AMB202 Integrated Marketing Communications

Semester 1, 2015

Assessment 3: Report

Tutor: Kellie Haeusler

Tutorial Time: Friday 3pm

Group members:

Jacinta Rebelo (8858501)

Harrison McNamara (9191658)

Kathleen Breen (9144005)

Diana Ochero (8499292)

Word count: 1627

Due Date: 31st May 2015

Table of Contents1.0 Introduction22.0 Product and Market Analysis:3Strengths4Weaknesses4Opportunities4Threats43.0 Target Audience Analysis:54.0 Recommendations55.0 Scheduling & Media Channels96.0 Evaluation Plan107.0 Conclusion11Reference List:12Appendices14

1.0 Introduction

Laura Kidd is start up life celebrant who has envisioned an alternative solution to the tradition wedding scene. Currently the stereotypical life celebrants are people aged between 40-60 providing traditional services. Laura is targeting a more youthful demographic who associate themselves as hipster/grunge and seek an alternative solution to what is usually a very traditional ceremony. The following report provides solutions and strategies for Laura to ensure that her vision is created into reality. A variety of creative strategies within the limited budget have been put forward to ensure a short-term solution for a long-term gain.

2.0 Product and Market Analysis:

Brisbane City & Metropolitan - Australian Marriage Celebrants (2015) currently list 66 celebrants practicing within Brisbane. The reliance customers have on technology plays a vital role in converting sales. A celebrant’s online presence and portrayal can dramatically affect business numbers. Savvy online marketing can be used as a platform to initially gain the consumers trust, and is a stepping-stone to converting sales. Several sites display testimonials, however do not have photographic evidence lacking a professional feel. Many of the sites are generic, failing to grab the reader. The $240 annual registration fee may push those who do not regularly get clients out of business (Australian Government, Attorney General Department 2015). Through analysis of the market there is room to grow in this saturated market. Marketing strategies that offer a clear vision with a strong unique selling point (USP) will enable growth for Laura.

Some direct competitors have a similar offering, to Laura K. Joshua Withers is a young celebrant running Married by Josh. Josh has a large social media following. Married by Josh would appeal to the same psychographic market as Laura. The experience, exposure and planning developed through years of operation in the industry made Josh an industry market leader. He offers a stand out fresh new style that is visually appealing (Married by Josh 2015). Josh charges premium pricing, $1180 per wedding. Laura does not offer the same level of experience so price will be a draw card. Charging modestly for her services will capture a budget conscious market, also gaining Laura experience.

Figure 1: SWOT Analysis of the Market

Strengths

· New to the market with a fresh take on the wedding industry

· A clear brand envisagement

· Ability to sell using social media outlets

· Younger than the majority of wedding celebrants operating in Brisbane (same age bracket as the majority of couples getting married)

· Service based industry relies heavily on personality to gain work- Laura K is sociable & likeable

· Willing to travel for customers

· Gain more business through promoting other services offered eg. Commitment ceremony, Baby naming, vow renewal

· Professional yet untraditional

Weaknesses

· No testimonials to gain trust

· Lack of industry experience

· Small network

· Lower price may reflect lower quality

· Limited amount of time to invest in business development

· Solely dependant – no share of risk

· Small start up budget- reliant on customers to fuel staging budget

· Negative unexpected feedback could tarnish reputation

Opportunities

· Expansion of business once established

· Build strong online following through online content

· Expansion of business through hiring staff to support future growth

Threats

· Increasing amount of competitors

· Decreasing population interested in marriage

· People choosing to get married overseas/ at the register

3.0 Target Audience Analysis:

In 2013 the median age to wed was 31.5 years old for males and 29.5 years for females, with the majority of couples marrying for the first time (ABS, 2013). General demographic figures give an idea; however, do not enable Laura K to use emotive marketing.

Using physiographic marketing to target the general values, attitudes and needs of the audience will create an appealing message with a personally tailored feel. The target audience will be socially inclined, inspired by the latest trends and looks. They are willing to push the boundaries in all aspects of life. The couples will be technologically savvy with heavy social media consumption. Laura will target those that have a quirky nature and those with an artistic inclination. The business operations and marketing strategies will be designed around a hipster/ grunge market.

4.0 RecommendationsObjective: to increase brand awareness and identity among couples aged between 25-54 over an 18-month period using predominantly digital media and brand touch points.

To establish brand identity Laura must determine a communication style, logo and other visual elements that will be perceived by consumers (Blombläk, 2012).

The strategy for the brand is to form an emotional connection with the consumers through brand touch points so they can develop a sense of belonging (Akbari & Safarnia, 2012). This will be done by adopting the hipster/grunge lifestyle look and feel to the website design to the target audience. The mood board bellow illustrates the hipster/grunge look and feel to be adopted by the web design.

Figure 2: Mood Board

This mood board gives Laura a visual representation of her brand identity.

