Prepared for: Our City Realty
12/ 1/ 2015 The Grid
Advertising Principles 2327 01
Meet the Team
Tanner Barnett Dallas Harbour Gretchen Henley Amanda Koontz Ben Nabours Israel Phillips Ariana Scott
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Table of Contents Situation Analysis
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Creative Theme
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Campaign Strategy
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OurCityRides Event
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Partners & Sponsors Relations Media
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Calendar
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Budget & Evaluation
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Packaging & Reproduction
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Works Cited
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Executive Summary Our City Realty is a modern real estate company in Amarillo, Texas seeking to be viewed as a community partner through a community event. This project embodies the Our City Realty voice and brand, playing off of dependable, progressive and fun tones. Targeted segments include: first time homebuyers and families with young children. The Grid has crafted, OurCityRides, a week-long event and awareness campaign drawing in the Amarillo Olsen Park community around the Olsen School Park. The event will launch May 16, 2016, during the best month of all –National Bicycle Month! OurCityRides has a public relations and partner strategy foundation that uses elements of traditional and nontraditional media. Snapchat, social media video content, guerilla, and out-of-home are just some of the tactics used in this campaign.
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Situation Analysis Real Estate Industry
Marketing Climate
The Real Estate Sales and Brokerage industry is aligned with the health of residential and commercial real estate markets in the United States. Industry revenue is directly correlated with property prices and real estate volumes because agents are typically paid on commission basis and receive fees only when they close a deal (IbisWorld, 2015).
Amarillo ideal business climate, low cost of living, a safe environment and a balance of large city amenities with a small town convenience and personality. (AEDC, 2015).
The Real Estate industry is composed primarily of small, independently owned and operated brokerage firms and self-employed individuals (IbisWorld, 2015). Amarillo’s housing market was the 90th healthiest housing market and the 18th out of 21 housing markets in Texas (Wehmhoener, 2015).
The city has a relatively low 5.3% unemployment rate due to Tyson, the Amarillo Independent School District, Bell Helicopter Textron and the Pantex Plant (Graham, 2013). The Amarillo workforce is continually growing. Amarillo ranked 17th on the 179 Smallest Metros list in the 2012 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index for growth in the economy and creating and sustaining the job market
(Graham, 2013).
Amarillo College and West Texas A&M University are significant to the economic growth of the Amarillo area.
Amarillo Culture Amarillo has cultural ties to the Old West and sits in the middle of the East and West Coasts. Transportation and cultural passage flows through the city with Route 66. Amarillo’s “industries include heavy manufacturing, aviation and aerospace, transportation and logistics, food technologies, financial services, oil and gas, renewable energy and modern farming and ranching”. It has a growing population of 198,000 that is 77% Caucasian and 28% Hispanic/Latino. Housing and utilities are relatively affordable in Amarillo.
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The OCR Brand A City Community OCR is community oriented and views Amarillo as its home. It focuses on building the community with its sales. It has a grassroots feel, with values most Amarillo consumers relate to. Since OCR is such a new company, many may not consider the company when looking to purchase a home. OCR has an opportunity to capture a passionate audience in Amarillo. Most home buyers care about the same things OCR values. This creates an immediate connection –one that could prosper the company far beyond a few home sales.
SWOT Those Panhandle Flies Strengths
Weaknesses
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• • •
Strong brand image Website 3D Model tours Developed digital presence that could increased Online site listings and format Employee and local network Client service
Start-up company Low recall and brand awareness Saturated local real estate broker market
Opportunities
Threats
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Increase social media and online content Create content on Amarillo culture and life Develop real estate help topics for blogs Build network and local partnerships Search engine marketing
• • • •
Millennial home ownership postponement, opting to rent instead Online housing/real estate listing sites Local competitors Housing and mortgage interest rates Lack of public control on perception of brand and future events
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Competitors National & Local Groups The Amarillo real estate agency market is highly saturated and very competitive. These are all local real estate companies and agents with a large presence online and in the Amarillo Area. We have identified these competitors in the 806 area.
