A Public Relations Campaign

Launching Into Spring With Issue no. 1

Submitted to:Kenton Larsen, Public Relations Instructor

Submitted by:Clara Buelow, Creative Communications Student

Date:March 10, 2014

Executive SummaryMagazine

NightOwl is a monthly magazine that brings to light what goes on during the night. We hang out in Winnipeg, Manitoba and write stories about people who live nighttime lives and places that foster nighttime culture. We are launching our first issue on April 4, 2014, in the Atrium at Red River Colleges Roblin Centre in Winnipegs Exchange District.

Action and Communication Plan

The primary objective of the Launching Into Spring With Issue no. 1 advertising and public relations campaign is to get people excited about NightOwl, and turn the buzz weve built into magazine sales. This plan uses a mix of traditional public relations techniques (news releases and strategic alliances), social media (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook), and guerrilla marketing to promote the magazine.

This proposal outlines how we plan to increase audience awareness before and after the Trade Fair. Our strategy explains how we will transform our audiences latency into interest, and their interest into sales all for minimal costs. Since we are a student publication, we have to find creative ways to save money on advertising and promotions and this strategy does just that.

The Trade Fair

We are launching NightOwl at the Creative Communications Magazine Trade Fair, along with many other student magazines. To attract people to our table we will be throwing a Great Gatsby themed party. Connecting Gatsby and NightOwl might seem like a stretch, but a small character called the owl-eyed man ties the two together. The owl-eyed man is a party guest who, although drunk, sees Gatsby for what he really is a very good fraud. At NightOwl, we are not exposing frauds, but we are about telling stories that arent usually told. We are also all about throwing greatparties and nobody throws a better party than Gatsby.

Evaluating Success

At the end of this proposal, I provide an overview of how we plan to evaluate the success of this campaign. Using a combination of recorded data and an analysis of audience engagement with NightOwl, online and in person, we will understand the campaigns effectiveness.

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ..................................................................... i

Purpose Statement ....................................................................... 1

Situation Analysis ......................................................................... 2

Target Audience Analysis and Desired Outcomes ................... 4

Strategy .......................................................................................... 7

Rationale ........................................................................................ 9

Preliminary Budget ...................................................................... 10

Evaluation ..................................................................................... 11

Appendix A ................................................................................... 12

Appendix B .................................................................................... 13

Purpose StatementThe purpose of this social media/launch plan is to generate as much publicity, notoriety, and momentum for NightOwl as possible,leading up to and including a successful Magazine Trade Fair on Friday, April 4.

This will:

1. Put NightOwl at the forefront of our target audiences minds and create brand interest.2. Get people talking about our magazine and encourage our target audiences to buy it

when it comes out.3. Include a way to build a database of people who are interested in our magazine and a

plan to convert them into readers and buyers later.4. Harness new and traditional media, PR, and publicity to reach potential readers.5. Get people talking about the magazine by giving them a stated or implied invitation to

participate online and at the Trade Fair.6. Be fun!

Situation AnalysisMagazineNightOwl is a monthly magazine that brings to light what goes on during the night. We are based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and write stories about people who live nighttime lives and places that foster nighttime culture. We will launch our first issue on April 4, 2014, in the Atrium at Red River Colleges Roblin Centre in Winnipegs Exchange District.

In the sections below I provide an overview of what might influence our target audiences to pick up NightOwl instead of another magazine, and vice versa.

StrengthsNightOwl is devoted to covering the nighttime scene, and our definition of this scene is very inclusive. We go to late-night parties, but we also step outside. Shift workers, artists, insomniacs and other people who live nighttime lives are a large part of our target audiences. The magazines broad target audiences are reflected in our diverse content. Our articles are a mix of nightowl profiles, places that cater to a nighttime crowd, recipes for cocktails and midnight snacks, stargazing societies, and more.

The five editors of NightOwl magazine are driven and passionate. With a combination of strong writing styles, photographic skills, enthusiasm for good design, curiosity, and an abundance of ideas, the editors are capable of creating quality work as a team. We also have many ideas for future issues, articles, and monthly pieces that will sustain the magazine past the first issue. We see a lot of potential for this magazine to expand into other markets mainly other cities.

WeaknessesBecause NightOwl is a student magazine there are a few issues we have some internal obstacles to overcome:

We are a group of students who have never made a magazine before. NightOwl is a new magazine without an established following. Our social media presence is not particularly strong, but it is growing every day. The budget for the launch is minimal to none.

Opportunities As I mentioned earlier, NightOwls launch will take place at the Creative Communications Magazine Trade Fair. On April 4, 2014, we will launch alongside many other student magazines that target a wide range of audiences. Foot traffic will be heavy and people will walk from booth to booth while checking out what everyone has to offer. Since the event takes place between noon and 4 p.m., many people from our different target audiences will be starting their day, whereas if the Trade Fair started in the early morning we might have a problem.

