ZEITGEIST Promotional Strategy Document

ZEITGEIST.

P TRATEGY S ROMOTIONAL

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

c o n t e n t s 1 Concept 2 Identity 3

Target Audience

7

Online Promotion

15

Offline Promotion

19

Launch Event

22

Situation Analysis

23 Budget 24

Measuring Success / Future Vision

25

Promotional Timeline

28

Bibliography / Image References

ZEITGEIST

11 Website

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

who we are, what we’re about zeitgeist noun

‘‘ ”

the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time

Zeitgeist is to be a liberal commentary outlet and journal of opinion, written by and for a progressive 18-30 year old audience.

Zeitgeist sets itself apart by maintaining integrity and challenging the status quo, offering thought-provoking analysis of the social, cultural and political issues that are shaping our world. Issue 1 will focus on politics.

We intend Zeitgeist to be a catalyst inspiring small actions for wider change. The aim is to hook the 18-30 year old demographic into reading newspaper-style print publications.

The print element covers the issues with a longer lifespan, for example, widespread and ongoing issues and think pieces.

The online element exists as a stream of content fulfilling the role of informing readers of daily news and trends with a short lifespan.

See Creative Strategy document for more detail on Zeitgeist’s identity.

1

IDENTITY

aims/ objectives

Encourage the target demographic to register to vote and subsequently provide them with easily accessible information in order to make educated and well-informed political decisions, e.g. when they place their votes in the General Election on 8th June 2017.

Engage with the target demographic and expand our reach, translating into awareness of Zeitgeist and sales of the newspaper. This in turn will increase our budget for Issue 2, allowing us to bring enhanced content both in terms of quantity and quality to our readers.

Create a two-way dialogue with the target demographic and our readers, to give a collaborative community feel to Zeitgeist in both its print and online iterations.

The voice of Zeitgeist’s print output serves as a call to action to mobilise the contemporary audience who have integrity, action and intention in their hearts. The focus of the featured articles is to ask questions and to motivate the reader to query, to change, and to evolve towards a higher level of thinking/being.

This voice will be echoed across Zeitgeist’s social media and website to maintain consistency and strong brand image.

2

ZEITGEIST

tone/ voice

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

Undergraduate/graduated university student Possibly studied social sciences/politics, but not necessarily Has attended political protests/activist tendencies Eloquent, good writer

L FU ‘THE THOUGHT

18-24 years old

G UN YO

May have a blog

Voted ‘Remain’ in EU referendum

T’ VIS TI AC

Mixed genders

Backed Jeremy Corbyn for Prime Minister Vocal about their beliefs on social media Left-wing political beliefs, supporter of Labour/Green party Opposed to Theresa May as Prime Minister Supports LBGT/womens/black/homeless/immigrant rights Reads publications such as The Economist/The Guardian/The Independent. Perhaps i-D & Vice magazines.

PROFESSIONAL’ T S I RM FO N CO NO N

Very opposed to Trump presidency Frequently visits art galleries and museums Possibly vegetarian &/or smoker Enjoys photography, conveys this through their favourite & most used social media platform, Instagram

HE

Interests in music, travel and fashion

25-30 years old Has a degree Professional, perhaps working in creative industry Like to spend disposable income on city breaks to cultured locations, and ethically sourced/produced goods Regularly visits independent coffee shops and eateries Avid reader

3

‘T

TARGET AUDIENCE

THIS IS WHO THEY ARE: TYPICAL POSTS ON INSTAGRAM

ZEITGEIST

A

B 4

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

Analysis of the target demographic allows us to tailor our strategy to fit their lifestyle. For example, their interests become our topics, and their favourite hang-outs become our retail stockists.

The ‘thoughtful young activist’ takes a vested interest in social and political issues, perhaps having studied them, which motivates them towards attending political protests and exhibiting activist behaviours. Based on this, our launch event will be a series of flash mob marches on the streets of five UK cities (for additional information, see Launch on page 19).

