a part‐time, short‐term post and could

contribute to low recruitment. It will be important that we continuously engage with applicants

and partners during this time—not only to keep applicants interested in the position, but to

divert those who are no longer interested while also fostering understanding of and goodwill

toward the 2020 Census. Automated opt‐in email newsletters or text messages can be used to

regularly update potential candidates.

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RAPID RESPONSE ACTIVITIES

OVERVIEW

No matter how precise and accurate our predictive models are on the day before self‐response

begins, those predictions can be improved upon once the self‐response period starts and we

begin to collect response data. Rapid response refers to the activities the Census Bureau will

execute during the self‐response period, and they will occur in two main ways: by optimizing

the campaign in response to the data that come in every day during enumeration and by

conducting crisis communications for unforeseen events.

To handle both cases, we will build the infrastructure to manage a real‐time decision‐making

process—automating small optimizations to the campaign, quickly handling larger changes,

and, when needed, escalating issues that need additional input.

The ultimate approach to rapid response will be heavily influenced by ongoing discussions

across the Census Bureau regarding data access, systems requirements, response rate access,

and policy and sharing considerations. Further iterations of the rapid response approach will

follow in future drafts of this plan and as campaign research setup is completed.

APPROACH

INPUTS

2020 Communications Information Technology (IT) System: The 2020 communications IT

system will support all 2020 Census communications work. To develop this system, we are

conducting research among potential users, including the various Census teams that will need

access to campaign data, to inform the data integrations and dashboards that we will ultimately

build and use to make decisions. This research is intended to elucidate what communications

data are needed to support campaign activities, and the most helpful ways to disseminate

those data.

Our current understanding, to be augmented through future research, is that Census’ 2020

communications IT system should:

	 Monitor response projections based on current conditions. The system will take in real‐

time questionnaire response paradata from the Census Bureau. By continually updating

our modeling projections based on current conditions, we can have a more

comprehensive understanding of the status of the 2020 Census campaign.

	 Execute an optimized paid media strategy. The system will take in real‐time campaign

data that would enable us to reallocate resources. For example, we may want to reduce

television ads in a media market that demonstrates a higher‐than‐expected response

rate, and reallocate resources to other areas that demonstrate a lower‐than‐expected

response rate. We will optimize the campaign to focus on the creative and

advertisements that seem to be having the greatest impact. For example, if certain

creative executions are over‐ or under‐performing, we can redirect media accordingly.

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	 Support key rapid response processes:

	 Identify geographic areas and demographics for which the response rate is

significantly lower than expected and intervention is needed. Similarly, we will also

be able to identify over‐performing geographic areas and audiences; this will help us

understand important lessons that can be applied to other geographic areas and

audiences to help increase the response rate.

	 Diagnose any acute reasons why the response rate is lower than expected (through

analysis of clips, social listening, feedback from partners and stakeholders, etc.).

	 Determine a communications strategy to alleviate the problem (i.e., describe the

audience with the low response rate, and identify the most resonant message,

messenger, channel, media consumption habits, etc., based on foundational

campaign research).

	 Evaluate the success of that communications strategy by monitoring the problem to

make sure we have effectively addressed it.

Data Inputs to the System: The types of data that may be collected by the IT system include:

	 Response rate forecasting: This is a real‐time evaluation of the final response rate of the

2020 Census. These data will help us make sure we’re on track to meet response rate

goals, both across the United States and for specific subgroups or geographic areas.

	 Response data: This indicates what percentage of households in a geographic area or

audience have completed the census. We would want to focus advertising on

geographic areas and/or segments with lower response rates.

	 Campaign data: This indicates where paid advertisements are “live”—and what
 

messages are currently planned to air to what audience and on what channel.
 

	 Social listening: Digested data from social media can help the rapid response team

diagnose potential problems, such as viral posts or events that could affect other

elements of the campaign.

	 Press monitoring: Reviewing a clips summary will help the rapid response team

diagnose any issues, such as an op‐ed questioning the importance of the 2020 Census.

