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TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 7 11 63
ABOUT US
Our team combines our talents to give you the best results.
73 83 91 109
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A quick overview of what you’re going to find in this book.
SITUATION ANALYSIS What’s going on with you, your competitors and the industry as a whole.
RESEARCH
Let’s see how consumers think you stack up .
MARKETING PLAN
Who is your target audience and what do they want from you?
IMC PLAN
Learn how to aptly place yourself in consumers’ minds.
CREATIVE
All this information comes together for a visual campaign.
119 133 137
MEDIA & BUDGET
Know where to spend your money and why.
PLAN EVALUATION
Does it work and is it feasible?
APPENDIX
Go ahead. You can check our facts.
ONLINE/INTERACTIVE Digital efforts suggested for your campaign.
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ABOUT US IN THIS SECTION
Our team combines creative, technical and strategic talents to give you the best results. Learn more about us and how we're here to help you.4
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ABOUT US COMPANY PHILOSOPHY
SAGEAGENCY n. /saj/
1. Cleansing: from the curative properties attributed to the plant. Sage agency specializes in rebrands: dispelling negative images and propelling clients into a healthy state of business. Sage structures brand rebirths, preparing brands for their revenue renaissance. 2. From Latin sapere “have good taste, from root *sap- “to taste.” Sage agency’s timeless taste ensures a campaign’s success will not fall victim to the tyranny of now and trendy fads. Focusing on the big picture assuages losses from shortsighted solutions. 3. “Man of profound wisdom,” from old French mid-14c. Originally applied to the Seven Sages -- Thales, Solon, Periander, Cleobulus, Chilon, Bias,and Pittacus. The Agency’s ‘Six Sages’ explore all options and collaborate to provide Sage advice to clients.
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SAGE AGENCY MEET YOUR TEAM
Our team combines creative, technical and strategic talents to give you the best results.
Nicole A. Bateman
Paige B. Drummond
Addison R. Getty
Advertising Senior, Aspiring Executive for your company, Tap Dance Enthusiast
Advertising Senior, Wannabe Marketing Executive, Dog Lover, Cat Tolerator
Advertising Senior, Creative Thinker, Voluntary Insomniac
Fabiola L. Lara
Lesly L. Parra
Kateria L. Wynn
Advertising Senior, Aspiring FullTime Employee, World’s 1,345th Most Interesting Woman
Advertising Senior, Social Media Extraordinaire, Master T-Shirt Folder
Advertising Senior, Future Entrepreneur, Yankee Candle Obsessed
Research
Media
Creative
Account Executive
Sales Promotion
Strategy
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IN THIS SECTION
Here’s a quick overview of what you’re going to find in this book, from research to creative and everything in between. 4
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01.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WHAT’S INSIDE THIS BOOK
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T
he University Club of Orlando was established in 1926 based on the yearning for a fraternal experience from post-graduate’s previous college days. The club grew to be an exclusive and prestigious establishment reserved only for those of the highest caliber to join together and create lifelong bonds. At the peak of the University Club of Orlando’s success the elite of Orlando were wait listed for the simple privilege of becoming a member. Harsh changes in tax legislation in 1995, along with changing societal views brought on the decline of membership and morale over the years, creating a diminishing reputation for the club. Recently, the University Club of Orlando began plans for a complete reconstruction of their facility. This reconstruction brings a time of rebirth for the club; however, it includes a two-year downtime period without a facility to hold its members. Sage agency has created an advertising campaign with the intent to bring the University Club of Orlando back to its most prosperous time. Sage agency’s primary research indicated the need to divide the target audience into two groups, primary audience and secondary audience. The primary audience targets current members
of the UCO and the secondary audience targets potential members (generally younger, with friends who may already be involved in a city or country club). Primary research indicated that the current members of the UCO believe that it is outdated and most frequently utilize amenities such as the athletic facilities (including squash and racquetball courts) and take the most pride in their scholarship program. Both groups engage the most with Facebook and LinkedIn. They consume general news through online newspapers and magazines. Among several direct and indirect competitors, the main competitor to the UCO is the Citrus Club of Orlando. After a firsthand visit to the UCO, Sage agency decided to focus the campaign on the most unique aspect offered by the UCO as compared to their competitionthe amicable atmosphere provided by the club, where members create long-lasting relationships, rather than fleeting business contacts. All creative collateral reflects this idea via a complete rebrand of the UCO’s image. Based on Sage agency’s primary research, one side of the campaign will focus on making members “brand ambassadors” for the UCO. “Thank You” packages will
target the primary demographic consisting of current members, and “Welcome” packages will target the secondary audience consisting of new members. Sage agency’s primary focus is to showcase the club’s unique selling point of the high member caliber by giving members the tools to show off their membership via branded attire and goods such as polo shirts, car decals, member pins, etc. The second side of the proposed campaign focuses on creating brand awareness and image recognition through a series of ads highlighting the unique amicable and “home-like” atmosphere of the UCO. The ads use a varied slogan of the phrase “Leave the _______. We’ll take care of _______.” The ads will be placed in the most frequently read publications in Orlando along with a strong social media campaign promoting the UCO’s social media pages. The proposed campaign includes a “downtime period” plan and a non-traditional advertising campaign delivered through the most appropriate platforms identified by the primary research conducted. Sage agency plans to fulfill the objectives of retaining current members and increasing the percentage of new membership. Sage agency plans to re-
energize and re-instill a sense of pride in all current members. Simultaneously, Sage agency plans to showcase to all nonmembers the quality of social capital that the UCO possesses and the unique environment it provides, fostering the friendships they form.
LET’S GET STARTED.
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SITUATION ANALYSIS IN THIS SECTION
What’s going on with your competitors and the industry as a whole? Let’s see where you fit into all of this.4
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PRIME JOINING YEARS: 36 to 45
32-47
GEN X
17-32
GEN Y
INDUSTRY
46 85
2010 CITY CLUB REVENUE 43% DUES
FOOD
8%
32%
DRINK
6000 5000 4000 3000
2010
2000
1990
2000 1000
MEMBERSHIP DECLINE OVER PAST DECADES
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02.
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48-64 BOOMERS
HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
The University Club of Orlando and other similar associations, like its reciprocal clubs, are sectors of the Membership Organizations industry. These groups specialize in uniting a common audience that stem from similar backgrounds and upbringing, professional, or political interests. Notable organizations in this category include the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the National Association of Realtors, and the Republican National Committee. According to Hoovers, this is a tremendous industry that typically produces $57 billion annually in revenue. The main sources of revenue are membership dues, food and beverage expenditures, recreation revenue, and non-member expenses (York, 2002). On a local scale, there are city clubs, like the UCO, that emphasize bonding like-minded individuals. A lot of the city clubs across the United States began as traditional gentlemen’s clubs. These private men’s-only clubs were designed to cater to a man’s domestic needs and the facilities reflected that. They were most popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries during the height of the patriarchy when there was great societal pressure to constantly provide comfort to males. With this in mind, clubs were built to provide all the luxuries of home life without actually being home. They generally had entertainment and game rooms, libraries, sleep rooms, washrooms, and studies (Milne-Smith, 2006). Due to its exclusivity, new membership is highly dependent on current members’ referrals. Existing members are expected to recruit potential candidates whose ideals align with those of the club. Many times these candidates have to be “seconded” by another existing member. Then they are likely sent to a board of directors who carry the final decision (Leiber, 2003). During the boom of a
CUSTOMIZATION Expect products and services to be specifically tailored to thier needs. DISTINCTIVENESS Seek innovators that re-invent the offering and experience. GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND Want expectations to be exceeded.
majority of private clubs, an invitation to join these organizations was highly coveted with waiting lists that extended over several years. Overall, private clubs have been in a decline for over 20 years with general membership down by approximately 20 percent (McMahon Group, 2009). As of 2007, only 14 percent of clubs had a waiting list. These numbers show a drop of over 50 percent in the past three years alone (Reilly, 2014). Country clubs and golf clubs differ slightly from city clubs but carry the same parallels. Both are usually situated inside a neighborhood and satisfy the needs of their homeowners. City clubs are more centrally located in downtown areas. However, both of these associations typically cater to a specifically targeted higher-end demographic in the immediate area. This private side of the industry highlights a luxurious lifestyle seemingly separate from the general public.
KEY TRENDS LESS DISCRETIONARY INCOME
Since the recession in 2008, private clubs experienced a decline in memberships and thus in revenue. Most people view private clubs as a luxury expenditure rather than a necessity. When the severe housing economic hit, this persuaded many people to reduce personal spending (McMahon Group).
LEISURE SPENDING PEAKS AT AGE 52.
Private clubs are placed at a distinct disadvantage because they compete almost equally with both their direct and indirect Time spent on leisure and sports competitors. People have 5.30 less time to devote 5.25 to leisure and they are 5.20 becoming more 5.50 attentive 5.10 to where there money 5.05 is going. 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 According to the Year McMahon Group, an individual will devote the most amount of money to leisure time near age 52. Overall, American leisure time peaked in 2009 and has declined since then with an expectation to continue this trend until 2018. This goes hand-in-hand with a diminishing discretionary income. Membership dues can be expensive and people are finding less costly alternatives to spend on their social time. Membership dues act as a fixed price, but there are varying additional expenditures that can be added to that base price. For example, members purchasing food and drinks are charged separately for these items, adding up to a huge source of revenue for private clubs. With less money to spend, people are evaluating why they should pay dues when a lot of the amenities a private club boasts about, like food/drink and gym, can be enjoyed outside of the club as well. Hours per day
LUXURY CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS
GREATER COMPETITION FOR ENTERTAINMENT DOLLARS
CHANGING DEMOGRAPHIC MIX OF THE UNITED STATES RACE
The United States population is more diverse than ever. Traditionally, private clubs have less varied demographics, consisting of mostly white males and a history of shunning minorities. This is reflective of the original environment and intent city clubs were founded upon when white males statistically dominated. However, now minorities are the fastest growing group in America with a steadily
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increasing economic power. As a result, the industry’s traditional pool of eligible applicants is dwindling. Although private clubs may have changed their discriminatory ways, the negative stigma still sticks (Reilly, 2014).
GENDER
Women have the most purchasing power in a household, but are a minority in private club demographics. According to a 2009 assessment by the National Club Association, women influence an astounding 94 percent of the total purchases in the United States. In fact, Forbes states, “women are expected to inherit 70 percent of the $41 trillion in intergenerational wealth transfers in the next 40 years.” (McMahon Group, 2009).
SOCIAL CAPITAL IS KEY.
TAX LAWS TAKE A HUGE HIT
In 1995, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) eliminated the option to claim club and membership dues as a business expense for a tax deduction. Consequently, many corporations dropped their memberships (Tompson, Koutroumanis, Brownlee, Hoke, 2014).
ADAPTATION TOWARDS A FAMILYFRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT
Private clubs recognize the noted decline in an individual’s leisure time. Originally, private clubs were utilized to get away from home, but now they are looking to integrate family life into these social clubs. According to the McMahon Group, 89 percent of respondents agree that family oriented clubs will prosper in the future. Now, city clubs work to encourage bringing the entire household along by offering children and women’s interest activities, like childcare services and book clubs.
BUSINESS INTEGRATION
Private clubs have recently become more conducive towards conducting business. Private clubs originally frowned upon exchanging business cards openly. The facilities were proposed as a place to get away from that type of formal environment. In recent years though, private clubs have worked to embrace the once-shunned business environment. A growing trend suggests that a huge demographic is more impressed by a flexible workspace than the prestige of the membership (Douglas, 2014).
SECONDARY TRENDS CASUAL DINING ATMOSPHERE
ELIMINATION OF THE INITIATION FEE
Although private clubs promote upscale lifestyle, amenities and status, in actuality members showed a preference towards a casual dining setup. During a time when corporations are competing against everyone else for leisure time, it’s imperative to provide a relatively quick, but pleasurable meal. Many times members use private clubs as a transitory place and a casual meal during their lunch break or a quick snack in between meetings is a huge advantage.
Traditionally, private clubs required a substantial initiation fee, often ranging from $1,000 - $5,000 on average, in addition to the club’s dues. But since the economic crisis, many organizations have decided to waive these fees as they began to act as a deterrent for interesting new members.
TRIAL MEMBERSHIPS Popular among golf and country clubs are trial memberships. They allow potential candidates to enjoy the amenities and offerings that the club can provide for a limited time period at a free or reduced cost. This gives non-members an opportunity to sample the lifestyle before committing fully to an annual membership.
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ENGAGEMENT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA With the competition to obtain younger members, social media has become an effective tool to reach this target audience. Private clubs with a social media presence can use sites like Facebook and Twitter as effective tools to reach this demographic. Additionally, as a private club its hard to boast amenities and resources that cannot be seen. Social networking works to engage members and remind them why they pay their dues and also connects to non-members to show what could be available to them.
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03.
COMPANY INFORMATION HERE’S CLIENT SUMMARY YOUR HISTORY OVERVIEW The University Club of Orlando,
C4C, already raising over $600,000 to local nonprofits. C4C hosts events such as Art for Education, Mingle for a Cause, and Casino Night for local nonprofits at their established in 1926, is a “members venue (University Club of Orlando, 2014). only” non-profit city club in the heart Before the mid 2000’s, outside events of downtown Orlando. The UCO evolved from an informal social group to Orlando’s required a member sponsor, but in 2008, the UCO pursued outside events, such as premier private club, celebrating its holiday parties, wedding receptions and 90th anniversary in 2016. “University association meetings; experiencing a ten Men” founded the UCO to continue the percent growth in private events each year fraternal spirit enjoyed in college. The since 2009. Voted “Best of Weddings” by private club boom lasted from the late Wedding Wire in 2012, and again by The 1980’s to the mid 1990’s when the UCO Knot in 2014, currently 40 needed a waitlist and percent of the UCO’s food and to cap their roster beverage revenue comes from at 700 members. private events (The University The “Good Old Boys Club of Orlando, 2014). Club” integrated after The UCO recently redesigned 1992 in conjunction their logo and updated their with the passage - DAVID WALKER website for search engine of the Gordon UCO Member optimization in April 2014. Bill, restricting Their logo features the city skyline with exclusionary practices in nonprofit an arching structure framing the image. organizations, enacted January 1st, The logo fails to communicate either what 1993 (University Club of Orlando, 2014). the UCO is or the services offered. At first The UCO welcomed their first African glance, it appears like a logo for St. Louis, American member in 1992, and their first since the inexplicable arch dominates the female member in 1993. In 2010 Jennifer visual. An excellent logo communicates a Kennedy became the UCO’s first female business’s unique selling point, however president. The UCO incorporated a new the UCO’s personable, luxury, and level of membership, Corporate Category, allowing younger associates to utilize their exclusivity are not communicated through the visual. facility without paying the full freight. Although this resulted in an increase in memberships, it was ephemeral because PURPOSE the new members did not feel like they The University Club of Orlando’s true were a part of the traditions; contributing charter supports education through to a steady decline in membership over scholarships for local colleges and the last five years to their current roster universities. According to Jennifer of 267 members paying dues (University Kennedy , the UCO’s first female Club of Orlando, 2014). president, the UCO is more than a The UCO consistently demonstrates collection of business leaders “It’s their commitment to their nonprofit more of a social organization that mission, contributing over $1.5 million works toward common goals such in scholarship funds to local education as scholarship funds.” (Hamburg, institutions. The UCO created their own charity in 2009, Cocktails for a Cause, 2010). The founders were mainly
don’t come to “ You do business. You
come to get away.
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”
interested in continuing their fraternity experience from college, and especially wanted to make a good showing in the local sports leagues (The University Club of Orlando, 2014). The UCO serves as a traditional venue with a vintage feel for an array of private events that include: business meetings and seminars, association lunches and dinners, holiday parties, and wedding receptions (The University Club of Orlando, 2014).
LOCATIONS
The UCO has been in the same location at 150 E. Central Blvd since 1962. The UCO is about to celebrate their last year and 55th anniversary in their two-story 2400 square foot facility, located under 500 feet from Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. Changing their location five times before, the UCO experienced trouble maintaining membership through each move, reporting that ‘some of their members do not like change.’ Attributing their declining membership primarily to the “outdated aging facility,” the UCO entered an agreement to develop its memberowned property in 2005. Involving a mixed-use condominium project featuring the UCO within the structure, the deal fell through in conjunction with the real estate market/ economic collapse in 2008. The Long Range Planning Committee formed after the deal fell through. The UCO closed on a line of credit pulled from the equity of the property, to offset operating deficiencies in 2009. This loan exists today in the amount of $1.028 million. The Long Range Planning Committee concluded that in order for UCO to exist in the future, an updated facility is mandatory. The Long Range Planning Committee met sporadically but determined that no opportunities were available given the UCO’s cash position
and real estate market. Their focus shifted to minimizing the operating expenses and aggressively pursuing membership recruits and private event business until the market recovered (University Club of Orlando, 2014). In 2012 an unsolicited letter of intent was received but the deal did not materialize. The Long Range Planning Committee developed a realistic plan on securing a new venue through the sale of its most valuable asset; the property that the UCO resides upon. As of September 2014, the UCO signed a nonbinding letter of intent and is currently engaged in contract negotiations (University Club of Orlando, 2014).
MEMBERSHIP FEATURES AND BENEFITS
The University Club of Orlando grants members access to over 100 reciprocal clubs in 36 different states and six different countries including China, Australia, Canada, Ireland, England, and Columbia. A single membership also grants members access to eight different golf courses within a 55-mile radius.
ON-SITE ATHLETIC FACILITIES
To maintain a healthy balance 1. Free Weights 2. Heavy and Speed Bags 3. Cardiovascular Equipment 4. Personal Training Monday-Saturday 5. Three Racquetball Courts 6. Squash Courts 7. Half basketball Court 8. Sauna 9. Individual Whirlpool Baths 10. Game Room 11. Billiard Room 12. Card Room 13. Library 14. Living Room 15. Sleeping/Nap Room 16. Peppermill Lounge
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The UCO believes that, with an emphasis on social rather than business, friendships will grow and the by-product will enhance their business.
•
SERVICES • • • • • •
One-stop lifestyle enhancements Barbershop Masseur Locker Laundry service Free guest parking
CLUBS WITHIN THE UCO AND MEMBER CONTINUED EDUCATION •
•
A monthly calendar designed to meet your interests from wine to travel to a book club and monthly guest speakers to enhance your education on a wide array of topics Limited membership roster exclusivity and a true membership by invitation and sponsorship process to insure compatibility and longevity of
• • •
membership roster commitment to education and civic responsibility Pride in being part of a club, which provides scholarships to Central Florida student support the community University Club Apparel Car Detailing Services provided by Corey Rolle of Unique Touch Detailing Detail services provided for automobiles, boats, planes and helicopters
PAST MEMBER EVENTS • • •
Annual Golf Tournament at the Metrowest Golf Club Inaugural Fishing Tournament at JB’s Fish Camp in New Smyrna Beach Newsletter, access to backend of website, and private Facebook group
PERSONALIZED SERVICE BENEFIT •
Everyone knows your name and your preferences.
RECIPROCAL CLUBS Alaqua Country Club
Rio Pinar Country Club
Venetian Bay Golf Club
DeBary Country Club
Red Tail Golf Club
Sugar Mill Country Club
Bella Collina Country Club
Timacuan Golf Club
Longwood, FL (16.4 miles from UCO) Sorrento, FL (31.7 miles from UCO)
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Orlando, FL (8.5 miles from UCO) New Smyrna Beach, FL (53.6 miles from UCO)
New Smyrna Beach, FL (51.1 miles from UCO) MontVerde, FL (23.8 miles from UCO)
DeBary, FL (27.5 miles from UCO) Lake Mary, FL (21 miles from UCO)
04.
CURRENT/PAST PROMOTION HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
The University Club of Orlando markets to the public and its members as the nexus of camaraderie and culture with opportunities to socialize, stay fit, share ideas and better the community. Since the UCO’s non-profit status limits their marketing/advertisers efforts, promotional materials are limited to press releases, social media marketing, free business listings, features on various directories and wedding websites, direct marketing through current members and the main website. The previously mentioned features are a great way for non-members to become aware of the UCO brand, but do little to change their perception about the UCO in the long run. There is an obvious absence of a cohesive promotional campaign across different media. Sage agency will seek to eliminate consumer confusion by creating a sound campaign that can be repurposed across various media.
The UCO’s Facebook page, created in 2010, boasts a perfect five star user review rating with over 500 likes. Their business page promotes their wedding services and charity events such as Art for Education, Cocktails For A Cause, and the Annual Foundation Dinner. The UCO posts one to three times a month - not effective marketing for a social media campaign this day in age. “Experience You at the Club” is the primary promotional message projected through this medium. The
UCO’s Facebook content lacks visual appeal, especially considering the highbrow clientele and the caliber of events they host. It lacks high quality images and is not used frequently enough to catch the attention of their target audience. For example, on September 5, 2014, they posted a flier using cliché clip art, accompanied with the Papyrus font, which is “dubbed as one of the worst fonts in the world” to promote their Art for Education event (Goh, 2014).