The ‘non-conformist professional’ chooses to spend their disposable income on products or experiences that enrich either their lives or the lives of others, e.g. ethnically sourced goods/travelling to cultured destinations. Being a non-profit publication aimed at inciting change, Zeitgeist will appeal to this customer, and thus will be stocked in places they regularly visit, e.g. art galleries and book stores, in order to reach them.

All members of the target demographic are liberal, progressive individuals with a passion for equal rights and speaking up about injustice. This mindset is reflected in Zeitgeist’s values, and thus the content the audience will have access to on the website, and upon purchase of the print publication.

5

TARGET AUDIENCE

2 4

3

6

ZEITGEIST

1

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

online Zeitgeist’s online presence will compromise of a website alongside Instagram and Twitter accounts, which are the only social media platforms we will be present on. The website will be designed and updated by the editor, hosted on the platform Wix, at the url www. zeitgeistweb.co.uk. This domain was available for purchase from 123-Reg.co.uk at a price of £9.59 for 1 year.

The website functions in a similar way to sites such as The Pool and The Debrief (see Creative Strategy, page 24 for more information) in that it will exist as a stream of regularly updated content. Content will encompass similar topics to the print element alongside current affairs, cultural and lifestyle features. However, the tone differs slightly from that in the print element as the online platform generates more newsworthy content with shorter lifespan. The tone remains light, yet informative. Articles will be short, to suit the online audience who have an incredibly short attention span and are likely multi-tasking applying their attention to more than one screen at once, e.g. watching TV and scrolling through social media simultaneously.

A study by Microsoft concluded that the average human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds in 2000, or around the time the mobile revolution began, to eight seconds. It did also show, however, that online users are better at identifying what they want/don’t want to engage with and need less to process and commit things to memory. (2)

The social media channels will be used to drive readers to the website, and to serve as a form of free advertising for the print publication. A social media campaign encouraging readers to register to vote will launch in May (see page 9).

The Instagram and Twitter profiles will also be an excellent method of creating discourse between us and the target audience, encouraging interaction via likes/retweets/replies. Content posted will be of a certain nature that is intended to provoke feeling (see examples), with pictures of slogans with empowering messages, satirical illustrations from our contributors, or articles from the website with provocative/attention-grabbing headlines. Posts that evoke particularly strong feelings of rebellion, humour, or agreement will translate into higher numbers of reposts/ likes/retweets, and thus serve to build our core follower base. We also encourage our readers to share pictures of where they have placed our posters (included in the print issue, and available to purchase separately on the website), with the hashtag #JoinTheZeitgeist, as a method of building awareness and strengthening the discourse (and relationship) with our audience.

With this in mind, each article will bear a ‘approximate reading time’ figure at the top.

This allows the reader to make a quick decision on whether they have the time to read, and also serves to encourage the time-stretched reader as reading time will be kept relatively short, although it will vary between articles.

See opposite for examples of social media posts. zeitgeistweb.co.uk @ZeitgeistNewspaper @ZeitgeistTweets

7

PROMOTION

8

ZEITGEIST

example social media posts

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

social media campaign This is a social media focussed campaign, which is complemented by the print content. In particular, the article titled ‘Shocked by the snap general election announcement? You shouldn’t have been. What does it mean & what’s next?’, encourages readers to register to vote, and to be aware of the hidden agendas of mainstream media. There is also a print feature which details the Labour party’s 10 pledges to voters. These articles will be used in conjunction with social media posts encouraging readers to register to vote, and will also serve to drive consumers to the print publication and the website (where the articles also feature). All social media posts will bear the hashtag #JoinTheZeitgeist.

Post-deadline, we will concentrate on supplying all the relevant information to voters about the different political parties and their policies to allow them to make an informed decision, away from the influence of mainstream media (see examples).

In a primary research survey (see Creative Strategy, page 15), 12.1% of respondents answered, ‘No, I didn’t vote’ in the general election of May 2015. When questioned, one respondent stated, ‘I felt like I didn’t know enough to make an informed decision’ as a reason for not doing so.

