Upload
dylan-holbrook
View
219
Download
4
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
12/13/2011
Accept Me Awareness. Tolerance. Acceptance.
Integrated Marketing Communications Plan 2012
Dylan Holbrook Jessica Jankowski
Thomas Kazanowski Nicole Kennedy
Executive Summary
The Accept Me Project is a nonprofit, anti-bullying organization that promotes awareness
of the cause through the art of dance. The main objective of this integrated marketing
communications plan is to expand the general knowledge about the bullying epidemic occurring
in the United States. While creating this understanding we intend to strengthen our brand name
and increase our message across the nation. Through tactics such as Social Media, Web 2.0, and
print advertising, we hope to accomplish these objectives. Partnering with other nonprofit
organizations who share the same values as us will drive traffic to our site and increase
awareness of the cause at hand as well as the Accept Me brand name. By follow a strict calendar
and tight budget, we hope to create the awareness necessary to end the bullying epidemic and
better the lives of those who have been affected by this unfortunate problem.
Table of Contents
I. Background...………………………………………………………………………….1 a. Current Marketing Communication Program …………………………….………2 b. SWOT Analysis…………………………………………...………………………2
II. Objectives……………………………………………………………………………..5 III. Target Audience……….………………………………………………………………6
a. Strategy……………………………………………………………………………7 IV. Tactics…………………………………………………………………………………8
a. Television Advertising in Schools…………...……………………………………8 b. Search Engine Optimization………………………………………………………9 c. Guest Appearances………………………………………..………………………9 d. Performances………………..……………………………………………………11 e. Logo Design……………………………………………...………………………12 f. Website…………..………………………………………………………………14
V. Calendar………………...……………………………………………………………17 VI. Budget……….………………………………………………………………………18 VII. Monitoring and Evaluation..…………………………………………………………20
I. Background
Bullying has become a nation-wide epidemic and has raised a great deal of concern
among government officials, parents, schools, and communities. Recent statistics from the U.S.
Department of Education show that one hundred-sixty thousand children stay home from school
each day due to bullying (Dubreuil & McNiff, 2010). Even more alarming are the stories of
bullying leading to acts of suicide. Shockingly, “suicide rates among ten to fourteen year-olds
have grown more than fifty percent over the last three decades” (Bully facts & statistics, 2009). It
is time for everyone to take action and put an end to these statistics. Rennie Gold is one person
who is working hard to make a difference.
The Accept Me program was founded in the fall of 2010 by Rennie Gold, the owner of
the Gold School in Brockton, Massachusetts. The Gold School is a well-known dance institution
that prides itself on being committed to all ages and all abilities. The Accept Me program was
created by Rennie Gold to continue the school’s commitment to all individuals. The program is a
performance that is centered on bullying, with all the students who perform having experienced
bullying from either side; either being bullied or seeing the effects bullying has on others. The
main objective for this program is to create a world of tolerance and acceptance. Their mission
statement reads “By creating a dialogue with youth affected by bullying, we provide a platform
for them to express their feelings, educate others and affect change.” Rennie Gold was a
performer all his life and was also friends with the athletes during his years in high school. He
understands the stereotypes that lead to bullying and wants to put an end to it (“Accept me
project”, 2011).
The Accept Me idea was inspired by Kevin Epling’s work to end the bullying epidemic.
In 2002, Kevin’s son, Matt Epling, ended his life in the eighth grade after being harassed by
upperclassmen as part of a “Welcome to High School” hazing. Rennie takes stories like Matt’s
and incorporates them into the performances. The program has done numerous performances in
schools in the Brockton area as well as at the Joyce Theater in New York. In addition, four of
their dancers were featured on Dancing with the Stars as the AT&T spotlight performance. In
conclusion, the main objective of AcceptME performances is to place an emphasis on awareness,
since that is the key to ending bullying (“Accept me project, 2011).