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Target Market New Nests (Nielsen Prizm, 2015). New Nests are 25-44-year-old upper middle class Americans with above average incomes. They are young families experiencing firsts including mortgages, loans and furnishing first homes. With home-centered lifestyles, New Nests are digitally adept.
City Strivers (Nielsen Prizm, 2015). City Strivers are under 35-years old with lower-middleclass to midscale incomes. They have attended college and work within white-collar and service jobs. The majority have children and are preoccupied with early childrearing expenses. City Strivers are new house shoppers and bank through mobile devices.
Olsen Park Elementary Olsen Park has 453 enrolled students and 25 full time teachers, making the student teacher ratio 19:1 (StartClass, 2015). The gender ratio is almost 50/50. The largest ethnic group is caucasian at 70.2%; Hispanic-Latino follows that at 23.0%, and African American at 3.6% (USA School Info, 2015).
(Nielsen Prizm, 2015).
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First Time Home Buyers What Causes Them to Purchase a Home? Younger buyers want to upgrade to a larger home or accommodate job relocation. They place high importance on commuting costs. 59% of home buyers under 30-years old rented an apartment before living in a home.
Unique New Home Buyer Needs New buyers need preparation to buy a new home. They seek ways on learning how to pay and apply for mortgages. First Time Home Buyers need help shopping for a home, sealing the deal and bidding.
Gen Y and Homes Gen Y makes up 68% of first time home buyers. This Millennial generation places the highest preference compared to other generations on convenience to job as well as affordability of homes. As buyer’s’ children reach school age, the quality of school districts and convenience to schools starts to have larger importance. Younger buyers tend to buy older homes, and are more likely to buy previously owned homes. Most often they do so because the home is a better price and better overall value.
(NAR, 2015).
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A Digital Segment The Online Search How do first time home buyers search for homes online? The first step in the home buying process is looking online for properties for sale. Younger generations of buyers typically find the home they purchase through the internet, while older generations of buyers first found the home they purchased through their real estate agent. More than half of Gen Y and Gen X buyers used a mobile device during their home search. 31% of Gen Y and 26% of Gen X found the home they ultimately purchased via a mobile device.
What to do With All These Insights? This event campaign will be dual strategized in order to reach the Olsen Park Neighborhood and Olsen Park Elementary segments. Emphasis on digital and interactive engagements will be developed. This campaign will create digital content, impressions and grow OCR’s online presence.
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Creative Theme The Big Idea This event name and campaign creative theme ties into existing OurCityRealty branding and is not just specific to the Olsen Park neighborhood. OurCityRides embodies the biking and community theme of the event. The name is unique and can be used for further event expansion. It is malleable to be used as an event hashtag as #OurCityRides. Currently OurCityRides is not being used for any social media handle or other event. The name is clear and appeals to the community, sponsors and media equally. “Our City” draws people together and gives community ownership of the event. “Rides” is not just limited to bicycles, but can incorporate wheelchairs, scooters, cars and other vehicles.
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Campaign Strategy The Challenge
Marketing
Our challenge is to create a branded event, building awareness in the Olsen Park community, representing Our City Realty as a community partner and not just another real estate company. This campaign places emphasis that OCR is a member of “Our City.” and “Your Home.”
This event will be marketed through several traditional media components, and supported by social media promotions and guerilla tactics.
Partners Event partners will be used that fit the OCR brand and have existing Amarillo community ties. Partners have been strategically selected that will support the event financially and provide activities throughout the week.
OurCityRides is an event Olsen Park community members can belong to.
Event Elements OurCityRides is a week long event starting May 16 and ending on May 20, with “Pedal to the Park”. Each day, Olsen Park Elementary students participate in activities throughout the school day. Friday, “Pedal to the Park” is the ending activity, where the entire community is invited to an evening filled with music, art, food and community gathering.
