Request for Approval

Request for Approval under the "Generic Clearance for the Collection of
Routine Customer Feedback" (OMB Control Number: 1535-0143)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Message and Materials Bulletin Boards.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this collection is to provide practical guidance to help focus the
overall message of the Ready.Save.Grow. campaign and to hone the messages and materials
being used in the various media associated with the current savings bond campaign, with a
particular emphasis on the Savings Styles initiative that will take place in mid to late 2013. This
collection is a continuation of similar research approved under this same Control Number in the
development of a focused awareness campaign.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: This round of research will be conducted through
several online bulletin board sessions with targeted audiences. A series of two rounds ofbulletin
board sessions, with two separate bulletin boards each round. The two rounds of sessions will be
separated by one to three weeks to allow the government' s public relations vendor, Weber
Shandwick, to make adjustments or develop new stimulus materials based on what is learned in
the first round.
One group in each wave will include individuals 22-35 and one will have individuals 36-55 to
account for common life stage traits.
At least 20 participants for each bulletin board session will be recruited to assure at least 15
participants are involved through each session.
Each bulletin board will be conducted over a period of three days. Participants will be asked
to log in twice a day to answer a new set of questions. The moderator will probe individual
responses as needed. Each daily session is expected to take about 20 minutes. There is a lot
of discretion for the respondent in terms of how much time to decide to spend. Burden
estimate: per respondent: 40 minutes per day x 3 days = 2.0 hours. If all 80 respondents
participate, the total burden time will be 160 hours.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)
[]Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form
[]Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software
[ ] Focus Group

[ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey
[ ] Small Discussion Group
[ X ] Other: Online Bulletin Board

CERTIFICATION:
I certify the following to be true:
1. The collection is voluntary.
2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.
3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal
agencies.
4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.
5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential
policy decisions.
6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have
experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.
Name:

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Bruce A. Sharp

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To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:
Personally Identifiable Information:
1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No
2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the
Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No
3. IfYes, has an up-to-date System ofRecords Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No
Gifts or Payments:
Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to
participants? [ X ] Yes [ ] No

At the conclusion of the survey, participants will receive a $75 Prepaid Visa card.
This incentive was chosen to encourage respondent participation over the period of 3 days.
The industry norm for this type of participation is $100 to $125. The amount decided on is
suitable to the income level of respondents.
BURDEN HOURS
Category of Respondent

Group 1 (Age 22-35, Annual income
under $30k)
Group 2 (Age 36-55, Annual income
under $30k)
Group 3 (Age 22-35, Annual income
over $30k)
Group 4 (Age 36-55, Annual income
over $30k)
Totals

No. of
Respondents
20

Daily Time

40 minutes/day

Total
Time
2 hours

40 hours

20

40 minutes/day

2 hours

40 hours

20

40 minutes/day

2 hours

40 hours

20

40 minutes/day 2 hours

40 hours

80

Burden

160

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is not known at this
time.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please
provide answers to the following questions:
The selection of your targeted respondents
1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential
respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe?
[X] Yes
[]No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description ofboth below (or attach the sampling plan)? If
the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of
respondents and how you will select them?

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This study will be conducted online using a pre-recruited internet panel provided by the
bulletin board provider, 20/20. The bulletin board provider will use a screening protocol
designed to recruit age-stratified samples of people who have the characteristics of any one
of the four core segments identified in the segmentation research: Strugglers, Spendthrifts,
Strivers and Security Seekers. The goal will be to recruit so that each bulletin board session
has a good distribution of individuals representing each of these four groups.
This screening protocol will be based on a combination of demographic, behavioral and
attitudinal traits that the segmentation research indicates allow us to capture people that most
likely fall within these categories. In the screening, we'll conclude with a self-categorization
as to determine how closely our sort fits with potential respondents' self-images.
One group in each wave will include individuals 22-35 and one will have individuals 36-55
to account for common life stage traits.
At least 20 participants for each bulletin board session will be recruited to assure at least
15 participants are involved through each session.
Administration of the Instrument
1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[ ] Telephone
[ ] In-person
[ ] Mail
[ J Other, Explain
2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X ] Yes [ ] No
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the
request.

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Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the "Generic
Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback"
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the
subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)
PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used.
If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or
groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.
TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other
instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.
CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the
collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.
Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies
should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of
time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.
Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide
a justification for the amount.
BURDEN HOURS:
Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the
following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal
governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.
No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate ofthe Number of respondents.
Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to
participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)
Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the
participation time and divide by 60.
FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.
If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please
provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to
identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes,
to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.
Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than
one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or
facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.
Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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