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The UCO’s LinkedIn page has limited activity and presence. Currently, the UCO has over 50 followers and no social activity. The main page describes their venue, company size, website, industry, and history. Unlike other companies on LinkedIn, the UCO does not feature a section for readers to get updates on career opportunities and business promotions; a poor use of a networking site for professionals. This is a weakness for them, as a primary reason for joining the UCO is opportunity to network professionally.
The UCO’s Pinterest page has potential, with a total of 900 followers. However, they only have eight wedding pins, an area that should definitely be promoted more, considering the amount of revenue they earn from this offering. All pins are from one couple’s wedding, certainly not enough to showcase their venue and experience the UCO has to offer. The pictures are not high quality and the page has little activity and user engagement overall.
INTERNAL EMAIL BLASTS
The University Club Orlando frequently updates members through internal email blasts. This is effective since the club primarily consists of baby boomers and professionals, both groups that are most comfortable with email and use it regularly.
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BLOGSPOT
The UCO’s BlogSpot, ucluborlando.blogspot.com, features past UCO events. Their first blog post occurred in 2010, but has not been updated since its last post created in 2011. The UCO only has six followers in addition to their weak and inconsistent social presence.
THE WEDDING WIRE
The UCO also has a feature on The Wedding Wire. They have another perfect five star rating on this outlet. Readers have the option of linking to the BlogSpot, a strategy that they should overall eliminate. Their primary promotional message is “Happily ever after begins with U…” and it is another example of an inconsistent tagline that takes away from the prestige and assurance of the brand.
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THE KNOT
The Knot is an online community that helps engaged couples plan their ideal wedding. The UCO has a feature on their website and recently received The Knot’s 2014 Best of Weddings Award. This coveted honor has been given by brides in the market to the top one percent of wedding vendors on WeddingChannel.com. The content relevant to the UCO includes pictures and reviews of the venue, the price range, capacity, and amenities. The main promotional message via the Knot is “The U Club…where lifelong memories are made and kept by you.” Providing a small feature of the UCO’s wedding planners and contact information would add a humanistic touch to this page.
VIMEO
The University Club of Orlando has two Vimeo videos showcasing their wedding venue. The UCO published its second Vimeo eight months ago at http://vimeo.com/84099854, and their first video two years ago at http://vimeo.com/34798772. The UCO has five star reviews on their venue through various media. However, the quality of their photos and video do not match their luxurious claims.
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WEBSITE
The UCO’s website functions as the primary medium of communication between the UCO and the community. The website features both a page for the public and a private login for members. The public portion of the website features three sections: member information, wedding information, and charitable works. The private back-end portion of the site features a member directory, member benefits/services, menu, and past newsletters and events. The website was recently redesigned for better search engine optimization. “Orlando’s most prestigious private club and wedding
venue” and “Home away from home” are the primary promotional messages projected through the website. Although the website is easy to use, a virtual walkthrough tour of the venue and grounds, higher quality photos, and a cleaner layout would increase website traffic. A login, placed prominently enough to where visitors can spot it immediately, would convey to non-members one of the many features the UCO offers - exclusivity and privacy. When non-members realize there is another part of the website that they cannot access, they will be curious and potentially want to find out more about membership.
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“University Club News” May 1935
BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS
The University of Orlando’s newsletters are only available for members through the private member page on their website. They distribute promotional material on a bi-monthly basis. The UCO’s newsletters were introduced in the 1920’s, making it a strong tradition and supporting the strength of its use. The UCO’s first newsletter was named the College Yell by a group of young men whose main interests were to continue the fraternal spirit into their professional lives after college.
“The University Club Today” September 2014
PRESS RELEASES
The UCO sends timely press releases about important information the UCO to capture the non-member audience in the Downtown Orlando Community. The press releases display pertinent information for the public effectively, but lacks in detail, overall appeal, and variation. Past press releases are provided information about the UCO’s Annual Scholarship Foundation Dinner and scholarship winners, Golf Tournaments for educational philanthropy and some of the UCO’s traditional annual events such as Cocktails For A Cause.
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University Club of Orlando “First Annual Fight Night” advertisement
PAST ADVERTISEMENT
Fight Night is now a popular annual charitable event among the UCO members. The first Fight Night event was hosted in 2013 and was a great success for the club. This past November the 2nd annual event was held. The ads are engaging and vibrant, and give both members and nonmembers detailed information about the event. The ads are also consistent with the UCO’s branded colors, which shows cohesiveness that is rarely seen in the UCO’s public ads. This is now one of the biggest charitable events for the UCO, so it is important to have great engaging ads like these to bring in potential members effectively.
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05.
PROSPECTS
USA TODAY
WALL STREET JOURNAL AARP
THEY READ
CIGAR AFICIONADO
GOLF CHANNEL BBC AMERICA
CBS SPORTS NETWORK
THEY WATCH
MRI SHOWS
PBS.ORG WEBMD.COM
FOX BUSINESS NETWORK
HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
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CONSUMER MEDIA USAGE
According to MRI+ research, data for country clubs (primarily) and charitable organizations was the most relevant for the target market, since the University Club of Orlando falls under both categories. Secondary research revealed trends within their media usage. Members are generally avid readers of magazines, with 46 percent of country club members in the last year falling within heavy and average magazine usage (MRI+, 2013). The most used media among the target audience was within newspapers; they were 113 percent more likely than the national average to be within the heaviest readers of newspapers (MRI+, 2013). Therefore, advertising within newspapers would be highly beneficial to the UCO, since their consumers utilize this source on a regular basis. The MRI+ data did not
THEY VISIT
AMAZON.COM
directly support radio being a beneficial medium for them to advertise on, as members were commonly average users of the medium, and 29 percent more likely than the national average to fall within this category. In terms of television usage, members fell within the light and lightest usage of television, with about 42 percent falling within this category (MRI+, 2013). In turn, it would not be beneficial for the UCO to use this medium for advertising. Internet usage was also fairly light among members, with members being 54 percent more likely than the national average to be within the category for light Internet usage. Over 40 percent of members fell within the light and lightest categories of Internet usage, however about 57 percent of members do use Internet (MRI+, 2013). This statistic affirms the assumption that it would not be beneficial for the club to
advertise or promote their new brand solely on the Internet. Since the campaign is designed to target potential members within a younger demographic as well, it would be beneficial to utilize the Internet, since the distributed survey questionnaire indicated heavy social media usage, and online newspaper usage. In turn, some Internet advertising would be very effective. In terms of outdoor advertising, over 43 percent of members engaged in some sort of outdoor advertising, so this could be a suitable avenue to utilize for advertising, however after primary research, it would be more beneficial and follow the theme of the personalized and intimate theme of the campaign to utilize direct mail, as expanded on later. According to MRI+ data, they generally watch BBC America, CBS Sports Network, CNBC, ESPN2, FamilyNet, Fox Business Network, the Golf Channel, and NBC Sports. They generally read magazines such as Architectural Digest, AARP, American Legion, Arthritis Today, Cigar Aficionado, Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, House Beautiful, USA Today, Sierra Magazine, Sunset Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. Members are 377 percent more likely than the national average to read the Wall Street Journal. They are 236 percent more likely than the national average to read USA Today, and 466 percent more likely to read Golf Digest. Among the most popular websites visited, members were 127 percent more likely than the national average to visit pbs.org (MRI+, 2013).
DEMOGRAPHICS
Currently, the University Club of Orlando caters to one distinct consumer demographic/psychographic within Orlando’s older, established professionals.
YOUR MEMBERS ARE
55-65+
MALE
As primary research indicated, current UCO members are primarily 55 to 65+ white males, with only ten percent being women and 15 percent being minorities. This is an improvement in diversity in comparison to 2013, but not as diverse as is commonly expected this day in age. The current members of the University Club of Orlando include business and banking professionals with an estimated household income of roughly at least $100,000, which contributes to the allure and high-profile of the University Club of Orlando. Since the club’s founding in 1926, it has stuck to recruiting within this demographic through invite-only memberships, which supports why most of the members fall into the specified age group. This strategy has not been successful considering decline in membership for the past five years; therefore, it is important to note that a shift in demographics will reinvigorate the membership base and morale of the University Club of Orlando.
TRENDS
Based on survey research and discussions with the client, the most involved and active UCO member will reap the most rewards from their membership. An involved member will value their time at the University Club of Orlando, thus maintaining their membership and sponsoring new members. The active member is the most valuable current member that the UCO currently has and a similar enthusiasm is what the UCO should seek within recruiting potential members.
WHITE
BUSINESS
PROFESSIONALS
$100k+ HHI
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POTENTIAL USERS There are two demographics that the University Club of Orlando could potentially cater to. Currently, it attracts established, typically older, businessmen from the area, but it could potentially target rising young professionals in the Orlando area that are seeking networking and mentorship opportunities.
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ESTABLISHED ORLANDO PROFESSIONALS Considering the entire membership of the club is built on a foundation of established professional men, it is wise to maintain this market and continue to grow this demographic. Within this demographic, is the traditional country/city club member (MRI+, 2013). Members are 152 percent more likely to be 65 years old or older but are typically men between 2554 years old. They are 147 percent more likely than the national average to have a household income of $150,000+.
PROFESSIONALS 02 YOUNG IN THE ORLANDO AREA Potential members for the University Club of Orlando are the rising young professionals in the downtown Orlando area that are in their 30’s. These individuals have surpassed the stage of their lives where they desire to frequently go out and are more focused on their careers and personal lives. The secondary target market might not be as established as the primary market, but they new friendships with people who are at the same stage in their lives, while gaining a professional network experience. The University Club of Orlando would benefit from positioning itself as a ‘professional necessity’ when it comes to young, rising urban professionals in the Orlando community. Survey results made it clear that the most valuable asset members receive are the long lasting friendships made within the UCO’s casual environment (professionalism left at home). Due to this atmosphere, the UCO serves as a playground for these young professionals to mingle and make friends with other young professionals who share the same values.
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01.
Increasing Use & Frequency
The University Club of Orlando has the potential to increase use by a potential new renovation that will be lucrative to non-members and raise morale in current members. The new facilities will increase the general use of the club resources such as dining, the gym, therapy, etc. Renovations naturally increase use because members want to take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities available exclusively to them. Based on the primary research, the survey indicated that the most used facilities are the athletic facilities and personal training. Sage agency suggests that the UCO’s new facility feature exceptional athletic services and continue providing personal training. This is what already appeals most to their current members, which will help attract potential new members. Most UCO members selected the athletic facilities as one of their top three favorite UCO facilities, followed
02.
Changing Buying Habits
03.
Continued Present Level Use
In order to change buying habits (increase membership purchases), the University Club of Orlando should incentivize member sponsorships by creating recruitment packages that members could distribute to those they deem as deserved of an invitation. The packages would include discounted joining rates and different price groups for younger, less established professionals. This incentivized invitation-only recruitment would help current members spread positive word-ofmouth about the club and actively seek potential new members. Another new member strategy suggests active recruitment techniques to corporations that already involve University Club of Orlando members. These corporations could encourage those members
After the facility is renovated, and the entire building and location are redesigned, maintaining the present levels of use of the club becomes a potential challenge. During the 24-month reconstruction period, the University Club of Orlando will lack a physical facility. They must actively seek ways to maintain current membership during this time. As previously mentioned, introducing a threeyear membership plan will aid in retaining current
by the racquetball courts, squash courts, and basketball court. Improving these facilities in the renovated building will retain current members while attracting potential new members. Furthermore, based on Sage agency’s survey (please refer to digital appendix), some members stated their favorite memory at the UCO included the Bourbon & Blues Night as well as the Christmas Party, while others stated their wedding. Survey results indicate that another potential way to increase use of the membership is by providing more event opportunities and internally advertise the rental ability within the facility (allowing for more weddings). Advertising themed events regularly will create a better UCO community and increase membership morale overall. Allowing external groups to use these facilities would increase member use, while simultaneously driving revenue and boosting exposure for the club. Other than increasing space rentals, the University Club of Orlando should launch more frequent charity and speaker-based events, thus creating a more frequently utilized UCO membership.
to lure fellow co-workers into the organization, along with a company sponsor. These corporate sponsored members would serve as UCO brand ambassadors that recruit more members from their corporation in an attempt to sign a corporate membership. During the two-year downtime period brought on by the renovations, Sage agency suggests a three-year membership plan available for current members in an attempt to avoid losing members during the reconstruction. This threeyear membership would include a discounted membership rate that carries a member through the two-year downtime period and into the first year of the new facility. Through this package, not only would members get excited for their upcoming experience as new UCO members, but also the UCO would simultaneously curb potential memberships losses that could occur as a result of yearly membership (less and less renewals).
members (an integral objective of the current campaign suggestions). In order for the UCO to potentially gain members (another integral objective of the current campaign suggestions), the University Club of Orlando must continue their events. Research indicated that some of the best memories members experienced, came from the events offered by the UCO (based on survey member question #13). Due to lack of physical facilities during the 24-month downtime period, the UCO should have periodical events throughout downtown Orlando in fine-dining establishments that promote their lucrative and prestigious ideology.
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06.
COMPETITION HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
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The University Club of Orlando has a prominent presence in the history of city clubs/membership organizations since its establishment in 1926. Combined with a prestigious past, and tremendous opportunity for networking and philanthropy, the University Club of Orlando offers exclusive membership to individuals who have been celebrating higher education and community/social involvement for years, and are even considered a non-profit organization (The University Club of Orlando, 2014). Based on Sage agency’s primary research, current members of the UCO attribute exclusivity, prestige and friendship to the club. They celebrate the UCO as a place where they feel relaxed and comfortable, away from their usual workday, where they can create lasting friendships, rather than the businessbased relationships formed by many of their competitors (please refer to digital appendix for more UCO member insight). Primary research indicated that they take pride in the UCO’s philanthropic efforts, but what is most unique to their club is the amicable environment that fosters their friendships with fellow UCO members. No other competitor in the immediate area can say the same about their facility. Since city clubs have evolved from country clubs (minus the amenity of a golf course), research and a thorough market analysis has led to four direct competitors that offer relatively the same amenities, are based on similar values, and at the same time, have a sense of exclusivity within selective membership. The direct competitors identified are all social clubs that offer exclusive membership and opportunities to network and socialize, along with special perks for
members, including access to different social events, athletic facilities, venues, and basically a place where they can feel at home. These direct competitors are: Citrus Club Orlando, Isleworth, and Sweetwater Golf and Country Club. Since the University Club of Orlando covers such a wide variety of areas within amenities and services offered, potential members have a variety of activities to choose from, all within several miles of the UCO. This is important because primary research indicated that the most utilized facilities within the UCO are its athletic facilities, yet several of its competitors get more use out of their other facilities, just as much as their athletic facilities. Indirect competitors include the Central Business District located in downtown Orlando, Florida, The Gym Downtown, Sorosis of Orlando, and Tuscawilla Country Club. Ahead is an in-depth breakdown and analysis of products/services offered by the competition, their location (in proximity to the UCO), prices, an overview of past promotions, and the overall advantages and disadvantages for each competitor.
DIRECT COMPETITORS
01.
CITRUS CLUB Products/Services
The Citrus Club of Orlando is an elite private club made of community and business leaders with focus on social, educational and culinary areas. They were established in 1969 and opened their doors in 1971 when the Board of Governors invited certain professional and community leaders from the Orlando area to become a part of their organization. They were considered “people of prestige and distinction who justly appreciate the refined amenities offered by a place of privilege” (Citrus Club 2014). The Citrus Club thrives on a spirit of diversity and professional connections throughout a wide variety of industries. Amenities include a fitness center, designed in the style of a boutique athletic club with a focus on personal training and individual goals. They have state of the art equipment and a day spa and salon that offer hair, nail, massage, skin care, and body therapies. They offer meeting rooms and conference rooms with Wi-Fi throughout. Dining options include breakfast, lunch, and dinner and bar menu items and on Fridays they have a Seafood Tapas Buffet. The Orlando Business Journal awarded them with “Best Power Lunch” in 2013, offering a variety of seafood, vegan, and lowcalorie options (Son, 2013). They are part of The ClubCorp Network, connecting clubs like Citrus Club of Orlando all over the country. For instance, a member of the Citrus Club gains access and benefits to other clubs under this umbrella,
such as Boston College Club, City Club Raleigh, Harbour Club, and Wildflower Country Club to name a few in states like Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas (ClubCorp Network, 2014). While the University Club of Orlando offers benefits of its own, these benefits are minimal when compared to members of ClubCorp.The UCO is a reciprocal club, so they do have access to other clubs in other states, but ClubCorp provides benefits for travel, hotels, golf courses, and a much larger network of individuals who are also under this umbrella. It serves as a gateway for members to communicate and build relationships with other members from under the same umbrella, conveniently relating them in this way. ClubCorp has over 370,000 members and connects different categories of clubs (social, business, city, country, etc.), while the University Club of Orlando members have access to only certain reciprocal clubs, and a significantly lesser amount of them (ClubCorp, 2014). The Citrus Club offers access to many events throughout the year and access to private event directors that will help plan any event from baby showers to weddings. The wedding venue is another aspect of the club that flourishes their business and reputation. With a four point five star rating on Yelp and a four point nine star rating on The Wedding Wire (a wellknown wedding destination company), their wedding venue accommodates 200 guests.
ADDITIONAL INFO LOCATION
255 South Orange Avenue Suite 1800 Orlando, FL 32801
*.27 miles away from UCO
MEMBERSHIP PRICING
SOCIAL
Dining, business/ networking events, private dining rooms, and business-friendly amenities
$109-$155
MASTERS
PLANTINUM UNLIMITED
$173-$219
$269-$314
Social membership benefits, golf privileges at 10 local golf/country clubs, free dining and golf travel benefits
Social, Masters membership benefits, Vintner’s Club,Citrus Club dining, athletic privileges, free dining/ golf travel benefits
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PAST PROMOTIONS
Website
The Citrus Club’s website follows the layout of all ClubCorp websites. It is clean, consistent and easy to follow, with breadcrumbs always leading back to the previous page. The menu bar is simple to read and breaks down amenities and services by categories (such as all dining pages under one category, all membership options, etc.). The color scheme aligns with theirs and the contact information is easily accessible on each page. There is a member sign in at the top and visitors are constantly up to date with events and happenings at the club. Since they have to follow the layout from the ClubCorp, Sage agency would not alter anything about the website, however, adding social media links would allow curious visitors to find out more.
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The Citrus Club’s Facebook page is constantly being updated, with at least one post everyday. They have current pictures and keep their followers updated with events, speakers, etc. It is convenient that they post about subject matters not necessarily directly related to the club. For instance, they posted in memory of “9/11� and frequently update their visitors on traffic reports so they can avoid accidents on their way home from
work, to the club, etc. It is refreshing to see a club of this caliber, stay in touch with current news and relate it to their daily happenings (social/business events such as their Annual Networking Expo). They should definitely incorporate more hashtags on their posts to in turn link pages of similar material. It is also important that they provide a link to their Twitter page, to keep all social media cohesive.
Much like their Facebook page, it is refreshing to see a club with so much history, stay current. They seem to have a fairly new presence on Twitter with only 321 followers, so they should definitely promote their Facebook page. It is helpful that they provide traffic report updates for the convenience of their followers, while also tweeting everyday at least once. They keep their members updated about events (business and social) and promote social movements apart from spreading awareness about their personal news (even taking part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that was trending during the summer of 2014).
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The Citrus Club’s Pinterest is very well organized and user-friendly. There is a brief explanation at the top of the page and the page goes on to display different boards with a variety of categories such as events and weddings, even breaking down the wedding category further with color schemes. It would be beneficial to them to break the “food” boards down even more perhaps to display different meal offerings. This would keep their Pinterest organized and allow for maximum engagement by the user.
YouTube
The Citrus Club does not have a very strong presence on YouTube. They have a few videos posted by ClubCorp to advertise their wedding venue, but even the video shown on the left, did not mention their name. They would definitely prosper from having a presence on YouTube, as brides and potential members who are interested in what venues the club has to offer, or even just a tour of the club itself, would be able to see all of this beforehand. YouTube is an outlet that would benefit them in gaining prospective members, even if it is just for use of their amenities/services.
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The Citrus Club’s LinkedIn profile is for members only and individuals must request membership to be approved by a group manager. There are 498 members in this group alone, so it seems to be widely used by members of the club. There is also a “Young executive Committee Citrus Club” LinkedIn profile with 85 members exclusively for executives under
40 who are members of the club. This profile is private as well, requiring special access to become a part of it. This is an opportunity for members of the club to network on another level and provides access to different outlets they may not benefit from in person, so it is in turn, very beneficial to have a LinkedIn account.