When designing the website, the recommend content management system suggested is Wordpress (Stern, 2008, 09). It is a free and open-source blogging tool that will help to setup, manage, and update the Laura Kidd website.

Laura must also consider the domain name of the website and the service type of Internet hosting that will allow her website to be accessible via the World Wide Web. We suggest using GoDaddy, one of the world’s largest domain name and web-hosting registrar (GoDaddy, 2015). See Figure 3 for an outline of website expenses.

Figure 3 – Domain and hosting costs

Domain Name

.com – The domain that will never go out of style.

A$17.99

.com.au – The preferred option for Australian businesses.

A$12.99

.xyz – A domain for the .xyz generation.

A$17.99

.co – Get the recognisable domain.

A$37.99

Wordpress Hosting Setup

Basic – A great way to get started.

A$9.99/mo

Deluxe – An integrated SEO wizard.

A$12.99/mo

Ultimate – More websites. More storage. More security.

A$20.99/mo

Developer – Up to 5 sites and packaged with pro features.

A$33.99/mo

The logo is a fundamental aspect of brand identity and prime touch point tool. It is an identifiable visual element that helps consumers discover, share and remember the brand.

Figure 4 – Laura K logo design

The use of circles, ovals and ellipses to design in Laura’s logo, tend to project a positive emotional message (see Figure4). Circles in logos suggest community, friendship, love, relationships and unity. This tie with the idea of wedding rings that are circular symbolise marriage, partnership, stability and endurance (Culley, 2011). The grey colour embodies a neutral and cool feel that works well with most other colours.

Social media platforms encourage regular two-way communication. Campaigns on social media platforms can be implemented by posting daily statuses and event reminders. The suggested social media platforms to use are Facebook and Instagram. With over 13,200.00 users in Australia, Facebook is an effective platform for Laura to increase company created brand touch points with consumers (Campbell & Poeter, 2008). It will allow her to inform her clients about daily activities in regards to her business allowing two-way communication with her clients. Instagram is an on growing social media platform with over 1,600,00 users posting on a daily basis (Musico, 2009, 06). Instagram will allow Laura to visually represent her brand identity, using hashtags to stimulate consumer initiated touch points.

Visit the following website as a mock up for Laura K. http://harrisonmcnamara.wix.com/laurakidd

5.0 Scheduling & Media Channels

For the Laura K business, it is recommended that a seasonal advertising schedule be implemented. Weddings and life events are celebrated all year round, however various wedding photographers assert that the months April-May and September October are when the majority of weddings take place (Olivia Buttsworh, Olivia Jae Photography, 20th May 2015). Laura K needs a constant media present throughout the year peaking in these seasonal times. See Figure X for an annual media schematic. A high reach media objective is suggested, as the brand is new.

Due to the limited marketing budget, digital channels are the most cost effective. Laura K’s target audience is hipster based, modern consumers are desensitized to traditional marketing (Yi & Yazdanifard, 2014). By understanding this Laura is able to tailor marketing stimulus in a way that will be most receptive to prospective clients.

Social media will be effective for Laura K, and in the initial months creating a presence is free. Once the brand is established, sponsored Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest ads can be bought, linking consumers back to the main website. Social media is a simple tool to increase company generated and consumer initiated touch points. Google Adwords is also a simple and impactful way of increasing reach. Laura can determine the maximum spend per day on CPCs, allowing Google to manage bidding for page placement (Google, 2015).

Laura K cannot solely rely on digital media as the only form of company generated touch points. See appendix for an example of direct mail. This can be printed for a small cost and distributed through peak seasons in high traffic areas to increase reach.

It has been recommended that with an inconsistent income, Laura K adopt a percentage of sales approach to budgeting in three stages over eighteen months (Martenson, 1989). See Figure 5 for an outline of the three stages. Over time, Laura’s client base will grow, increasing the amount of income. Considering this is Laura’s second income, 30% of net income over six months has been allocated to the marketing budget.

Figure 5: Projected income and budget

Initial $600 for marketing expenditure.

· 3 Weddings in 6 months = $2100 Gross profit

· Minus expenses (estimated $200 at least) = Net profit of $1900

· Reserve 30% of net profit for marketing expenditure = $570

· 4 Weddings in 6 months = $2800 Gross profit

· Minus expenses (estimated $200 at least) = Net profit of $2600

· Reserve 50% of net profit for marketing expenditure = $1300

6.0 Evaluation Plan

To analyse the reach of her social media campaign a variety of measurement tools can be used. Google analytics is a software package that generates and analyses metrics; there are many types of web-site metrics i.e. how many times files are accessed, how many unique IP addresses access the site, how many pages served, how long the average person stays on each page etc. (Tyler & Ledford, 2006). It is through the use of Google analytics that Laura can monitor how much attention her website is generating. Within Google Analytics a subset offering is click analytics. Click analytics monitors a websites usage to display what and where users are clicking on a page, this then creates reports and charts for the user to interpret the data (Farney, 2011). Click analytics can further develop Laura’s insights of the website metrics measured throughout Google Analytics.

