UEmily Martinez

Michael MinnehanJessica OrtizDavid Roth

Company Situation Groupon recently created a Facebook and Twitter page called GrouponU in order to promote

their University College Ambassador Program Despite the immense national and international success of Groupon, GrouponU only has 1,389

Facebook likes and 187 Twitter followers, and no exclusive website or presence on the Groupon website

We want to revamp the GrouponU brand by introducing our campaign mission to large college towns across the United States, thus strengthening the relationship between college students and Groupon

About

Groupon is a deal-of-the-day website available in more than 300 markets and 35 countries

GrouponU Specialty venture of Groupon Aimed towards students in United States college

towns Provides a marketing platform for small

businesses opening in college towns Creates a relationship between Groupon and

college students through providing daily deals of 50% off or more, a campus ambassador program and campus events

U

Background Research

Ω University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign∑ University of Colorado – BoulderΦ University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Total Enrollment: 41,949 Largest Greek system in the world by membership

with 68 fraternities and 36 sororities Key Audience(s): Undergraduate students involved

in Greek life and the Big Ten Network

University of Colorado - Boulder

Total Enrollment: 29,952 7.5% increase in graduate students

(career/professional marketing) 7% increase in students of color, 11% increase in

international students (multicultural marketing) Key Audience(s): University of Colorado does not have

a large Greek life, so it is important to target these two growing markets as well as athletic student organizations (i.e. Boulder Freeride, University of Colorado Buffaloes, Hiking Club, etc.)

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

Total Enrollment: 41,924

Fall 2010 marks peak of student enrollment

Greek life includes over 60 chapters among 4 councils

Key Audience(s): Undergraduate students involved in Greek life and the Big Ten Network

Planning

Ω GrouponU Mission∆ Audiences∑ Key MessagesΦ Goals & Objectives

GrouponU Mission

“GrouponU is dedicated to providing college students with

unbeatable discounts and lifelong career connections

everyday through innovative customer service, a strong online presence and iconic

campus events to build community.”

Audiences

Primary Audience(s) Students of the University (undergraduates,

graduates, law, part-time) Secondary Audience(s)

Residents in and around the community Business owners in and around the community Faculty and staff of the University News organizations

Key Messages

Presence in “college towns” is extremely cost beneficial to the thousands of students and residents in those particular areas

Provide the same quality of deals as found in the larger U.S. cities

Deals provide students and residents with the opportunity to seek out new and exciting activities in and around their community

Great exposure for local businesses and organizations

Respectable and trustworthy company that has provided individuals with great savings and opportunities since 2008

Goals for the Academic Year

Provide GrouponU opportunities for local merchants

Enhance social media community Connect with students via their favorites

places around their college Generate favorable local publicity about

GrouponU around each campus Engage audiences locally, as measured by

social media and GrouponU sales Create an exclusive website dedicated to the

target audience that facilitates interaction between GrouponU and the consumer

Engage new GrouponU users

Objectives for the Academic Year

Provide Groupon deal opportunities for 80% of merchants located within 10 miles of the University

Triple the amount of “likes” for the GrouponU Facebook page from 1,389 to 4,167

Triple the amount of followers on the GrouponU Twitter page from 187 to 561

Develop creative, strategic Groupon savings to connect with college students by using coupons for places that college students are most likely to go College themed bar deals Young, trendy clothing stores Salons and spas Grocery stores Book stores

Generate favorable local publicity about GrouponU through campus and local media

Obtain 10,000 hits on the GrouponU website Engage 10,000 new Groupon users

Execution

Ω Tactics & Strategies∆ Traditional ChannelsΦ Interactive Media Channels∑ Nonmedia Channels

Key Tactics

Newsletter Sent via email (Example: the one that you received!) Contains limited, one-time only discounts Offers free $10 worth of Groupon bucks per registrant

Blog Created a blog for each University that allows students to

post their opinions as well as their likes and dislikes of the discount offers

Allows students to post what types of offers they would like to see featured on the website

