IEA Launches Ad Campaign Highlighting Member Diversity

A new Idaho Education Association advertising campaign has been running on televisions across the state, with a special ad targeted to eastern Idaho.

The IEA is the union fighting against some of State Superintendent Tom Luna’s education reforms. The campaign began at the beginning of January, as the 2012 legislative session began.

The campaign isn’t allowed to have anything to do with politics. The spots were produced using highly competitive grant money awarded to the IEA by the National Education Association. Still, with the legislative session just starting in Boise, our station wanted to know if there was any connection.

“I think the fact that we’re running them in January is it’s a new year and the legislature does meet in January and I think people are thinking about education,” said IEA Communications Director Julie Fanselow.

At Eagle Rock Junior High in Idaho Falls, Janette Duarte is an english language tutor. She’s one of the educators featured in the eastern Idaho version of the IEA’s TV spots.

“People don’t really understand it and that’s why this campaign was about showing the faces of the IEA, who are these people?” said Duarte.

In short, the ads are an image campaign, meant to be an education in itself. The IEA said the aim is to show the organization isn’t just a teachers’ union. Anyone who educates can belong.

“From the bus driver who picks up that child at home, to the paraprofessional that a child may encounter,” said Duarte.

But does a January launch mean more than meets the eye?

The answer is a little ambiguous. The IEA does acknowledge the ads are running during a time contituents are thinking about education because of the legislative session. But the message remains that the organization is perhaps a more modern version of the traditional union.

The IEA has also launched a Facebook page where educators not featured in the spots are telling their stories. Page visitors can also write messages of support of thanks to their educators. You can find the page at http://www.facebook.com/thankidahoeducators.