A. Current Marketing Communication Program
Currently, Accept Me has a limited marketing communication program. Advertisements
for the performances are placed in local newspapers and in the school for which that
performance is going to be taking place. Because the founder of the project does not have an
excessive amount of disposable income to spend marketing this cause, Social Media is put to use
because it is cost efficient and markets the information quickly and abundantly. The program
also has a website which displays YouTube videos of the performances and has links to a
Facebook page and Twitter account. Accept Me uses these tactics, but using them more
strategically would increase awareness of the cause and broaden the effects of the marketing
strategy.
B. SWOT Analysis
Strengths
All of the social media tools are being utilized to create awareness of bullying. Accept
Me posts links to other organizations that are supporting the cause. This demonstrates that the
organization is focused on a good cause and not just promoting themselves. The program is
unique in that they are portraying bullying through the art of dance and communicate that well.
Their differentiated approach to the fight against bullying is Accept Me’s biggest asset. There
are many other organizations that are fighting for the same cause, but the unique approach of
incorporating dance is something that distinguishes the organization from others it may be
compared to.
Kenny Wormald is an important benefit in the Accept Me project as well. Kenny is a
male dancer who has recently starred in the movie, Footloose, that came out in the fall of 2011.
Kenny received his dance training at The Gold School in Brockton and is already affiliated with
this program. His newfound stardom could be used to the organization’s advantage and he could
help influence other celebrities to take part in this cause.
Weaknesses
Accept Me is narrowly focused on performing in the Brockton area, which is limiting the
amount of publicity the program can attain. The project has the tools necessary to use social
media channels, but needs to learn to utilize them more effectively. The dancers associated with
the campaign are students themselves, so the performances must be timed appropriately so they
do not interfere with the dancer’s schedules. Coordinating availability creates a hardship when
planning events.
Accept Me’s target audience is too focused. Because they are a dance program, they
attract mainly those who also take part in dance or theater. Little is promoted to captivate the
attention of students who may not have an understanding of the Arts. Broadening their target
audience would attain more viewers and increase the awareness of the cause.
Opportunities
The opportunities for the Accept Me campaign are endless. The organization has a good
foundation and cause it is supporting. Promoting bullying awareness will increase the knowledge
people have about the issue as well as gaining more supporters along the way. People are always
willing to support a good cause and the program can take full advantage of that. There is the
opportunity to gain sponsors and expand awareness across the United States, not just locally in
Massachusetts. The current marketing program is bare bones and has room to be drastically
improved.
Threats
A threat towards the program is growing too quickly and not having time to react. Although
immense publicity would be such an advantage for the campaign, it could have its downfalls if
the organization is not handled effectively. Because the majority of the performers are still in
school, the number of performances the cause can commit to is limited.
II. Objectives
While abiding by the mission statement of the organization, the main objective of the Accept
Me campaign is to create more awareness about the bullying epidemic currently occurring in the
United States. Getting people to realize how much of an affect bullying has on a person is first
and foremost. Awareness is a top priority because without knowing the logistics of the reality of
the situation, no one can fully comprehend the meaning of the performances put on by the
Accept Me personnel. The goal is to end bullying all together and by raising awareness
throughout the country, it is one step closer to ending the epidemic.
The secondary goal is to make the name Accept Me more well known in areas other than just
Norfolk County. When someone sees the new logo or hears the name “Accept Me”, the
objective is to associate these with the anti-bullying campaign. Name to cause recognition is
essential if the organization truly wants to prosper in the future. Spreading the Accept Me
message across the nation and branching out from the general Brockton area are essential when
organizing a one year plan for the campaign.
Eventually, the plan is to partner with PACERs National Bullying Prevention Center, which
is the most well known and largest anti-bullying campaign in the United States to date. The
proceeds from each of the performances Accept Me puts on are donated to this cause. Becoming
partners with such a widely known campaign would promote the Accept Me name by
association. Partnering with them would mean being featured on their website and creating
alliances with other not for profit organizations across the nation. These alliances will spread the
anti-bullying message with ease.