OVERALL ADVANTAGES
The Citrus Club currently has some benefits over the University Club of Orlando. In terms of history, the Citrus Club is centered on the diversity of its members, accepting all genders and races since it’s opening in 1971, while the UCO (known as the good-ol’-boys network) only accepted white males until 1992 (Hamburg, 2010). Due to a lasting reputation, the public seems to form opinions on the University Club of Orlando based on facts from over half a century ago. The Citrus Club is part of ClubCorp, which ties similar clubs together around the country. A Master’s membership gives members social and golf access to participating golf and country clubs in Orlando and more. It gives members a social calendar of events, access to
tickets of their preference (sports, music, etc.), invitations to member-only events around town (wine tastings, networking forums, etc.), special packages to events like the Super Bowl, unique travel experiences, an-d access to ClubLine which sets up reservations with one phone call. Members also have the option to get a “Signature Gold Dining”, which gives two complimentary meals at any participating business event or “Signature Gold Unlimited” which gives members Signature Gold Dining benefits plus two complimentary rounds of golf at every participating club every month while traveling, along with 30-day advanced tee times, complimentary access to Taylor- Made loaner clubs, special offerings at over 700 hotels, resorts and entertainment venues, athletic and tennis benefits at clubs in the ClubCorp
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ten percent off the rates at select resorts across the country and up to 40 percent off overnight stays with Find Hotels, an online service exclusively for Members (Citrus Club 2014). Citrus Club members seem to get more perks and host more of a variety of events than the University Club of Orlando. Besides tangible benefits, the Citrus Club has thousands of loyal members and about 85 employees (Hoovers, 2014). They have a fairly good presence on social media with a consistently updated Twitter and Facebook page. They even advertise aspects of their amenities via Pinterest, displaying arrangements and meals, etc. Their website is current and has a clean design, with a consistent message and theme in the spirit of diversity and prestige. It is easy to navigate and anyone who needs any information at all, can find it right there on their website. Financially, the Citrus Club brings in about $3.10 million in annual sales while the University Club of Orlando brings in about $882,580 in annual sales (Hoovers, 2014).
DISADVANTAGES
The Citrus Club lacks a unifying social media campaign. This would make their brand more cohesive and essentially, connected. For instance, if their Facebook page led users to their Twitter and visa versa, they would gain more followers and hence spread awareness. They also do not have as heavy of a focus on philanthropy and education as the University Club of Orlando. The University Club of Orlando has ties to the University of Central Florida and other colleges within the city, donating scholarship funds every year to students whom the university selects based on merit. Their website
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even has a menu tab for their focus on charitable works, such as “Cocktails for a Cause�, promoting coastal conservation (University Club of Orlando 2014). Although the Citrus Club takes part in charities, they do not have as prominent of a presence in the educational aspect of philanthropy as the University Club of Orlando. Another disadvantage is that Citrus Club is smaller than the University Club of Orlando, measuring 11, 714 square feet while the University Club of Orlando measures about 26,000 square feet (Hoover 2014). Based off of a personal visit to the Citrus Club, they lack friendly employees and a welcoming atmosphere. They are primarily more interested in creating business- based relationships and the atmosphere was not very intimate. The UCO definitely has an advantage over the Citrus Club, in terms of business personality and a welcoming environment that makes visitors feel at home.
DIRECT COMPETITORS
02.
ISLEWORTH GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB Products/Services
Isleworth is a 600- acre community that is located right outside of Orlando. It is considered a luxury community with many amenities beneficial to residents and the public. It has an 18hole championship golf course, 24-hour concierge services, tennis and fitness centers and a country club within the community. Although the University Club of Orlando is not a country club, The Isleworth Golf and Country Club is considered a direct competitor to the University Club of Orlando because since members of the University Club generally earn a higher income, they may very well live in communities that offer memberships of their own, such as this one, just minutes away from downtown Orlando. The products and services offered by Isleworth Golf and Country Club thrive on the use and enjoyment that consumers get from their golf course, built in 1986. Home to many sports athletes, such as Tiger Woods, the Isleworth golf course was designed by worldfamous gold professional Arnold Palmer and further improved by gold expert Steve Smyers in 2003 (Isleworth Country Club, 2014). The clubhouse itself is 89,000 square feet and membership is by private invitation only. They offer formal dining experiences such as dining alongside the view of their famous golf course, as well as more casual dining such as at the “Champion’s Grill”, where
one can unwind after playing various sports offered by the club. Members also frequently enjoy their tennis courts, with access to six clay courts, one Plexi cushion court, and two padel courts. A unique service offered by Isleworth is the opportunity to take semi-private and group tennis lessons with world-renowned tennis professionals. Membership also includes access to a fitness center with spa services, a full service locker room and a private pool. Isleworth Golf and Country Club hosts family events and activities, including membership to a Youth Services program for children that offer many educational opportunities. The Youth Services program hosts events for holiday celebrations, weekly family dining activities, and educational services such as the Lil’ Scholars tutoring program. They also host a yearly summer camp called “Camp Isleworth” where kids learn, have fun, and give back to their community. According to The Wedding Wire, their wedding venue (which also is available for other events) has a five- star rating (Isleworth Country Club, 2014).
PRICES
Since it is an exclusive, invitationonly club, membership pricing is only available to inquiries made directly to the Membership Manager, Karen Atkinson (Isleworth, 2014). The average cost of a home site in Isleworth is $575,000 to $4 million and the price range for homes ranges from $1 million to $20 million (Isleworth Country Club, 2014).
ADDITIONAL INFO LOCATION
9350 Conroy Windermere Rd., Windermere, FL 34786
*10.24 miles from the University Club of Orlando
MEMBERSHIP PRICING SOCIAL
GOLF
about $20,000
$100,000
Social initiation membership fee Monthly social dues:
$750
Golf membership initiation fee Monthly golf dues:
about $2,000
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PAST PROMOTIONS
Website
The Isleworth Golf and Country Club’s website is sleek with a clean design, emphasizing it’s elite brand and membership. It features one picture per menu item, depicting the services/ amenities offered for that category (dining, membership, weddings & events, etc.). It is simple to navigate and is kept updated with a classic, yet modern style and black and white theme, with
The Isleworth Golf and Country Club seems to lack presence on Facebook. They do not have an actual page promoting their amenities and events, but do seem to have audience awareness on Facebook with a four point seven star rating and 141 ratings. Facebook allows users the option to rate places, so having over 100 people that took the time to rate their
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gold accents. There is a separate sign-in page for members only and each section highlights the most prominent features of each amenity. It would serve them well to have testimonials for potential members and to break down the membership options available, as the website only directs consumers to call a phone number to inquire more. They do have a Facebook page for their realty, but this page exclusively advertises homes.
experience and opinions, is significant. This indicates that they would probably do well with an actual Facebook page, rather than just a “topic” page. 528 people even liked the topic. This further supports the assumption that they would have more of a brand presence and an increase in user engagement if they crated a page that was updated periodically.
YouTube
Isleworth Realty has a strong presence on YouTube displaying monthly videos advertising their homes and real estate. Although their channel does not advertise their country club, it is mentioned in some of the video descriptions. They would definitely benefit from having a tour video of amenities and services offered by the country club as well as a possible sample video of events hosted by it. This would attract consumers and help their overall presence on social media.
Newsfeed
The Isleworth website features a section exclusively for news and events. The theme follows an ongoing black and white theme with gold accents and remains classic in style with a modern feel. Consumers can find recent news stories about their events, golf course, industry, “Home of the Week�, and more. Readers
can also access older archives and can easily be linked to other pages. If they had more of a presence on social media, it would be beneficial to them to link to the news section of their website to keep members informed, however they seem to remain alert and current when updating their news, which is always a way to keep members informed.
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AD DISPLAY, WORLD PROPERTY CHANNEL
World Property Channel is a collection of real-estate news on an online platform. Isleworth has a strong presence on this platform including a gallery where visitors can view pictures of their homes, their country club, examples of youth service events, their golf course, athletic facilities, etc. It gives a synopsis of the club and the amenities that make it unique among all others of its kind.
The pictures are well photographed and none of them are repetitive. They chose photographs that represent the country club and its different offerings appropriately. If they had a stronger presence on social media, they would be able to link visitors to these sites, but since they do not, they still are through in displaying the club’s services.
OVERALL ADVANTAGES
Among many benefits, Isleworth Country Club provides the most convenient option for people who live in the community. Since it is only a few miles from the downtown area of Orlando, members of the community who work downtown are less likely to join an organization such as the University Club of Orlando, even if it does have similar elite offerings and benefits. For instance, a member of the upper class community, living in Isleworth and working downtown, are more likely to join an organization with amenities offered right inside the community where they live. Apart from convenience, they offer more athletic amenities than does the UCO. While Isleworth is a country club, members have access to similar amenities/services offered by the
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University Club of Orlando (including massages, a fitness center, and dining options), plus access to amenities/services unique to them their such as a pool, tennis, athletic lessons, a youth program. This is all apart from their famous golf course, in the top three of Orlando Magazine’s best private golf courses of 2013 (Orlando’s Best, 2013). Within its youth program, designEd for the children and families of members of the club, children are given access to educational services and a young tutoring program called Lil’ Scholars tutoring program. While it may not be a scholarship fund like the University
Club of Orlando invests in, it does take advantage of engaging families in events to promote social end educational health while having fun,
taking steps to improve children’s educational futures from the time they are young. Their holiday events and weekly social activities are attractive to families and in terms of young children, give them an advantage over the UCO. They also have more dining options and a larger clubhouse facility at 89,000 square feet than the University Club of Orlando. They bring in $2.2 million in annual sales when compared to the UCO, which brings in about $882,580 (Hoovers, 2014). Another advantage they have is their rapport with celebrities, making them more exclusive and elite and circulating more of a brand for themselves, as the public relates their services to the celebrities affiliated with it. Some of their past members include golfer Tiger Woods and actor Wesley Snipes (‘For Sale’ Signs go up at Isleworth, 2009). They also seem to have a very current news feed on their website that they keep up to date with events and news valuable to members. In addition, they have a presence on well-known real-estate websites such as the World Property Channel, which makes their brand recognizable to any visitors of this platform too.
DISADVANTAGES
Although it offers more facilities than the UCO, there are many disadvantages Isleworth has when compared to the UCO particularly. Their membership is significantly more expensive than the UCO and over triple the price, with monthly dues of over $700 just for social events and activities of the like. Location also serves as somewhat of a barrier, since they are about ten miles away from downtown Orlando, where most business jobs are located. A major disadvantage is that they lack a social media presence within their golf and country club. They do not have a recent Facebook page that they keep updated, and they do not have a Twitter or a LinkedIn profile for members to network on. They only have a Facebook page for their realty company, which is well organized but serves no benefit to the club members. Since the news feed on their website is updated frequently, it would be beneficial for them to share events and news via social media outlets that have more user traffic and engagement. It would also serve as a way for them to link all of their news and create buzz for prospective members. Isleworth’s golf and country club is also at a disadvantage when taking philanthropy into consideration. The UCO donates over $1.5 million in scholarship funds to educational institutes in Florida and promotes events for philanthropic causes. Isleworth lacks a presence in this area, which could promote their brand on a community level.
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DIRECT COMPETITORS
03.
SWEETWATER GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB Products/Services
Sweetwater Golf and Country club has an array of amenities and services. As its name suggests, the club has a complete golf course along with full tennis courts, pool, wedding venue, and multiple themed dining rooms. The club is very family oriented. Membership includes a spouse and children under 18. Memberships vary depending on the amenities included: such as a golf membership, a tennis membership or a social membership. Their membership process, much like UCO’s, is not public. If interested, one must call, and only after a screening interview with a staff member will the membership prices and information be revealed.
PRICES
Full Club Membership
Available for families or singles, the Full Club membership grants unlimited access of all Club amenities and includes golf greens fees, tennis court fees and swimming center fees. Members have the option of adding on several attractive enhancements to this membership - personally reserved locker, Sweetwater Men’s or Women’s Golf Association privileges, USGA handicap service, golf bag storage, golf cart trail plan, and more. Listed below are the various categories of Full Club membership and their associated privileges.
$289 per month
Unlimited Golf With Unlimited Cart Membership This category not only includes all greens fees and cart fees, but also allows for the addition of several of the attractive enhancements listed under the Full Club program.
*Price is available upon appointment/call with the club.
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Unlimited Golf Membership Unlimited Golf membership is just that - unlimited golf with all greens fees included. This category allows for the addition of several of the attractive enhancements listed under the Full Club program as well as the other membership options.
*Price is available upon appointment/call with the club.
Associate Golf Membership
This introductory program is targeted towards golfers whose schedule allows for just a handful of golf rounds per month. Available for families or singles, this membership includes 50 percent off the lowest posted greens.
$29.99 per month
Full Tennis Membership
With the exception of the Highlands course, the Full Tennis membership entitles members to enjoy unlimited access to all Club amenities, and includes tennis court fees and swimming center fees. You may utilize the golf course up to six times per year and simply remit 75 percent of the lowest posted greens fees. Several additions, including a personal locker, may be added to this membership.
*Price is available upon appointment/call with the club. Social Membership
Available for families or singles, the Social membership entitles access of all Club amenities. This includes unlimited dining and swimming center access and access to utilize the Highlands golf course and tennis courts up to six times per year each. While the swimming center fees are included, the golf and tennis fees are simply 75 percent of the lowest posted rates.
*Price is available upon appointment/call with the club.
PAST PROMOTIONS
Website
The website is a lot more professional than the club’s social media presence. It has good SEO since it is the first link to pop up when Googled. When on the website, there is very irritating music that plays constantly and is unnecessary. Overall, their look does promote a sense of exclusivity and luxury with fancy typography and a crest with two lions. However, once navigation of the page begins, it is clear that the website is of poor quality. When looking through pictures, a new window pops up but the
links are broken and not all of the albums are available. Even without being able to look through all pictures, the pictures that are available are of poor quality. This is a huge fault, as most people interested in any product prefer to look at pictures rather than read. The website is also divided by amenities, highlighting the importance to the club. Tabs are clickable to learn more about the golf courses, tennis courts, and pool, but there is no relevant importance set on the actual members of the club.
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Overall Sweetwater’s Facebook presence is poor. With 555 likes, the club only posts about dinner specials and public events. The quality of all pictures, including their profile and cover picture is lacking. They have multiple albums showcasing holiday events at the club, but nothing
Yelp
more. They do not have professional pictures of their facilities and do not offer much information about the club in their posts. The entire profile has little to no interaction by its followers. A more engaging Facebook page would lure visitors and allow them to benefit.
The fact that they have a Yelp page is admirable. They have a three and a half star rating, which is average, however, the people engaging in rates are not members and are doing so for either the restaurant or the golf course. This takes away from the idea of an exclusive membership environment and makes the club look like it only offers a golf course and restaurant.
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Microsite
As part of their efforts to promote their dinners, of which is unclear if it is open to the public, Sweetwater has created microsites with the full menu featured each night. The microsite sometimes includes “specials� such as buy one meal and receive 25 percent off the second meal. However, the microsite itself is very poorly designed. With a gray background and poor quality pictures of the food, it does not seem to be a very effective way to promote the restaurant or the quality of the food.
*Groupon
Although they do not have current promotions on their Groupon page, reviews on the site indicate that they have in the past (in regards to their golf course). Although Groupon is a beneficial in creating awareness of the club, it makes it les lucrative from a financial standpoint, for them and minimizes exclusivity.
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OVERALL ADVANTAGES
Sweetwater Golf and Country Club’s main advantage is their exceptional facilities. The club prides itself in its great golf course, tennis courts, grand dining rooms and pool. Even their membership options concentrate on the use of each of the facilities. This is a great advantage over the UCO, as they do not offer multiple choices for membership. Sweetwater Golf and Country Club also offers a sense of exclusivity and luxury with their closed membership process, which is something that people generally favor.
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DISADVANTAGES
Although Sweetwater has the upper hand when it comes to facilities, they seemed to be too focused on that aspect. For a member looking to make connections and bonds with others, this does not seem to be the right place. Sweetwater prides itself in being “Orlando’s premier country club,” however; they do not have the history and tradition that the UCO holds. It simply falls short in advertising the quality of its members and does not seem to be targeted towards successful professionals like the UCO is. Instead, Sweetwater seems like the place for a family to bond and exercise via the use of their exclusive facilities.
INDIRECT COMPETITORS
01.
THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT Products/Services
Considered the hub of downtown Orlando, The Central Business District encompasses the main downtown area of Orlando. It is composed of theatres, galleries, museums, restaurants, parks, entertainment venues, business and commerce offices, retail stores, and many other recreational facilities. The Central Business District of downtown Orlando is an indirect competitor to the University Club of Orlando because since the University Club of Orlando is located within this district, any of the area’s facilities, businesses, organizations, and amenities/services serve as potential opportunities where club members can spend their time. The area as a whole flourishes upon commerce and business during the day and entertainment activities during the evening. Retail/shopping covers many different areas with stores such as wedding and florist shops, Avis car Rental, Ego Lifestyle Boutique, Enchanted Mirror Beauty Style, Friends of The Library Bookstore, Hertz Rent-A-Car, Infinite Massage and Wellness, Sigel’s Clothing Store, Sir Speedy, Swalstead Jewelers, Walt’s Barbershop and even a UPS store just to name a few. Dining restaurants include a variety of cuisine options to choose from including Amura Japanese Restaurant, Artisan’s Table, Barnie’s Coffee, Benjamin’s French Bakery & Café, Beth’s Burger Bar, Café Red, Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant, Champ’s Café, Church Street Tavern, Deli 111, Don Jefe’s Tequila Parlour, DT Café, Eden’s Fresh Co., Ember Bar & Restaurant, Finnhenry’s, Fratelli’s Taste of Italy, Le Gourmet Break, Nature’s Table Café, The Basement, The Boheme,
Whitewood Mediterranean Grill and more. Arts and entertainment options include visiting the Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House, the City Arts Factory, the Gallery at Avalon Island, Grand Bohemian Hotel Gallery, Jai Gallery, the Orlando Public Library, Sak Comedy Lab, and The Plaza Cinema Café, among many more. The nightlife thrives through places like 23, Chillers, Back Booth, Corona Cigar Co., Old 64, The Courtesy Bar, Downtown Pourhouse and the Monkey bar among other nightclubs, bars, and lounges. There are also many hotels in the Central Business District contributing to the hospitality and tourism industry and the business industry, such as the Doubletree by Hilton, Aloft Orlando Downtown, Courtyard at Lake Lucerne, and The Grand Bohemian Hotel (Downtown Orlando, 2014).
PRICES
Pricing options for retail/shopping, food services, and art and entertainment options cover a wide range, from less expensive options such as quick service restaurant options and mini-marts, to more expensive/higher end stores and dining options such as formal restaurants, entertainment venues, and clothing boutiques. Pricing is designed to accommodate the variety of income levels that are residents of the area or the city, along with tourists/business people who are visiting.
LOCATION
The Central Business District is surrounded by six neighborhoods: Uptown/North Orange, Parramore, Eola Heights, South Eola District, Thornton Park, and Lake Cherokee.
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PAST PROMOTIONS
Website
arts and entertainment, music, sports, and nightlife activities/venues within that district. It provides a review of the location, and a synopsis of the services offered there. The website supports any statistics mentioned with data throughout the website and is very up to date. It would be advantageous for them to have a social media (perhaps a Facebook and/or Twitter) linked to this website, where users would be able to interact and engage more with the city.
Although it is a district within downtown Orlando, it houses many residents and business that keep downtown Orlando flourishing and prospering in terms of business, commerce and the economy in general. Like their website, they would benefit from having a Facebook page dedicated to the ins and outs/ happenings of everyday life in the Central Business
The Central Business District website is extremely user-friendly and engaging. It makes up a part of the Downtown Orlando website as a whole and follows the same theme and organization. The colors are bright and appealing with accents in lime green to add excitement and flavor to all of the industries the city has to offer. It gives a synopsis of the district, provides a map location, and gives the user the option of searching for shopping, dining,
As seen in the image above, The Central Business District of Downtown Orlando lacks a presence on social media. In this day in age, it is essential for businesses of all kinds to engage in social media. Facebook is the leading social media platform with about 1.16 billion monthly active users just last year (Smith, 2013).
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District. They would be able to link this page to the main Downtown Orlando website, and even other districts (as it is organized currently on their website), which would encourage visitors and residents to engage in any activity the town has to offer. Clearly, they do not
manage their own page and awareness is low on Facebook with only eight people liking the topic and 35 people visiting.
