Situational Analysis by amirahaile

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

presented by

VINE - ADVERTISING -

introduction VINE Advertising thrives on the visions of its clients. Before a fruitful season can be expected, necessary measures must be taken to provide the right environment and ensure the correct techniques and elements are all involved in the process. For this situational analysis VINE immersed itself in the surroundings of the Santa Barbara Blues Society in order to successfully learn and adapt to its needs. The information learned through this endeavor has culminated in this report which includes not only analyses of the Santa Barbara Blues Society as an organization, but also recommendations for improvement. This information, coupled with the visions of the SBBS Board of Members, will help the Santa Barbara Blues Society and VINE Advertising grow bigger and better, together.

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ i MARKETING ANALYSIS ....................................................................... 4 CONSUMER ANALYSIS ........................................................................ 5 THE COMPETITION ............................................................................. 6 MEDIA CHANNELS ............................................................................. 7 MESSAGE ANALYSIS ........................................................................... 8 RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................... 10

THE WEST COAST SIGNIFICANTLY PREFERS BLUES MUSIC MORE THAN ANY OTHER U.S. REGION

MARKETING ANALYSIS In 1982, 45 million adults in the US enjoyed blues. In 2002, 64 million adults enjoyed blues, which is equal to roughly 30% of the entire US population. Taking into consideration the 45% increase in market over the 20 year span, it is safe (if not an underestimation) to assume 64 million adults enjoy Blues music today. The West Coast demographic is significantly more likely to listen to the genre than any other geographic region. People in urban areas are 43% more likely to prefer blues than counterparts. It is also interesting to note, single people are 22% more likely to enjoy blues than married people.

2013 potentially 66 million adults listeners

2002 1982

64 million adults listeners

45 million adults listeners

CONSUMER ANALYSIS SMART COOKIE

Blues listeners are well-educated with 87.4% having either some college education or completed a college degree.

Secondary Target:

Local students from UCSB, SBCC, Antioch, etc.

YOUNG AT HEART

Target audiences are Baby Boomers and Generation X individuals, especially males, aged 28 to 66 years old.

Secondary Target:

Students aged 18 - 25 years.

HEY, BIG SPENDER!

Most listeners are economically stable with 52% having an annual income of $50,000 or more while another 34% makes over $75,000 a year.

EAT, PRAY, LOVE

Those who listen to the blues tend to have a sophisticated taste for culture, arts, and travel.

Secondary Target:

Students engaged in school for personal enlightenment, cultural exposure, etc.

THE COMPETITION The Santa Barbara Blues Society does not have competitors in the classical business sense. As a promoter of the preservation and advancement of an African-American tradition, SBBS interacts with other organizations like colleagues rather than competitors, because of shared their interests and similar events. Since SBBS is the only blues organization in Santa Barbara, membership to the society is influenced by an individual’s earnest interest in blues music and the locality of the organization. While there are other active blues societies in surrounding areas, they are not direct competition with the Santa Barbara Blues Society because of their geographical distance. The main “competition” to the Blues Society is its lack of branding and subsequent ambiguity surrounding SBBS events. On the SBBS website it is difficult to differentiate between SBBS organized events and other local blues events which causes SBBS events to blend in with the others. Though beneficial for both members and the advancement of blues, promoting all local blues events without distinction detracts from the importance of SBBS organized events. Another potential issue is the lack of continuity amongst SBBS’ different communications channels. The website, newsletter, emails, and social media all relay the same message to members and the community, however they do not relay a consistent Santa Barbara Blues Society branded image.

S BB S 6

FRIENDS

A R A CO U N T Y R

EAD

13.3%

B BAR

40%

12.1%

11.1%

19.2%

60%

READ

ERS

S B B S’

TARGE T O F R E A AU D I E N C E DE AG E D 3 5 - 55 Y RS EARS O LD 44.4% KTYD RADIO SPOTS REACH THE ENTIRE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

MEDIA CHANNELS Santa Barbara Blues Society events are currently promoted through several different community resources. Several days before an event, radio spots are often aired on KTYD and have been reported successful in spiking show attendance by reaching the attention of SBBS’ target audience. A week before an event, an online ad is often posted on The Santa Barbara Independent website’s event page as well as in their print edition. This is critical ad placement for reaching SBBS’ target audience of the 30+ age range. The weekly publication is Santa Barbara’s largest with a circulation of 40,000 copies, delivering readers news, arts, and entertainment; interests that have been found to be popular especially among blues listeners. According to The Independent 60% of all residents in Southern Santa Barbara County read their publication, 44% of which are between the ages of 35-55, which is inside the primary target age demographic for SBBS. The Independent proves itself to be an effective media outlet that can increase awareness for future SBBS events. Santa Barbara Blues Society serves an audience of a specific musical genre, making direct communication with SBBS members vital to the success of the organization. SBBS currently sends out the BluesLovers newsletter and various email notifications to its 1700+ email mailing list with information of upcoming show times, location, and prices. SBBS also keeps their members informed through Facebook updates and maintains their website with information on membership, events, and their local “Blues for Youth” program.

