AUSTIN PETS ALIVE! CAMPAIGN PLANS BOOK
PHILOSOPHY: We strive to find the single most important truth about each of our clients and bring it forward into an array of positive impact that benefits not only the organization but also their audience.
CARA BESSOM
HUNTER ELLENBARGER
JESSICA NOH
NATASHIA SHAW
SAMANTHA SUBAR
Account Planner
Creative Director
Media Director
Interactive Director
PR Director
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Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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S I T U AT I O N A N A LY S I S
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C O N S U M E R A N A LY S I S
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RESEARCH INSIGHTS
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P R I M A R Y & S E C O N D A R Y TA R G E T S
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MARKETING
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MARKETING EXECUTIONS
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P U B L I C R E L AT I O N S
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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ADVERTISING
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C R E AT I V E I N S I G H T S
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ADVERTISING EXECUTIONS
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MEDIA
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ONLINE & OFFLINE MEDIA
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MEDIA SCHEDULE
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MEDIA MENU & BUDGET
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CLOSING
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APPENDIX
Executive Summary Our mission: “Manifest Austin Pets Alive! (APA) as a driving force in the No-Kill movement, making positive connections between pets, people and the community.”
fruition with strategic messaging, engagement and fundraising. Spectrum Studio’s marketing objectives revolve around revamping the APA
Spectrum Studio’s yearlong campaign revolves around the target audiences, women aged 26-38 and women 65+ years old. In-depth research and analysis proves women, often natural nurturers, engage with animal shelters more. Through primary and secondary research, we explored these women’s lifestyles, discovering that each demographic had its own motivations. This process of discovery led us to create tailored messaging for each group.
website and content across all online platforms. This allows you to capitalize Our recommendations include social on the strong brand presence already media campaigns, online marketing in existence, and ultimately clarify strategies, merchandising, sponsorships, messaging and strengthen brand traditional advertising and partnerships. understanding. Spectrum Studio Each suggestion originates with suggests extending this message audience motivations and comes to clarity theme offline to APA’s Town
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Lake and South Congress locations. Marketing strategies also include unique merchandising opportunities to engage adopters and donors of both target audiences. Our PR objectives for APA are all about making “paws-itive” connections. Through social media platforms, we believe APA can improve messaging, connecting APA to their cause. Brand engagement connects people to pets, fundraising connects pets and APA to their future and viral content culturally connects everyone to one another. Social media will connect pets to future owners as well as consumers to one another. Everything, then, further connects APA to the Austin community. We pinpointed advertising as another major messaging opportunity for APA. Spectrum Studio suggests giving your current print ads a materials a makeover, providing you with consistent creative executions across traditional advertising and focused messaging on everything
from donation boxes to animal’s kennels. New prints should tell a story in order to encourage interaction with the brand. Our research reveals that your target audience spends a lot of time on Facebook, making Facebook ads a great way engage with a lot of the women you want to reach. This same segment would also respond well to viral multimedia content such as memes, videos and downloadable content. In order to build a relationship with your secondary audience, we recommend a direct mail campaign around the holidays in December. Spectrum Studio has allocated the budget among various strategic marketing campaigns in order to strengthen messaging, increase engagement and raise funds. While APA already boasts strong brand recognition and brand equity, we are confident our plan will establish your organization as an authority within the industry. Furthermore, it will aid in connecting APA with its mission within the community.
Situation Analysis INDUSTRY OVERVIEW More than 4,000 animal shelters operate in the United States, a country where the entire pet industry represents upwards of a $50 billion market¹. In the Austin area alone, there are over 80 approved partners of the Animal Services Office². Across the United States, around 500 communities qualify as No-Kill, saving at least 90% of animals that are deemed fit for euthanasia³. Austin is a leader in this movement, as it remains the largest No-Kill city in the country4. According to a 2012 Mintel report, 64% of Americans own a pet5. Approximately 30% of people owning pets claim to have adopted or rescued their animal, with a higher rate of adoption among dogs than cats6. There are no statistically significant regional differences in attitudes towards pet adoption. The key to increasing pet adoption is to change positive attitudes towards saving animals into positive action. 82% of people cite preferring a specific dog or cat breed as the top reason why they did not adopt from a shelter¹.