III. Target Audience
The main audience the organization will be focusing on targeting is high school students.
They already target high schools around the Brockton area, but the intention is to expand further
and get a larger audience. Targeting high school students will be as simple as promoting
ourselves in high school settings using flyers, posters and performances. In addition to
promoting the Accept Me cause, these media vehicles will enable buzz and word of mouth
tactics throughout the high schools. Getting people to talk about the campaign is an essential
aspect of raising awareness of the organization and the cause being fought for. Growing the
audience will be achieved by promoting ourselves outside the local areas. At the moment, only a
few neighboring towns are aware of the Accept Me organization, but the goal is to make it a
commonly known name in households.
The other primary audience is other dance studios across the country who may be interested
in joining the fight against bullying. By showing other studios what the Accept Me project does
and the difference that is trying to be made, the goal is to make these other studios passionate
about the cause and have them wanting to become a part of it as well. By doing so, ideally other
dance studios across the nation will want to choreograph their own performances and use the
Accept Me name when promoting the cause themselves. This will aid in making Accept Me a
recognizable name nationwide and help end the bullying problem.
The secondary audience is other anti bullying organizations. The objective is to create a
relationship with other organizations and form alliances with them so they can promote Accept
Me and vice versa. By creating this close relationship a larger audience is easily reachable.
Even though it is not directly for Accept Me, the name and purpose will be out there for others to
recognize.
Another secondary audience is parents of the high school children being targeted. Parents
obviously play a big role in the upbringing of their children and parents need to be educated to
realize how much of an issue this actually is so they can help in the efforts to stop bullying.
Getting parents to talk with their children about bullying will create an open line of
communication that may not have been there before. This communication could potentially save
lives if the parents are informed about the affects bullying is putting on their children. On
average, only four percent of bullying cases result in adult intervention. This statistic can be
raised drastically by keeping parents informed.
A. Strategy
To gain and enhance awareness of the bullying epidemic in general, while gaining national
notoriety specifically for our program, Accept Me, to be recognized as a vehicle to promote anti
bullying strategies. By implementing new tactics as well as improving upon older ones, we
intend on offering information to our audience on the bullying epidemic and creating a positive
reputation for our cause.
IV. Tactics
Major changes must be made to the existing Accept Me organization’s tactics in order to
achieve the set objectives and to reach the newly targeted audiences. Tactics already in place
will be enhanced and others will be added to accomplish the set of goals put into effect for the
program. Social media, Web 2.0 strategies and traditional print media are a few of the many
approaches that will be taken to execute these objectives.
A. Television Advertising in Schools
School systems and town television channels will play Accept Me videos and ads
promoting the cause and informing the viewer of any upcoming events. By reaching the many
local school systems in the area, the student audience will be the main community exposed to the
anti-bullying ads. School systems use the channel for assemblies, morning and afternoon
announcements, as well as many other reasons that may include simply leaving the television on
in between classes. By using this means to reach vast student bodies, we hope to:
• Get students interested in bullying issues
• Express the art form in which Accept Me brings issues to life
• Encourage students to share their own stories and react to testimonials
• Present information towards interest in the Accept Me website, appearances, and events
Accept Me will also strive to introduce advertising at various other levels. The main goal
of advertising is to raise awareness about the organization and to create buzz which will
ultimately result in website traffic and eventual organizational success. Because the target of
our organization is the younger generation, advertising on things such as Public Access
television and community newspapers will be beneficial to Accept Me. These two strategies
will not only be valuable, but relatively inexpensive as well. The messages will be
constructed in a Public Service Announcement style. Well-organized and carefully planned
advertisements and television advertisements can go a long way into raising the awareness of
bullying.
