Best Event Plan/Promotion - - - - - - - - - - -
Back to School Blitz Promotion/Friday Night Blitz Party Presented by The University Daily Kansan The “Back to School Blitz” was the Kansan’s in-‐house promotional campaign that took place during the first two weeks of the University of Kansas’s 2013-‐2014 school year. The purpose of this campaign was to increase readership, online viewership and brand awareness from students, faculty and staff. The Kansan marketing team spent the majority of their summer preparing for the campaign, which included them being very involved with the account executives and their clients. At the beginning of the summer, the Kansan sales and marketing adviser, business manager and marketing manager sat down to discuss how the marketing team was going to increase readership of the print product throughout the summer and during the school year. They also wanted to work on increasing online viewership, mobile app downloads, social media activity and top of mind awareness with current students and incoming freshmen. The “Back to School Blitz” campaign was created in order to meet these goals. The campaign consisted of many promotional events and guerilla marketing tactics that would excite and engage the audience. Some of these strategies included chalking, fliering, paper distribution and tabling on campus. Two local restaurants donated food that was passed out on each of the days that the marketing team tabled. The first week, the team set up a “Good Morning from the Kansan” themed table, which offered coffee, juice and donuts that the students could enjoy while reading their copy of the daily paper. During the second week, there was a large selection of pizza that was distributed to students when they picked up their copy of the Kansan. The Kansan’s mascot, Dale E Paper, also made numerous appearances in classrooms and on campus. Throughout the summer, the marketing team collected hundreds of prizes from Kansan clients and local businesses. Some of these prizes were used as daily “Readership Rewards” that were handed out to students who were caught on campus with Kansan products during the two-‐ week blitz. The remaining prizes were grouped together to create four different prize packages worth over $500 each. Every day during the two week campaign, each member of the marketing team was responsible for finding at least five students on campus who were either reading the daily newspaper, using the Kansan website or had the mobile app downloaded on their phone or tablet. These students were then rewarded with a Kansan t-‐shirt and were entered in a drawing for any of the four prize packages. Since the prize packages were created
around particular themes and interests, the students were allowed to choose which specific drawing they wanted to be put into. A promotional video was produced and displayed on Kansan.com and shared on social media sites. The video helped explain the three different ways that someone could enter to win the prizes that were being advertised. Two other big prizes were also given away at the “Friday Night Blitz” promotional party on the second Friday, which was the last day of the “Back to School Blitz”. The Cave nightclub paired with the Kansan to host the giant party, which marked the end of the blitz campaign and the beginning of the new school year. The party was promoted during the course of the two-‐week blitz through print advertisements in the daily paper and fliers that were distributed. KU’s hip-‐hop dance team even paired with the Kansan and performed a choreographed dance on campus to help promote the party. Ben McLemore, one of KU’s star basketball players who was recently drafted to the Sacramento Kings, reserved a VIP room at the Back to School party and posted on many of his social media accounts about the Kansan’s event. He, along with many friends, came to the event and made an effort to support the Kansan. One of the Kansan’s biggest clients, Wow!, agreed to sponsor the party, as well as the 1000 promotional Kansan t-‐shirts that were given away on campus throughout the blitz and the party. There was a table set up on the way into the club to welcome guests. It displayed the sponsor’s promotional materials as well as Kansan materials and newspapers. The Kansan had coasters and wristbands printed that advertised it’s products, which were used at the party as well. The “Friday Night Blitz” party was one of the most successful parties that the Kansan has ever thrown. The capacity of The Cave nightclub is 800 people, and the manager later said that over 1000 were let in that night and over 1200 people were turned away because the club was so full. This promotion helped to put the Kansan front and center with our target audience from the very first day of classes in the fall. Not only did it help to effectively brand the Kansan with current students, it built an important 4-‐5 year relationship with all new students. This campaign directly affected the reading habits of the audience in a positive way that will continually produce top of mind awareness and interest in the Kansan brand and it’s products.