Attitudinal Tracking Survey: We will explore conducting a daily internet or telephone tracking

survey of several hundred people residing in the United States to measure perceived exposure

to the census advertising campaign; recall of key information like the availability of the online

response mode; and the prominence of particular barriers like privacy, confidentiality, or

difficulty responding online. Several days of results can be combined to provide a “rolling”

sample of recent interviews for analysis each day.

Immediately before and during the self‐response phase, we anticipate using a larger daily

sample size to provide more rapid insights into key demographic groups, including an

oversample of hard‐to‐count segments with low self‐response propensity scores. We anticipate

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fielding the daily survey in English and Spanish. The survey would also serve as a fast‐

turnaround vehicle for making on‐the‐fly adjustments based on emerging events, such as a

concern about a particular issue or a full‐blown crisis.

In addition, some of these questions could be tracked to the 2010 Continuous Attitude Tracking

Study (CATS) as a reference frame for exposure to and awareness of the enumeration in the

time leading up to self‐response, particularly in March and early April of a decennial census

enumeration year. These survey results would be available in a rapid response dashboard,

allowing us to monitor changes in awareness levels and attitudes as the campaign progresses.

Foundational Planning Efforts: The Census Bureau’s preliminary research and analytics

activities will be vital to the ultimate success of the rapid response program. These activities,

currently underway, will result in the following key inputs to the rapid response system:

	 The Business Process Model (BPM) for system, information, and program integration.

	 The authority to operate (ATO) to establish the rapid response platform.

	 Foundational and second‐generation models of self‐response propensity to establish a

baseline for evaluation and reporting.

PLANNING

Building a Rapid Response Team: To facilitate real‐time collaboration, and to quickly and

effectively optimize the campaign and respond to issues, the Census Bureau will build a team

including representatives from across the campaign, such as those from earned media, paid

media, digital advertising, social media, partnerships, field operations, and the Statistics in

Schools (SIS) program, as well as multicultural experts. We will also establish a plan for

approvals and preapprovals, to maximize the agility of this team.

Developing Our Processes: The Census Bureau will begin by identifying and anticipating

potential developments and mapping out what to watch, when to react, and what the team

roles and tactics will be for executing and approving immediate and effective responses to

developments that exceed a defined threshold of tolerance and demand a reaction. We will

then develop a process for implementing data points across the preferred the Census Bureau

platform, tailoring our reports to the structures required.

We will develop an operating manual to serve as a decision tree for quick reference throughout

the campaign. This will allow us to think through the critical aspects of various situations before

the campaign ramps up. The manual will lay out solutions to these issues, enabling quick

decisions—and in this way, helping us to avoid having to come up with solutions in the midst of

the campaign.

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Integration With Other Program Areas: The rapid response team will also establish a process to

collect feedback from partners, enumerators in the field, telephone response lines, email

response accounts, and mainstream, digital, and social media monitoring. That “always

listening” monitoring will help us immediately identify any misstatements in the media, track

trends in conversations among social media users, and identify and respond to partner

requests.

This could be done through an existing process, such as a dashboard or reporting system, or by

creating a new one. Region‐specific recommendations and actions will come out of regular

rapid response meetings, so we will also need to establish a system and a channel through

which recommendations can reach regional and Field Division staff. As necessary, this system

should also allow for regional and Field Division staff to participate in decision‐making and

back‐and‐forth discussion.

EXECUTION

The Census Bureau is exploring opportunities to use response data in near‐real time to monitor

participation and reallocate funding and efforts to optimize campaign performance. If Census

Bureau security and IT procedures approve the use of such data for campaign optimization, the

Census Bureau can more effectively dispatch communications. Once the self‐response period

has begun, the Census Bureau will likely receive a new set of completed responses every day. In

turn, we would use that information in at least two ways: to update our response modeling

projections, and to suppress advertisements to geographic areas in which significant numbers

of households have already responded. From there, we will adjust our tactics and execute

changes to our communications program.

Providing Dashboards: The Census Bureau will generate real‐time dashboards routinely and

when needed. At any time of day, we will be able to see the number of expected responses by

that date and how many we have actually received overall. This dashboard will also offer data

for every key subgroup, including specific regions, states, media markets, single‐parent or

guardian‐run households, African American households, American Indian and Alaska Native

households, urban audiences, rural audiences, and many other groups.