OVERALL ADVANTAGES
The Central Business District has an advantage over the University Club of Orlando in that it essentially houses the club. Much of the success that the UCO has experienced thus far, is due to a consistent flourishing downtown area with different industries and most of Orlando’s business. Most of the UCO’s members work in the downtown area, so it is convenient for them to be members. The Central Business District is an indirect competitor to the club because of the fact that it encompasses such a wide array of industries, amenities, and services. These businesses including restaurants, spa facilities, athletic facilities, the arts, and entertainment are all potential opportunities for members of the UCO to partake in, over having a membership at the club. They may choose to spend more time there, hang out with coworkers and friends there, join a different membership, of spend the money they would spend on the UCO on any of these offerings. Without these businesses, the downtown area would not exist, and the UCO would definitely not be located there. The h 0istory and culture that the Central Business District contributes to the city of Orlando is also an advantage, as it is the core of central business, however emphasizes the best of both worlds with a healthy balance of work during the day and play during the evening. The estimated Central Business District
general crime, violent crime and property crime index is 57 percent lower than the Orlando average (Central Business District, Orlando, FL Crime Rates & Statistics, 2014). The website also gives it an advantage as it is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and constantly updated with new and upcoming events.
DISADVANTAGES
There are only a few disadvantages of the Central Business District of Orlando. One of them is definitely the extreme lack of social media presence. Just as they have organized their website to emphasize the city of Orlando’s most attractive offerings by district and further by industry, they should make the same effort to tie these aspects into an ongoing and cohesive social media campaign. While each business in the district stands alone and does its own advertising, it would be wise and beneficial to still have an umbrella campaign for the Central Business District itself, since it is essentially the hub for all of these businesses. It would definitely attract more visitors and boost business and in turn the economy. With a unified Facebook and Twitter page, they could prosper from an informed residency, and a boost in event attendance from increased awareness. This could potentially merge businesses’ advertising efforts and allow them to prosper too.
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INDIRECT COMPETITORS
02.
THE GYM DOWNTOWN Products/Services
The Gym Downtown is solely a gym, offering no other amenities. However, it does offer a wide variety of fitness classes, including boot camp, spinning and yoga.
PRICES
Basic and Couples memberships have a $25.00 sign up fee.
• • • • • •
Basic Membership without classes $25.00/month Basic Membership with classes $29.00/month Couples Membership without classes $45.00/month Couples Membership with classes $50.00/month Guest pass with a member $5.33/day Guest pass without a member $8.52/day
PAST PROMOTIONS
Website
The website overall is of high quality. It has a modern look and is very professional. The website includes professional looking pictures of the facility and displays all information well. It was easy to navigate and has engaging SEO, as it is the first link to come up when searching on a search engine.
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The Gym Downtown has a moderate presence on Facebook. There are a decent amount of posts and interaction with followers. They have a mix between poor quality photos and very few professional photos. They do not have an album to display pictures of the inside of the
facility like they do on the website, which is an easily fixed shortcoming. The Gym Downtown also succeeds in keeping followers up to date with class information, and gym specials. Overall, they should update their profile picture to fit and reflect the overall appearance of the page.
Yelp
The Gym Downtown has a very strong presence on Yelp. The gym has an impressive maximum of a five star rating with multiple lengthy reviews, indicating heavy user engagement and involvement. The Yelp page also includes a decent amount of pictures and overall greatly advertises the gym.
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OVERALL ADVANTAGES
The main advantage of The Gym Downtown is that it has state of the art workout facilities. All of its machines are up to date and they offer equipment that is tailored to both men and women. They also offer a large variety of group classes as well as personal training. Its location is a great advantage when competing with the UCO, since the downtown area is convenient for most members. It has a strong online presence with various positive reviews and positive public relations.
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DISADVANTAGES
The Gym Downtown seems to have a younger demographic than that of the UCO. The gym almost seems intimidating with its sea of machines and weights. It also does not offer a social aspect other than group classes. It lacks a squash court, which many members of the UCO frequently use. Memberships range from single memberships to couple memberships, but nothing is available for families.
INDIRECT COMPETITORS
03.
SORISIS OF ORLANDO Products/Services
Founded in 1893, Sorosis of Orlando (meaning sisterhood in Latin) was previously made of ten women who were reputably soft spoken and originally met to organize a study club. Their organization developed into a philanthropic and educational organization that promotes and encourages young women to get involved in community improvement through leadership roles (Slota, 2009). They joined the Florida Federation in 1912 and the General Federation in 1915, which are both non-profit volunteer organizations (Sorosis of Orlando, 2014). Sorosis is an indirect competitor to the University Club of Orlando because it is not only a historical, philanthropic organization, but also its entire founding is based on promoting education and a stronger community of people similar to its members. Like the UCO, which was formed based on male-only acceptance and what they considered “elite” members of society, Sorosis was formed based on female-only acceptance. They support local and national philanthropies by providing scholarships to graduating high school students in Orange County, raising money to make donations to various philanthropies, raising funds to provide Easter clothes for children of the Orlando Rescue Mission, providing entertainment for the Westminister Care of Delaney Park
Nursing home, preparing Easter baskets for residents of the Hacienda Girls Ranch in Melbourne, Florida, collecting can pop tops and new children’s books for the Ronald McDonald House, and participating in the Samaritan’s Christmas Box project (Sorosis of Orlando, 2014). They also provide a wedding venue for up to 240 people and rental space for business and social meetings for 20-200 guests.
PRICES
National Membership (General Federation of Women’s Clubs) Annual GFWC dues
$15
GFWC clubs, districts, and State Federations may assess additional dues beyond the $15 per capita GFWC dues. Individual members pay dues to their clubs.
State Membership (General Federation of Women’s Clubs Florida) Annual GFWC dues
$5
Paid to GFCW in local state club.
LOCATION
501 East Livingston Street Orlando, Florida 32803
*.51 miles from the University Club of Orlando
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PAST PROMOTIONS
Website
The website for Sorosis of Orlando is very outdated. The fonts used are very generic and the entire website as a whole, needs more information. The pull- down menu at the top does provide the story of their history, facilities, past events, synopsis of who they are, and a contact page, but it lacks important elements that visitors of a website, especially potential organization members want to find out, such as pricing for facilities, pricing for membership. Instead, the website leads the user to the GFWC headquarters website which is
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even more outdated and very complicated to use. Since it is so outdated, links are unrelated and the font is very small. There is a lot of text on every page and readers have to sort through lots of information to get what they really want. The website itself, should provide everything a potential member would need to know to join and should also include a more current gallery of event pictures. It is a bit boring and bland to the eye and could use more color and excitement to match their history and legacy of philanthropy.
There is a complete lack of presence on Facebook. They are recognized as an organization but have zero reviews, one like, and only 27 people to have checked in. If they were to have one person manage their social media, it would keep them up to date and modern as well as get women and other community members
excited for future events. They should really focus on the history of the club and their emphasis on giving back to the community and education. They would be able to maintain one theme, along with their website and link other social media such as LinkedIn and Twitter to promote upcoming charities and meetings.
EVENTBRITE LUNCHEON INVITATION
This invitation is for a membership luncheon that took place to promote and discuss Criminal Administrative issues in the Circuit and County courts. It is very generic and bland with only a short synopsis at the end. It is interesting that they are familiar with platforms such as Eventbrite when their website is so outdated. If they had other social media platforms to engage on, they could have promoted this event there.
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OVERALL ADVANTAGES
Sorosis of Orlando has several advantages over the University Club of Orlando. Although the UCO is more exclusive and has more members and more profit annually, Sorosis of Orlando has had a firm reputation for yearspromoting educational philanthropy and community involvement. The UCO is firmly based on advancing education as well, so this is another reason they are indirect competitors. In terms of history, Sorosis of Orlando has a wider array of events and tangible results to promote their strong belief in education. For instance, they established a circulating library to improve education, culture, and the quality of life in Orlando. They engaged in departmental work in the subjects of literature, music, drama, and civics. In 1927, they awarded four scholarships to students, one of those (“Maud B. Whitman Scholarship”) still awarded today. They are part of an umbrella organization under the General Federation of Women’s Club. Sorosis continues to enhance the quality of life in the community through educational and vocational scholarships, conservation programs, home life activities, international and public affairs, and the fine arts (Sorosis of Orlando, 2014). They promote a variety of events and have a significantly lower membership fee since no amenities are included. This allows them to spend more time focusing on the educational events they host. Since they are under a larger umbrella both under the state of Florida and the nation, this provides more stability to their local club and the option of membership to both state and national levels, as well as perks within the club, such as membership pins (General Federation of Women’s Clubs, 2014). Other benefits include the option of General Liability Insurance, a GFWC affiliated credit card that earns you points for ravel, event
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tickets and more, and access to Amazon. com Associates which allows members to give up to 15 percent of their purchases back to the Federation.
DISADVANTAGES
Their poor website design and complete lack of social media presence has caused Sorosis to fall out of date. They have poor promotional efforts and their website is so bland and basic, that visitors must use another search engine, or conduct their own research to find out information that should be easily accessible on their website. The “links” tab on the pull-down menu leads to an even more confusing website packed with text and is very hard to understand, which naturally turns people away. Their lack of social media effort causes them to become unpopular amongst other non-profit organizations and halts membership growth and promotion, as awareness is almost nonexistent unless it is for current members. Their annual sales are lower than the UCO’s at about $55,800 a year (Hoovers, 2014). They also do not have a cohesive campaign to advertise their brand. People will not learn about it, if they do not come into contact with it or hear about it some way, so social media is a very simple way to get the word out about them.
INDIRECT COMPETITORS
04.
TUSCAWILLA COUNTRY CLUB Products/Services
Tuscawilla Country Club of Winter
Springs, Florida serves as an indirect competitor to the UCO, even though it is a country club because of their wellknown and profitable wedding venue. Much like the UCO, a lot of their business comes from their weddings. Their wedding venue has two dining rooms and professionals to help brides coordinate linens, menus, entertainment, floral arrangements etc. The UCO has similar amenities, and a reputable wedding venue as well, however, the difference between the two lies in the manner in which Tuscawilla markets their wedding venue. They display pictures on their Twitter and Facebook and display all of their offerings directly on their website. The UCO promotes their venue, but not as much as they should, via social media particularly. They should particularly advertise their venue on social media because that is where most of the public will see it, and that is where they can most feasibly create a good reputation. The UCO can learn from Tuscawilla’s wedding advertising techniques, as it brings them business and seems to be successful. The focus of the club is based on family and they offer amenities, golf lessons and tennis lessons, and clinics and programs for people of all ages and skill levels. They have a junior sized Olympic swimming pool, a state of the art fitness center and an on-site restaurant called “The Grill”, which offers Wi-Fi, flat screen televisions, a lounge area, dining with outside seating and a fire pit. The golf course is another feature of the club that brings it much success. It is over 6,000 yards wide and resembles the atmosphere of a Southern Plantation. They offer tournament events for members and for events outside of the club. Tuscawilla club members have access to award-winning tennis courts and their children have the opportunity to join the Junior Development Program which offers kids and teens private tennis
lessons in a structured environment that is also challenging. They also offer tennis leagues that club members can join if they like the competition aspect of the sport. Apart from their tennis camp, they offer golf camp and sports camp for children of members and nonmembers to enjoy. Tuscawilla gives members and non-members access to book their rooms for events apart from weddings, and also offer catering and affordable packages for hosts. Families gain access to social events such as monthly themed family night buffets and Friday Night Live Music. They offer family golf, individual golf, senior family golf, senior individual golf, Jr. Executive golf, Jr. golf, corporate memberships, tennis and social memberships.
PRICES • Family Golf • Individual Golf • Senior Family Golf • Senior Individual Golf • Jr. Executive Golf • Jr. Golf • Corporate Memberships • Tennis and Social Memberships *Membership pricing varies and potential members are urged to contact the membership manager on their website (Tuscawilla Country Club 2014).
Tennis Camp Fees/Sports Camp Fees Members
$186
Non-Members
$240
Half Day Members
$138
Non-Members
$175
LOCATION
1500 Winter Springs Blvd. Winter Springs, FL 32708
*11.96 miles from UCO
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PAST PROMOTIONS
Website
overall theme. They could have provided links to their social media, in order to create one cohesive campaign, and maximize awareness. They also should provide a gallery for users to view pictures of members engaging in social events. It is essential they provide and breakdown membership fees on the website and not make visitors call.
holistic and consistent. They also have a link to their Twitter account, which is essential for keeping a unified campaign and maximizing awareness. They seem to post frequently and keep their members updated. There seems to be a fair amount of user traffic, with over 1,000 likes and over 7,000 visits.
The website has a consistent theme and uses a green tint block to navigate throughout the pages. The information is very organized throughout, leaving breadcrumbs that make pages easier to track and follow. The purple and green provide a sense of community and warmth; yet add a sense of class to the
Their Facebook page is consistent with the purple and green theme and also displays their logo as the profile picture. The cover photo is a picture of the clubhouse, that is also displayed on the landing page of the website. The elements of the page keep the brand
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Member Newsletter
organization. They should have lessened the amount of text blocks per page, in order to eliminate clutter and separate information that pertains to members more methodically, however, it was still easy to follow. It has a consistent design throughout and always matches the theme of the upcoming season to the theme of the newsletter. It is definitely beneficial and exclusive for members to get one of these every month.
or unnecessary information. One recommendation is for them to keep up with their posts. Their last post was made in 2013, and if they do not make an effort to stay current, their brand identity will suffer because of it.
The Tuscawilla Country Club’s newsletter, “Traditions�, is published monthly and has a very communal feel and theme. Since their focus is on family, often times they will display families enjoying the local amenities offered by the club on the cover. The design is colorful and lively with lots of text blocks to separate information, allowing for
Like their Facebook, their Twitter profile picture displays their logo, strengthening their brand unity even more. With every element of social media, their brand becomes more familiar. Their messages are very personal and there is no clutter
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The Knot
holistic and consistent. They also have a link to their Twitter account, which is essential for keeping a unified campaign and maximizing awareness. They seem to post frequently and keep their members updated. There seems to be a fair amount of user traffic, with over 1,000 likes and over 7,000 visits.
Wedding Wire
the top choices. The blog is consistent in providing a logo, contact information and personal testimonials. It provides a synopsis of wedding services offered, and a picture that makes the idea and thought of a wedding tangible.
Their Facebook page is consistent with the purple and green theme and also displays their logo as the profile picture. The cover photo is a picture of the clubhouse, that is also displayed on the landing page of the website. The elements of the page keep the brand
On this well-known wedding blog, Tuscawilla Country Club has a four point seven star rating based on 72 reviews. When compared to other wedding venues from other membership clubs in the area, they had the most reviews and were in
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OVERALL ADVANTAGES
When compared to the University Club of Orlando, Tuscawilla Country Club’s wedding venue makes them competitive. Overall, the club offers more amenities and services with a lot more opportunity for children and families. The UCO is a private city club that is invitation-only, built on prestige with a focus on education and philanthropy. In turn, Tuscawilla is only an indirect competitor because it is fairly close by and offers similar amenities to those offered by the UCO, plus more. Tuscawilla offers more social events monthly such as their familythemed nights, and access to tennis and golf courts. Opportunities to participate in clinics and lessons are available for each, and kids can take part in camp sessions year-round where they learn to play the sport. They also have a jr.- sized Olympic swimming pool, which allows them a variety of aquatic activities. It seems like their advertising techniques are very strong. They have a consistent theme with unifying purple and green colors tied together through their social media platforms via Facebook and Twitter. Their logo is consistently and prominently displayed on each so that the consumer is able to develop brand recall. They have a consistent voice throughout all social media as well, which makes their posts easy to read and follow. One major advantage they have over the UCO is a unified campaign and overall presence on media platforms. When searching their brand via search engines such as Google, more information was readily available than there was with the UCO. Their monthly newsletter emphasizes this. It is colorful, caters to families and keeps members updated for seasonal events. Having access to this makes events easier
to follow and remember. Like Isleworth, they are part of a residential community, but membership is way more affordable and non-membership is more frequent. Another advantage they have over the UCO is the variety of memberships. Members can choose to gain a certain level of access to athletic facilities and their kids can do the same. Their presence on online blogs is also prominent particularly in the wedding industry. The public posts testimonials that keep others informed and allow them to make recommendations based on a significant amount of reviews.
DISADVANTAGES
Tuscawilla Country Club has a few disadvantages in the area of philanthropy. Since their focus is more family-oriented and based on a more communal approach, they do not highlight philanthropy efforts or efforts to promote educational opportunity. The UCO definitely has the upper hand on this matter, with several charities and scholarship funds around the city of Orlando. They are dedicated to this cause. Tuscawilla is also not nonprofit, while the UCO is. Tuscawilla does not have as much history behind it as does the UCO, which causes many people to associate prestige with longevity (not necessarily the case). They do have a disadvantage when it comes to their Twitter page, as they have not posted on it for nearly two years, and this could potentially lead to poor social media management- a pattern that can spread to their other platforms, if not attended to in the near future. Lastly, they are located about ten miles from downtown Orlando, which makes them a less attractive option for business people and leaders that work in that area.
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RESEARCH IN THIS SECTION
A lot of people were asked a lot of questions to find out how you stack up. Let’s see what the consumers think.4
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How long have you been a member of UCO? YEARS
0-1 2-4
4
5-7
3
HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
8-10 10+
3 1 2 3 4
According to primary research, most members have been a part of the UCO for a range of 2-4 years. Some have been members as long as 10+ years, indicating that they are mostly long-term members, rather than new members. Please select the people you typically go with to UCO 6
6
4
4
OTHER
ORG. MEMBERS
2 COWORKERS
ACQUAINTANCES
FRIENDS
NOBODY
3
According to primary research, most UCO members typically visit the club with friends and acquaintances, supporting the ongoing trend of building relationships via the activities they participate in while there.
3 WORDS POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
“exclusive” l “friendly” l “prestigious” “old” l “poor communication” l “bad food”
1 2 3 66
07.
RESEARCH
Favorite memory at UCO WEDDINGS BOURBON & BLUES NIGHT CHRISTMAS PARTY
The purpose of this research is to gain insight on the habits and preferences of UCO members and potential UCO members in order to retain current membership numbers and gain new membership. The survey was distributed over the course of about three months via email and social media. Sage agency members were active in engaging with their social media friends, asking if they knew anyone involved in city/country clubs within the target demographic and were adamant about getting their friends to pass it on. There is significantly more non-member than member responses because Sage agency was given access to contact information from only ten members. However, persistence and networking allowed engagement in one more member response, allowing research to come to a grand total of 101 respondents comprised from 11 UCO member respondents and 89 non-member respondents (primary and secondary audience). Findings are also based on informal in-depth interviews held during a visit to the UCO and insight from members. Sage agency visited the UCO on a Tuesday (the most active evening at the club) and gained a great deal of insight from personal interactions with current members. The research findings below, integrate both survey questionnaire responses and findings from the visit. Secondary research indicated that the UCO’s industry falls under city and country clubs and is comprised of a target audience of white males ages 55 and up, who hold business occupations. This research also said that the UCO’s
secondary target audience should include women, as indicated in the Marketing Plan. The UCO is a non-profit organization that promotes education and philanthropy through their prestigious scholarship program and elite community members. However, primary research, along with a firsthand visit to the club and interactions with current members led to the understanding that the most unique and marketable value offered by the UCO is its ability to create lasting relationships and friendships in an environment away from a typical business setting. Primary research indicated that it would be more beneficial from an advertising perspective to divide the target audience into two groups: members and nonmembers, as supported by the design of the survey. The first group would target a primary audience of men and women who are currently members of the UCO in order to fulfill the objective of retention, and the second group would target a secondary audience of non-members (generally in their late 20’s and 30’s) to fulfill the objective of increasing membership, as indicated in the IMC plan. Questions within the survey were designed to screen out members from non-members and lead them to the correct portion of the survey. Members were asked questions such as how long they have been a member, what first attracted them to the UCO, the facilities they use most, what they would like to see improve, what types of social media they use, how they consume their news, and demographic questions among many more located in the digital appendix. Non-members were asked about how many people they know in country/city clubs, what types of social media they use, how they consume their news, what time of day they usually go out, and demographic questions among others. The following research findings are a culmination of data from the online survey questionnaire located in the digital appendix and firsthand insight from current members. Findings have been divided to display data from the primary and secondary target groups.
MEMBER FINDINGS Member research is based on 11 member survey responses. The average member tends to be already established, aged 55 and up, married or remarried with two or more kids, with an average household income of $100,000 or more. Most of the respondents tend to be both long-term members of the UCO, and long-term housing residents. Clermont, Ocoee, Kissimmee, Orlando, and Alafaya are popular residences among members. The average home prices from these areas range from $172,500 to $292,500. Members commute to the club as close as 351 feet, and as far as 23 miles. Members are well educated and most have a Bachelors or Masters degree. Members consume most of their news through online newspapers; followed by magazines, which is why using this media to target prospective non-members would be beneficial. When asked their favorite clothing store in the form of a free-response, there was a general trend towards Brooks Brothers followed by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor and Lands’ end. Since members show an interest in high-end classic clothing, a UCO branded quality polo would most likely be welcomed and used by percent of members referred members a friend more than the current athletic apparel offered. Members prefer to visit the UCO on Tuesdays, during the evening, between the hours of 7pm and 12am for two to three hour-long visits. Sage agency suggests that events to be held during the downtime period be held on Tuesdays from 7pm- 10pm, due to member preferences. Members prefer to go out with friends the most, followed by
90%
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Social media usage among UCO members FACEBOOK
6
1
0
GOOGLE+
5
YOUTUBE
3
VINE
0
OTHER
1
NONE
2
The graph above displays findings from a rank order question that asked members to rate their social media usage. After calculating responses for each social media outlet, UCO members, most frequently use Facebook, followed by Google+. LinkedIn was also frequently utilized under “Other”. This indicates that an advertising presence on Facebook would be beneficial, along with event promotions and frequent UCO updates to alert members about events coming up, and lure new members in, particularly during the interim period.
