Access to up-to-date IPM practices and information is the key to increasing the adoption of IPM by new audiences, as well as supporting current practitioners. Regularly informing our internal audience, within UC IPM and UC ANR, ensures comprehensive understanding of UC IPM’s activities, projects, and priorities.
There are many mechanisms to communicate IPM information, such as through newsletters or a website, and now also blogs and other forms of social media. The opportunity exists to capture new audiences or recapture our current audience using these different mechanisms of communication.
This strategic goal identifies specific key actions and deliverables for the comprehensive, effective, and innovative delivery of IPM information.
- Strengthen marketing and branding to promote the Program.
- Expand accessibility of informational products and materials to better meet stakeholder needs and reach a broader audience2.
- Improve accessibility to UC ANR researchers and their research as requested by external stakeholders.
- Increase UC IPM internal communications among program staff and academics to improve program coordination and collegiality.
- Increase communications about UC IPM with UC ANR administrative and programmatic leadership to improve coordination and organizational synergies.
- Enhance website to improve functionality and usability.
- Increased awareness of UC IPM.
- New audiences have better access to UC IPM resources.
- Stakeholders are more easily able to contact UC ANR authors regarding their research.
- More communication and discussion among program staff, academics and UC ANR leadership.
- Improved website search capability and organization to enhance user experience.
2 Accessibility includes disabilities, education level, and languages other than English.
OBJECTIVE 4A. Strengthen marketing and branding to promote the Program.
| KEY ACTIONS |
IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITY |
MILESTONES/DELIVERABLES |
| Explore best use of the UC IPM logo (e.g., placement, consistency). |
Communications Associate Director |
- Decision made on logo usage
|
| Increase efforts to promote IPM to urban audiences (e.g., utilize the media/press). |
Urban Associate Director
|
- Increased program recognition by urban audiences
|
| Better utilize other groups to promote UC IPM brand, such as UC Master Gardeners, CAPCA, AIEE, and others. |
UC IPM Director |
- Increased instances of other groups’ materials including the UC IPM logo
|
| Work with UC ANR Communication Services/Information Technology (CSIT) to better include UC IPM in press interactions; direct press to UC IPM website. |
Communications Associate Director |
- Increased number of UC IPM communications with press
|
| Explore allocating resources to marketing, including redirecting existing or getting new resources (strategies for agriculture and urban programs may differ). |
UC IPM Director |
- Opportunities for allocating additional resources committed to marketing documented
- Decision made
|
| KEY ACTIONS |
IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITY |
MILESTONES/DELIVERABLES |
Identify and develop products and/or projects for specific audiences, including the preferred strategies to communicate with the different groups.
- Urban: Make information more accessible to particular audiences, such as landscape maintenance and structural pest control operators.
- Agricultural: Make information more accessible to particular audiences, such as Hmong and Punjabi growers.
|
Agricultural, Urban, Natural Resources Associate Directors and PSEP Coordinator |
- Identified opportunities to secure capacity/funding for translation needs
- Identified how best to revise and deliver online resources to reach the broader audience (e.g. more pictures, consistent and concise wording).
|
| KEY ACTIONS |
IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITY |
MILESTONES/DELIVERABLES |
| Provide links in PMGs and Pest Notes to UC ANR authors’ academic profiles, to provide easier access to authors’ related research. |
Communications Associate Director |
|
| KEY ACTIONS |
IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITY |
MILESTONES/DELIVERABLES |
| Engage new UC IPM advisor hires in mentoring. |
UC IPM Director working with UCCE County Director |
- New UC IPM advisor hires each have a mentoring committee
|
| Hold regular, every other month staff meetings to share updates, to improve camaraderie/morale and to facilitate synergies. |
UC IPM staff working with the Communications Associate Director |
- 6 regular staff meetings held and agendas posted (participation, trainings held)
|
| Invite new and existing UC IPM CE advisors and specialists (one at a time) to present their work at UC IPM staff meetings. |
UC IPM staff working with the Communications Associate Director |
- One presentation annually; at least one invitation sent to advisors annually
|
| Invite staff representative(s) to attend portions of the annual UC IPM advisor planning/business meeting (1–2/year) to share what they do and engage in discussions. |
IPM Advisor Coordinator |
- Number of instances staff participate in UC IPM advisor meetings
|
| Invite staff to strategically visit advisor extension programs in the field to learn more about the local programs. |
IPM Advisor Coordinator, CE Advisors and Affiliated CE Advisors |
- Number of improved outreach efforts and interactions
|
| Assess staff and advisors to identify best practices for communicating within UC IPM. |
Communications Associate Director |
- Survey, focus groups or interviews conducted
|
| KEY ACTIONS |
IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITY |
MILESTONES/DELIVERABLES |
| Continue UC IPM Director’s monthly meetings with UC ANR leadership to more regularly communicate UC IPM issues and statewide activity. |
UC IPM Director |
|
| Contact UCCE County/Multicounty Partnership Directors to discuss UC IPM advisors and affiliates annual performance evaluations (including letters of evaluation), building on the responsibilities outlined in the existing MOU to better establish shared understanding of advisor expectations and performance. |
UC IPM Director, IPM Advisor Coordinator |
- Annual discussions with each CD/MCP Director with UC IPM advisor or affiliates
|
| Strengthen interactions with UC ANR Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases Strategic Initiative (EIPD SI) and the Pest Management Program Team to capitalize on collaboration opportunities. |
UC IPM Director working with EIPD SI Leader and Pest Management Program Team Leader |
- Increased engagement of UC ANR academics with UC IPM via the EIPD SI and Pest Management Program Team
- Increased use of UC IPM outreach capabilities by UC ANR academics
|
| KEY ACTIONS |
IMPLEMENTATION RESPONSIBILITY |
MILESTONES/DELIVERABLES |
| Improve search capabilities. |
Communications Associate Director working with IT Supervisor |
- Search capabilities expanded
|
| Explore redesigning website to include new features (e.g., exotic pests page, alerts, commodity-related communications). |
Communications Associate Director |
- Website design changes made
|
| Alert clientele to website changes and new informational products. |
Communications Associate Director |
- At least 4 communications annually
|
| Create a list of pest management related blogs and post in an accessible place. |
Communications Associate Director |
- New webpage lists UC ANR pest management related blogs
|
| Improve software platform capacity of the existing website. |
Communications Associate Director working with IT Supervisor |
- Software platforms are modernized and increased
|
| Ensure internal IT capacity in order to accomplish objectives. |
UC IPM Director |
- IT capacity is maintained
|
Acronyms and abbreviations