The key to increasing pet adoption is to change positive attitudes towards saving animals into positive action.
Dogs and cats make up the most popular demographic of pets. Owning a dog is slightly more popular than owning a cat, and pets in general are more popular with women than men by four percentage points. Households with children, those who own property, and people aged 20-55 are more likely to own pets than people who do not fall into these categories. 45% of dog owners have more than one dog, and 53% of cat owners have more than one cat, leaving significant opportunity for additional pet acquisition for current pet owners6.
COMPANY OVERVIEW Austin Pets Alive! is a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that resolves to save adoptable dogs and cats from euthanasia lists in Austin. The organization leads the national No-Kill movement and upholds Austin’s No-Kill status with the help of numerous programs for the training, treatment and rehabilitation of animals. The organization seeks out help from the community through fostering, volunteering, adoption, and donation opportunities4.
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POSITIONING APA positions itself as an upbeat, fun-loving brand that views animal rescue not as a daunting task, but as an opportunity to rehabilitate, care for, and provide homes for animals in Austin. The brands coloring and “!” at the end of APA reflect this optimistic outlook and approach to saving lives. While many rescue organizations come off as preaching, overly serious, and play on pity and sympathy, APA differentiates itself by remaining perpetually upbeat in its messaging, especially over social media platforms.
MESSAGING APA’s social media messaging is strong. The brand has great awareness among the Austin community, evidenced by its following and off-shoot pages, and projects itself with a consistently upbeat tone. The confusion with the messaging comes with describing the organization. For many, affinity for the brand comes naturally, but understanding proves difficult. Potential volunteers, adoptees, and others who engage with the brand have difficulty understanding multiple partnerships, programs, relations to the Austin Animal Shelter, intake procedures, and how it all culminates into one consistent brand.
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Awareness within the community
Confusion among constituents regarding APA’s relation to other animal rescue organizations
Engaging in more social media channels such as Vine
Maintaining No-Kill status
Strong presence on Facebook and Twitter Affinity for the brand within the Austin population
Overall message clarity The condition of the current Town Lake location
Developing the potential of the blog and Instagram accounts Organization of the website Increased opportunities and responsibility for volunteers
Urgent need for a new Forever Home
CONSUMER ANALYSIS The primary target, women aged 26-38, currently comprise the largest demographic of volunteers, fosters and adopters at APA. Our goal is to engage this important demographic further, in order to promote more volunteering and adoption by both them and their close friends. These women are nurturers, have a strong motivation to care for others, seek companionship and possibly protection as well. These women are comprised of two sub-categories: those who are single, and those who are married with or without young children. Motivations for these groups are different. According to Mintel reports, singles in this age range report having more time to themselves, more freedom, and more discretionary income. They are also frequently online, watch the news on TV, cook, and use social networking sites. Compared with their married counterparts, single women do more volunteer work, and are more likely to be out and about in the community, whether it be eating in restaurants more often, taking courses for enrichment or attending community events7. These women are prime targets for volunteering, and encouraging their friends to volunteer as well. Married women in this age range also are very engaged with their social networks. New moms, with an average age of
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25.4 in 2010, make up a very relevant portion of your target demographic. Young moms desire “me� time, are influential online, and have often have several social media accounts. Because of their limited free time, they are less likely to volunteer than their single counterparts8. However, households with children are far more likely to have pets than childless households, making these married women prime targets for pet adoption at APA. 90% of those with pets consider their pets to be part of the family. Thus, these women care deeply about their pets and since approximately one-third of them have adopted from a shelter, likely also care deeply about animal welfare more broadly6. Single women 65+ are the secondary target; this demographic leads a less complicated life and reports being the most happy of all singles. As such, attempts to reach out to these women should emphasize life on their terms, simplification and taking it easy. These women may be divorced, widowed, or women who have chosen a life of being single. They engage in activities outside the home such as art classes, volunteering and have a network of close friends7.