6
RADIO TALK SHOW
3
TELEVISION NEWS
8
LOCAL NEWSPAPERS
ONLINE NEWSPAPERS
Main news source of UCO members
1
The graph above indicates that UCO members consume their news most frequently via online newspapers. This data suggests that the UCO would reach a more targeted audience, within readers of online newspapers. Although magazines were not as frequently utilized, primary research indicates that UCO members still read them, and promoting the UCO via local/business magazines will reach them more efficiently.
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family, although 80 percent do not have any members of their immediate family who are members. An incentive program to recruit the immediate family of members is advisable. 90 percent of members referred at least one friend to become a UCO member, proving members are comfortable in the role as brand ambassador to their friends. Since they primarily receive information about the UCO through email blasts, followed by UCO bulletin board, and then Facebook; improved Internet presence and tangible collateral that is distributed at the club is pivotal in improving the communication between the UCO and its members. Targeted Facebook advertisements are suggested since Facebook is the members’ social media of choice. Philanthropy must remain an integral element of UCO events since members are most proud of their involvement with philanthropic events. Friendship, exclusivity and amenities are favorite member benefits. Members utilize athletic facilities, restaurant/happy hour, and private meeting rooms the most. Favorite benefits include “relax and form new relationships with emphasis on social rather than business,” followed by “everyone knows your name and your preferences.” Positive associations were friendship, followed by prestige, and exclusivity. Favorite member memories include weddings, since most members had their own wedding or their children’s wedding at the UCO, followed by Bourbon and Blues Night, and the Christmas - ANONYMOUS Party. Since UCO Member Survey weddings are the beginning of many beautiful memories for most members, the UCO should extend incentivized sales promotions to entice couples that choose the UCO as their wedding venue to become members. Negative associations include “old”,
best part of the “ TheUniversity Club is the people I have met and formed long relationships with. That’s why I continue to be a member.
”
“poor communication” and “bad food.” The biggest improvements members want to see are more new members followed by food quality. Since food quality is also a major factor for non-members, a new chef, menu, or kitchen staff will reward members that stay and entice nonmembers to try their menu.
NON-MEMBER FINDINGS
AFFORDABILITY
NETWORKING
INCREASE IN MEMBERS
STAFF
FOOD QUALITY
AMENITY OPTIONS
Findings are based on 89 non-member respondents. 8 Among the first questions in the survey, non-members 6 6 were asked how involved in their community they are and findings indicated that over 50 percent, 3 3 consider themselves “inactive” members, not participating in any community 1 activities. This supports the established IMC WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO direction to focus SEE IMPROVE AT UCO the campaign on fostering friendships and lasting relationships, rather than focusing on education and philanthropy. Although education and philanthropy are integral parts of the UCO history and will always be included in marketing efforts, the main aspect that will eventually lead to an increase in membership (as is a desire of members, indicated by the “member” part of the survey) is the UCO’s amicable environment that naturally builds lasting relationships. One of the respondents even said’ “The best part of the University club is the people I have meet and formed long relationships with that’s why I continue to be a member.” The previous statistic only emphasizes that community involvement, should not be a focus of this campaign, but rather a secondary element. 81 percent of non-member
respondents go out with friends, which reinforces the USP that the UCO should be focused on gaining membership by marketing it to non-members as a friendly and amicable environment where lasting friendships are made, rather than fleeting business contacts. When asked to choose adjectives about what they think of when they think of a typical city club, most consider them “approachable”, “professional” and “exclusive”, but “unaffordable”. Reducing membership prices during the downtime period, and allowing members to pay for the time they are involved in the club during this period up front, will lure non-members in with a lower membership fee, and hopefully keep them when they realize the intangible value they gain by becoming a member. Non-members were asked what features they were most attracted to and given options such as “charities/scholarships”, “quality food/service”, and “socializing/ networking opportunities”, among others. The majority of respondents were most interested in “charities/scholarships” and following not far behind was an interest in “quality food/service”. History indicates heavy involvement in philanthropy, particularly educational, and this statistic further supports the notion that the UCO should not cease their efforts within the philanthropic and educational community, as non-members are definitely attracted to this. The statistic further supports the fact that quality food and service are among the top elements that the percent of nonpublic is attracted to. members don’t The previous “member” know UCO portion of the survey indicated that current members would like to see the quality of food improve, hence the recommendation to partner with local restaurants, as discussed later. Over 50 percent of non-member respondents know one to two people involved in city/county clubs, but 92 percent of them have never heard of the UCO, further supporting the advertising
92%
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Non-members attend events more often with
1 2 3
FRIENDS FAMILY ACQUAINTANCES
Nearly half of non-member respondents typically go out with their friends, indicating that the UCO would benefit most from promoting events that foster sociability and stimulate friendships, since people are more likely to attend with friends.
Social media usage among non members FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM
6
1 0
GOOGLE+
5
YOUTUBE VINE OTHER NONE
3 0 1 2
The graph above displays findings from a rank order question that asked nonmembers to rate their social media usage. After calculating responses for each social media outlet, UCO members, like members most frequently use Facebook, followed by Instagram and Twitter. LinkedIn was also specified unader the “other” section. This strengthens the notion that an advertising presence on Facebook would be beneficial to non-members, particularly when the interim period is ending and the new club is close to opening. This will target non-members via an outlet that the UCO already utilizes and maximize potential member reach for the open house event, and other similar events.
7 pm to 12 am
Primary research indicates that nearly 50% of non-member respondents prefer going out during this time period.
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objective of increasing UCO brand awareness as designed via the rest of the campaign. Like members, non-members use Facebook most frequently followed closely by Instagram and Twitter, further emphasizing the notion that advertising on these outlets would be beneficial. Non-member respondents consume their news from online newspapers most frequently, supporting the decision to promote advertisements in the Orlando Sentinel, as discussed in more detail later. Non-member favorite restaurants showed an affinity towards steakhouses, with many of them naming places like “Ruth’s Chris” and “Morton’s”, among other places like “Maggiano’s”, supporting recommendations to partner with restaurants such as these, as discussed later. As discussed previously, several encounters with UCO members led findings to indicate that many of them were involved in Greek life during their college years. Sororities and fraternities promote philanthropy and friendships through hundreds of tightknit organizations throughout the country. Although 68 percent of nonmembers were not active in Greek life, many members indicated that one of the reasons they like the UCO is because it reminds them of the same amicable atmosphere and close relationships they experienced in their sorority or fraternity. 84 percent of non-member respondents have attended college and about 65 percent were between the ages of 18 and 55. The majority of people who participated in the survey fell - ROCHELLE RENE within the younger age UCO Member range, emphasizing the decision to target a younger demographic within the secondary target audience. Non- member responses were split nearly in half among females and males, emphasizing the recommendation to cater to the women in the secondary audience, just as much as the men, despite what history has shown to be a trend.
like I was “ I felt pledging my sorority again.
”
the country. Although 68 percent of non-members were not active in Greek life, many members indicated that one of the reasons they like the UCO is because it reminds them of the same amicable atmosphere and close relationships they experienced in their sorority or fraternity. 84 percent of non-member respondents have attended college and about 65 percent were between the ages of 18 and 55. The majority of people who
participated in the survey fell within the younger age range, emphasizing the decision to target a younger demographic within the secondary target audience. Non- member responses were split nearly in half among females and males, emphasizing the recommendation to cater to the women in the secondary audience, just as much as the men, despite what history has shown to be a trend.
SURVEY CONCLUSIONS FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Affinity towards high-end steakhouses
FAVORITE DAY/TIME TO GO OUT Tuesdays 7pm- 12am
*Non- members also prefer nighttime events
FAVORITE BENEFIT
Relaxing and forming new relationships with a social emphasis, rather than business
ASPECTS TO IMPROVE
MEMBERS’ FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
*Non-members are also highly attracted to quality food/service
2. Luma
Food quality and more members;
MOST EFFECTIVE SOCIAL/NEWS OUTLET
Facebook and online newspapers
*IMPORTANT TO NOTE
Members and non-members are most proud of philanthropic efforts, so this should continue.
1. Finnhenry’s
.2 miles from UCO 5.4 miles from UCO
3. Christner’s Steakhouse
5.6 miles from UCO
MEMBER RESIDENCE FINDINGS
Most have been in their current location for 10+ years
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08.
SWOT
STRENGTHS
WHAT YOU’RE DOING BEST
WEAKNESSES
WHAT COULD USE SOME WORK
1. Valuable members create high social capital
1. Lack of awareness among non-members
2. Home-like and relaxing atmosphere is unique from the competitions
2. Low diversity of member group
3. Strong philanthropic association 4. Convenience of downtown location will not be changing 5. The assortment and convenience of amenities offered to members including reciprocal clubs 6. Great tradition and historical value behind The University Club of Orlando name
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3. Lack of past marketing and advertising efforts 4. Minimum engagement among high amount of members 5. Downtime period with no facility to host members
OPPORTUNITIES
WHAT CAN HELP YOU
1. Cross promotion with Orlando businesses in order to create awareness and prestige within the local business community 2. Potential rebrand of The University Club of Orlando to create pride among members. 3. Greater community outreach in order to create brand awareness within the city 4. Wedding venue presents a great opportunity for income and to capture a young membership. 5. Use of social media to create brand and image awareness among both the primary and secondary target audience
THREATS
WHAT CAN HURT YOU
1. Negative PR and perception from the public about UCO 2. Availability of substitute products and services (direct competitors such as The Citrus Club) 3. Shrinking discretionary income 4. Greater competition for entertainment dollars 5. Growing societal criticism about city clubs 6. Adaptation towards a family-friendly environment 7. Lack of free time from potential successful members
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MARKETING PLAN IN THIS SECTION
Who is your target audience and what do they want from you? It’s time to dive into how you can connect to these consumers.4
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TARGET MARKET WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR
PRIMARY
“MEMBER ALL-STARS” DAVID WALKER, 60
WELL-EDUCATED, WELL-READ, WELL-CAPITALIZED @DAVID_WALKER10
David Walker has been a member of the University Club of Orlando for over 25 years. David has created lifelong friendships and memories at the UCO, therefore feels a strong connection to the club. He has held a position in every committee including as President. David is a wealth advisor and a wellrespected member of the Orlando committee. He maintains an active through various sports and lives an adventurous life. INCOME: $110,000 WATCHES: Fox News READS: Architectural Digest, Golf Digest, DRINKS: Domestic Beer
HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
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Although the University Club of Orlando is a city club, the MRI+ data shows it is most appropriate for it to be listed as a country club in general (MRI+, 2013). The following analysis also includes some secondary data relevant to charitable organizations, since the University Club of Orlando can be categorized under this as well. Sage agency’s primary data was utilized in order to reach the most effective target via the most effective medium. According the primary and secondary research based on MRI+ data, the primary target audience of the University Club of Orlando is composed of white married males ages 55 and up. Over 50 percent of country club members in the last year were men and over 50 percent were over the age of 55. Over 90 percent of club members within the last year were of the white race. They primarily hold positions in business, management, and financial operations (30 percent more likely than the national average), have attended graduate school (116 percent more likely than the national average to do so), and generally earn an income of $100,000 and above (147 percent more
likely than the national average) (MRI+, 2013). This primary audience generally has children that are above 17 years old. Although MRI+ data shows the highest percentage of members having children from 12 to 17 years of age, the data does not have an option for any age above 17 (MRI+, 2013). This is supported by primary research; many current members of The University Club of Orlando have children that are ages 21 and up. Survey results indicated that most members have lived at their present address for over five years, owning homes between $200,000 and $499,999. This is beneficial to the University Club of Orlando since their general location has been and will be in the same area, where it can retain members who have been living in close proximity and at the same address for many years. The primary audience will be targeted as the first group of prospects to retain. Membership retention is an integral and essential part of growing a membership organization such as the University Club or Orlando. By catering to the membership that currently exists and attracting new members in a way that
SECONDARY
“PROFESSIONAL PRIDE”
ELIZABETH GOODMAN, 32 YOUNG, DIVERSE & MOBILE @LAWYERLIZ82
Elizabeth is a 32 year-old business professional looking to establish herself as a family lawyer. Elizabeth graduated from UCF undergrad and FIU law school. Elizabeth is price conscious, saving for retirement and always seeking consumer opinions from friends. She donates to charities and attends community events. Elizabeth remains friends with college alumni, but is tired of the club scene and looking to branch out, both to create friendships but also to further her career. Elizabeth continues to be very much involved with her NPHC sorority and therefore looks for a relaxed environment where she can still network. INCOME: $75,000 WATCHES: BBC, Fox News READS: NPR, CNN DRINKS: White wine
MICHAEL ROTHENBERG, 58
ESTABLISHED, NEWLY ACTIVE & MONEY MOTIVATED @ROTHENBERGMIKE123
Michael Rothenberg is a revered business executive of the Orlando community. He is a successful finance director with many years experience. He is married with three children and has recently been struck with “empty nest syndrome.” He enjoys purchasing luxury items and has a high amount of discretionary income. He has new-found free time that he wants to spend with like-minded individuals at the same stage in their life. INCOME: $165,000 WATCHES: 60 Minutes, CNN READS: Art Magazine, News Editorials, Business Weekly DRINKS: Old-Fashioned
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attracts older members simultaneously, the University Club of Orlando will thrive. MRI+ data indicates that the secondary audience is white women and men ages 55 and up who have completed a post graduate level of education, hold professional and related occupations, and earn an income between $75,000 and $149,999 (MRI+, 2013). Forty-nine point nine percent of country club members within the past year have been womenalmost half. This is certainly not the statistic that lines up with the University Club of Orlando’s demographics. Hence, the proposed campaign will target women just as equally as men. Currently the University Club of Orlando’s membership is ten percent women. Advertising the University Club of Orlando to women would be beneficial in expanding their membership, as well as adding a sense of diversity to the club that will in turn, help to reverse its reputation. The more diversity the club has, the more it will attract different kinds of people, with fresh ideas, and new networking opportunities for everyone involved. The marketing plan is aimed at targeting both men and women within two groups, decided upon according to the primary research. The first group will target both the men from the primary audience and the women from the secondary audience simultaneously within members that already exist. Although, there are currently very few women in the club, it is important to keep them as members, as they will help new female members feel comfortable in knowing that the organization they are joining caters to women like them. The second group targeted will be non-members who
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currently may have friends/acquaintances in the University Club of Orlando, or may have friends involved in other city/ country clubs. Over half of the survey results indicated that the respondent knew at least one person involved in a city/country club. The University Club of Orlando expressed interest in gaining members that were younger in age. This target includes any university alumni that are deemed acceptable membership candidates by invitation through a current member or through a member serving on the membership committee. Professionals that live or work within close proximity of downtown Orlando would be included as well. According to the survey results, these individuals are generally 21-35 years of age (more heavily in their 30’s), have graduated some level of college, and view city clubs as “professional” and affordable”. Most of these young professionals use social media like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn the most, and get their news from online newspapers. They are either married or single and do not have any children. They are involved in their communities and are most interested in charities and scholarships, as well as luxury food and service options. By targeting this group of potential members, the University Club of Orlando gains insightful knowledge as to the qualities of their club that people, particularly outsiders with a possible interest in them, would be attracted to. In turn, this would expand their membership, increase their profit, benefit their reputation, and flourish their organization as one that people would feel privileged to join.
PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE
SECONDARY TARGET AUDIENCE
DEMOGRAPHICS
DEMOGRAPHICS
• • • • • •
Males and females Ages 55+ Income of $100,000+ Married/re-married Most have young adult children Business/management/ financial occupations • College graduates • Have lived in the present address 5+ years • Live/work near downtown Orlando
• • • • • •
Males and females Generally in their 30’s Income of $100,000+ Single or recently married No children Business/professional occupations • College graduates • Live/work near downtown Orlando
PSYCHOGRAPHICS
PSYCHOGRAPHICS
• Current UCO members • Have been passionate members for an average of 2-4 years • Value lasting friendships over fleeting business contacts • Value exclusivity and prestige • Enjoy athletic facilities offered • Take pride in UCO charities • Want to see an increase in UCO members • Use Facebook and LinkedIn • Affinity towards steakhouses • Visit club primarily at 7 pm for 2-3 hour long visits
• Potential UCO members • Young professionals • No longer prioritize going out in a club/lounge scene often • Looking for professional/ networking opportunities • Know people in country/city clubs • Value relationships with likeminded individuals in the same life stage • Use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter • Prefer going out during evening from 7pm-12am
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10.
MARKETING OBJECTIVE
MARKETING Stimulate membership growth to achieve a membership roster of 425-450 members OBJECTIVE from their current 267, increasing their membership by 29 percent to 38 percent by January 2017.
MARKETING PRODUCT MIX The UCO functions as a social
organization working toward philanthropic efforts specializing in scholarships. Rebranding absolves their negative image, encourages initial trial, and entices members to stay. Sage agency proposed branding concept communicates a consistent image that projects friendship and prestige with every interaction through the UCO’s new crest logo branded on all collateral. Since retention is a primary goal, direct marketing to members to change their current perceptions of membership value is crucial to transform them into the devoted brand ambassadors necessary for recruiting more members. Membership will create a luxury experience for members in and out of the UCO- making it a larger part of their identity. Retention will improve when associations become more engrained, and so will recruitment. The UCO stands out among its competition, as its focus is not on business, but rather on creating lasting friendships fostered by their amicable environment.
PRICE
Sage agency recommends a bundled pricing strategy to meet the UCO’s primary goal in member retention, because the club has experienced a loss in membership with past moves. A threeyear membership package price is ideal, rather than asking members to renew three times during the downtime period, where members are three times more likely to abandon their membership. A bundled membership incentivizes
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members to stay, since it will be less expensive to sign up for all three years. This will guarantee member retention until the grand opening, where they will focus on their other goal of gaining members. Although membership is bundled within the three total years of the campaign, Sage agency suggests that membership pricing for the two years without a facility, be reduced to at least half of the current total dues. In turn, reducing the current monthly dues for the different levels of membership (Regular Member, Regular Financed Member, Pro Tem Tier Member, Associate Executive Member, and Non-Resident Member) by 50 percent will compensate for the downtime period inconveniences, such as lack of facilities.
PLACE
The University Club of Orlando has been in the same location at 150 E. Central Blvd since 1962. The UCO is about to celebrate their last year and 55th anniversary in their two-story 2400 square foot facility, located under 500 feet from Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. As of September 2014 the UCO signed a non-binding letter of intent and is currently engaged in contract negotiations. During the two-year construction period Sage agency recommends members meet every week on Tuesday. Meetings at favorite member restaurants based on primary research, for the first three Tuesdays and the last Tuesday of the month at the Embassy Suites for a themed party. An event calendar, as a part of the Thank You Package, will excite members about the upcoming events and promote
attendance. Sage agency recommends that the UCO’s on-staff personal trainer organize classes at Lake Eola preventing members from resorting to working out at a competing gym.
PROMOTION
Direct marketing satisfies both retention and recruitment goals by increasing value to members and encouraging word of mouth. Simultaneously, direct marketing ensures that the UCO maintains an elite membership by targeting members’ friends, since 90 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations (Qualman, 2014). Since social media influences 93 percent of buying decisions, Sage agency recommends using Facebook, Twitter and Google Adwords to encourage word of mouth through convenient “likes” and “shares” as a personal endorsement. Sage agency also suggests that the UCO cross promotes with businesses that have a similar clientele. The UCO would choose restaurants and businesses it “approves” of and offer the establishments the UCO window decal, or “Seal of Approval.” This would create a decal that businesses wear with pride, much like a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Sage agency recommends that all members that stay during the downtime period, receive a Thank You package filled with high-end branded collateral to reinforce the new brand image. All members that do not renew would receive a letter including a list of all of the members that have signed up, reading “____ will miss you”, including an extended offer to sign up for a membership without a penalty. The recommended letter is an opportunity to use any quotes or personal information that the UCO has about the member receiving it. “Are you sure you want to lose your spot?” “You’re a part of our family”, etc. are all statements that
would be appropriate to send within the letter. Pictures (if there are any on file) of them with other members, and at member events would also add a personal touch to the letter. For example, if John has not signed up, the letter would include an image of him from his induction ceremony and another picture of him at the bar, along with a quote he hypothetically said such as “I love it when I walk in the bar and have my drink made.” This would remind John what he loved about UCO in the first place, working from a place of nostalgia. Since a large part of UCO revenue comes from weddings, if a couple has already expressed an interest in the UCO facility by choosing the UCO venue, a sales promotion gifting one year free membership would give a couple that is just starting out (and does not yet see the potential in a membership) would have the ability to see the value the club offers. After a year, the couple will likely have already established roots at the UCO, grown accustomed to the level of luxury that the UCO offers, and choose to stay. Allowing young couples to dip their feet during their first year gives the UCO a competitive advantage over other wedding venues, encourages initial trial, and increases the likelihood that they will be active members since they have established a memory within the UCO. It creates the social, familial atmosphere that the UCO strives for. Primary research indicated that the UCO weddings were some of the UCO members’ favorite memories. Targeting young couples that are interested in the UCO wedding venue would potentially increase membership, particularly since they are already engaging with the UCO’s facilities. This strategy would not apply during the UCO downtime period because of the lack of venue. It would commence after the grand opening, with a newly established
venue.