Figure 19: Example Dashboards for Rapid Response

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Analyzing and Responding to Data: Using actual response data, we will update our self‐

response models to identify the characteristics that are most predictive of over‐ or

underperformance. These characteristics could include age, ethnicity, presence of kids, age of

kids, gender of head of household, income, language, presence of landline, responsiveness to

TV ads, likelihood of having cable television, and smartphone usage. Such an analysis would

suggest whom we need to target—and how—in order to boost response. Types of data that

could be exported from the IT system include:

	 Small geography‐level advertising information: The IT system will integrate with digital

advertising buying platforms and television advertising buyers to provide the data they

need to execute a campaign that is responsive to real‐time changes in response rates.

	 Self‐response propensity scores: These data could be exported from the system to

support the work of other Census efforts, such as partnership, field, SIS, and earned

media activities.

During our review of these data, the Census Bureau will look to its multicultural partners for

audience‐specific insights, helping us understand possible cultural nuances of the response

trends that arise during data collection. From this information, we will determine available

response options, adjust our messages and ad buys as needed, and redirect resources.

Establishing a framework and protocol to make decisions about what changes are needed and

who will execute them will be critical to a successful process for rapid response.

Once approved, we will immediately move to implementation; a task tracker will track when

and how changes are implemented. While rapid response planning is still in the early phases,

rapid response activities could include the following:

	 Identify audience segments that exhibit unexpectedly low response rates. We would

quickly analyze the situation, identifying whether there is an acute cause for the

problem (e.g., a negative news story about the census, or a community leader vocalizing

complaints about the Census Bureau) and recommending a strategic or tactical

adjustment to address it (e.g., purchasing additional television ads, deploying a

partnership specialist to conduct outreach in that area, or activating local public

relations efforts).

	 Monitor engagement metrics of digital ads. If data show that one message is driving

more interaction than another within an audience segment, we may reallocate

resources to lean more heavily on the digital ad with the stronger message.

	 Adjust reservations to match the progress of the campaign. For example, if response

rates are very high in one media market, but very low in another, we may reallocate

parts of the budget to the lower‐response market.

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Crisis Management and Mitigation: Should an issue or potential crisis arise, our crisis

management and rapid response teams will use the following approach to manage it:

	 Alert and Issue Assessment:

	 Identify the issue and provide an initial evaluation of its severity, the likely impact,

and the affected audiences.

	 Analyze social media data to understand what affected audiences and the general

public are saying about the issue and about the Census Bureau on social media as

well as what news coverage they are consuming.

	 Conduct other digital and traditional media analyses to extend this investigation to

other online and offline forums.

	 Data Gathering and Analysis:

 Analyze census response data to understand whether and how the response rate

has been affected by the issue, in what modes, and among which audiences.

 Map the affected populations to identify concentrations in specific geographic areas.

 Collect partner input and concerns, soliciting what they know about relevant

affected audiences.

 Interview enumerators to gather their feedback and input on what they are hearing

from the field.

 Gather information from other stakeholders to foster a broader understanding of

the impact of the event or activity.

	 Proposed Approach:

 Determine the appropriate immediate response.

 Recommend actions based on our analyses.

 Submit recommendations, make decisions, assign tasks to responsible parties, and

record decisions.

 Develop talking points, partner materials, and advertising as appropriate.

 Mobilize teams of experts to address high‐priority issues, if applicable.

	 Implementation of Approach:
 

 Implement responses and report on results of activities.
 

 Perform postanalysis to identify impact, record results, and adjust strategy to
 

account for any changes in messaging and/or response rates.

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This approach is illustrated in the graphic below:

Figure 20: Crisis Management Approach

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

In both the planning and optimization of the 2020 Census campaign, the Census Bureau is

firmly committed to protecting the privacy of individuals. We will ensure these protections in

several ways.

	 Title 13: Census Bureau data are protected by Title 13, part of the U.S. Code, forbidding

the disclosure of any data that identify individuals. Therefore, all of our communications

work will respect C.B. confidentiality rules and regulations.

