TALLAHASSEE, FL: Next week, the Florida Prepaid College Board kicks off a PR campaign for its annual open enrollment period and upcoming 20th Birthday Bash. Working with The Zimmerman Agency, the Board is encouraging families to continue to save for college during this difficult economic time.
Sponsored by the state of Florida, the Florida Prepaid College Board administers tax-free 529 college savings plans. Nearly 1.3 million plans have been purchased since it was launched in 1988.
Zimmerman, which came on as AOR August 1, is planning outreach to radio stations and will focus on the stories of families who have participated in the program. The Board will use its Web site to inform participating families of the Birthday Bash, which will be held on November 17 at Tallahassee Community College, reinforcing the message that community colleges are also a part of the prepaid program.
The event was originally planned to be a bigger affair, including partnerships with Disney and Nickelodeon, but the Board and Zimmerman Agency decided to scale back after the economic troubles hit the country. Current state Governor Charlie Crist and former Governor Bob Martinez are both scheduled to attend.
"Things have changed so dramatically economically that we really looked at it and said, 'We need to be a little more sensitive to people who are already saving every dime that they can for their child's college future,'" said Carrie Zimmerman, co-president of The Zimmerman Agency. "We switched the campaign to [focus on] how a little bit over time can really make an impact for your child."
Going forward, Zimmerman will kick off the ROOTS (Reaching Out to Our Tomorrow) program for the Florida Prepaid College Board in the spring, which will focus on outreach to multicultural consumers.
Sponsored by the state of Florida, the Florida Prepaid College Board administers tax-free 529 college savings plans. Nearly 1.3 million plans have been purchased since it was launched in 1988.
Zimmerman, which came on as AOR August 1, is planning outreach to radio stations and will focus on the stories of families who have participated in the program. The Board will use its Web site to inform participating families of the Birthday Bash, which will be held on November 17 at Tallahassee Community College, reinforcing the message that community colleges are also a part of the prepaid program.
The event was originally planned to be a bigger affair, including partnerships with Disney and Nickelodeon, but the Board and Zimmerman Agency decided to scale back after the economic troubles hit the country. Current state Governor Charlie Crist and former Governor Bob Martinez are both scheduled to attend.
"Things have changed so dramatically economically that we really looked at it and said, 'We need to be a little more sensitive to people who are already saving every dime that they can for their child's college future,'" said Carrie Zimmerman, co-president of The Zimmerman Agency. "We switched the campaign to [focus on] how a little bit over time can really make an impact for your child."
Going forward, Zimmerman will kick off the ROOTS (Reaching Out to Our Tomorrow) program for the Florida Prepaid College Board in the spring, which will focus on outreach to multicultural consumers.