KEY RESEARCH INSIGHTS Our secondary research began by studying the American pet industry as a whole, not limiting ourselves to shelter and rescue organizations. Much of this research was derived from Mintel’s “America’s Pet Owners” report. Consumer survey data from this report provided insight into the demographics most likely to own pets, how people acquire pets, and attitudes regarding pets. Here, we learned that 90% of pet owners view their pets as part of their family, an insight that spurred our idea to not only market the Forever Home being crucial to APA, but that each animal needs a “forever home”, and a family. Once we had an understanding of the industry from the top-level, we dove into details. We studied No-Kill advocacy websites, the Austin Department of Animal Services and more to understand the intricacies of the complex pet industry. This exercise made us realize that with so many players involved, understanding the industry and services offered is difficult for constituents. We also closely studied APA’s website, its social media presence, as well as the messaging it projects to its volunteers and donors. From this research, we gleaned the idea of organization and clarification, making it an objective of our campaign to streamline the website and provide other means of making it easier for consumers to connect and engage with APA and its partners.
Our primary research included both in-depth interviews and direct observations. We completed over ten hours of observational research divided across the APA Town Lake location, Tarrytown location, as well as the South Congress trailer. In-depth interviews were conducted with one male and one female who have both volunteered at APA. The Tarrytown location was pristine, with room for merchandise and other branding opportunities. We envision the Forever Home being similar, but on a larger scale. Our research at Town Lake however, confirmed the urgency of finding a Forever Home for APA. We saw an opportunity to increase interaction between potential adoptees and volunteers and to keep messaging consistent on individual animal pens; this would serve to unify the brand further and will be discussed further in following sections. Through our research into the industry as a whole, APA as a company, and through the research we conducted ourselves, Spectrum Studio found that the key opportunity lies with: - Increasing engagement by connecting the target with APA - Clarifying and organizing messaging Together, these two opportunities will serve to increase adoptions, volunteer retention and donation rates.
Primary Target MEET JENNIFER Jennifer is 27 and rents a one-story house off of South 1st Street. She is an associate at an information services firm downtown, and spends her lunch hour at Whole Foods. After work, she often heads to the yoga studio or to Town Lake for a run. She has a cat named Toby whom she loves dearly – he’s super low maintenance and loves to cuddle with her during her Netflix marathon watch parties. She cannot wait for the second season of Orange is the New Black, attends every festival in Austin that she can, and frequently meets friends for drinks on Rainey Street.
MEET HEATHER Heather is a thirty-two-year-old wife and mother of two. Sophia is three years old and Aiden is five years old. Her husband is an ER doctor at Seton Medical Center, and she is a stay-at-home mom. She also runs a small Etsy shop from home and is active on multiple social media platforms, both to market her small business and to seek out parenting advice from friends and blogs. The family lives in West Lake and recently adopted their mixed breed pup from the Tarrytown APA location. Aiden renamed the dog Gru after a character in his favorite movie, Despicable Me.
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Secondary Target MEET JUDITH Judith participates in pottery classes at the local Dougherty Arts Center, enjoys being a member of the garden club, and above all else, adores her dog, Fiona, who is four. Judith is 72-years-old, retired, and was widowed five years ago. She has two children, but they have busy family lives on opposite coasts, and she only sees them two to three times a year. Through her diverse interests, she has made many close friends in Austin and is very happy. Judith is beginning to be concerned with her legacy and what would happen to Fiona should anything happen to her. She is familiar with APA, but does not have an in-depth knowledge of their programs.