Back to School Blitz Marketing Schedule Hawk Week – August 19 -‐ 23 Friday, Aug. 23 – Table at Block Party 8 -‐ 10 p.m. at Kansas Union Hawk Fest Info Fair Saturday, Aug. 24 – Table 5:30 -‐ 7:30 p.m. at Kansas Alumni Association Thursday, Aug. 29 – Table 10 a.m. -‐ 2 p.m. at Kansas Union Sunday, August 25 -‐ Chalk campus – (directions to buildings, helpful tips, Kansan branding) -‐ Hang up fliers in dorms and on campus (promote brand, party and drawing) -‐ Blast Kansan and personal social media with promotional video Back to School Blitz – August 26 -‐ September 6 Readership Rewards EVERYDAY Week 1: Monday, Aug. 26 – Distribute paper and hand out pens/t-‐shirts on campus Tuesday, Aug. 27 – Distribute paper and hand out pens/t-‐shirts on campus Wednesday, Aug. 28 – Table on campus – Good Morning from the Kansan! 9 am -‐ 12 pm -‐ Food sponsor: Great Harvest Bread Company -‐ Table on campus – Free Pizza! 12 -‐ 2 pm -‐ Food sponsor: Minsky’s Pizzeria Thursday, Aug. 29 – Dale E Paper classroom appearances Friday, Aug. 30 – Distribute paper and hand out pens/t-‐shirts on campus Week 2: Monday, Sept. 2 – Dale E Paper classroom appearances Tuesday, Sept. 3 – Distribute paper and hand out pens/t-‐shirts on campus Wednesday, Sept. 4 – Distribute paper and hand out pens/t-‐shirts Thursday, Sept. 5 – Table on campus – Free Pizza! 12 -‐ 2 pm -‐ Food sponsor: Minksy’s Pizzeria -‐ KU Dance Team promotion Friday, Sept. 6 – Friday Night Blitz Party 9 pm -‐ 2 am
Back to School Blitz Prize List Total sum of approximately $3000
Basketball Package 1) KU Athletics -‐ 1 signed basketball by 2013-‐14 men’s basketball team -‐ 1 2008 National Champion UDK’s autographed by Coach Bill Self 2) Mario Chalmers Foundation -‐ 1 Chalmers Special Edition UDK autographed by Mario Chalmers 3) Jock’s Nitch ($100) -‐ Gift card 4) Jeffersons ($80) -‐ Gift card Football Package 1) KU Athletics -‐ 1 signed football by 2013-‐14 KU football captains -‐ 3 football “key” player posters autographed by appropriate players 2) Westlake Ace Hardware (over $250) -‐ Grill package. Detailed List: 3 pc tool set ($30), Hickory Kingsford charcoal ($12), Fire wire ($10), Instant marinade set ($27), Brush ($5), Sauce ($5), Rub ($6), Apron ($20), Charcoal bucket ($15), Add 22” Weber ($99), Cover ($27) 3) Mr. Bacon BBQ ($100) -‐ Catering that feeds 10 people Staycation 1) Spring Hill Suites -‐ One night free stay at Lawrence hotel (date of choice) 2) The Granada -‐ Two free concert tickets of choice 3) Intorno ($50) -‐ Gift card 4) TCBY -‐ Delivering a heart-‐shaped cookie to the hotel room and 2 free frozen yogurts for dessert 5) Owens Flower Shop -‐ Will deliver a special arrangement to the hotel room. 6) Mass Street Sweet Shoppe -‐ Will deliver a chocolate basket to the hotel room. Well Being 1) Lawrence Jazzercise Fitness Center ($150) -‐ 10 free classes passes valued at $15 2) Iwig Dairy Local Foods Market ($50) -‐ 5 $10 gift certificates
3) OmTree Shala Yoga ($40) -‐ One free month of unlimited classes 4) Headrush Studio ($100) -‐ Salon basket & contents 5) Sunflower Outdoor and Bike ($100) -‐ Gift card 6) Kretyen ($20) -‐ Gift card Readership Rewards 1) Pech Limo ($400) -‐ 2 1-‐hour transfers 2) Dancefestopia ($200) -‐ 2 concert tickets valued at $100 each -‐ Promotional sunglasses 3) The Legends Outlets ($150) -‐ Gift certificate to all Legends Outlets businesses 4) Buca di Beppo ($50) -‐ Gift certificate 5) Tad’s Pizzeria ($40) -‐ 4 gift cards for a free one topping pizza 6) Wayne & Larry’s ($30) -‐ 2 $15 gift cards 7) Jock’s Nitch ($25) -‐ Gift card 8) Dunn Bros Coffee ($20) -‐ Gift card 9) Mass St. Sweet Shoppe ($20) -‐ Gift card 10) Plato’s Closet ($20) -‐ Gift card 11) Freebirds -‐ 42 gift cards for a free burrito -‐ Promotional koozies 12) Eileen's Colossal Cookies -‐ 81 gift cards for a free cookie -‐ 2 $10 gift cards -‐ She is interesting in doing a trade out for 200 cookies in exchange for an advertisement in the Kansan. Still working out the details. The cookies would be handed out on September 5th at the Kansan tabling. The Advertisement will run the same day. 13) Minsky’s Pizza -‐ Brought 10-‐20 pizzas for the two Wednesdays we tabling for the Blitz