	 IT Infrastructure: The 2020 communications IT system will adhere to the security

standards set forth by the General Services Administration, the U.S. Department of

Commerce, and the U.S. Census Bureau.

	 Data Access: Census Bureau data will be accessed by only Census Bureau employees

and contractors with Special Sworn Status (SSS). SSS is given to individuals who are

approved by the Census Bureau to access data protected by Title 13. Those with SSS are

subject to the same legal penalties for violations as Census Bureau employees.

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DATA DISSEMINATION

OVERVIEW

The accurate and efficient dissemination of census data will be critical throughout the 2020

campaign, from aiding early awareness efforts to driving ongoing activities during the thank‐

you phase and supporting key stakeholders after the count is complete. Throughout the 2020

Census campaign, we will show appreciation to respondents, and to partners and the public for

their support. Once the enumeration is over and results of the 2020 Census have been

analyzed, data dissemination will help carry census engagement and momentum forward into

the next decade.

After the enumeration, but before the census results are released, we will also work to engage

stakeholders, partners, and the public by providing basic pieces of data (e.g., response rates) or

compelling features (e.g., interactive maps based on existing Census Bureau data).

We will work to achieve the following milestones, leveraging them as opportunities to

communicate with the public, stakeholders, and partners:

 Deliver counts to the president by December 31, 2020.

 Deliver redistricting counts to states by March 31, 2021.

 Release final 2020 data products in April 2023.

Disseminating data will help build trust, maintain transparency, engender goodwill for future

data collection efforts, and further strengthen relationships with a wide range of partners,

stakeholders, and participants.

APPROACH

INPUTS

A New Data Platform: The Census Bureau’s Center for Enterprise Dissemination Services and

Consumer Innovation (CEDSCI) is building a robust new platform that will ultimately house and

disseminate census data. This platform is being developed to ensure that data are easily

released and accessible to stakeholders, partners, and a variety of audiences—including new

data users, super users, and those searching for very specific data points. This will be an

important feature of data dissemination efforts once the results of the 2020 Census are

available.

Results of the 2020 Enumeration: The outcomes of the 2020 Census will also affect data

dissemination efforts. This includes more than just the population data; through campaign

activities, we hope to establish an infrastructure for engagement—building on enhanced

relationships through partnership efforts and increased penetration into schools in hard‐to‐

count (HTC) areas—that can be leveraged for data dissemination purposes.

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2010 Data Products: The data products created from the 2010 Census—including data files,

tables, reports, maps, and other materials—will be a useful starting point in considering

additional data products to create for the 2020 Census.

PLANNING

Early Start: The dissemination of data starts well before the count is complete. During early

engagement and awareness efforts, including the education of audiences in HTC areas, we will

refer to data from previous censuses to generate interest in the 2020 Census. Data will then

remain at the forefront of our efforts to engage stakeholders, partners, and the public

throughout all phases of the campaign.

Streamlining of the Review and Approval Process: Ensuring that all data come from the new

platform will add efficiency to the approval process for data products. To further streamline

reviews, we will create templates of products such as social media posts or one‐page sheets in

a toolkit. We will also anticipate frequently asked questions before the data release and create

data dissemination tools that can be updated and executed to respond to those questions.

Having templates and tools in place before the availability of 2020 data will allow us to rapidly

update and distribute data products.

Integration With Other Program Areas: Data dissemination should not be viewed as an activity

that happens only when the enumeration is over. We will integrate the use of data across the

communications campaign, including partnership outreach, stakeholder relations, earned

media, crisis communications, and the Census Statistics in Schools program. The dissemination

of data can help in building key relationships, and those relationships can be leveraged to

support each of these program areas.

EXECUTION

Support of the “Thank‐You” Phase: Upon completion of enumeration, the Census Bureau will

launch the thank‐you phase of the 2020 Census campaign to show its appreciation for the

individuals and organizations that participated in the 2020 Census. While these messages of

appreciation will be shared publicly before 2020 Census data are available, they will be an

important bridge to maintain public interest and engagement with the Census Bureau.