PRIMARY TARGET Austin Women Age 26-38
SECONDARY TARGET Austin Single Women 65+
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Marketing STRATEGY The general marketing strategy of Spectrum Studio’s campaign for APA revolves around fundraising, messaging and engagement. APA needs to revamp online content across all platforms in order to increase message cohesion. We also intend to focus on fundraising to increase support and drive revenue for the Forever Home. APA’s third objective should be to engage its audience, consisting of not just potential adopters but also APA volunteers and donors. APA’s message to its audience is all about making “pawsitive” connections. Through improving messaging, we are connecting APA to their mission; brand engagement connects people to pets and fundraising connects pets and APA to their futures. Everything you do should further connect APA to the Austin community, ensuring success for years to come.
OBJECTIVES 1 – Improve messaging and content strategy by overhauling the current APA website as well as developing clearer graphics and signage 2 – Raise funds for a permanent APA Forever Home location by selling unique, inexpensive merchandise on Society6 as well as sponsored items that will become a part of the Forever Home legacy 3 – Increase engagement and volunteer retention through a matchmaker program and maintain facilities at consumer contact points so that they promote a positive image
Fundraising SO C I E TY 6 Spectrum Studio recommends adapting your merchandising strategy in order to engage local artists and connect with the community. Artists can donate designs by using Society6.com. 100% of the designs’ profits would be devoted to raising money for Forever Home without costing APA a single penny. This will resonate with our target because the majority of Society6’s visitors and customers are females10. A PA ! ME R C HANDIS E In-house merchandise should venture beyond logo t-shirts and include limited edition, modern fashion tees with subtle branding on the shirt sleeves. These shirts might feature graphics of a cat hugging your neck and other quirky things that our target will find fashionable. In addition to shirts, you could promote matching pet clothes and accessories as well. Measure merchandise sales, relative APA’s online traffic, artists’ following and Society6 shoppers METRICS:
FO R EVER H OME INSTALLAT IONS In order to start a conversation with your secondary market, we suggest APA merchandises Forever Home Sponsorships. We suggest you offer engraved dog tags and celebrity concrete slabs with hand and paw prints to APA supporters that donate a certain amount of money. These tokens act as a promise for the future Forever Home. “They are a legacy to be preserved in art, as APA could create a mural of these dog tags on a wall in the Forever Home. APA can engage the online crowd by implementing a digital goal thermometer, establishing a sense of urgency and attainability among donors. We want to communicate, “Thank you for helping pets find forever homes. Help us find ours!” METRICS: Measure tags and concrete slabs sold and online engagement
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Messaging WE BS I T E OVE R H AU L APA’s website has a lot going on. It feels near impossible to completely envision everything APA encompasses from page to page. This creates a roadblock. When people confront delays, they impatiently move on to something else. Potential adopters, foster parents and donors are lost because the amount of programs, partnerships with other rescue organizations and sheer information on the website is overwhelming. When you eliminate the roadblocks you enable more engagement. We suggest investing $288 in annual subscription to the open platform web service SquareSpace in order to clarify messaging, values and event calendars. A website revamp would feature consolidated pages with less copy. Our audience should be able to sign up for volunteer time-slots, adopt pets, foster pets, purchase merchandise and sponsor the Forever Home without any barriers. This equates to less confusion and more engagement. METRICS:
Measure page visits, referrals, social engagement, merchandise sold, Google and SquareSpace analytics
SI M PLI F Y T H E P R O CESS One major gap in current APA messaging is the APA process. While so many audience members know of APA, maybe even know the mission of APA, they don’t understand just what APA does. Most people think it is like any other shelter, where they can just drop off an animal willy nilly. We recommend including a timeline of the average APA animal on your website in order to show your audience how the typical APA process goes. Measure page visits, stickiness, referrals, social engagement, Google and SquareSpace analytics METRICS:
OT H E R M A R K E T IN G R EC O MME NDATI O NS Beyond this campaign, Spectrum Studio suggests simplifying the weekly emails going out to volunteers. Interviews revealed that volunteers are overwhelmed by the sheer wordiness of current emails. You could look into MailChimp, an online tool that organizes content as you insert it, ensuring a readable and enjoyable design. This strategy would help decrease roadblocks and increase volunteer retention as well as boost engagement with your exisiting email marketing efforts.