Sponsors and partners have been categorized by: • Financial Partners • Safety Partners • Food & Beverage Partners • Volunteer Partners • Friday Event Partners
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Helmets & Handbooks
Pedals & Palettes
Trike Tricks
Bikes, Blankets, & Baskets
Pedal to the Park
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OurCityRides The Event OurCityRides is a fun, educational way to build community orientation and engagement in Olsen Park. OurCityRides wants Amarillo to be the community’s home and OCR as a friend. Key businesses and community groups have been selected that embody Amarillo and parallel the OCR brand. Daily events showcase local restaurants, businesses, influencers, and community bonding. Our theme focuses on bringing the community together while showcasing the Amarillo area and what Olsen Park has to offer. We want the community to know that OCR cares more about the family in the home than just selling a house. A community event that demonstrates how great of a community Olsen is and how OCR is a member is strategic.
Location OurCityRides will be at Olsen Park Elementary School and surrounding park. In order to stay local and convenient for students to ride their bike to, and parents to feel their little ones will be safe, OCR will use space Olsen Park already has.
Dates The beginning of May 16-20, 2016 will be the OurCityRides event dates. This is after Texas state testing and before the last week of school for AISD.
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OurCityRides Week Schedule Monday: Helmets & Handbooks The kick off event is a day full of safety. Local APD and fire departments serving the Olsen Park area will attend the school, giving safety lessons to students over home and street safety. APD and AFD will talk about how to be safe and what to do in the event of an emergency. It’s a good way for the kids to meet the local officers and firemen that work in the area and to learn important information first-hand. APD and AFD will also assist students cross streets and sidewalks on the first event day. Kids will be excited seeing local heros on the street and again at the school for safety lessons.
Tuesday: Pedals & Palettes Students will participate painting a giant mural that shows the school’s creative side in partnership with Cerulean Gallery. They will be encouraged to paint about their, home, family, school, friends, or just about bike safety. There will be a chance for individual creativity for each child making there own unique art piece. They can paint a canvas, make a sculpture, or draw a picture of bikes Art pieces will be on display, lining the sidewalks on Friday for family and community members to see. This is a great day for art teachers, high school art clubs and student council to help students with projects. Local 4-H and Agriculture Agents will bring a petting zoo to give students a learning experience about local livestock in the Panhandle.
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OurCityRides Week Schedule Wednesday: Trike Tricks This is the OurCityRides bike stunt day. Ramps, jumps and cool obstacles will be placed at the park for a bicycle stunt group to show off skills. Hills Sport Shop will sponsor the event and be the best connection to these gravity defying daredevils. Stunt artists will be highlighted wearing their protective gear whenever they step onto a bike. Students will be able show off their moves on inflatable bounce houses and obstacle courses during recess in partnership with Parties, Picnics and Promotions, LLC.
Thursday: Bikes, Blankets, & Baskets This day will be dedicated to a picnic in the park for teachers, students and parents. The school cafeteria will cookout in the park with hamburgers and hotdogs for the meal. The event is simply to have a fun and do something different than eating the same lunch in the cafeteria. Amarillo High and Tascosa student volunteers will come and interact with students playing games and helping them build cardboard houses. In between food and games, we’ll host a “Build a House� activity. In this event, kids of all ages will partake in building houses out of simple items such as: cardboard, tape, zip ties, and paint. This will be a good opportunity for family bonding, as parents will work alongside their kids to build a fun and unique house. Kids will have the chance to explore their imagination and boast their creative edge as they work as mini architects. Students will also have chances to win prizes for their work, as everyone will get the opportunity to vote for the park favorites towards the end of the day. This will encourage more participants as everyone likes to compete for prizes.