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EVENTS From their visit to the UCO, Sage agency determined that the UCO is the type of environment that needs to be experienced firsthand. It is imperative to attract non-members to a UCO-hosted event so that outsiders recognize the value behind the UCO’s services. A grand opening event open to the public over a common interest such as art, would bring the community into their newly renovated environment, raise awareness among, and encourage initial trial. This provides the opportunity to reach members of the community who would not normally seek a ‘members only club’ but socialized over their common interests and saw value in such a service. Personal invitations to the grand opening would be sent to non-members living in the highest income areas within 15 miles of the UCO. Personal invitations make the opening feel elite yet personable, both being vital components of the UCO’s brand identity. The invitation provides tangible collateral of their new identity to non-members.
MOVING FORWARD The UCO will continue their PR efforts focusing on philanthropy, along with their social media efforts, which will reinforce their new brand identity. Image building to members via branded tangible collateral is a primary means of retention and will create more value for consumers while creating member endorsed word of mouth, in addition to magazine, newspaper, and online advertising. Continuing Public Relations efforts and promotion through print media such as Orlando Magazine, Orlando Sentinel, and the Business journal will increase community awareness about the UCO.
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INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS IN THIS SECTION
Let’s explore the positioning and strategies. Learn how to aptly place yourself in consumers’ minds. 4
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09.
INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
“Snobbish”
“Old”
“Friendships”
“Prestige”
“Irrelevant”
“Entertainment”
These adjectives are what members and non-members alike associate with the University Club of Orlando in 2014 based on the primary research. The challenge is two-fold; the need to combat the negative perception the public has about the UCO and its past exclusionary practices and the need to retain current UCO membership during the two-year construction into the new facility.
ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES
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01.
Sage agency will create a strategy to rebrand the UCO showcasing the following intangible benefits:
1. A diverse social environment where the priority is relaxation, not business. 2. The ideal place for an Orlando professional to create more powerful, long lasting friendships rather than fleeting business contacts. The campaign will rely heavily on social media and PR along with limited advertising to keep the integrity and prestige of the University Club of Orlando alive.
Increase community awareness among potential University Club of
Orlando members within the downtown area of Orlando—specifically as it relates to all the various charitable endeavors that the Club is involved in, by January 2017.
02.
Transform all current members into brand ambassadors -
03.
Communicate to current and potential members the intangible benefit of creating lasting, powerful friendships rather than fleeting
increasing their level of involvement, their desire to participate in clubhosted events, and establishing long lasting relationships.
business contacts in an amicable atmosphere.
IMAGE BUILDING Image building will be tackled during the downtime period in order to stay as relevant as possible to the downtown Orlando audience. Image building advertising will focus on the new aesthetic of the rebranding as well as promoting the overall image of camaraderie and a home-like environment. These ads will be featured in magazines and newspapers along with social media. The website will also support image-building graphics during the two year downtime period.
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STRATEGY
Utilize print advertising and social media with new branded colors.
TACTICS
Ads will be placed in Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Magazine, Orlando Business Journal and Orlando Magazine. Ads will also be placed on Facebook, Twitter, and Sage agency suggests utilizing Google AdWords for improvement in SEO. For ad examples, refer to the creative offerings section.
SALES PROMOTION
BOTTOM LINE
Both current and potential members should feel like they are getting the best bang for their buck when thinking about their city club membership. Sage agency suggests that a total rebrand of the UCO will help reposition the UCO better in the downtown Orlando consumer’s mind. The UCO will be positioned as a diverse premier private club that focuses on creating more powerful, long lasting friendships rather than fleeting business contacts between high-income professionals working in the heart of downtown Orlando.
OBJECTIVE
Retain & Gain: The UCO’s sales promotion strategy will revolve around maintaining the
2
membership of current due paying members while furthermore gaining non-member interest and membership.
STRATEGY
A welcome package for new members, a perks program, bundled price deal for current members and a wedding package to maintain and create new wedding sales. Once a new member joins the club, a welcome package should be presented to them during an induction ceremony that features the UCO collateral. The package will include a unique member pin. New members will be proud to wear the pin that showcases their UCO affiliation after having been presented with the pin during their induction ceremony. Giving members a branded and formal introduction to the club they just joined will encourage them to engage with the UCO when their morale is the highest, right upon joining the club. Current members will receive a pin as well. During the downtime period, Sage agency suggests giving current members the choice to partake in a bundled price deal for their dues during this time. This bundled price will be more inexpensive than the dues they WELCOME PACKAGE, EXTERIOR currently pay annually and would guarantee their membership for the next three years. Members who select this package early will receive high-end brand collateral in return. Since retaining members is crucial during this period, lowering membership pricing during the two-year downtime period is essential when considering the lack of facilities available to current members. During this time, Sage agency’s effective image building via ads will showcase the intangible membership value to current members. In addition, Sage agency suggests introducing a ‘UCO perk program’ to current members that grants them discounts at restaurants that choose to partner with the UCO. The UCO should host weekly meetings (during the downtime period where there is no facility available) at these restaurants as well as a hotel.
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TACTICS
WELCOME PACKAGE
The UCO will introduce a welcome package and induction ceremony for new members. This welcome package will have a breakdown of programs and events in the form of an event calendar, an embroidered polo, a parking decal, embroidered pen, the UCO perk program pin, and other UCO branded collateral. New members receive the welcome package at their induction ceremony while current members receive a package with the same collateral during the downtime period to thank them for staying with the UCO and unveiling the plans for the next two years without their familiar facility.
PERKS PROGRAM
The UCO is a well-established local organization of Orlando and therefore has the opportunity to form valuable partnerships with fellow local businesses. Sage agency suggests initiating a crosspromotional effort with local Orlando restaurants to launch a UCO perks program that will feature discounts at local restaurants, shops, and events exclusively for the UCO members. These partnerships can be made with restaurants in the downtown area that members already have an affinity towards such as Christner’s, Luma, Finnhenry’s, and other
BOTTOM LINE
local businesses. As part of the program, members can only use these perks. Members will have their exclusive member pins with the UCO crest and businesses will have window stickers with same crest to showcase to the downtown Orlando community the relationship between the UCO and that business. This perks program would be beneficial because current members would have a reason to boast about their UCO membership to friends and family.
WEDDING PACKAGE
The wedding venue available at the UCO needs to be leveraged, as it is a great revenue source for the club. Sage agency recommends that the UCO to create a wedding package in order to appeal to brides-to-be. This package would cover information such as pricing, perks offered and all the services available on-site. This pre-packaged wedding offer could make potential customers feel at ease, as they know that they have answers for everything. Differently priced packages could be available to make it easier for the bride and groom to decide in one quick transaction what offers they can afford. Finally, the wedding package can be tailored to any wedding and presented to any bride and groom, showing them how unique and valuable having their wedding at the UCO can be.
Through this variety of sales promotion initiatives, Sage agency can spark excitement about the new UCO rebranding. Establishing a perk program for UCO members, will give them a reason to maintain their membership during the downtime period - they can be involved in club activities while paying a lower cost for a full three-year period, including the first year in the new facility. In addition, distinguished members that are more active with high-end brand collateral will be another motivating factor to purchase the threeyear bundled price deal - a tangible reward that is more meaningful than just a discount. Adjusting membership pricing is only fair considering the lack of facilities during the redevelopment phase. Welcome packages are being initiated because it will reinforce the notion of exclusivity and luxury that the re-brand is pushing at the peak of membership enthusiasm. Finally, wedding packages will solidify the wedding offering that the UCO is capable of and showcase their capabilities directly from the beginning of the wedding plan process.
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PUBLIC RELATIONS OBJECTIVE
PRACTICING GOOD PR: To build a positive image for the University Club of Orlando among
both members and non-members. Public Relations efforts need to be specifically focused on the UCO’s most favored annual events, as these memorable events are most likely to appeal the interest in non-members who attend. PR efforts will also focus on partnerships with local restaurants in order to align the UCO with other well-known brands to appeal to members. Please refer to page 103 for an example of the press release.
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STRATEGY
During the annual events all restaurant partnerships will be mentioned. Sage agency recommends that social media campaigns be involved during these times to create a buzz. After each event, PR releases will need to be sent to the newspapers mentioned in the marketing plan in order to get the word out both before and after the event. Press releases in this day in age are focused on quality images and media elements. Thus, it is essential for the UCO to include quality images and videos in their press releases to increase the chances of getting picked up by a journalist. Facebook press releases should be 100 characters or less with a strong image and a link back to the UCO’s most important news story for that day. PR releases will also be sent out regarding UCO’s scholarship winners and scholarship banquet. Covering this event will position them in a positive way within the community and help abandon their past exclusionary practices. Lastly, PR efforts include launching an internship program once the downtime period is finished. The internship program, coupled with the scholarship program offers students real-world experience and networking opportunities within a true business environment during year three years of the campaign.
TACTICS
RESTAURANT PARTNERSHIPS
Partnerships should be initiated with restaurants that members have an affinity for, as well as relevant charities that the UCO supports. Restaurants should include Christners, Luma’s, FinnHenry’s, The Grand Bohemian, and others, indicated in the primary research. Partnerships go beyond the suggested perk program, but would also include themed events, philanthropic events and any professional CHRISTNER’S PRIME STEAK AND speakers series. The LOBSTER value of having these
partnerships is that during the two-year downtime period the UCO will be carving out a space for themselves outside of their personal facility and will stay relevant within the community. Having these partnerships incentivizes UCO THE GRAND BOHEMIAN HOTEL members to meet up at these locations with their pins and while the restaurants display the crest at their entrance to show their UCO affiliation. This subtle branding will slowly help create a more recognizable name for the UCO within
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LUMA ON PARK
the community even though a physical location is not available for two years. Having themed events, philanthropic events and professional speakers series gives members activities to participate in while the facilities are under construction. These events can be hosted at partnered restaurants and will create clientele for the restaurant as well as give the local residents more exposure to the UCO.
EVENTS
Events are a significant focus for the UCO because it gives members an opportunity to unify over a common FINNHENRY’S DOWNTOWN ORLANDO interest. Events should be tied to a BAR AND LIBATIONS philanthropic cause whenever possible. During the downtime period, it is suggested the UCO welcome a charity to table at each event. This would allow the club members to always interact with and donate to a new cause. The familiar UCO events such as Cocktails For Cause and Art For Education for example, can still be hosted during the downtime period at restaurants or at a hotel. Once the renovated club is open, they can continue to host new charity events.
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PUBLIC GRAND RE-OPENING EVENT
During the downtime period, the UCO should make announcements regarding the construction timeline. When the grand re-opening is in sight, the UCO should program a large-scale event that is open to the public. This grand reopening would be released to the public and advertised through direct mail, social and online marketing. This event could be partnered with a wellknown restaurant or charity. Public relations efforts should target personal invites to high profile members and Orlando professionals. This grand reopening event could unveil the rebrand of the University Club of Orlando while simultaneously showing off member perks and creating buzz around the reestablishment of the UCO. Making this event public would allow for possible recruitment on-site, as both members and non-members would be in attendance.
iNTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Sage agency recommends PR efforts for the UCO consist of weekly event roundups that focus on PR releases sent to local newspapers, especially during philanthropic events. Public relations efforts should focus on sharing news on upcoming professional speakers and/or philanthropic events and scholarships. After each scholarship presentation, the scholarship banquet should receive more press coverage in order to push the philanthropic cause to the community. PR efforts could potentially focus on these annual events.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Once the UCO has been renovated and up and running, Sage agency recommends a launch of an internship program that can work together with the scholarship program. Scholarship winners will be invited to participate in this prestigious internship or vice versa.
BOTTOM LINE
Restaurant partnerships are essential to the University Club of Orlando because they rely on aligning itself with the community in order to gain membership as it becomes more lucrative. Another way to maintain membership value is by continuing to host the annual events (Christmas party, Bourbon & Blues party, Fight Night, etc.) current members know and love at these local businesses. Traditional PR efforts should focus on spreading the positive message of UCO’s strong philanthropic history. The UCO is in the downtown Orlando area of Orlando and their donations to various charities and philanthropic efforts should be highlighted. This undoubtedly makes the UCO unique in comparison to other country or city clubs in the area. In addition, PR efforts will focus strongly on the image building the club needs during the major events hosted by the UCO. Non-members would be exposed to the true values of the UCO and see for themselves that the negative image associated with the UCO and its past exclusionary practices are no longer valid. The internship program would give local students (from UCF or nearby community colleges) an opportunity to gain real-world experience at the UCO by helping with social media, graphic design, event planning, finance and PR efforts. This program would only be implemented once the updated UCO facility is open. Lastly, making the reopening a huge public event would allow for possible recruitment onsite, as both members and non-members would be in attendance.
DIRECT MAIL MARKETING OBJECTIVE
RETAIN & GAIN: To reach non-members with news about the grand opening. Also, to
establish an active presence within the downtown Orlando area nears the homes of the target audience. Direct marketing is just another way the UCO can retain current members while gaining new members.
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STRATEGY
Mailing high quality branded postcards and letters with the new the UCO seal through direct mail to non-members, targeting $100,000+ household income neighborhoods and young professional apartment communities that fit the target audience.
TACTICS
Utilizing direct mail postcards and letters for the UCO’s annual events around the time of the grand opening, would present an opportunity to reach audiences otherwise untapped. These direct mail recruitment efforts should be personalized and feature a quick message about the philanthropic/ education efforts of the UCO as well as the perks (reciprocal clubs and perk program) and events that come with membership. Targeted direct mail efforts appeal to the interest of the primary and secondary audience. The UCO should invite nonmembers eligible for membership to the UCO’s events to interact current members in order to find a potential sponsor. Refer to the creative offerings section for this execution.
BOTTOM LINE
Consumers often keep direct mail they are interested in, making it easier to remain relevant to the UCO’s target audience. The UCO’s brand image should be reinforced repeatedly via direct mail due to the prestige and personalized tone of the campaign. Non-members who receive direct mail, will be more likely to retain the information they receive from the UCO and are likely to share its content via word-of-mouth.
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CREATIVE IN THIS SECTION
Now, let’s take all that information and make it visually appealing.4
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11.
CREATIVE BRIEF HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
The following creative briefs are divided between appropriate objectives and tactics to reach the primary and secondary target audiences of the campaign.
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
KEY FACT
KEY FACT
PROBLEM STATEMENT
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Membership is continuously decreasing and downtime period could be fatal to membership numbers.
Because of its exclusivity, the UCO lacks recognition among non-members without any member relations.
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES
1. To re-energize the pride in current members 2. To transform all current members into brand ambassadors
1. To create brand recognition and educate potential members about the unique UCO environment without a call to action
PROSPECT DEFINITION
PROSPECT DEFINITION
Active members carry great pride in the clubs tradition and in being members of the University Club of Orlando. They consider the UCO a “home away from home.”
Current member of the University Club of Orlando: white males ages 55 and up who hold successful business occupations
The University Club of Orlando has a social capital with a welcoming atmosphere, unavailable anywhere else in the immediate downtown Orlando area.
• • •
PRINCIPAL COMPETITION • • •
Direct Competition: Citrus Club, Isleworth, Sweetwater Golf and Country Club Indirect Competition: The Central Business District, The Gym Downtown, Sorosis, and Tuscawilla Country Club Any everyday activity or organization that takes time away from socializing and relaxing
KEY CONSUMER BENEFITS & REASON WHY
Current members will continue to grow life-long relationships and memories made at the University Club of Orlando via a welcoming environment where all members feel unified in their passion for the UCO.
CLIENT MANDATORIES: • • • •
Collateral must include new logo displaying the branded crest Campaign must remain within the $100,000 budget for the three- year time period Ads will be displayed in local print and online newspapers and magazines Social media presence
PRINCIPAL COMPETITION • • •
Direct Competition: Citrus Club, Isleworth, Sweetwater Golf and Country Club Indirect Competition: The Central Business District, The Gym Downtown, Sorosis, and Tuscawilla Country Club Any club, organization, or amenities that offer services similar to the UCO
KEY CONSUMER BENEFITS & REASON WHY
Current members will continue to grow life-long relationships and memories made at the University Club of Orlando via a welcoming environment where all members feel unified in their passion for the UCO.
CLIENT MANDATORIES: • • • •
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Non-members primarily in their mid-30’s Beyond years where socializing in a club/bar setting was valued Desirous of creating professional connections and growing both intellectually and professionally.
Collateral must include new logo displaying the branded crest Campaign must remain within the $100,000 budget for the three- year time period Ads will be displayed in local print and online newspapers and magazines Social media presence
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CREATIVE OFFERINGS HERE’S YOUR OVERVIEW
The University Club of Orlando’s current logo depicts the skyline of Orlando with gradient shading. Although picturesque, the amount of detail in the logo makes it difficult to resize and still remain recognizable. This also holds true for the text in the logo. “The University Club” is a strong font size but the most important aspect, “Of Orlando” has been reduced to be nearly illegible, even at a standard logo size. Further, “The University Club” is a brand that contains non-specific terms that make it difficult to have good search engine optimization (SEO), which is detrimental to any company. When
someone searches for “The University Club” on any Internet search engine, results vary from nightclubs, apartment complexes and depending on the user’s location other private university clubs near their detected area. Although the target audience is mainly located in the Orlando area, even Orlando residents, searching “University Club” are led to competitors’ websites, like Sweetwater Golf and Country Club. The UCO’s name needs to be clear and apparent to make sure search engines are delivering the most appropriate target results to nonmembers looking for more information.
PROPOSED BRANDING New Logo Concept
To combat these potential dangers, Sage agency proposes a more minimalistic logo that better reflects UCO’s core ideologies: the importance of its extensive history, developing long-lasting and powerful relationships, and its dedication and service to education. The first step in this rebranding process allows both members and nonmembers to connect to the people of the UCO. The skyline in the current logo emphasizes location rather than an accurate depiction of the club values. The new concept introduces a clean crest-shaped logo separated into three sectors that house symbolic icons that represent the UCO’s aforementioned underlying values. “The University Club of Orlando” is presented in a strong serif font for
added legibility and at a consistent font size to ensure no one word overshadows another. The monochrome concept allows the UCO’s logo to be uniform and therefore, easily transferable or editable depending on differing printed mediums or events. Single-color logos are also the most costeffective. The primary colors for the rebrand are black, gold and white, which exhumes the traditional and elite atmosphere of the UCO. The UCO’s greatest asset lies within its membsership. Within the personal rebranding there are several proposed merchandises that will allow current members to act as brand ambassadors. As “brand ambassadors,” members are able to own everyday products with the UCO logo and speak on behalf of the company to intrigue non-members.
The University Club The University Club Of Orlando Of Orlando
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COLLATERAL OFFERINGS WEBSITE
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Website The website landing page is the greatest proposed change. Instead of placing an additional Member’s section tab, as it is now on the current website, the first page of the website is a login screen. Upon arrival, users are immediately directed to a page featuring the new crest symbol. The symbol then fades away after lingering for several seconds. In it’s plac, a login screen appears. Users are now forced to either login with a member ID or be directed to the general section of the website. By doing so, nonmembers who aren’t able to immediately access all of the website content will be led to wonder what they are missing and reinforcing the exclusivity. The general website features the new color scheme of black/white/gold. The background is an off-
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black with the gold logo emblazed at the top along with the main tabs. Below, a large photo slideshow cycles through two to three pictures of members interacting and lounging throughout the facilities, philanthropy and recent news.
STRATEGY: To organize UCO’s content to illustrate
the importance of its members first and emphasize exclusivity while still providing general information to non-members.
TACTIC: The landing page directs users to a login
page that prompts for a member username and password to access members-only content. It also allows non-members to click away from the member portal to access the general site.
BRAND AMBASSADORS
Applies to (1) Polo Shirts, (2) Crest, (3) Pens, (4) Sticker Decal
STRATEGY: Utilize members as UCO’s
personal brand ambassadors to convey the lifestyle and liberties of the brand. Members function as personal testaments and physical embodiments of the corporate identity in appearance, demeanor, values and ethics.
