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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION We will create a marketing campaign for Marshall’s The CUBE utilizing online social media networks. Using primarily Facebook and YouTube we will design and promote an online video contest focused on creativity, originality, and user interactivity. Marshall’s The CUBE is a place where young women can go to find high quality name brand clothing at a reduced cost. It is our intention to further the branding of this service by making sure that more young women are aware of the CUBE at their nearest Marshalls. We will do this by implementing a promotional campaign that employs the use of popular social networking and media sharing websites, primarily YouTube and Facebook. The contest will be based entirely in cyberspace, keeping cost low. Participants will be asked for a number of demographic details to ensure that were are in fact reaching out target market. Participants will have the option of either uploading a video from a camera/camcorder or recording a live stream from a webcam. Participants will then submit them to the contest via the dedicated YouTube page abiding by the following rules: All contestants must submit their video in response to The CUBE’s "Shopportunity Showcase" Launch Video. The video can be found in three ways; by (1) searching YouTube for "ShopportunityShowcase" (one word), (2) finding it on the CUBE YouTube Channel, or (3) clicking the link on the CUBE Shopportunity Showcase Facebook page. On the “Shopportunity Showcase” video page click the "Post a Video Response" link below the video. There are two ways to record and upload a video; YouTube will allow you to either record a video, or upload an existing video saved to your computer. When recording a video response using a web cam make sure to allow www.youtube.com access to the device when prompted and simply hit "Ready to Record". Once a video is recorded click "Publish" and the process is done. For uploading a video taken on a camcorder select the "Upload a Video" tab and follow the prompts. After Couture Consulting approves the video, the response will appear below the contest launch video. Make sure to take a look at the Official Rules before submitting. The process couldn’t be any easier. After the contest period has ended TJX executives and our marketing team will select 30 entries that best represent the population who participated in the contest and have shown a conscious effort to display creativity, originality, and most importantly, shopportunity. After the 30 have been selected anyone from around the world will be able to vote for whom they think should win. The incentives for a customer to participate are the substantial prizes, which will be awarded at the end of the contest period. We intend to either award the winner with a role in the next TJX commercial or a shopping spree at her local Marshalls. The campaign will incur minimal overhead expense while generating profit and increased foot traffic for the stores.
VALUE PROPOSITION We believe that our service has a number of facets that will increase foot traffic and overall sales in TJX stores. These aspects include the value of YouTube and Facebook as promotional tools, the spending power of our target demographic, the previous lack of TJX’s online presence, and the success of other retail companies using this method of advertising. The total number of videos on YouTube is constantly fluctuating, but the estimate as of July 2009 is over 100 million. In October 2009 Chad Hurley CEO and Co-founder of YouTube said that they were serving "well over a billion views a day on YouTube." Regarding Facebook there are over 6.8 million female users between the ages of 13-18 (our target market). The average user has 130 friends on the site, and more than 10 million users become fans of Pages each day. These numbers are very impressive but they are hard to grasp because they are so large. The point is however that the prevalence of social networks can on longer be ignored. This is undeniable proof that this is a reliable and growing channel for advertising. The second reason we feel that our service is an opportunity for TJX is due to our target market. According to market research teens are a powerful force in the U.S. market — 12 to 17 year-olds spent $112.5 billion in 2003 alone. Sixteen to 17 year-olds have more than four times the amount of earned income as compared to that of 12 to 13 to $20.10 for 16 to 17 year-olds. For most teenage girls, the majority of their income is spent on clothes. TJX's previous attempts at breaking into social network advertising have been limited to one viral video and a few empty Facebook pages. Competitors of TJX such as Target and JC Penney have had tremendous success, with over 1 million Facebook fans combined! With email correspondence and promotional mailers increasingly ending up in trashcans these companies have found new ways to communicate with their customer. We believe that this is the perfect time for TJX to jump on the bandwagon that is social media advertising. According to a study conducted by marketing firm Cone Inc., “93% of social media users believe a company should have a presence in social media.” (Business in Social Media Study, September 2008) The CUBE has currently only 2,900 fans on Facebook and only 4 subscribers and 118 channel views on YouTube. In this new age of connectivity these numbers are unacceptable for such a reputable company. If TJX wants to remain competitive and relevant to its future loyal customers, it has to seriously consider how it will approach social media. We believe that our service will help TJX do just that.
COMPETITION
Other marketing agencies, especially the finalists for the TJX ad account are our company’s potential competitors. These agencies are: Publicis Groupe, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, GSD&M Idea City, Interpublic’s Lowe and WPP’s Grey Advertising. The social marketing agency Mr. Youth is our direct competitor because this company created a similar four-‐minute web video marketing campaign for the CUBE. These companies could all predictably enact a similar marketing promotion, however we still believe the value of our company is the “Shopportunity Showcase.” It will effectively target our market because of the following reasons: First, By using Facebook and YouTube, two of the most popular websites today, our marketing campaign is able to promote the CUBE’s “treasure hunt” shopping style to the target market more directly. Second, the “Shopportunity Showcase” allows Marshalls to break into social networking advertising and gather a significant number of the target demographic to participate and become a royal customer of the CUBE. Third, the “Shopportunity Showcase” is a low-‐cost advertising campaign, but is still able to have influence on our target market. Due to all these reasons, we are confident that by creating the “Shopportunity Showcase” promotion, Marshall’s will be able to effectively target the demographic and see a significant increase in sales and foot traffic.
S.W.O.T.
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Strengths Knowledge of team members regarding the ins and outs of social networking technology Various cultural views of the group members
Opportunities Expanding the contest to other departments or other branches of TJX Furthering the branding of the CUBE
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Weakness Lack of marketing experience
Threats Failure of previous social networking campaigns Relatively low barrier to entry Contestants not wearing the specified clothing Potential for vulgarity in the videos Sheer number of videos on YouTube to compete with