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OurCityRides Week Schedule Friday: Pedal to the Park Pedal to the Park ends the OurCityRides campaign. This is a giant community celebration for kids, family and community members to enjoy. The event begins at 5 P.M. and will end at 10 P.M. We encourage all family members and guests to ride their bikes to the celebration and bring blankets and chairs. There will be a stage featuring a concert played by the Amarillo Symphony and skits performed by the Amarillo Little Theater. An inflatable projector screening “Home”, a animated family movie about an alien seeking to return home, will end the evening’s entertainment. At the same time, the art mural and student’s custom art will be on display from Tuesday’s Palettes and Pedals. Partner food and beverage booths will surround the park. We suggest Palace Coffee to serve hot chocolate and coffee, and food partners like 575 Pizzeria, Yellow City Street Food, Market Steet, and Radical Ice to serve pizza, popcorn, snow cones and street food.
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Partners & Sponsors Major Partners
Food & Beverage Partners
Amarillo Heart Group • Sponsor Funder Amarillo Bone & Joint Clinic • Sponsor Funder Agriculture Extension Office • Petting Zoo Hills Sport Shop • Bike rentals, bicycling instruction • Stunt cyclist Walmart • Donate bikes, roller skates, scooters • Donate paint supplies, tape, etc for Thursday’s building event.
575 Pizzeria • Previous “People, Pints and Pedals” event • Sponsor food Pure Element Premier Water • Water bottle donations, custom labels Radical Ice • Local Olsen Park snow cone stand Palace Coffee • Booth at movie night • Social network and influencer Yellow City Street Food • Vendor booth Market Street • Popcorn and treats • Sponsor funder
Safety Partners Amarillo Police Department • Road, home, life safety • Will act as crosswalk captains Amarillo Fire Department Fire, home safety • Tour fire truck, smoke simulator, house simulator Agriculture Extension Office • Bike safety
Student Volunteers These will be student council, FFA and National Honor Society, and Art Club students • Tascosa High School • Amarillo High School
Friday Pedal to the Park Partners Amarillo Symphony • Friday Music Event Amarillo Little Theatre • Skit performance • Social network and influencers Cerulean Gallery • Student artwork • Mural event Randall High School • Theater Department • Outdoor Projector screen
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Public Relations Parents
Students
To create a successful relationship with the parents, we will distribute event kits to students for home delivery. Kits would include flyers and promotional content outlining the event.
To engage students, a school-wide assembly the Friday previous to the OurCityRides week will occur. During this “pep rally” atmosphere, music and small prizes can be used to gain excitement and momentum.
We suggest that OCR take advantage of AISD’s existing peachjar email newsletter system and tailor an event email announcement to Olsen Park Elementary parents. An invitation for parents to attend a PTA meeting to inform them about the event and its activities would be included.
At this time, students and faculty will be introduced to the upcoming contests, events and social media engagement.
A microsite would be developed to distribute and locate information digitally, To gain involvement in the event, parents can select which activities they would most like to be involved in a microsite application.
School To approach the school with the event idea and pitch, a professional meeting with the agency, OCR representatives, PTA representatives and school administration will be scheduled.
Volunteers To recruit volunteers, OCR representatives will attend meetings of various volunteer partner organizations to announce OurCityRides and its objectives. These meetings would include high school organization meetings, clubs, sports teams etc. During these meetings, we would discuss volunteer roles and assignments as well as contests to engage volunteers.
Partners
Olsen Park Elementary is encouraged to take ownership and promote the event internally to get teachers and faculty truly excited and engaged.
Professional meetings would be necessary to gain partners. Meetings would involve an OCR representative. A formal pitch of the event will inform potential partners of and suggest ways to get involved either by donations or sponsorship support via expenses. After discussion, sponsors can voice requests or ideas of their own to add to the event and activities.
We will ask the administration to post information about the event to the around the school’s halls and website. Content would be provided by OCR.
Partners, will be allowd to place logos on print/electronic material, depending on sponsorship level. We suggest sponsoring contests & specific events to have direct contact.
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Media Relations Broadcast Radio We suggest a promotion package through local broadcast radio, Townsquare Media Group. KISS FM and KGNC FM are among top 5 highest station ratings in Amarillo with the targeted audience as listeners (Nielsen Topline Ratings, 2015).