TACTIC: UCO provides updated
merchandise, available in the on-site store, which displays the new crest to be a constant advertisement for the UCO within typical everyday items that would create high visibility to non-members.
Polo Shirts
The polo shirt has the new logo gold embroidered on the left breast pocket. Polo’s are shirts that can be worn in both casual and professional business settings. The versatility of the shirt increases its visibility. “The University Club of Orlando” is omitted to inspire exclusivity and inquiries from non-members who want to know more about the vague emblem. The polo’s should be available for purchase for UCO members in their on-site store with a marked up price to bring in additional profit.
Pens
Ballpoint pens with a sleek casing and refined lettering and trim emphasize the luxury of being a UCO member. The pens would likely be stored at members’ offices. The collected data from Sage agency’s primary research revealed that many of the members are employed in a professional setting where they are frequently interacting with their clients. The pen is an everyday tool that also becomes a useful advertising vehicle when members let clients borrow the pen throughout the day.
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Crest Pin
The University Club Of Orlando
The crest is a wearable gold-plated version of the UCO’s revamped logo. Crests are traditionally used for members-only societies and are indications of an elite status, making it the ideal addition to the UCO’s collective branding. The pin is an easy way to identify UCO members and to engage with non-members who want to understand its meaning. Again, current members become the UCO’s personal brand ambassadors to the public and educate them about UCO’s history and mission.
Sticker Decal The sticker decals are another source of displaying the UCO’s new personal branding and come with variety of purposes. The easiest use is an illustrative car decal. Every current and new member would be issued the decal. That makes it easier to quickly identify and ensure that vehicles parked in the designed UCO parking sections are actually members. Simultaneously, the sticker is also working as a constant transportable advertisement as the car travels and commutes everyday with the member. Additionally, Sage agency proposes that the UCO partners with local upscale restaurants. The merge would give members a discount at certain restaurants in the downtown area on their purchases, making them more inclined to frequent the establishment. The sticker is then used as a glass display to let members know that they will receive a discount if they dine at the location. Again, it effectively doubles as a constant advertisement to non-members who will compromise a majority of the street traffic in the downtown area.
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Invitations The invitation for the UCO’s grand opening and open house are direct mailers sent to high-income neighbors. The invitation includes a personal letter from the UCO’s current President giving some background information about the organization and the excitement to introduce the new facilities and all of the contact information at the bottom for more information. This contradicts the rest of the UCO’s marketing materials. However, since this direct mailer is specifically sent to the UCO’s secondary target audience it is essential to provide the most information possible in order to appeal to this demographic. The invitation is inside a sleek black envelope with the UCO crest on the back fold. It is important that this display accurately reflects the elite and exclusive nature of the UCO because it is most likely going to be the first point of contact and crucial to develop a grand first impression.
STRATEGY: Generate awareness and
interest from non-members about the UCO in select upper class neighborhoods throughout Orlando.
TACTIC: Elegant invitations used as
direct mailers, issued out to defined high-income zip codes to invite those homeowners to come to the themed Open House event that will reveal the new facilities and give them a chance to mingle with current members.
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Pamphlet The pamphlet is a bi-fold brochure that is organized to provide the general information about the UCO, including its history, mission and services. It works as a compressed and generic information packet for interested persons who need a quick overview of the UCO. The pamphlets are placed in the concierge in the lobby of the building so that it’s readily available to walk-in non-members. A downloadable PDF version is available on the website, as well, to provide the same information to remote non-members or members of reciprocal clubs that are looking for printable version.
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STRATEGY: To combine and condense the
most important UCO information in order to educate the interested public about history and offerings, including what the brand represents, amenities and services offered within memberships.
TACTIC:
A bi-fold pamphlet organized in a format that is simple for readers to digest, dividing different UCO offerings within subheads, giving readers of the pamphlet an overview of the main aspects about the UCO.
Branded Calendar
During the downtime period, a calendar is a simple way to have a consistent reminder in the daily lives of members. It is important to remind people that the UCO is addressing their concerns on a regular basis. A personal UCO calendar would advertise members about regular meetings and times as well as the larger monthly themed events. It is a gesture of good faith that reassures members that chose to stay active during the downtime period that their money is going towards something beneficial to them.
STRATEGY: To have a tangible product that serves as a reminder to members about important dates, upcoming meetings, and most importantly, serving as a countdown to when the grand opening of the UCO’s new facility will be.
TACTIC:
Branded calendars will be printed in the form of a desk calendar intended to be displayed within members’ workspaces. Monthly events will be paired with a specified theme that aligns with the theme of the upcoming event for that month. The calendar will specify the meeting places and their corresponding dates. The calendar will serve as a means for members to maintain excitement and morale during the downtime period, until the UCO’s grand opening.
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Mini Liquor Bottles The UCO’s bar and lounge area is a central location for members to convene and casually talk with each other throughout the day. In addition, included in the membership is a daily drink allowance for members. The entire wait staff is very knowledgeable of individual members’ personal drink orders. With that in mind, new member applications would include a question asking a person to check off a certain alcohol brand that they prefer along with the standard demographics questions. Upon acceptance of a potential candidate’s application, they would be presented with a sample-sized mini bottle of the noted brand from their application, tagged with a welcoming noted inscribed.
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STRATEGY: To give current and new
members an inexpensive and simple personalized gift that exemplifies the intimate one-on-one experience that the UCO offers its members.
TACTIC: Purchasing the mini liquor bottles according to what each member specified on their application. Tags will be printed in bulk, personalized with hand-written names and a welcome message.
Sample Press Release For Event FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 2015 Contact: Justin Wright Phone: (407) 425-2514 Email: gm@ucluborlando.com Web: http://ucluborlando.com University Club of Orlando To Host Golf Tournament All proceeds go to scholarships for deserving Central Florida students ORLANDO, Fla. --- The University Club of Orlando will host a golf tournament at Rio Pinar Country Club, Saturday, January 24 to benefit University Club Foundation scholarships for deserving Central Florida students. We plan on raising $2,000 for the Foundation Scholarship fund. This event occurs one week after our Annual Scholarship Recipient Dinner, January 17 where we donated $50,000 to our local Central Florida Colleges & Universities. “Raising money for these local scholarships is one of the principal missions of the University Club members” Justin Wright, general manager of the University Club of Orlando said. Write said totaling some $50,000 were recently awarded to deserving students at the University of Central Florida, Rollins College, Valencia State College, Seminole State College, and Florida A&M School of Law. Wright says the golf play is open to University Club members and their guests. The four person scramble tourney will tee off at 1 p.m. Location: Rio Pinar Country Club is located at 8600 El Prado Ave. Orlando Fl 32825. Entry fee for the tourney is $100. The University Club of Orlando was established in 1926 by a group of university graduates and community leaders who wanted to recreate the fraternal experience they enjoyed in college. Knowing the benefits of a good education and wanting to give back to the community, the members of the Club formed a Foundation to provide tuition assistance to local students. The Foundation currently funds scholarships for five local colleges and universities, including the University of Central Florida, Rollins College, Valencia College, Seminole State College and Florida A&M University College of Law. To date, the University Club Foundation has donated over $1.6 million in scholarships to these institutions. In its 88 year history the Club has developed into a Downtown Orlando fixture. It is now the city’s premier private club. Its membership is made up of a wide range of Central Florida business owners, doctors, attorneys, developers, bankers and civic leaders, all of whom are dedicated to supporting education to learn more please visit, http://ucluborlando.com or call us at (407) 425-2514.]
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Press Release
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“LEAVE IT” CAMPAIGN The “Leave It” campaign is minimalistic to parallel the new logo. Again, it personifies the UCO’s commitment to create a friendly and engaging atmosphere that truly knows and caters to members as individuals. It also notes the unspoken rule that it is discouraged to openly utilize the UCO’s facilities as a ground for dealing with business, such as exchanging business cards at the UCO. The UCO positions itself differently than most other private clubs by ignoring the growing trend of integrating business relations into their company. This campaign reflects this by capitalizing on the idea that they are a location intended for relaxation and actually getting away from business.
Unlike traditional advertising, these ads have no call to action. All of the advertising spots lack the usual long list of contact information or copy that invites the general public to come to their facilities to gather more information. Although the UCO is inclusive, it is important to remember that they are still exclusive. Providing a call to action diminishes the appeal of the exact exclusivity they are trying to maintain. These simple advertisements forgo all of those features in exchange for the crest and the website URL. The online versions of the ads have smaller dimensions but open up the opportunity to use more than one frame to create an animation and not have to cram all of the information into a single frame.
LEAVE THE PHONE
The “Leave the phone. We’ll take care of conversation.” ad showcases one of the rules at UCO, no use of cell phones inside the club. This ad highlights, just like the other ads, the atmosphere at UCO. It is a reminder for members and shows potential members that at UCO the people are interesting enough that an intriguing conversation is always available. It also references the idea of a relaxed atmosphere, far from the chaotic world technology brings.
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LEAVE THE CARD
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ONLINE ANIMATION AD
The “Leave the card. We’ll take care of business” ad focuses on the sharp contrast between the UCO’s easygoing approach to the creation of relationships vs. the competition’s high paced networking environment. It flaunts the concept that at UCO there is no need to exchange business cards because the bonds built at the club lead to business connections. It also suggests that the members are all driven individuals that know how to “take care of business.”
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LEAVE THE ID
The “Leave the ID. We already know your name.� ad highlights the friendly atmosphere found at The University Club of Orlando. The concept suggests that at UCO there is no need for introductions because all members know each other. Along with this concept, this ad plays on the fact that all staff at UCO knows the name of every single member. Furthermore, members are known well enough that they do not need an ID to be served or to enter the club.
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ONLINE/INTERACTIVE MEDIA IN THIS SECTION
Digital efforts suggested for your campaign4
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13.
ONLINE/INTERACTIVE MEDIA OBJECTIVE
Effective Social: The new online marketing efforts for the UCO will target both older and younger professionals through social media channels in order to develop online marketing efforts as consistent, authentic, transparent and visible.
STRATEGY
Sage agency recommends that the UCO utilize Hootsuite to make social media management more effective and simpler. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest as the main social outlets. The overall social strategy on every platform is to showcase the intangible benefits the UCO provides by emphasizing the valuable friendships available while featuring the UCO’s events. Each social network will have to provide a different experience for the target audience in order for them to want to follow each social media page. Since most of the engaging social media content tends to be focused on photos, images will be the core of Sage agency’s social media and online marketing strategy. Social networks should incorporate relevant and appropriate images in almost all posts. The UCO should apply a thorough SEO analysis to ensure high search rankings for their web and social accounts. Content will also focus on tent pole events throughout the
year that would appeal to their primary and secondary audiences. Typical holidays such as Halloween and Fourth of July could spark spooky or patriotic posts while seasonal changes could create broader content themes to stay relevant. These posts can all lead to one overall call-toaction (membership application) along with the rest of the promotional efforts.
MEDIA RATIONALE Sage agency suggests that The University Club of Orlando utilizes social media as a means of both organic and gained exposure through purchase of advertisement on Facebook, Twitter and paid search words on Google. Sage agency recommends changing the overall looks of all social media platforms to match the rebrand earlier suggested. A cohesive and professional image of the new rebrand on all UCO social media profiles will integrate the image building advertising campaign running simultaneously on traditional media.
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The UCO already has a Facebook page that is used to share events open to the public and share simple generic message. Due to the lack of original content and visually pleasing posts, there is little consumer interaction on the profile. Sage agency suggests revamping the way Facebook is used both with new organic content and purchased advertising on the social platform. Facebook will be used to further expose the “Leave It,� campaign. These image-building ads previously mentioned in the advertising section should target specific Facebook demographics and remind or expose them to what the UCO stands for. Facebook should be heavily used for events in
order to increase event promotion and share the events with the public. This entails creating event pages weeks in advance including high quality graphics and captivating event copy. These events should be promoted via paid posts (allocated in the media budget) to the primary and secondary demographics. The current members should be encouraged to change their cover photo for certain events in order to engage their friends with the UCO offerings. Sage agency recommends promoting the UCO Facebook page through paid media via Facebook ads to increase likes. Doing so will give the UCO a chance to promote interesting posts that have quality content.
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FACEBOOK MEDIA Sage agency suggests that Facebook advertising efforts be divided into three parts, each alternating expenditure and type of ads purchased based on the time period. The average CPM for a Facebook ad is $4.76, with a suggested spending of $10 per ad. Although this may seem high in comparison to other mediums, it is important to remember that Facebook ads have the capability to target the exact target audience desired based on location, age, gender, and specific interests. Sage suggests that Facebook ads should be created to target an audience that encompasses both the primary and secondary target audience and has interests that are in line with the new members that are desired. During year one, the Facebook portion of the campaign will create awareness for The University Club of Orlando’s Facebook page. “Page Like” ads will be used to build an audience on Facebook and increase page likes for the profile.
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The introduction of valuable and unique content, will create conversations and increase overall awareness of the club. Sage agency suggest sharing business
news, business tips, promoting member profiles and member accomplishments as well as using the social media platform to inform about events open to the public and wedding venue services. During year two “Page Like” ads will continue, but heavy use of “Page Post Engagement” ads and “Event Responses” will begin. “Page Post Engagement ads” will be utilized to create sponsored posts promoting the ads from the “Leave It Campaign.” “Event Responses” ads will also be purchased during the second year in order to promote important events such as any event open to the public and the
Grand Opening of the new venue. Lastly, in year three, Sage agency recommends using all of the ads mentioned above more frequently, in order to target nonmembers and intrigue friends of current members.
MEDIA RATIONALE
Research results from the survey questionnaire indicate that members and non-members use Facebook more frequently than any other type of social media. Currently, the UCO has a Facebook page where they promote events, however, keeping this page updated and unified with other forms of social media, will maximize brand awareness through an outlet they already utilize.
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A Twitter account will be introduced to communicate with members and nonmembers more quickly. The social media manager can share relevant Orlando news articles, quick event news blasts and tweet to local businesses. Twitter will help the UCO keep up with social trends and connect with people and events both locally and globally. The main reasons why people follow business on Twitter is to look for discounts and promotions, receive free items, and engage in fun and entertaining news, company updates, sales and exclusive content. The UCO’s new Twitter account would provide its users with all of this and more. The same ads on Facebook will be repurposed for Twitter. This is called a promoted tweet. Promoted tweets are like
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regular tweets but have the added bonus of reaching both current and potential targeted followers. Eighty percent of the time, businesses fail to share their content after the initial publication (Buyer, 2013). Since Twitter is a new social media network for the UCO, Sage agency wants to ensure that the UCO utilizes the best practices for their new Twitter account. They should remember to be personable and engage the downtown Orlando community while creating timely, relevant brand-related content. The best time to start scheduling posts is between 1pm to 3pm and the worst times are between 8pm to 9am. The UCO should also take advantage of tweeting on the weekends to gain a more competitive edge. Sage suggest the handle @UClubOrlando
as it matches the address for UCO’s Facebook page and the website. This will also be an easy handle for members to remember and tag in tweets. As for the sponsored tweets campaign we suggest an increase in budget expense as the time for the grand opening comes closer. If organic content is successful, more funds should be spent on advertising via this platform. The content of the sponsored tweets will display the images from the “Leave it” campaign and will also include tweets that have a call to action such as retweeting, in order to achieve maximum exposure.
MEDIA RATIONALE: Twitter is a growing
social media platform that caters both to the primary and secondary target demographic. It specially targets business professionals as it is a valuable to to network and share important articles. Ads on Twitter will lead to more media relations and a 30 percent increase in word of mouth if a person ends up
TIPS FOR TWEETING 1. No more than three hashtags per tweet. 2. Avoid starting a tweet with a hashtag. 3. Too many hyperlinks or hashtags could devalue tweets and could look like spam.
“ORLANDO NETWORKING”
“ORLANDO BUSINESS”
“UNIVERSITY OF ORLANDO”
“BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN ORLANDO”
“BUSINESS ORLANDO”
“ORLANDO CITY CLUB”
GOOGLE ADWORDS
Sage agency suggests spending all three years of the campaign on increasing SEO by purchasing Google Ads that will appear when a user searches key words such as: City Club, Country Club, Orlando Business etc.
MEDIA RATIONALE: The UCO does not
have a valuable SEO currently due to poor public relations and lack of marketing efforts. Purchasing Google Ads is valuable so that when searched, the UCO stands out and brings awareness to those looking for a club.
“CITRUS CLUB ORLANDO”
“ORLANDO COUNTRY CLUB”
“NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS”
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LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 250 million members in over 200 countries and territories. It is also the most economically stable social network as far as income is concerned (LinkedIn, 2014). For this reason, LinkedIn should be used as an extension of the UCO’s brick and mortar location. Sage agency suggests that all club professionals be invited to a LinkedIn group. Groups are a great place for current members and interested nonmembers to have public conversations about industry related topics. This will allow professionals to digitally showcase their exclusive membership. In addition, a key growth driver for young professionals is the job market because of the need for professional networking opportunities. The UCO would be a valuable source for career services, including a central place where members can post job opportunities and continuing education opportunities to help members improve their skills. A primary reason for enticing non-members to join the UCO’s LinkedIn network is for professional networking opportunities that can aid in job placement. From a reputation management viewpoint, this is a good opportunity for UCO.
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BOTTOM LINE Since an objective of the UCO is to retain current members while gaining new membership, it is essential that the UCO have a strong content marketing strategy. Through both print and social media, the UCO will be able to share the right content and engage with their target audience through effective media channels, this will showcase their new personality and culture to the public. Both offline and online content will work hand in hand to display the UCO’s brand as a whole. Content marketing would appeal to primary and secondary audiences, which is the benefit of including it in the promotional strategy. Content marketing would include any promotional efforts, and would focus on high quality content (stories, information, infographics, photography, tutorials, lessons) that anyone within the target audience would read and follow. Once someone in the target primary or secondary audience engages with content, it will probably be “liked”, “pinned”, or “shared” via word of mouth or on their personal social networks. This is advantageous to the UCO because it will increase their brand affinity and contribute to growth in member recruitment.
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MEDIA & BUDGET IN THIS SECTION
Know where to spend your money, but more importantly, know why.4
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14.
MEDIA PLAN MEDIA OBJECTIVE
To reach 15 percent of the primary target audience, white married males age 55+ within the Orlando area, by the third year (the UCO grand opening).
MEDIA STRATEGIES
1 2 3 4
Use newspaper to reach 11.65 percent of Orlando’s Metro white-collar workers. Use magazine to reach 18.9 percent of Orlando’s affluent males averaging 54 years old. Use social media to reach 16 percent of the young urban professionals in the Orlando area. Use direct mail to reach 42.5 percent of homeowners in Metro areas and Windermere, FL with $100,000 HHI.
Difficulties in Reaching Target Audience
There are many difficulties when it comes to reaching the target audience for the University Club of Orlando, primarily because traditional media outlets are not the most appropriate outlets for the campaign based on the allotted budget. Traditional media outlets are excluded because the media budget does not allow for it, and the UCO requested to not use traditional outlets. Lack of traditional media, such as TV and radio, is a challenge as they provide mass reach. Based on MRI+ data, members are light TV users; therefore not advertising on TV is appropriate. Demographic information indicates that the audience is seven percent more inclined than the national average to use radio, as they are in the first heaviest usage quintile (Quintile 1). However, due to budget restraints and primary research, Sage agency thinks other media platforms would be more appropriate. Furthermore, the exclusivity of the UCO was a slight challenge when creating the media plan. Due to the invitation-only membership process, the UCO ads cannot explicitly invite just anyone to join as they must undergo a process to be an official member and have access to all the UCO benefits. Simultaneously, exclusivity and prestige has to be maintained in the ads, therefore a broad call-to-action to the general public is inappropriate for the UCO, as it goes against the image they are trying to present and uphold.
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TACTICS
BRANDED MERCHANDISE
(1 pricing table for all est. 800)
Retention Package (267 units) Rationale: Member “Thank You”
packages for staying with the UCO through the renovation to raise the perceived value of membership, encourage retention and transform all members into brand ambassadors. Since membership is exclusive, the UCO membership application process is key in transforming their members into brand ambassadors in order to accomplish the goals of recruiting new members, and member retention.
Welcome Package (400 units) Rationale: Welcome packages help new
members feel like they are a part of the community, increase the intangible value of membership, and transforms members into brand ambassadors.
Polo Rationale: The UCO currently offers
athletic apparel through their website, which is an opportunity to communicate the benefits of membership to the friends of members. A polo offering is better suited than athletic apparel, since their focus is on a social club rather than a sports club. Polo appeals to members more than a t-shirt because it is more professional and will be worn more frequently and in more places than a t-shirt. This is based on member survey
responses that selected only higher-end stores as their favorite clothing outlet such as Brooks Brothers and Neiman Marcus.