Threats

The threats that NightOwl faces are similar to the opportunities it all depends on how we look at it. At the Trade Fair, there will be many magazines on display that cover a wide range of topics. There will be food magazines that might provide snacks, decorating magazines that might have crafts, and other magazines using exciting tactics to attract people to their booths. We also have to consider table placement. Some tables are better than others because they are closer to the doors, have television screens above them, or have more space.

There are also the typical Winnipeg threats that every magazine at the Trade Fair will face bad weather and the belief that there is no parking downtown. Since our main target audience lives in the downtown area parking wont be a huge issue, but the weather is something that does effect everybody no matter what corner of the city they come from.

NeedNightOwl needs to stand out amongst other magazines. We have to engage a variety of audiences while making sure that our booth at the Trade Fair reflects the magazines character. Our goal is to transform the possible threats into opportunities, so that we can establish a strong following for our magazine.

Target Audience Analysis & Desired OutcomesPrimary Target: Study BuddiesStudy Buddies are hardworking men and women between 18 and 30. They attend college or university while working part-time jobs in the service industry. Study Buddies live with roommates in heritage apartments or with their parents. On evenings and weekends, Study Buddies like to go to bars, nightclubs, midnight movies, concerts, and parties. This studious and hardworking group love their smartphones and have extensive online social networks. Their online friends and followers are a mix of businesses, celebrities, and people from the real world. Study Buddies appreciate authenticity and have a desire for original experiences.

Name: Jenn! ! Age: 23

Description: Jenn studies graphic design at Red River College. During the week she wakes up early for school, and stays up late working on assignments. Jenn lives in an apartment with two roommates in central Winnipeg. On weekends, she serves tables at a busy restaurant and goes out with coworkers when her shift is done. She spends her Sundays sleeping in, working on school projects, and watching Netflix on her MacBook Pro.

Income: Paycheque to paychequePreferred Social Media: InstagramDrinks: Red Bull, Gin and SodaT.V. show: Girls

Desired outcome

Our primary audience is mostly latent but we can easily make them aware. By March 1, we believe we can double our followers on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Our social media presence is informative, interesting, and witty. We want people to look to NightOwl magazine for information on concerts, movies, art openings, and other nighttime activities in Winnipeg. The primary audience is very involved in the online world, and once they are aware of what were about, they will share our content with their friends and followers. After March 1, we will start tweeting out teasers about our feature articles and shorter stories. This move will generate a buzz, pique peoples curiosity, and bring NightOwls online followers to the trade fair.

Secondary Target: Young and Aware

The Young and Aware are metropolitan men and women between 24 and 35 who are active in the workplace and in their community. By day, they are line cooks, copywriters, servers, electricians, city employees, young media moguls, and cultural promotors, and by night they pursue their artistic interests and creative endeavors. Politically engaged and socially conscious, the Young and Aware have recently graduated from college and hold a strong set of values. They love farmers markets, art gallery openings, and new ideas.

Name: Steve!! ! Age: 33

Steve is a filmmaker and sound editor. He lives with his partner Laura and their dog Igmar in their recently purchased house in Point Douglas. He works from home and in his studio space in the Exchange District. Steve is very involved in Winnipegs art and film community. He sits on the board at Video Pool and the Winnipeg Film Group. Like many other editors and artists, Steve is a self-proclaimed night owl. His regular work schedule is 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. and sometimes even later. He shops for groceries at the Real Canadian Superstore and buys music, movies, books, and magazines from McNally Robinson Booksellers.

Income: $35,000 annuallyPreferred Social Media: Twitter and Vine Drinks: Espresso, Half Pints St. James Pale Ale,T.V. show: Twin Peaks

Desired Outcome

We want our secondary audience to attend the Trade Fair and search out NightOwls table. We plan to reach the Young and Aware with posters and stickers that are placed throughout the Exchange District, the downtown core, West-Broadway, Point Douglas, Wolseley, and the West End. By strategically placing our logo in the spaces where the Young and Aware live and work, we will start building brand recognition. The Young and Awares curiosity will lead them to our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts. Once they follow us on a social media platform, they can participate in contests, and we can remind them about the Trade Fair.

We also aim to get the young cultural promotors who work for the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, Manitoba Music, and different musical venues interested in NightOwl. They have a strong social media presence and can connect and influence our primary target audience. They also have the attention of Winnipegs different media outlets, and are always looking for good stories.

Tertiary Audience: Working Insomniacs

Working Insomniacs live outside the city centre. They are men and women between the ages of 17 and 37 who mostly work as shift workers. The working Insomniacs have strange sleep patterns and difficulty sleeping on their nights off. When they arent working, they occasionally go to local bars, but mostly stay home. At home, they spend their sleepless nights surfing the Internet, watching infomercials, and going for late night drives. They are financially secure and always tired.