Activities during this phase could include distributing materials and information of particular

interest to each census partner and stakeholder and encouraging them to continue to interact

with the Census Bureau, use available census or other Census Bureau data, and check back in

the future for the results of the 2020 Census. Campaign materials will include social media and

other digital content and online engagement opportunities, as well as print pieces such as a

one‐page sheet or flyer for those with limited digital capabilities or low levels of internet access.

Results Reporting: A wide range of stakeholders and people—with different levels of

experience, knowledge, and needs—will access and use the data collected by the 2020 Census.

Once the Census Bureau has delivered apportionment counts to the president and redistricting

counts to the states, we will use the 2020 Census data to develop a suite of data products in a

variety of formats to essentially “give back” the data to communities nationwide. The Census

Bureau will map data needs to our audiences, while also identifying which data sets and

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materials each audience could use. We will also identify the appropriate outreach and

distribution strategies for particular audiences—especially to partners and stakeholders who

may be less familiar with the Census Bureau’s rich data offerings—to ensure they can access

the data.

We will develop tailored materials that offer information on census results, from in‐depth data

sets for super users to simple infographics that highlight findings at a glance for the average

reader. Respondents who had opted in for an email or SMS text message after completing their

census questionnaire would receive an automatic email with the resulting data for their city,

county, and/or state. We will also develop a process to make data accessible for people who

are searching for very specific data points in large quantities, such as town clerks updating their

population figures.

In addition, the Census Bureau will create presentations, collateral materials, and digital tools

that staff can use to promote the use of the census data to larger audiences. We will explore

opportunities to produce interesting and informative news releases, newsletters, and products

such as data wheels, briefing books, interactive maps, and trackers that allow users to compare

results among populations and geographic areas, that immerse the reader in the rich data

produced by the 2020 Census. In addition, we will consider hosting online events with Census

Bureau staff, partners, stakeholders, and members of the media to walk through the results

and encourage public engagement with census data.

We will also develop the functionality to easily share this content with others on social media.

As we develop data products, the Census Bureau will ensure that the data are used accurately

and without prejudice, encouraging the public to draw their own inferences and providing

guidelines for how the data may be used. We will also collect partner feedback on ways to

enhance partner outreach, address questions or concerns from partners about completing the

census, and learn how partners prefer to receive updates about future efforts.

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APPENDIX A: PROJECT AND FINANCIAL

MANAGEMENT

The Census Bureau will oversee project management for the 2020 Census Integrated

Communications Contract (ICC), including the full suite of processes and techniques to support

the successful management of the effort. This includes developing a comprehensive set of plans

to support project management, including plans related to schedule, risk, cost and budget, and

quality assurance management across orders associated with the contract. Program

management documentation is being developed by the 2020 ICC Project Management Office

(PMO) with the support of the ICC contractor to guide the management of project

performance. More details about the Census Bureau’s project and financial management

approach will be available in subsequent iterations of this plan.

Schedule Management: The Census Bureau is employing a risk‐based schedule management

approach to develop the ICC Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)—which will be integrated with

the 2020 Integrated Partnership and Communications (IPC) Integrated Project Team (IPT)

Master Schedule. This approach will identify and monitor schedule‐related risks and issues and

develop contractwide schedule change control procedures to document, approve, and monitor

schedule adjustments to the schedule.

Risk Management: The objective of risk management is to increase the likelihood of events

that facilitate success of the ICC and associated orders, and to minimize the likelihood of events

that adversely impact contract and order performance. We employ a risk management

approach that accounts for known risks and provides a framework to effectively identify, track,

and mitigate unforeseen situations as they arise. These procedures support the successful

management of the contract, allowing the Census Bureau to identify risks as early as possible

and to plan for potential challenges. Successful implementation of risk management activities

also helps ensure that relevant stakeholders are kept regularly apprised of the contract’s

respective risks with sufficient regularity.

Cost and Budget Management: Budget monitoring for a campaign as large as the 2020 Census

ICC requires a high degree of planning and cooperation. We have organized our cost and

budget management activities into three distinct areas: planning, execution/monitoring, and

closeout. Within each area, we have laid out management activities that will occur at the

contract level and at the individual order level. This approach enables us to effectively establish

the appropriate contract‐level plans and templates while detailing the specific order‐level

activities to help in delivering financial compliance and management.