Pen Rationale: It is important that the
package include items that will be used on a day-to-day basis; a pen is practical and an appropriate gift for members. Although members will not be wearing their pens like the polo, pin, and parking decal, the pen will be used during crucial moments like signing a deal, or writing a speech for their daughter’s weddingforming concrete bonds between members and the UCO.
Pin Rationale: The pin provides an
immediate visual marker to help other members recognize a fellow member outside of the UCO, improving sociability, quality of life, and stronger emotional bonds between members and the UCO. The pin makes members feel like they belong to a community, while communicating to non-members the benefits and elite pride that accompany membership. The pin allows members to redeem benefits at restaurants and stores featuring the UCO seal. The pin can be worn with any outfit, every day, since it is a higher-end piece and does not require washing after wearing like the polo.
Sticker Decal Rationale: The parking pass serves as
advertising to raise awareness among the community, and as a personal endorsement from the car and driver. The parking decal improves their current parking system, which is Justin checking the parking lot for unfamiliar cars, allowing Justin to spend his time more efficiently, and focus on the personalization of service. Since the decal will be spotted on the most luxurious cars in town- it will function as an awareness tool to the community. When members of reciprocal clubs notice the crest nice carsit may be conversation starter.
Pamphlet Rationale: The pamphlet is tangible
collateral that can easily be passed around from member to nonmembers that conveys their new brand identity and
services. By having something tangible that could be left out in a member’s house, it gives friends of members the chance to pick it up and have their friend (UCO brand ambassador) tell them about the benefits of the UCO. Word of mouth is heavily encouraged through the gifts provided in the packages. The pamphlets are an opportunity to provide the UCO with a tangible presence; during the time it is an intangible service without a brick and mortar location.
Tactics Guidelines
MAGAZINE
Orlando Business Journal
Sage agency suggests advertising in the Orlando Business Journal because it reaches a much narrower demographic than the main Orlando region newspaper (Orlando Sentinel). Based on the media tables on page #, The Orlando Business Journal has a circulation of 9,070 in the Orlando area, but its demographics break down to 64 percent male and 54 percent female readership. As calculated, the Orlando Business Journal CPM is $240.02. The average household income is 233,000, with 85 percent of the readership being college graduates which is the desired market for the UCO. Sage agency recommends for the UCO to begin running ads in the Orlando Business Journal throughout year two and three because those are the years the UCO needs to be hitting it’s demographic consistently. Given the budget and high cost of advertising rates that run in the Orlando Business Journal, Sage agency does not recommend year one considering it is too costly especially since there are no facilities to point new members to. For the media plan, it is expected that the beginning of year three be the grand opening of the UCO’s new facilities, therefore, Sage agency suggests scheduling Orlando Business Journal ads to pulsate during year two and three around the grand opening event. Sage agency recommends running five quarterpage ads in year two and in year three.
Rationale: Orlando business people that
fall within the UCO’s income bracket and age demographics subscribe to Orlando Business Journal magazine. Since UCO members are generally businessmen and businesswomen, and reported that they received their news primarily through
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magazines and online newspapers, this magazine is a cost-efficient method of reaching the target audience.
Orlando Magazine The Orlando Magazine readership is split relatively evenly between male and female (55 percent female, 45 percent male) with 59 percent between the ages of 45-64. As calculated, the Orlando Magazine CPM is $31.94, which is affordable considering it is more narrowly targeted than the Orlando Sentinel, yet not as expensive as the Orlando Business Journal. In the suggested media plan, media is running in the Orlando Magazine in all three years. Year two is essential for media because it is the year leading up to the opening year (year three) once redevelopment is finalized. Sage agency recommends in year one to run six quarter-page ads on a bi-monthly basis to promote the new brand-image. During year two, Sage agency recommends to run five quarter-page ads leading up to the third year grand-opening event, and in year three run another six quarter-page ads with three concentrated around the grand opening event and three spread out throughout the rest of the year for the purpose of image-building and attracting new members. There are only five ads in year two, in comparison to year one and three, because during year two Sage agency recommends focusing UCO finances on advertising within the Orlando Business Journal (instead of the Orlando Magazine), considering it is the most narrow media for the demographic that the UCO is targeting.
Rationale: This magazine caters directly
to the affluent people of Orlando, directly targeting audiences that have high-income zip codes. Thirty-four have a household income of $200,000, 24 percent have a household income of $150,000 to $199,000, and 26 percent of $100,000 to $149,000. The majority of readers work in law or medicine with 88 percent of readers between the ages of 2564. The UCO will benefit from advertising in this platform because they directly appeal to the target audience.
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NEWSPAPER & ONLINE NEWSPAPER Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel has the highest circulation amongst the selected Orlando media outlets for the Orlando area, with an extremely low CPM of $1.58. This broad audience is what makes Orlando Sentinel an excellent outlet to cast a wide net during the image-building building years, but is not as valuable when UCO is trying to target it’s narrow demographic and use call-to-action ads to increase membership applications. Sage agency suggests advertising in the Orlando Sentinel in all three years, but each year’s strategy varies from the next. In year one, Sage agency suggests running only four print ads that will push the imagebuilding campaign. Although the Orlando Sentinel is not as targeted as other outlets, it will be effective for capturing a wider demographic and getting the UCO rebrand noticed. In year two, efforts focus on narrowing in on the demographic so in year two Orlando Sentinel ads decrease to three print ads (in the calendar section) and two online ads (in the Calendar section). The calendar section will have a heavier focus in year two instead of the year one advertisements in news sections because in year two, Sage agency suggests the UCO advertise the upcoming grand opening event more than just the imagebuilding ads. Furthermore, in year three, Sage agency suggests running three print ads, three online ads in the news section to focus on image-building once again (now that facilities are available), four print calendar ads advertising upcoming UCO events, and two online ads to push the most significant annual events online.
Rationale: Advertising in the Orlando
Sentinel, the primary print and online news source for the Orlando area, raises awareness among the Orlando community. Orlando Sentinel is beneficial because primary research indicates that the UCO members get their news from print and online newspapers the most.
DIRECT MAIL
EDDM (Direct Mail Service Provider)
In year three, during the grand opening of the new UCO facilities, Sage agency recommends running a direct mail campaign using EDDM. EDDM includes all the services necessary to organize and send out a direct mail campaign (design,
printing, postage, mailing list). In year three, Sage agency suggests allocating $4200 to run a 15,000 postcard campaign that can be targeted to high-income homes in Orange County, and through direct mail, the UCO will be able to invite these households to the grand opening event. The direct mail CPM is $280, which might seem high, but in actuality is relatively low the homes of the primary audience are being directly targeted.
Rationale: Non-member invitations
to the UCO’s grand opening/open house introduces/their new image, encouraging initial trial among the local Orlando population that live in the most affluent areas. Direct mail both targets prospective members while making it feel more personable than traditional print advertising. Amicability is important to convey to prospective members because this is part of the UCO’s unique selling point.
ONLINE/INTERACTIVE MEDIA Facebook
During year one, the Facebook portion of the campaign will create awareness for the UCO’s Facebook page. “Page Like” ads will be used to build an audience on Facebook. The introduction of valuable and unique content will create conversations and increase overall awareness about the club. During year two “Page Like” ads will continue, but heavy use of “Page Post Engagement” ads and “Event Responses” ads for important events such as the grand opening of the new venue will begin. Lastly, in year three, Sage agency recommends using all of the ads mentioned above more frequently, in order to target non-members and intrigue friends of current members.
Twitter Heavily investing in “sponsored tweets” to reach the tech savvy primary demographic and a younger secondary demographic. Rationale: Twitter is a growing social media platform that caters both to the primary and secondary target demographic. It specially targets business professionals as it is a valuable too to network and share important articles. Twitter is also often the preferred news source for young professionals, as the character limit creates short headlines and the ability to choose what to read. Twitter’s sponsored tweets allows for target advertising that will reach the exact targeted demographic.
Google Ads Sage agency suggests spending all three years of the campaign on increasing SEO by purchasing Google Ads that will appear when a user searches key words such as: City Club, Country Club, Orlando Business etc.
Rationale: The UCO does not have a
valuable SEO currently due to poor public relations and lack of marketing efforts. Purchasing Google Ads is valuable so that when searched, the UCO stands out and brings awareness to those looking for a club.
Rationale: Research results from the
survey questionnaire indicate that members and non-members use Facebook more frequently than any other type of social media. Currently, the UCO has a Facebook page where they promote events, however, keeping this page updated and unified with other forms of social media, will maximize brand awareness through an outlet they already utilize.
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OVERALL MEDIA YEAR 1 - 10K OUTLET AUDIENCE ORLANDO MAGAZINE PRIMARY ORLANDO SENTINEL (PRINT) PRIMARY
CIRCULATION 31,000 161,687
REACH 132,000 (MONTHLY) 418,400 (DAILY)
FACEBOOK TWITTER TWITTER GOOGLE ADWORDS
PRIMARY/SECONDARY PRIMARY SECONDARY PRIMARY
SOCIAL SOCIAL SOCIAL EST. 1,440,000
2,100 (DAILY) SOCIAL SOCIAL EST. 1,440,001
AUDIENCE PRIMARY PRIMARY PRIMARY PRIMARY PRIMARY/SECONDARY
CIRCULATION 9,070 31,000 161,837 161,837 SOCIAL SOCIAL SOCIAL EST. 1,440,000
REACH 230,271 132,000 (MONTHLY) 418,400 (DAILY) 25,000 IMPRESSIONS 2,100 (DAILY)
YEAR 2 - 20K OUTLET ORLANDO BUSINESS JRNL ORLANDO MAGAZINE ORLANDO SENTINEL ORLANDO SENTINEL FACEBOOK TWITTER TWITTER GOOGLE ADWORDS
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PRIMARY SECONDARY PRIMARY
SOCIAL SOCIAL EST. 1,440,001
DIMENSIONS 2.062” x 4.75” 3.22” x 5.25”
CPU $990.00 $336.26
# OF ADS 6 4
CPM $31.94 $1.583
SOCIAL POST SOCIAL POST SOCIAL POST GOOGLE BANNER
$10.00 $380.75 $380.75 10/DAY
75 SOCIAL SOCIAL 19
$4.76 SOCIAL SOCIAL
DIMENSIONS 1/4 PAGE 2.062” x 4.75” 3.22 x 4” 300 PX x 250 PX POST SIZES
CPU $2,177.00 $990.00 $256.20 $125.00 $10.00
CPM $240.022 $31.94 $1.583 $5.000 $4.76
POST SIZES POST SIZES GOOGLE BANNER
$200.00 $200,00 20/DAY
# OF ADS 5 5 3 2 40 SOCIAL SOCIAL 40
TOTAL COST $5,940.00 $1,345.04
$750 $380.75 $380.75 $190.00 COST $8,886.54 10% CONTINGENCY $1,000.00 TOTAL COST $9,986.54
TOTAL COST $10,885.00 $4,950.00 $766.60 $375.00 $400.00
$200.00 $200.00 $400.00 COST $18,178.60 10% CONTINGENCY $1,817.86 TOTAL COST $19,996.46
SOCIAL SOCIAL
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YEAR 3 - 30K AUDIENCE OUTLET ORLANDO BUSINESS JRNL PRIMARY ORLANDO SENTINEL PRINT PRIMARY ORLANDO SENTINEL WEB PRIMARY ORLANDO SENTINEL CAL PRIMARY ORLANDO SNTNL WEB CAL PRIMARY ORLANDO MAGAZINE PRIMARY FACEBOOK PRIMARY/SECONDARY TWITTER PRIMARY TWITTER SECONDARY DIRECT MAIL PRIMARY GOOGLE ADWORDS PRIMARY
CIRCULATION 9,070 161,837 161,837 161,837 161,837 31,000 SOCIAL SOCIAL SOCIAL 15,000 EST, 1,440,000
REACH 230,271 418,400 (DAILY) 418,400 (DAILY) 418, 400 (DAILY) 25,000 IMPRESSIONS 132,000 (MONTHLY) 2,100 (DAILY) SOCIAL SOCIAL 15,000 EST, 1,440,000
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DIMENSIONS 1/4 PAGE 3.22” x 5.25” 300 PX x 250 PX 3.22” x 5.25” 300 PX x 250 PX 2.062” x 4.75” POST SIZES POST SIZES POST SIZES 6.25” x 9” GOOGLE BANNER
CPU $2,177.00 $336.26 $125.00 $420.32 $125.00 $990.00 $10.00 $335.00 $333.00 $.026 20/DAY
# OF ADS 5 3 3 4 2 6 67 SOCIAL SOCIAL 15,000 60
CPM $240.022 $1.583.00 1,583.00
TOTAL COST $10,885.00 $1,006.78 $375.00 $1,681.28 $5,000.00 $375.00 $31.84 $5,5940.00 $4.76 870.00 SOCIAL 335.00 SOCIAL $333.00 $280 $4,200.00 $1,200.00 COST $27,003.06 10% CONTINGENCY $30,003.06 TOTAL COST $59,986.06
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15.
BUDGET
BUDGET BREAKDOWN (CONTINGENCY INCLUDED) Media
$60,000.00
Events
$10,000.00
Merchandise
$25,000.00
Website ReDesign
$5,000.00 TOTAL
$100,000.00
MERCHANDISE EXPENSES MERCHANDISE EXPENSES BRANDED MERCHANDISE CPU POLO $6.98 PEN $8.34 PIN $1.79 PAMPHLET $0.20 STICKER DECAL $0.34 MINI LIQUOR BOTTLES $2.33 MINI BOTTLE LABELS $25.00 BRANDED CALENDAR $12.00 PACKAGING $1.85 CONTINGENCY TOTAL COST + 10% CONTINGENCY
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TOTAL UNITS 800 800 800 1000 1000 800 800 300 800
TOTAL COST $5,893.00 $6,672.00 $1,432.00 $202.57 $342.00 $1,870.92 $1,000.00 $3,600.00 $1,480.00 $2,500.00 $24,992.00
MEDIA SCHEDULES $250 $500
MEDIA MONTHLY SCHEDULE, YEAR 1
$1,000
$4,000
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC ORLANDO MAGAZINE
$500
ORLANDO SENTINEL
MEDIA MONTHLY SCHEDULE, YEAR 2
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC ORLANDO MAGAZINE
ORLANDO SENTINEL
ORLANDO BUSINESS
ORLANDO CALENDAR
$500
DIRECT MAIL
MEDIA MONTHLY SCHEDULE, YEAR 3
$1,000
$4,000
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC ORLANDO MAGAZINE
ORLANDO SENTINEL
ORLANDO BUSINESS
ORLANDO BUSINESS
DIRECT MAIL
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MEDIA BUDGET BREAKDOWN
CONTINGENCY DIRECT MAIL 9% 2% GOOGLE ADWORDS 3% TWITTER 3% FACEBOOK 3% ORLANDO SENTINEL CALENDAR (ONLINE) 1% ORLANDO SENTINEL CALENDAR (PRINT) 4% ORLANDO SENTINEL NEWS (ONLINE) 1%
GOOGLE ADWORDS 2% CONTINGENCY 59% TWITTER 8%
ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL 33%
ORLANDO SENTINEL NEWS (PRINT) 16%
FACEBOOK 8% ORLANDO SENTINEL 18%
ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL 59%
ORLANDO MAGAZINE 26%
BUDGET BREAKDOWN YEAR 1
BUDGET BREAKDOWN OVERALL (ALL 3 YEARS)
GOOGLE ADWORDS 2%
TWITTER 2% FACEBOOK 2% ORLANDO SENTINEL CALENDAR (ONLINE) 2%
CONTINGENCY 9%
DIRECT MAIL 5%
CONTINGENCY 11%
GOOGLE ADWORDS 5%
ORLANDO SENTINEL CALENDAR (PRINT) 4%
ORLANDO MAGAZINE 25%
ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL 54%
TWITTER 2% FACEBOOK 2% ORLANDO SENTINEL CALENDAR(ONLINE) 1%
ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL 40% ORLANDO SENTINEL CALENDAR 7%
ORLANDO SENTINEL NEWS (ONLINE) 1% ORLANDO SENTINEL NEWS (PRINT) 3%
BUDGET BREAKDOWN YEAR 2
ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL 23%
BUDGET BREAKDOWN YEAR 3
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PLAN EVALUATION IN THIS SECTION
Does it work and is it feasible?4
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16.
PLAN EVALUATION
TRANSITIONING INTO A NEW ERA
The success of the campaign will primarily be measured by the increase and retention of membership during both the downtime period and the first year in the new facility. Sage agency has created a combination of proper media plan and IMC strategies that will engage and spread awareness of the UCO’s unique atmosphere and values to the UCO’s target audience while staying in the proposed budget. To better position the UCO in the minds of the downtown Orlando community professionals, Sage agency proposed a rebrand in conjunction to its public reconstruction. Both external and internal efforts will be utilized by the UCO to track the effectiveness of the suggested rebrand. Every campaign quarter, the UCO should conduct an evaluation that is relevant, cost-effective and meaningful. Where possible, internal data sources should be captured.
Examples of data sources may include: • Website statistics including page views, collateral downloads and search engine rankings. Online research is a cost effective method of gathering campaign evaluation information. • Communication such as phone calls, emails, customer enquiries etc. • Qualitative data from both current and new members.
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• Monitoring of social media comments or discussions about the campaign via Hootsuite. Look over reports and keep track of trends. • Use benchmark to track target audiences, new attitudes, and behaviors. Survey research should be repeated using the same methodology. • Audit the UCO’s database to track number of new members and the loss of current members. Sage agency conducted extensive research prior to planning the suggested campaign, in order to ensure valuable insight about the target audience and their concerns. This campaign will aid in the UCO’s main objective to retain current members while gaining new membership over the three-year period. Internal data sources in conjunction with media tracking information will allow the UCO to effectively monitor the impact this campaign had in the Downtown Orlando market. Careful and thorough analysis of the media performance will allow the UCO to adjust and optimize the media plan to emphasize the more successful channels.
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APPENDIX IN THIS SECTION
Go ahead. Check our facts.4
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16.
APPENDIX
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“Industry Trends: Practical Execution of a Membership Marketing Program.” 9.13 (1975): 1181. Web. “Isleworth Country Club.” GolfNow. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. “Isleworth Country Club.” WeddingWire. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. Isleworth Golf & Country Club. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. “Isleworth Sees More ‘for Sale’ Signs.” Orlando Sentinel. N.p., 19 Aug. 2009. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. Leiber, Jill. “Few Can Afford Membership in Private Club.” USATODAY.com. N.p., 10 Apr. 2003. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. McMahon Group. McMahon Club Trends: Comprehensive Research on Strategic Issues Facing Private Clubs. N.p.: n.p., Winter 2009. PDF. Milne‐Smith, Amy. “A Flight to Domesticity? Making a Home in the Gentlemen’s Clubs of London, 1880–1914.” Journal of British Studies 45.4 (2006): 796-818. Web. Neher, Krista. Visual Social Media Marketing: Harnessing Images, Instagram, Infographics and Pinterest to Grow Your Business Online. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. O’Donnell, Ryan. “Membership Recruitment in the Private Club Industry.” Thesis. Kent State University, College of Education, 2012. OhioLINK. Web. Preparing for Your Future: Trends Affecting the Private Club Industry. New Orleans: n.p., 28 Feb. 2012. PPT. Reilly, Kevin F. “Trends in Private Clubs.” Hospitality Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. “See Where Orlando’s Most Expensive Homes Will Be in 5 Years - Orlando Business Journal.” Orlando Business Journal. N.p., 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. Shanklin, Mary. “Central Florida’s Priciest Mansions.” Orlando Sentinel. N.p., 4 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
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Smith, Cooper. “Central Business District, Orlando, FL Crime Rates & Statistics.” Business Insider. N.p., 29 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. Smith, Cooper. “The Planet’s 24 Largest Social Media Sites, And Where Their Next Wave Of Growth Will Come From.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 29 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. #Socialnomics 2014. Dir. Erik Qualman. Youtube.com. N.p., 16 Apr. 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. Stallings, Betty. “Food for Thought: 6 Current Trends in Membership Organizations.” Yale Alumni Association. N.p., n.d. Web. Thomas, Mike. “In Realm Of Clubs, It Seems Citrus Is King.” Orlando Sentinel. Http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2000-06-20/news/0006200172_1_university-club-private-clubs-citrus-club, 20 June 2000. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. Tompson, Jody, Dean Koutroumanis, Amy Brownlee, and Lee Hoke. “Strategic Change in a Mature Industry: Can a Downtown City Club Turn Around Its Declining Membership?” Small Business Institute Journal 10 (2014): n. pag. Web. The University Club of Orlando. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. “Where Tiger Woods and Shaquille O’Neal Chill: Central Florida’s Wealthiest ZIP Codes.” Orlando Business Journal. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. York, Brenda. “Private Club Trends in the USA – a Statistical Review.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 14.3 (2002): 147-51. Web. “Young Executive Committee, Citrus Club.” LinkedIn. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
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