B. Search Engine Optimization
Google AdWords will be utilized as a key advertising impression for the awareness of
Accept Me’s online traffic. Through a strong selection of anti-bullying and acceptance keywords,
these tags will allow Accept Me to be among the numerous other anti-bullying campaigns in the
country. When people search for powerful non-profits, Accept Me will be amongst the most
recognizable non-profits on the web when searching for causes. Using AdWords allows us to
have full control of the advertising reach as well as knowing how much of the budget is spent at
various times.
C. Guest Appearances
Accept me will pursue a high profile athlete to endorse the organization. A professional
athlete with a high Q score and who is considered a role-model will certainly increase the status
of Accept Me as a whole. Preferably, Boston Celtics player Kevin Garnett would be our target
endorser. Garnett is not only respected as an athlete throughout the country, but he also has a
great reputation. Garnett donated $1.2 million to Oprah’s Angel Network to help with Hurricane
Katrina relief efforts. He has long been involved in community service projects, donating
computers to inner city schools and helping local children and women with cancer, in addition to
taking underprivileged kids on holiday shopping trips. He was the 2005-06 J. Walter Kennedy
Citizenship Award recipient, an annual National Basketball Association award given since the
1974–75 NBA season to a player, coach, or trainer who shows "outstanding service and
dedication to the community". Though Garnett would not be involved in any actual
performances, his presence in the advertising aspect will be noteworthy. His main tasks would be
to:
• Be a main driver in the advertisements and act as a spokesperson
• Be visible on the Social Media Site
• Provide a link to Accept Me on his personal site and Facebook page
• Mention Accept Me occasionally on his Facebook and Twitter pages
• Promote an overall belief in the program
• Promote anti-bullying
• Maintain a positive reputation
Though we believe Garnett would be a fantastic ambassador for Accept Me, we believe that
nearly any Boston athlete would be able to help our cause. Boston, and all of New England for
that matter, is somewhat defined by its professional sports and the athletes are looked up to by
our target audience. Athletes with a good reputation and good morals would be the main focus.
Though we have budgeted a fair amount of money for these athletes to take this position, we
believe that nearly all of the types of athletes that we would be targeting would be willing to do it
for less or even for free. By associating themselves with the Accept Me organization, it would
not only help Accept Me gain recognition, it would also strengthen their individual brands.
D. Performances
As of right now, Accept Me only runs programs in which people come to them. However,
they would be well suited to begin running programs that venture out and seek opportunities to
perform at other venues. These venues can include places such as schools and camps. Many
schools host assemblies, in which an entire school views a presentation from an outside company
or organization. Accept Me can achieve a great deal of recognition by taking advantage of this
opportunity. School systems budget money each year to provide assemblies for its students, and
this is certainly a type of program and organization schools are looking for. Assemblies seek to
raise awareness about an issue or to inform about a specific topic, and this is certainly something
most schools would want to be seen by students. The idea of actually going to the school instead
of the school going to the studio would also make school systems more likely to agree to pay for
the service. It eliminates travel fees for them, making it much easier to get the entire student
body to a location within the school than to the actual studio.
This plan would also entail three performances at the Wang Theatre in Boston during the
summer months of June, July, and August. Once a month, Accept Me would invite those living
in the metropolitan area as well as those visiting, to attend their moving performance. In order to
bring a different crowd to the show, as mentioned before, there will be guest appearances from
well-known Boston professional athletes. This will hopefully encourage sports fans to attend,
even if they are not interested in the art of dance. In addition, any tourists that attend will spread
the word of Accept Me to their hometowns. The plan involves those that attend the performances
in Boston to sign the nation-wide petition to end bullying. Once the attendee signs the petition,
the Boston athlete that is present will autograph a piece of memorabilia. Hopefully, these
performances will gain attention from the media for the Accept Me program.
Since Accept Me is partnering with PACER's, it is appropriate for the program to work with
the organization in coordinating the annual Unity Dance Day. This day is in the end of October,
which is bullying prevention month, and involves a nation-wide dance routine to spread the word
about bullying. This is a great opportunity for Accept Me because their whole message is based
around the art of dance and so is Unity Dance Day.
