MAG News

A website aimed at a complete and accurate count of all residents living in the Maricopa region is the latest tool in an outreach campaign by the Maricopa Association of Governments. The website, http://icount2020.info, seeks to engage, educate and encourage participation in the 2020 Census.

“An accurate census count is critical to the region for a variety of reasons,” says Goodyear City Manager Julie Arendall, co-chair of the MAG Regional Census Communication Group. “Information from the Census helps fund 55 federal and state programs, with $675 billion in federal funding at stake. In Arizona, about $20 billion in state shared revenues are divided up based on population—that equates to almost $3,000 per person,” she adds.

MAG member agencies have hired the public relations firm RIESTER to handle the regional campaign, which seeks to demonstrate how every woman, child and man has an impact on the future of the Maricopa region by participating in the 2020 Census. 

The theme: iCount2020. The “i” serves two functions: highlighting the importance of every individual being counted, and the lowercase usage bringing home the message that this is the first Internet census in history.

The images used for the campaign launch are meant to cover a broad spectrum of the population. The messaging focuses on what’s important to each individual who benefits from an accurate census count, such as, “iCount for education, iCount for healthcare, iCount for reliable transportation, iCount for safe neighborhoods.”

The biggest part of the regional campaign’s $2 million budget is the media buy. The iCount2020 outreach campaign will cover a wide range of media platforms including television and radio, digital video such as Hulu and YouTube, mobile and desktop displays, bus wraps and billboards, print, and search investments. 

The iCount2020 campaign is already live on three social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Member agencies are encouraged to share what’s going on in their communities, tag iCount2020 pages, like posts and retweet. All paid, earned and social media coverage in English and Spanish will drive traffic to the website.

The website launch features information about the Census, such as why it is important that everyone participate. It builds trust in privacy and security, and includes frequently asked questions (FAQs). 

“These messages will continue to develop as we get closer to census day to commitment and participation, and finally to outcomes and performance,” says Chandler City Manager Marsha Reed, who also co-chairs the MAG Regional Census Communication Group. “People can also opt in to receive text or email messages.”

The website also provides an iCount2020 online campaign toolkit accessible only to MAG member agencies. The toolkit offers approved logos (in English and Spanish), photography, social media assets, tools such as letterhead and email signatures, and campaign talking points and messaging. This is a living landing page where MAG will add new items that each member agency can customize to reflect their respective communities.