In addition to paid rush hour radio ads the week prior to OurCityRides, morning show appearances promote the event as earned media and allow organic interactions. We suggest having an OCR representative with a volunteer or partner member. On-air mentions by Townsquare DJs will be incorporated within the package.
Broadcast Television Morning interviews with TV stations will be scheduled with an OCR representative and student volunteer leaders to promote and discuss OurCityRides the week before the event. Local stations will cover the event and push stories on evening broadcasts as later earned media. KAMR 4, KVII 7 and KFDA 10 are selected stations for appearances.
Print and Digital
Local News Stations
Media relations will be established through AGN media to publish articles about OurCityRides event and OCR. Earned media in Amarillo Magazine will be expected through its Community feature section and event coverage in the Out & About section.
Media Kits Media kit will be sent to news media giving press releases, video, photos, photo opportunities, OurCityRides, social media, event schedule, etc.
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Pre-Event Relations In-School Promotions Posters and flyers placed in school halls the week before promoting each event and the online game leading to the registration page. Flyers will be placed in teachers inboxes to hang up around the classroom.. Letters will be sent home prior to the week of OurCityRides. A pep rally will be hosted with games and music to get the kids involved and excited.
Direct Marketing Through AISD’s Peachjar email newsletter, OCR will send out the projected calendar for the schedules events, and invitation to register online on the rides.ourcity.org microsite Flyers and take-home Event Kits will be delivered to students. Event Kits will contain everything participants need to get ready for the event, including school swag, flyers, posters, bike flag, yard sign, and vinyl decals
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Digital & Social Media Event Hashtag - #OurCityRides
Video Content & Local Influencers
This hashtag can engage any event target segment through all of the OurCityRides social media activities . This hashtag is not currently being used by any other organization or event. This hashtag also has “legs”, and can be used for future neighborhoods and cities. Furthermore, it corresponds with the acronym OCR for Our City Realty.
:15 sponsored content videos will be placed on Facebook and Instagram before the event. These videos will incorporate OurCityRides event content and activities.
Snapchat The segments of the target audience that will be engaged by Snapchat would be high school volunteers and Olsen Park Elementary students.
Content will include bike riding, playing instruments, eating sponsors food, etc. The remaining :4 seconds of video will have the OurCityRides creative logo. Videos will feature local influential individuals and community representatives including: • Bike Stunt Artists • Symphony members • ALT Actors • Newscasters • Patrick Burns
We will create a geolocation filter for the Olsen Park neighborhood. Students on the app can use the filter to post on their stories and share to other social media sites to participate in Snapchat Filter contests on Facebook.
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Digital & Social Media Facebook
Contest Items
Segments engaged by a Facebook presence include teachers, parents, and potentially high school volunteers. There will be a separate OurCityRides content strategy on a separate OurCityRides Facebook page. This will include the content videos, contests, and other social media strategy. A Facebook Event will be created as well.
• HidrateMe connected device water bottles • Nest Products • FitBit Zip
This will give us the opportunity to promote contents, post video content before and during the event, and interact with partner Facebook pages. To gain interaction on Facebook, photo contests will be held to increase usage of our hashtag and connect sponsors with event participants.
Instagram An OurCityRides Instagram account will be created. Content will be posted on this account and the OurCityRealty account. Videos and photos will be posted of the event, sponsor booths, and other activities. Segments engaged by Instagram include high school volunteers and elementary school students.
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Digital Guerilla Sidewalks
Livestream Microsite
Waterproof vinyl decals will be placed at strategic sidewalk locations around the Olsen Park neighborhood reading “Tweet or share on Instagram with #OurCityRides to see what happens�. This execution includes the microsite URL, rides.ourcity.org.
Event participants can register for the event online through this microsite. The microsite would engage most of our target market. Teachers, faculty, parents, and PTA volunteers can use the microsite to receive and distribute information about the event. Students can engage in the live stream video portion. The site will be sleek and monder, engaging the high school volunteers. Partners can also engage with the site by being able to view active participation and register for the event.