E. Logo Design
The current Accept Me logo is not effective by any means. The ads like the ones above
do not display any logo or even do anything to refer a viewer back to the Accept Me brand.
When one visits the current website, the logo is not clearly defined. One could only guess what
the organization actually considers their logo as being, or if they even have an established logo at
all. The creation of a new logo that is both creative and innovative is a perfect way to better
grasp the target market. A logo is an extremely important part to any brand, and it definitely
needs to be better established by Accept Me. This new logo is one that is distinguishable among
other brands and will be associated with the organization whenever it is seen. The
implementation of this new logo in advertisements, Web 2.0 and other places is a pivotal step in
repositioning Accept Me.
The new logo uses a high contrast of black to white to really stand out to the viewers. The
gold color works as a great complimentary color and can be tied back to The Gold School, “the
Golden rule”, which is to treat others the way you would like to be treated, and other thematic
implications. The font is very eye catching and uses shapes reminiscent to a play button to
psychologically motivate user involvement in creating media. The sketch-like strokes of the
hands are inviting and smooth, bringing off imaginative vibes. The two hands shaking
symbolizes the acceptance of others, on top of the incentive to “lend a hand” to someone. The
handshake is a familiar image that is recognizable as well as memorable due to its simplistic yet
effective nature.
F. Website
The Accept Me website will be completely redone and organized to fit the Web 2.0 needs
of our audiences. The new launched website will be under the domain name “AcceptMe.com”
separating from being a subsection on “thegoldschool.com”. Segments of the website users can
click on include events, blog, press releases, achievements, contact us, and a “what we’re all
about” section. The clean up of clutter such as excess links, media, and unappealing spacing will
drive simpler interactivity for the user as well as more dynamic involvement in the content. A
search bar will be built into the website to provide quick user interface of key words. Subtle
animation of dancer silhouettes will transition the user’s clicks throughout their time spent
exploring the website. The linked sections will have their own unique applications while
collaborating with the theme and functionality of the website as a whole.
• Events: This section will arrange the dates of all past, present, and future events in an
easy to read manner for the user. Brief descriptions will provide insight of what the event
entails. Links will be provided for easy access to tickets and possible other collaborating
groups involved. With each event listed will be a Google Maps emblem to give users
instant access to directions of the event location.
• Blog: The incorporation of the blog on AcceptMe.com will present a meeting place for
all engaging users of the website. Through this interactive blog is where testimonials,
pictures, and other media can be posted by people to be displayed amongst fellow peers
wanting to share their own personal stories, visions, performances, etc. The simple, clean
layout will provide easy encouragement to become involved and receive feedback.
Facebook Connect will be used to skip over username and account creation and allow for
instant involvement in posting content.
• Press Releases: The Press Release tab will give users a “newsroom” feel to all of the
interesting and exciting news in Accept Me. Announcements of future guest appearances,
television appearances, radio appearances, and more will be exhibited for informational
and publicity purposes.
• Achievements: This section will not only proudly view the progress of Accept Me, such
as with a number of followers achievement or Dancing With The Stars appearance for
instance, but also view individual accomplishments from our fans. Many possibilities
include a student’s involvement in anti-bullying activities, a powerful fan-made video, or
a profound personal story. The section is integrated in the constant drive of user’s
association of becoming involved in the community of content and gives further incentive
to be involved with the website and organization.
• Contact Us: The Contact Us tab will provide all contact information including telephone
numbers, e-mail addresses, and headquarters locations for users in an uncomplicated
manner.
• What We’re All About: This section operates as a summarization of what the
organization is about, the mission statement/goals, and briefly how people can help and
be involved. Newer users as well as experienced followers of the organization can access
this as a simple guideline in the organization’s transparent principles.
The website will utilize effective color palate, design, layout, and integrate our Web 2.0
strategies. Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube icons will be embedded at the bottom for quick
access at any time. Our alliances with other nonprofit organizations will be linked to our website
and will help drive traffic to the new site.
