Communication + Engagement Lab

The Communication and Engagement Lab (C+E Lab) aims to modernize and enhance the State’s ability to connect New Jersey’s residents and institutions to State programs, resources, and services through the use of data, research, and modern consumer marketing techniques.

Challenge

Government programs and services often lack adequate resources to reach audiences at scale. A lack of government capacity to deploy new tools, social and behavioral research, and data-driven insights means eligible residents often do not know about the programs and services available to help them.

Innovation In Action

The C+E Lab encourages residents to take action by using proven consumer marketing techniques and data. Rather than relying on assumptions, the C+E Lab conducts research and leverages data to understand consumer motivations and then uses those learnings to craft strategies that meet consumers where they are and ultimately move them to action. This strategic approach is guided by research and focused on impact.

Impact + Metrics

• The C+E Lab supported the successful launch and ongoing optimization of Business.NJ.gov’s first paid media campaign. The campaign is increasing the user base of Business.NJ.gov, especially from underserved communities. As of August 2024, total users are up 75% year over year, site visits from members of underserved communities are up 172% year over year, and visits from Spanish-language users have increased 2,602% year over year.
• In 2023, the C+E Lab advised and supported the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education in developing a paid media campaign designed to connect residents to the State’s Some College, No Degree (SCND) initiative. The campaign garnered 91 million impressions, 5.8 million video views, and connected more than 63,000 people with information about valuable State resources. The campaign also generated more than 2,000 leads with 86% of attributable leads from members of underserved communities.
• The C+E Lab has been working with OSHE and HESAA to develop a new marketing campaign to generate enrollments of aid eligible-residents in 2- and 4-year higher education institutions in New Jersey. The new campaign launched in August with a new video ad that has been viewed over 720,000 times to date. Building on the Paid Search activity that launched in April, 2024, the campaign has driven over 104,000 clicks, with 12% of that traffic moving on to access financial aid information (including accessing FAFSA/Alt App). The campaign will continue to rollout in August 2024.
• The C+E Lab worked with the Department of Labor to launch messaging in support of the new MyCareer.NJ.gov platform. The announcement messaging began running in March of 2024 and in the first few days alone drove over 16,000 new users to the site, which is more than half of all visitors in the entire previous month. Currently, the C+E Lab is advising on the development of a marketing and communication strategy for MyCareer.NJ.gov to promote MyCareer.NJ.gov; campaign go live is targeted for October 2024.
• In support of DOS’ Election Information efforts, the C+E Lab is advising on resident research lead by USDR to identify and counteract misinformation/disinformation that gets in the way of resident access to accurate election information.
• In support of Summer EBT marketing, we developed creative assets to support an out of home campaign, as well as worked with State partners to arrange for the out of home media inventory to be provided at no cost.
• The C+E Lab led a rebrand of DOL’s Lifelong Learning Account initiative. By conducting quantitative research to test different consumer-friendly names to identify the most effective and equitable option, the C+E Lab identified the most appealing name, Fund My Future, to be used in an upcoming marketing campaign. Additionally, C+E Lab developed copy for an informational microsite that works to simplify a complicated proposition for multiple audiences and support the generation of 700 enrollments in the program. The C+E Lab is currently partnering with DOL to develop creative assets that support the relaunch of the program to residents throughout NJ.
• The C+E Lab conducted research for the State Library that identified a perception challenge with residents who stopped visiting the library in-person. Once residents became aware of the services the Library provided, they expressed an intent to return. The State Library used the C+E Lab’s findings to develop a new campaign that is driving residents back into the library again.

Status

• The C+E Lab was launched in early 2022 and continues to conduct major end-to-end campaigns with State teams and agencies, along with limited engagements primarily focused on research, validation, and establishing benchmarks for future learning.
• As of April 2024, current projects include working with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to develop a new marketing campaign to generate enrollments of aid eligible-residents in 2- and 4-year higher education institutions, working with the Department of Labor to develop an annual communication strategy to inform messaging outreach for the newly launched MyCareerNJ platform, working with the Business.NJ.gov team to extend the impact of its paid media campaign, and more.
• Creative assets for Summer-EBT were delivered to the NJ Office of Food Security Advocate to deploy in June 2024.

Resources and Additional Information

• Communication + Engagement Lab’s Playbook
• Beeck Center Case Study: Human-Centered Communication to Increase Service Uptake in New Jersey

Partners

• NJ State Department of Agriculture
• NJ State Department of Human Services
• NJ State Department of Labor
• NJ State Department of State
• NJ State Higher Education Student Assistance Authority
• NJ State Library
• NJ State Office of Food Security Advocate
• NJ State Office of the Secretary of Higher Education

Last updated on 9/27/24