Quality Assurance Surveillance Approach: The Census Bureau understands that quality is an

integral element of a successful campaign that achieves established goals and outcomes. Our

quality assurance and surveillance approach embeds quality control procedures throughout a

project's life cycle for all key activities—at both the contract and order levels. The quality

assurance surveillance approach provides the processes and procedures to facilitate the

delivery of high‐quality products and services across the campaign. Contract and order teams

will adhere to procedures that help ensure compliance with quality requirements.

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APPENDIX B: CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS PLAN

This plan was created by the U.S. Census Bureau’s team of communications, partnership,

research, operations, and other experts. The following internal groups at Census were

consulted for input to craft the approach described in this plan:

 Associate Director for Communications (ADCOM).

 Associate Director for Decennial Census Programs (ADDC).

 Associate Director for Economic Programs (ADEP).

 Associate Director for Field Operations (ADFO).

 Associate Director for Research and Methodology (ADRM).

 Application and Services Development Division (ADSD).

 Center for New Media and Promotion (CNMP).

 Community Partnership and Engagement Program (CPEP).

 Customer Liaison and Marketing Services Office (CLMSO).

 Data dissemination program.

 Decennial Census Management Division (DCMD).

 Decennial Communications Coordination Office (DCCO).

 Decennial Contracts Execution Office (DCEO).

 Decennial Program Management Office (DPMO).

 Decennial Statistical Studies Division (DSSD).

 Field Division.

 Geography Division (GEO).

 Integrated Partnership and Communications (IPC) – Integrated Project Team (IPT).

 National Partnership Program (NPP).

 Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA).

 Public Information Office (PIO).

 Research and Analytics Team (RAT).

 Statistics in Schools (SIS) program.

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Census engaged Team Y&R for contractor support to develop this plan, using the experience

and expertise of each contractor partner to drive the campaign strategy. Team Y&R as a whole

was engaged in the development and review of the entire plan at multiple stages, and the

team’s partners offered inputs on more specific sections based on their focus areas. Contractor

partners and their key inputs include:

	 Y&R Advertising, PSB, Burson‐Marsteller, and Maxus: Inputs related to campaign

strategy and creative development, research, public relations and crisis response, and

media planning and buying.

	 Reingold: Strategy for creative development, digital advertising, partnership
 

engagement, and stakeholder relations.
 

	 Civis: Predictive modeling, analytics, and rapid response approach and insight.

	 Multicultural partners: Inputs related to overall 2020 Census campaign planning,

research, creative development, execution, and measurement strategy, as well as

unique considerations for ethnically diverse audiences and hard‐to‐count subgroups

within them; Census’ multicultural partners contributing to the development of this plan

include:

	 Carol H Williams: A full‐service marketing agency, with offices across the United

States, that has expertise in leading national and local campaigns to reach African

American audiences.

	 Culture ONE World: An integrated communications agency that has developed

nearly 100 fully integrated Hispanic market campaigns on behalf of almost every

branch of the federal government.

	 G+G Advertising: A leader in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) advertising

and outreach to AIAN audiences for more than 20 years, and a team member for the

2000 and 2010 Census communications campaigns.

	 The Kālaimoku Group: A Native Hawaiian‐owned marketing and communications

firm based in Hawaii with offices in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and

America Samoa, and a leader in reaching Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander

audiences.

	 TDW+Co: A cross‐cultural agency providing support in more than 24 languages, with

more than two decades of experience in reaching Asian American audiences.

	 Y&R San Juan: A creative agency and member of the Y&R family with experience

reaching Puerto Rican audiences through compelling advertising campaigns, as well

as a member of the 2000 Census communications team.

	 The DC Group: A communications firm with insight into creative development and

outreach to the service member and veteran audiences.

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	 TMP Government: An expert in recruitment for Census field and enumerator positions.

	 PricewaterhouseCoopers: A resource for program and financial management

considerations for the 2020 Census campaign.

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