In order to further develop her social media channels, Laura can offer a client evaluation and customer satisfaction letter. The purpose of this is to allow Laura to use any positive material used within her promotional sites as a form of reference for any potential clients (Gordon, 2000). By doing this the target audience will be able to view relevant information from a perspective other than Laura and reassure that her services are well received (Boon et al., 2014).

7.0 Conclusion

In summary, the strategies provided are believed to be the most relevant to Laura’s current financial and start up situation. By understanding the market and through the research of the specified target audience the report has given a clear direction in which Laura is able to follow. By focusing on emotion as one of the key selling areas Laura can tap into key consumer touch points and ensure that the target audience at large is being catered for. By following the budget and media plan strategies Laura can have a clear plan as to where her business is heading. Using the strategies put forward Laura can ensure that her business will be successful heading for a long and prosperous future.

Reference List:

Akbari, Z., & Safarnia, H. (2012). The relationship of emotional intelligence , market orientation and competitive strategy.Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 4(8), 497-511. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1282292420?accountid=13380

Australian Bureau of Satistics (2013) 3310.0 - Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2013.  Retreived from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3310.0

Australian Government, Attorney General Department (2015) Marriage celebrants conducting civil ceremonies. Retrieved from http://marriage.ag.gov.au/marriagecelebrants/civilAustralian Marriage Celebrants Incorporated (2015) FIND A CELEBRANT : QLD : Brisbane City & Metropolitan. Retrieved from http://www.marriagecelebrants.org.au/member_list.php?marea_id=20

Blombäck, A., & Ramírez-Pasillas, M. (2012). Exploring the logics of corporate brand identity formation. Corporate Communications, 17(1), 7-28. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13563281211196335

Boon, C. L., & Cindy M.Y. Chung. (2014). Word-of-mouth. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 26(1), 39-53. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1467812707?accountid=13380

Campbell, S., & Poeter, D. (2008). Social networking for business -- online platforms proving profitable for VARs. CRN, (1261), 20-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/227565875?accountid=13380

Culley, N. (2011). Logo is vital to start-up firms: Design consultant. Financial Adviser, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/872454053?accountid=13380

Farney, T. A. (2011). Click analytics: Visualizing website use data. Information Technology and Libraries, 30(3), 141-148. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/883688740?accountid=13380

GoDaddy Operating Company. (2015). Find your perfect Domain Name. Retrieved from https://au.godaddy.com/domains/domain-name-search.aspx

Google. (2015). Adwords Help, Google Adwords. Retrieved from: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/2497976?hl=en-AU

Gordon, K. (2000). DO TELL. Entrepreneur Journal. Santa Monica, Calif. 28 (8) p.126

Married by Josh 2015, Married by Josh. Retrieved from http://marriedbyjosh.com/

Martenson, R. (1989). International Advertising Budgeting Practices, Scandinavian Journal of Management, 5(2), 137 – 147, DOI: doi:10.1016/0956-5221(89)90020-1

Musico, C. (2009, 06). SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORMS: Making social more social. Customer Relationship Management, 13, 49. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222769768?accountid=13380

Stern, Z. (2008, 09). E-mail posts to your WordPress blog. PC World, 26, 120. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231437154?accountid=13380

Tyler, M., & Ledford, J (2006). "Chapter 1 - Why Analytics?". Google Analytics. John Wiley & Sons. © 2006. Books24x7.

Yi, K., Yazdanifard, R. (2014). Generation Y and the Feasibility of Guerilla Marketing, Academia.edu, retrieved from: http://www.academia.edu/8427020/GENERATION_Y_AND_THE_FEASIBILITY_OF_GUERRILLA_MARKETING

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Harrison McNamara (9191658); Jacinta Rebelo (8858501); Kathleen Breen (9144005); Diana Ochero (8499292)

1

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Digital

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google AdWords

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instagram (organic)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Facebook (organic)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Facebook(sponsored)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct Mail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendices

Appendix 1: Media Schedule

Appendix 2: Itemised offerings of Laura K.

Income: Price Packages

Expenses

Wedding Package $700.00

Includes:

· The event – tailored to your needs

· 3 consults prior to event

· Marriage certificate

** Travel costs not included

· $200 Flat rate for microphone

· $$ Ad words on Google

· Domain name $17.99

· Wordpress set up $9.99

· Allow $100 for 6 moths of sundries (coffee for consultations etc)

· Re-registration as celebrant

· Clothes for the events

· Stationery – pens to sign, certificate expenses

Baby Naming Package $300.00

Includes:

· The event – tailored to your need

· Naming Certificate

Vowel Renewal Package $500.00

Includes:

· The event – tailored to your needs

· 2 consults prior to event

** Travel costs not included

Appendix 3: Direct mail flyer

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Laura K.