This is echoed in the results of a political survey conducted by BBC Newsbeat, which concluded that the most common reason 18-24 year olds said they were unlikely to vote was because they don’t know enough about candidates and issues (1). It is clear that more information needs to made available to this demographic, and Zeitgeist aims to meet this need.

Up until the registering deadline on 22nd May we will promote registering to vote, using quotes and relevant articles featured in print and on the website (see examples).

AIMS OF ISSUE 1: »» To encourage the target demographic to vote in the general election on 8th June »» To offer all the necessary information to

allow voters to make an educated and informed decision »» To increase the number of 18-24 year olds placing their votes in the general election 9

PROMOTION

ZEITGEIST

10

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

the website Mission statement Relevant articles

ABOUT Relevant articles

POLITICS Relevant articles

LIFESTYLE Photo series’

CULTURE HOME

Print issue

VISUALS

Merchandise

SHOP

Subscription

JOIN US

Contact form

LINKS

Social media links

Twitter page Instagram page

AIMS & OBJECTIVES // THE WEBSITE »» Provide a stream of newsworthy, short, and informative content to complement print content which, in contrast, exists within a longer lifespan and serves to provoke thought and meaningful action. »» Promote the content of the print publication, both written and visual. »» Provide exclusive content (images and articles) between quarterly publishing of the print issues. »» Bring Zeitgeist to an international audience, who can access the website for free or purchase their own copy of Zeitgeist.

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ONLINE PLATFORMS

ZEITGEIST

12

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

13

ONLINE PLATFORMS

ZEITGEIST

14

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

offline THE PRINT NEWSPAPER

MERCHANDISE: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ONLINE & OFFLINE

In contrast to the articles featuring on the website, the content existing in the print element will have a deeper, more thought-provoking nature. Articles will be longer, and the aim with this content is to inspire action. With the low publishing frequency in mind, content for the print element will have to maintain relevance and timeliness in the months between issues. As a result, content will focus on topics that have a longer timespan, for example, widespread and ongoing issues through think pieces.

As collective printing and delivery time is relatively short (8 days at the most), articles can be written fairly close to when issues are released, meaning timeliness and relevance can be maintained.

Merchandise will be available to purchase on the website in the form of posters and canvas tote bags bearing slogans and hashtags. There will be 50 of both posters and tote bags available. Posters will be printed on the same paper as the publication, costing £1.00 each and giving the customer the choice of 4 different slogans to choose from. The tote bags will feature the same slogans as the posters, but will cost £5.00. These will be purchased from ‘Awesome Merchandise’. Each item of merchandise will bear the website url and Instagram handle, in order to drive offline activity to online engagement.

Visuals will exist in the form of illustrations, infographics and photo series’ alongside accompanying articles to both enhance the message within the written content and to engage the creative reader.

Along with the item of merchandise the customer orders, they will receive a handwritten note encouraging them to snap pictures of their purchases in the most controversial place possible, and to post them on Instagram with #JoinTheZeitgeist along with tagging @zeitgeistnewspaper.

The print publication will be printed by ‘Newspaper Club’, taking the form of their ‘digital tabloid’ which measures 289mm x 380mm on 55gsm newspaper, across 32 pages.

ILLUSTRATION AMY HALL

In exchange for publishing their work, Zeitgeist’s contributors (illustrators/writers/photographers) will each be given 10 posters to distribute. They will be asked to display them in public, taking pictures and posting them to social media with the hashtag #JoinTheZeitgeist along with tagging us. They will also be encouraged, at their discretion, to give them to the ‘most influential’ people they know, who will be asked to do the same (as previous). This guarantees a community of ‘foot soldiers’ on the ground to ensure posters are seen both in public and on social media, to expand follower numbers and potential customer reach. See page 17 for visuals.