Name: Linda!! ! Age: 29

Linda recently graduated from the University of Manitobas Faculty of Nursing. She just bought a house in East Kildonan with her longterm boyfriend John. Linda works at the Seven Oaks General Hospital. She has always had problems with her sleeping patterns and finds it hard connect with people who are outside the medical industry. She spends most of her nights off getting lost on YouTube and looking at friends pictures on Facebook.

Income: $50,000 annuallyPreferred Social Media: FacebookDrinks: Starbucks, Red WineT.V. Show: Orange Is the New Black

Desired Outcome

We want change our tertiary audiences latency to awareness. By building a strong social media following through the other two audiences, Suburban Insomniacs might happen upon our magazine in their Facebook feed. Working Insomniacs are busy people who do not live close to Red River Colleges Exchange District Campus, making it difficult for them to see our promotional material. By targeting this audience through online forums for shift workers and insomniacs, our goal is to get this audience to look to our magazine as a way to connect with other night owls in Winnipeg.

StrategyBefore The Trade Fair: Guerrilla Marketing, Online Contests, and Building Buzz

Guerrilla Marketing Our guerrilla marketing campaign consists of two elements. The first is a sticker

blitz. Three weeks before the Trade Fair, we will post stickers on bus shelters, stop signs, benches, and buildings in the Exchange District, Wolseley, the West End, West Broadway, and Point Douglas. We will have two types of stickers accompanied by the hashtag nightowlwpg: The first is the NightOwl logo designed by editor Scott Anderson, and the second is a picture of an owl drawn by Rex Davis (see Appendix A). The second part of our guerrilla marketing campaign will be a flyer takeover of Metro Winnipeg. Early in the morning on March 31 and April 3, we will put 200 flyers inside the front cover of Metro. The flyers will have our logo, information about the Trade Fair, and our social media handles.

Online Contests In the weeks leading up to the Trade Fair we will start two photo contests and

promote them using Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The first contest will tie into the sticker blitz. We will ask people to post photos of the NightOwl stickers they see in different locations around the city on Instagram accompanied by the hashtag nightowlwpg. Every time a person posts a photo with the hashtag, we will enter their name in a draw. The second competition will focus on quality over quantity. We will ask our followers to post photos of stars, nightlife, buildings, cityscapes, and really anything that fits within the nighttime theme accompanied by the hashtag nightowlwpg. The winners will each receive a NightOwl prize pack that includes a NightOwl T-shirt, a hardcopy of the first issue, and a gift certificate for a local business available. We will announce the winners on April 3.

Building Buzz On the cover of our first issue is David Schellenberg, the talent buyer at Union

Sound Hall and the artistic director at Big Fun. Since Schellenberg is one of the cultural gatekeepers for our primary target audience, we have asked him to tell his coworkers and friends about our magazine. He has also agreed to tweet about the magazine and the Trade Fair on April 2 and April 3. Two weeks before the Trade Fair we will create a Facebook event and every group member will invite all their Facebook friends. We will also try to engage with traditional media outlets by sending out a news release on Monday, March 31. We will send copies of the news release to The Uniter, the Manitoban, the Winnipeg Free Press, Metro Winnipeg, Shaw TV, CKUW, UMFM, and CBC Radio One.

During the Trade Fair: Gatsby, Photos, and a Contest

Gatsby Theme On April 4, we will launch NightOwl magazine in style by throwing a fantastic Gatsby

themed party at our table at the Trade Fair. Our group of editors will attract our target audiences to the table by offering fake champagne, cookies, photo ops, bird masks, stickers, pins, and a contest. The group members will also be wearing NightOwl T-shirts with our Art Deco-inspired logo.

Photos Right beside our table, we will have a starry sky backdrop with our logo. NightOwls

resident photographer, Kaylene Kessler, will take photos people posing and wearing night owl or morning lark masks. Kessler will take two photos of each person or group one with her smartphone and the other with her DSLR. After taking the picture she will write down the persons Instagram and Twitter handle so we can tag them later on.

Contest Three editors of NightOwl will stand behind the table and answer questions about the

magazine, give stickers away, help people make pins with the NightOwl logo, and ask people to sign up for the mailing list. We will enter everyone who signs up in a draw to win a NightOwl prize pack. The fifth editor will be working the floor of the Atrium. He or she will hand out stickers and tell people to go check out the NightOwl booth.

After the Trade Fair: E-mails and FollowersE-mails Once we launch NightOwl and the Trade Fair is over, we will draw a winner for the

prize pack and send out a thank-you note to everyone else who signed up for the mailing list. The thank-you note will also remind them of different ways they can buy the magazine. We will also ask them what they might like to see in upcoming issues.