V. Calendar
The chart below is what our one year plan would look like. The plan is split up into two
month intervals beginning implementation in January 2012 and ending at the end of December
2012.
Jan-Feb March-April May-June July-Aug Sept-Oct Nov-Dec
1.Research/Find company to organize website
2. Implement Logo
3 Arrange a deal with Kevin Garnett and other Boston athletes
4. Contact schools and organizations about possible partnerships
1. Launch Website
2. Begin integrating social media
3. Advertise for summer performances
1.Organize PSA and advertising campaigns
2. Launch these by end of June
3. Performances in Boston begin
1 Mid-year evaluation
2. All programs both on site and off site should begin
1 Continue running programs
2 Adjust website and social media if needed
3. Twitter promotion
4. Unity Dance Day
1. Review progress thus far
2.Evaluate and begin planning for next year
VI. Budget
Guest Appearances $200,000 Promotional Advertising $600,000 Website/Logo Designer $60,000 Creative director $100,000 Account Coordinator $40,000 Total $1,000,000
Out-of-pocket expenses:
• Guest appearances: $200,000
This number includes any expenses in advertising for guest appearances as well as
travel expenses for the guests. At these appearances, there will be a petition signing to
pledge to put an end to the bullying epidemic. The monetary allotment will also be used
to purchase items for the athletes to autograph for those who sign the aforementioned
petition. It is our hope that the athletes are willing to appear for either no cost or a
minimum fee since it is for a good cause, but a financial allowance was still incorporated
for them into the budget.
• Promotional Advertising: $600,000
Every advertising aspect the Accept Me program chooses to take part in over the
next year will be allotted a maximum of $600,000. The advertising options include but
are not limited to flyers, posters, print ads in newspapers and promotional video
expenses.
The campaign plans on spending $120,000 on a Twitter promotion. During this
promotion, we will pay Twitter this money to be featured on their ‘trending page’. Our
tagline will be #WillYouAcceptMeIf and followers will be encouraged to complete the
sentence and tweet it in order to create buzz about our cause.
Staff Salaries:
• Website/logo designer: $60,000
Our plan focuses heavily on redesigning the website and logo of the Accept Me
project and therefore it is necessary to hire a website designer for a short period of time.
The designer will implement the website and will be in charge of integrating the new
logo into every advertising aspect we utilize.
• Creative director: $100,000
This staff member will be hired as the head designer of all advertising and
promotions involving the AcceptMe program. They will work closely with our Logo
Designer to accommodate the new logo and will design creative and persuasive
advertisements for the cause.
• Account coordinator: $40,000
This person will take full responsibility for managing social media and
coordinating all advertising for the performances. They will work with our other two
staff members to effectively integrate their ideas and create a nearly flawless promotional
campaign for the Accept Me project.
VII. Monitoring and Evaluation
Evaluations of the effectiveness of the new Integrated Marketing Communications
system being put in affect for the Accept Me program will be given semi annually. In July and
December we will analyze specific and measureable goals and examine the performance of these
marketing tactics. Followers and Likes on our Facebook and Twitter pages will be counted to
monitor the changes due to new tactic execution. Website traffic and media activity within the
new website will be evaluated as well.
Another way of evaluating our progress will be noticing an increase in the amount of
people in attendance at the Accept Me performances both in schools and in theaters such as the
Wang Theater in Boston. If our audience count generally increases, we can be certain that our
efforts and strategies are having a positive effect on the brand name. After evaluation, we hope to
prove our tactics to have impacted our organization for the better and we look forward to
growing the Accept Me project to a more nationally known cause.
Bibliography Accept me project. (2011). Retrieved from http://thegoldschool.com/accept ME.html Bully facts & statistics. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org/facts_new.html Dubreuil, J., & McNiff, E. (2010, October 15). Bullied to death in america. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/2020/TheLaw/school-bullying-epidemic-turning-deadly/story?id=11880841