15

ZEITGEIST

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

17

OFFLINE

ZEITGEIST

18

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

launch FLASH MOB MARCH

for ain Stand n runsts 120,000 i a t i r e B r e t Breixteers the in of the, not have died ity major elites since the the um

To launch the print publication, we will be staging a series of flash mob marches. This will take place in five key UK cities: London, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool. The launch series will begin in London on May 18th 2017, and will continue until May 22nd, occurring on the main pedestrianised shopping streets in the selected locations on each day.

referend

London: Oxford High Street - May18th Manchester: Market Street - May 19th Leeds: Briggate (high street) - May 20th Newcastle: Northumberland Street - May 21st Liverpool: Lime Street - May 22nd

of authentic activist, alongside people passionate about the publication’s values and message.

Marchers will compromise of 30 volunteers unique and local to each city, who are to be recruited via social media. 15 of these marchers will be drama students recruited from organisations in each of the respective cities (Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts London, Manchester School of Theatre, Yorkshire Academy of Film and Television Acting, Northumbria University and Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts). A mix of drama students and volunteers will mean the march will have both people confident to make noise and play the part

All marchers will wear white t-shirts with the word ‘Zeitgeist’ printed across the front along with #JoinTheZeitgeist. In return for their participation, volunteers will receive a printed tote bag, their t-shirt & copy of Zeitgeist print Issue 1. Participants will be briefed the morning of the event by the Editor (who will attend every event) on what they shall say and do in order to play the part of ‘marcher’ accurately. Placards will be provided on the day, and will display a variety of quotes lifted from print articles intended to provoke emotion and intrigue (see examples above). Marchers will be handing out ‘teaser’ pages of the newspaper, with an article on one side and website/stockist information on the reverse (see opposite). This will direct the public to the online platform and to locations where the print publication can be purchased, as a result of the intrigue inspired by the launch event coupled with the teaser hand-outs.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

Z LIVERPOOL

Z Z

LEEDS

Z

The ‘Lead Marcher’ will be a first-aid trained individual, who will stand alongside the Editor at the front of the group. The Editor will also be partaking in the march whilst leading the group along a predetermined route. For risk assessment of the event, see ‘Logistics’ on page 35 of the Creative Strategy document.

MANCHESTER

LONDON

Z

19

PROMOTION

FRONT

ZEITGEIST REVERSE

20

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

21

s.w.o.t analysis STRENGTHS »» »»

»» »» »»

WEAKNESSES »» If follower numbers are low, the campaign will reach a limited audience »» No guarantee of income return »» Difficult to measure the success of the ‘register to vote’ campaign OPPORTUNITIES »» »» »» »»

Establish core follower base on Instagram and Twitter Drive traffic to the website Launch sales of the print publication, merchandise and subscriptions Contribute to significant topical online discourse as a result

THREATS »» Topical and highly discussed subject attracts a lot of attention, and thus competition »» May get lost amongst competition as small budget means expensive advertisement campaigns are not an option »» If posters are put in ‘controversial’ public locations, as suggested, they may be removed

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ZEITGEIST

»»

»»

Builds promotional campaign around highly topical issues Campaign doesn’t directly market product to the consumer, it promotes action for the consumer’s interest, thus building trust and an authentic connection with the reader Social media based campaign doesn’t incur a cost Will drive followers to the website and print publication No hidden agenda, which builds trust amongst our readers as we don’t manipulate them towards seeing our point of view, unlike mass mainstream media outlets Contributors will ensure posters are displayed in public and posted to social media so the are guaranteed to be seen The launch event and the posters invite active customer participation, creating a two-way discourse, evolving the publication into a community movement

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

budget & funding

As Zeitgeist is a non-profit organisation, the only financial aim is to break even to ensure the publication stays afloat. One funding source we will utilise is crowdfunding, via our Kickstarter page (see Creative Strategy, page 32); and the remainder will come from self-funding.

For a more detailed breakdown of budget/costs and income for Zeitgeist Issue 1, please see page 30 of Creative Strategy document.

EXPENSES Merchandise Poster printing (e-commerce) x50 = £54 Tote bag printing (e-commerce) x50 = £140 Posters (for contributors to distribute) x30 = £32.40 Launch event: Flash mob march A1 printed placards x15 = £150 Tote bags x30 = £84 ‘Teaser’ hand-out prints x100 = £108 Printed t-shirts x150 = £534 = £995.40

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measuring success The success of the promotional campaigns associated with Zeitgeist Issue 1 will be measured by analysing profit figures, resulting from sales (retailers and e-commerce) and subscriptions.