Sponsorship GrouponU will reach out to student

organizations Target: Sororities & Fraternities, intramural sports

leagues as well as business organizations Benefits:

Lower the costs of t-shirts for organization Associate Groupon with the consumer, creating a long-lasting

connection as well as a "walking advertisement"

Key Tactics (continued)

Combination of news media, apparel media, word-of mouth and social media interaction Facebook Twitter GrouponU Blog Campus newspaper Campus radio station Literary magazine

Strategies

Interactive Media Channels (Strategies continued)

Designed and launched a GrouponU iPhone application to appeal to the smart phone community Portable e-

commerce Browse

universities Connect with

other GrouponU users

Personalized account

Nonmedia Channels – Fall Season Event

The GrouponU Tailgate Delegate specific event responsibilities to

GrouponU campus ambassadors Takes place during large rivalry games (i.e.

Illinois v. Michigan, Rocky Mountain Shakedown)

Nonmedia Channels – Winter Season Event

The GrouponU Half-Time Basketball Challenge During half-times at basketball

games, one person’s ticket will be selected

If they can make a basket from the 3-point line on the court, they win a $100 in GrouponU bucks and a University basketball jersey, endorsed with the Groupon U logo

Nonmedia Channels – Spring Season Event

The GrouponU Exchange Annual springtime competition in the GrouponU online

community Register as many members of your fraternity/sorority on

the GrouponU website by a certain date and win a free party for your fraternity/sorority at a GrouponU featured venue

Nonmedia Channels – Summer Season Event

The GrouponU Summer Scholarship Competition Annual summer program available to GrouponU

registrants 10 winners will each receive a $5,000 academic

scholarship Applications open June 1, close July 1 and winners are

announced on August 1 High-volume, fast-paced competition that engages

students throughout the entire summer season Maintains relationship with the GrouponU brand, even

when they're not in school Requirements (same for University College Ambassador

Program): Application form Official University transcript Personal statement (limit 1,000 words) 3 letters of recommendation Current résumé

Evaluation

Overall Success of GrouponU Campaign

Distributed surveys via email to GrouponU users following a purchase, event affiliated with their school or entry for a scholarship/campus ambassador position to measure satisfaction with the GrouponU campaign

Provided GrouponU deal opportunities for 85% of merchants located within 10 miles of the University

Increased the amount of “likes” for the GrouponU Facebook page from 1,389 to 11,500 and the amount of followers on the GrouponU Twitter page from 187 to 5,200

Created over 100,000 impressions through creating and distributing deals on the GrouponU website

4,900 purchased and downloaded the GrouponU iPhone application

Generated national publicity about GrouponU via The Big Ten Network

Obtained 250,000 hits on the GrouponU website Engaged 15,800 new GrouponU users

Possible Improvements for the GrouponU Campaign

Encourage more online and on-campus interaction between GrouponU users More diverse and interconnected online discussion forums University College Ambassador Program events

Annual gathering of GrouponU Ambassadors from every GrouponU-affiliated University at Groupon’s headquarters in Chicago

Offer networking with professionals, team-building activities, tourism activities, etc.

Involve alumni, professors and faculty Create more incentive to refer friends

Receive $10 in GrouponU bucks for every friend you get to sign up for GrouponU

Plus, mail us your official transcript and we’ll give you $2 in GrouponU bucks for every “A” you have

Works Cited

Student Enrollment Reports. Division of Management Information. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. <http://www.dmi.illinois.edu/stuenr/class/enrfa10.htm>

Total Enrollment Overview. Office of the Registrar. University of Michigan.<http://www.ro.umich.edu/report/10enrolloverview.pdf>

“CU Boulder Incoming Class Shows Growth in Graduate and International Students.” University of Colorado Boulder. News Center.<http://www.colorado.edu/news/r/2688605beb1076129e56015f9e53d249.html>