WEBSITE EVENT POSTER

MESSAGE ANALYSIS At the present time, the differentiation between events sponsored by SBBS and events simply promoted by SBBS is lacking. It is easy for new website visitors browsing the SBBS website to be confused or even unaware as to which events are being promoted by SBBS and which are being organized and sponsored by SBBS. VINE’s main goal of increasing the attendance of SBBS’ six annual shows is partly reliant upon members being aware of events, specifically when they are organized by SBBS. It is likely that new visitors browsing the website are misled by the various events that are posted on the events calendar and ultimately remain unaware as to which events are sponsored independently by SBBS. Since members receive special benefits like discounted tickets only at SBBS events, the promotion of these events could help highlight their unique incentive value. The BluesLovers newsletter is an immediate and direct way to inform members of upcoming SBBS events. As with all of SBBS’ promotional material, the main focus of these emails should be highlighting SBBS organized events. The personalized Blues lyric used as a signature at the end of every newsletter is a nice touch that helps to create the loyal bond between organization and org member. This simple yet effective measure can make the difference and is the type of personalized effort VINE would like to see expressed in all SBBS messages.

Over the past year, the BluesLovers newsletter has gradually improved from text-only posts to a colorful HTML template. Though the newsletter design is basic, it is successful in remaining consistent with the SBBS website by including the SBBS logo and event promotional posters.

APRIL 2012 BLUESLOVERS NEWSLETTER

NON-SBBS EVENTS

VS BASIC EVENT DETAILS ARE SUFFICIENT FOR NON-SBBS EVENTS.

THIS NON-SBBS EVENT IS OVER PROMOTED WITH TOO MUCH TEXT INFORMATION.

SBBS EVENT THIS IS A BETTER EXAMPLE OF HOW SBBS ORGANIZED EVENTS SHOULD LOOK ON THE SOCIETY’S WEBSITE. IN ADDITION TO EVENT DETAILS, SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION ON THE ARTIST AND EVENT IS PROVIDED TO INTRIGUE THE READER AND MOTIVATE THEM TO ATTEND.

RECOMMENDATIONS In today’s marketing environment a strong social media presence helps to quickly and efficiently increase brand awareness. In the future, SBBS should utilize Twitter to increase their online presence in social media. Of all the latest social media, Twitter is most popular among SBBS’s target audience with 38% of Twitter users being within the ages of 35 and 55 years old. Twitter can aid SBBS’ efforts in various ways by alerting Twitter followers of SBBS events and allowing both members and blues artists to interact directly, all while promoting the events. This costeffective outlet can build two-way communication between SBBS and its members, allowing them to “tweet” the society about their experience of SBBS shows and events. Artists that perform at the events can also use Twitter to promote their performance to their own followers, in turn building a larger audience for SBBS. The ripple effects of these efforts can even be tracked online to assess the quantifiable impact of each event’s promotion. Facebook is another important outlet that can be used to foster consumer interaction with the SBBS brand. To get the most out of a Facebook page, posts need to be relevant and continue to actively encourage SBBS members to engage via “liking”, commenting, and sharing posts. This cost-effective social media channel will foster interaction between SBBS and its’ members while creating a larger online network for SBBS, contributing to the primary goal of increasing show attendance. Ads that are run prior to an event through The Independent, KTYD, Facebook, and newsletter emails should be uniform and consistent with each other. The campaign strategy for each of the six annual events should be consistent (excluding the annual member appreciation show which could take special measures of its own). The current website could be improved to become more user friendly and aesthetically pleasing. It is also crucial to clearly identify and distinguish events that are organized by SBBS from community events. The graphics and color scheme of both the website and the newsletter must remain consistent in order to maintain the SBBS brand and increase brand recognition among members. Due to the practicality and cost-effective aspects of our recommendations, the SBBS budget can remain the same. Social media is a virtually free avenue and its impact can be maximized by hiring an unpaid intern as the Santa Barbara Blues Society’s online profile manager. These recommendations aim to create a cohesive campaign of a defined brand image that will reach the target audience through several consistent channels resulting in an increase in event attendance.

THE BULLET POINTS

•

Utilize Twitter to build an online presence & brand loyalty with members

•

Create a channel of communication between SBBS & its members via Facebook

•

All messages from SBBS should be consistent across all communication platforms

VINE - ADVERTISING -