When people post using the hashtag, a live streaming video component will occur. Their profile photo will be printed and attached to a metal figurine which will be riding a miniature bicycle. From there, a bike ride to the elementary school will play out.
#
rides.ourcity.org, contains the live stream video component, streamlined event content, schedule, event photos and video content. The site will provide general OurCityRides information for the public, participants and other parties.
rides.ourcity.org
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Support Media Out-Of-Home A billboard will be placed, located off I-40 and Western on the west side of the interstate. The board will display the hashtag of the event #OurCityRides and have a 3D art element of bike wheels and bike parts. This location has a high amount of Olsen Park traffic and is visible from the community, as well as facing the flow of oncoming traffic to and from work. The outdoor board will peak interest and create buzz.
Yard Signage
School Bus Signage
Voluntary signs, with instructions to place outside in yards, will be included in the Our City Rides Home Package. The sign will be themed with event information and copy reading, “It’s an Olsen Park community thing. #OurCityRides”
AISD school buses, with Olsen Park Elementary routes, will be decorated on the inside with event designs and daily event names. This offers an alternate way to reach students and another opportunity to “ride” to the event even if students do not have a bicycle.
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Campaign Calendar
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Budget & Evaluation Campaign & Event Evaluation The success of the OurCityRides campaign and week-long event will be determined by the following methods: • • • • • • • •
Event page, post, video content views, likes and shares Online registrations on rides.ourcity.org microsite Website page views Daily activity participation by counting attendance Pedal to the Park attendence Amount usage of #OurCityRides hashtag Earned media coverage by local organizations Digitally surveying partners after event
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Packaging & Reproduction OurCityRides Across Amarillo This event is extremely flexible. Every aspect of this event has been designed in a way that allows OCR to take it anywhere. Each of the activities planned can be held in various neighborhoods.
Research Research will need to be conducted for each individual neighborhood and target market. This insight is vital to the success of the event; however, the event structure will remain the same.
Creative Theme The OurCityRides creative theme would stay the same. This theme incorporates OCR’s brand voice as well as the goals of the event.
Calendar & Budget
Campaign Strategy
The spring is still a good time to host the event. Budget, again, will depend on the sponsors and local support.
Most of the campaign strategy would also stay the same. The schedule can fit any school. The types of sponsors will be the same; however, the intern will need to search for local sponsors to maintain the ownership aspect. Public relations, media/pre-event relations, support media, social media, contests, and promotional items will all be the same concept. In order to make OurCityRides unique to each neighborhood, partners will need to be tailored.
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Works Cited Amarillo Economic Development Corporation. (2015). Retrieved September 29, 2015, from https:// www,amarilloedc.com Graham, E. (2013, January 13). Economy: Amarillo among nation’s best-performing small cities. Amarillo Globe News. Retrieved September 28, 2015, from http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2013-01-21/amarillo named-one-best-performing-small-cities Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends. (2015, March 11). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://www. realtor.org/reports/home-buyer-and-seller-generational-trends Olsen Park Elementary. Amarillo, TX Enrollment & Demographics. (2015). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http:// www.usaschoolinfo.com/school/olsen-park-el-amarillo-texas.84192/enrollment Olsen Park Elementary in Amarillo, Texas. (2015). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://public-schools.startclass. com/l/83780/Olsen-Park-Elementary Real Estate Sales & Brokerage in the US. (2015). IBISWorld Industry Report, (53121). Retrieved September 28, 2015, from IBISWorld US. PRIZM Zipcode Lookup. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2015, from https://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/ Default.jsp?ID=20&menuOption=ziplookup&pageName=ZIP+Code+Lookup# Wehmhoener, K. (2015, August 25). WalletHub Study: 2015’s Healthiest Housing Markets. My High Plains. Retrieved September 28, 2015, from http://www.myhighplains.com/news/wallethub-study-2015s healthiest-housing-markets
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