Success will additionally be measured by utilising Google analytic statistics, website traffic figures, and sharing (retweets/likes/tags/use of #JoinTheZeitgeist) activity on social media platforms Instagram and Twitter.

This will allow us to paint a picture of the success of Zeitgeist Issue 1, and identify areas for improvement to evolve the brand.

With each new quarterly issue of Zeitgeist comes a new theme, and thus the expansion of our appeal and connection to new readers from different sectors of the demographic. With each new theme comes the opportunity to work with new contributors and to expand our connections within different creative industries and topics of worldwide conversation. Issue 2 will be titled ‘the Social Issue’ (discussing social issues such as homelessness, LGBT rights, gender equality), Issue 3 will be ‘the Environment Issue’ and Issue 4 ‘the Mental Health Issue’.

In the future, Zeitgeist could host events which launch discussion, such as public debates centred on the topic the current issue focusses on. So, for example, if there were to be a debate for Issue 1, it would focus on politics. Such events could also serve to launch each new quarterly issue of Zeitgeist.

In order to increase the budget for Issue 2 to expand print run and distribution ability, Zeitgeist will look to work with advertisers who fit our progressive, anticorporate ethos without compromising our integrity. Such organisations would include Global Justice Now, PETA, Amnesty International, Greenpeace and other similar philanthropic organisations. With increased funding, we can expand our promotional activity in order to reach a wider audience with greater impact. See Creative Strategy Document, page 31 for more information.

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ZEITGEIST

future vision

APRIL 2017 MAY 2017

Launch

Pre-launch

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

-

Merchandise (posters, tote bags) design Design of teaser hand-outs for launch Recruit marchers for launch event Contact first-aid qualified official to assist with launch event Draw up flash march guidelines and process into document for signing by participants Order placards & t-shirts Online pre-launch promotion

-

Social media campaign to promote registering to vote begins Submit final PDF to the Newspaper Club for print (of posters & teaser hand-outs for launch) Submit final JPEG designs to Awesome Merchandise for tote bag printing Launch website Ship posters to contributors (ready to begin distribution on 18th May - launch day) Send press release Subscription service launched online Launch Issue 1 (e-commerce and retail) Issue 1 launch event: flash mob march series Social media campaign to promote registering to vote ends (deadline May 22nd) Social media campaign to inform voters of their options begins (alongside relevant website content)

JUNE 2017 JULY 2017

Post-launch

- Online promotion of Issue 1 and daily website articles - Reassessment of budget - Social media campaign to inform voters of their options ends (general election 8th June) - Planning of Zeitgeist Issue 2 begins - Analysis of sale and audience engagement statistics - Changes and future development implemented

25

promotional timeline ZEITGEIST KEY DATES »» May 1st: Social media campaign to promote registering to vote begins »» May 11th: Launch of website »» May 13th: Press release sent to UK press »» May 18th: Launch of print publication (e-commerce and retail) along with merchandise on the website »» May 18th-22nd: Flash mob march launch series »» May 23rd: Social media campaign to inform voters of their options begins (alongside relevant website content) 26

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

bibliography 1) http://www.comresglobal.com/polls/bbc-newsbeat-18-24-year-olds-political-survey/ 2) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/12/humans-have-shorter-attention-span-than-goldfish- thanks-to-smart/

1) http://designcollector.net/daily/visual-dose-march-14-2015-at-0514pm 2) https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/257057091209173728/ 3) http://www.lonny.com/photos/Art+gallery/Z87bcrKiF0C 4) http://www.homedesignideas.eu/wall-art-ideas-hallway-decor/10/

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ZEITGEIST

i m a g e / references

AMY ELLIOTT 3,257 WORDS 14040848 CONCEPT REALISATION & PROMOTION DE0931