Followers The day of the Trade Fair, we will post the smartphone photos Kaylene Kessler took

on Instagram and Twitter. We will only post a few photos per day, so that we dont overwhelm our followers feeds. The day after the event, we will post an album on our Facebook event page of all the photos Kessler took at the Trade Fair.

RationaleThe nights are getting shorter, the weather is getting warmer, and people are coming out of hibernation the month before NightOwls launch at the Trade Fair. People will be walking around outside, taking their time getting from here to there and seeing NightOwl stickers, flyers, and posters everywhere.

News Release and Cultural Gatekeepers Our news release will be newsworthy because NightOwl is not the only magazine

launching on April 4 there will be a lot of them. Since we are communications students who will soon be working in the industry, different media outlets might want to see what the talent pool looks like.

David Schellenbergs connection to Winnipegs nighttime scene is also an asset to the magazine. He knows all the different clubs, bands, and promoters in the city and helps run the Union Sound Hall social media accounts. His tweets about our magazine will reach a large number of people in our primary and secondary target audiences.

Guerrilla Marketing Our campaign strategy is all about having a wide reach with minimal costs. The sticker

and flyer blitz will reach many people from our respective target audiences along with many others. By accompanying our stickers, flyers, and posters with the hashtag nightowlwpg, we are communicating a method of online engagement. This marketing campaign will also help us reach our tertiary target audience because many commuters read Metro Winnipeg and on the bus, and downtown busses go to all corners of the city.

Contests Our photo contests will be fun for our followers and the NightOwl prize packs will get

people to participate, because no one likes doing something for nothing. If people start posting photos with the nightowlwpg hashtag, their followers might like the photo and we might gain some new followers.

The contest at the Trade Fair is a great way to gather a database of potential subscribers. Once we have collected peoples e-mail addresses we will be able to keep in touch and our audiences informed.

Preliminary BudgetThis is a tentative budget. We will print 20 copies of NightOwl magazine for the Trade Fair and our prize packs. The baking supplies expense covers the cost of the star-and-moon cookies we will be making for the Trade Fair. The cost for drinks will be minimal because the bubbly is non-alcoholic liquor licensing is too expensive and precarious. We do not have sponsors at the moment, so we will be covering the costs.

Expenses Costs

Baking Supplies $20

T-shirts and Iron on Transparencies $100

Magazine Printing Costs $160

Drinks $30

Stickers $30

Posters and Flyers $50

Salary $500

Total $890

EvaluationIn the section below, I explain the different ways that we can measure the success of the NightOwls launch and our table at the Trade Fair.

Preparation: Photo Contests and Cultural Gatekeepers

We will know that our target audiences are excited about the magazine by tallying up how many people engage with our online contests. If five people are posting pictures then we will know that the contest wasnt effective; if 50 plus people start posting pictures with the nightowlwpg hashtag we will consider the contest a success.

We anticipate that the contests will increase our following on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Right now we have 114 followers on Twitter and 67 followers on Instagram we hope to double both of these numbers before the Trade Fair.

We hope to connect with our primary and secondary target audiences by interacting with different Winnipeg culture promoters, like David Schellenberg, using our social media platforms. If he tweets about NightOwl, and other people, for exampleTim Hoover, responds to or retweets his Tweet, we will measure that as a success.

Implementation: News Releases and Quantitative Signs of Success

After sending our news release to a variety of different local media sources, we hope that many will talk to NightOwl, and not our competition, before the Trade Fair. If any of these media outlets contact us, we will know that our news releases and pitch letters were more effective than the other magazines that are set to launch on the same day.

We can record signifiers of success four different ways:1. The number of people who say they will attend our event on Facebook versus

the number of people who show up.2. The number of people who sign up for our mailing list at the Trade Fair.3. If the people who win the photo contests show up to collect their NightOwl

prize packs.4. If the people who have their photos taken give us their social media handles,

and we follow them and they follow us ,we will consider this part of our launch a success. We are hoping to take at least 50 photos hopefully more.

Impact: E-mails and Social Media

After the Trade Fair, we will e-mail everyone who signed up to be on our mailing list. We will use this e-mail to tell them how they can buy the magazine in print or PDF. We will also end the e-mail with by asking them what they would like to buy or subscribe to NightOwl. The response we get to these e-mails will be a key indicator of success.

We also hope to increase our followers on Twitter and Instagram by 20 per cent after during and after the Trade Fair.

Appendix ASticker prototypes for NightOwls sticker blitz guerrilla marketing campaign.

Designed by Scott Anderson Designed by Rex Davis

Appendix BFlyer/poster prototype for NightOwls flyer blitz guerrilla marketing campaign.

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