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Engagement P E R S O N A L MATC H MA KE R S In order to increase volunteer retention as well as adoptions, Spectrum Studio suggests expanding your current animal matchmaker program by implenting a more even ratio of volunteers to animals on both an individual and organizational level. This will increase volunteers’ accountability to APA on two levels; the external responsibility to find their animal a home and the internal desire to find their animal a good family. This program should also be extended to organizations who are passionate about APA’s mission because the more voices an animal has on its behalf, the more likely it is to find a home. This is a win-win way for adding value to both the volunteers’ and animals’ experiences with APA. Measure adoption rates of matchmaker paired animals versus previous rates for those without, number of volunteers, number of hours volunteers spend at APA METRICS:
S IT E C O N S I D E R ATI O NS When observing APA locations, Spectrum Studio noticed an inconsistency in messaging. The Tarrytown site represents a pleasant and overall more inviting image of APA than the South Congress and Town Lake locations. On South Congress, animals were on display with discouraging signage highlighting the animals’ negative attributes or ailments. While this type of environment may reflect harsh realities APA regularly faces, such verbal and nonverbal messages skew the image of APA’s mission. We recommend applying the idea of making positive connections when choosing animals to showcase and their accompanying signage. We suggest highlighting 1-2 animals at this location that are well-trained and very friendly, in order to increase engagement with the heavy flow of traffic. The primary opportunity for this site is not adoption but rather merchandise, as people frequent South Congress to shop and are likely to purchase from APA, a brand which many already know and love. If you spotlight animals with illnesses, consider signs that inspire compassion rather than aversion. You want the visitors to empathize with the dogs and cats, enough to inspire positive action. Measure customer satisfaction and engagement with comment cards and relative number of adoptions, donations, etc. at each location, track merchandise sales METRICS:
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Public Relations STRATEGY Whether you’re a non-profit or a Fortune 500 company, standing out is a crucial ingredient for success. Spectrum Studio will help APA set the agenda by developing and establishing a unique brand platform and positioning the nonprofit as leaders in the services they provide. Leveraging vehicles such as social networks, local advertising, and special events will help APA stay ahead of the curve and build value. We will elevate APA while building and protecting their spectacular reputation.
OBJECTIVES 1 – Shift the APA narrative with targeted messaging and platform development 2 – Position APA as a reliable and constant provider of local animal news, using media relations to also convey the needs and accomplishments of the organization
Social Media FAC E B O O K High fives - or fours - across the board for the current Facebook strategy. As an outlet that develops deep and meaningful online relationships, APA has done an excellent job at instigating effective two-way conversations with their constituents. We recommend that APA continue to build close connections with APA constituents and use these two-way relationships to increase volunteers, funds, and adopters. Increase in likes, shares, and comments compared on a weekly basis from Facebook page reporting METRICS:
TW I TTE R
Vine is your new secret weapon. The opportunities for effortlessly creating sharable content are endless on this social platform.
Here’s a space where we can show individuals the significance of APA and promote upcoming events. Twitter can be used to publicly thank corporate sponsors by tweeting at them, thanking them for their contributions and giving shout-outs to recent adopters. APA can create tweets surrounding events to build hype including pictures/footage from events the previous year and share timely announcements about the organization and its animals METRICS:
VI NE Vine is your new secret weapon. The opportunities for effortlessly creating sharable content are endless on this social platform and should be mined for all their worth. Through the revine feature of this application, videos of APA animals being their adorable selves have the potential to instantly go viral, boosting the animal’s chance of getting adopted exponentially. Vines can also be easily embedded onto websites. The APA pages dedicated to available cats and dogs should feature thumbnails of Vines, not static photos or lengthy videos, that will bring the page to life and give viewers a better look at the animals’ personalities. Vines are much more simple to produce than the YouTube videos APA currently uses to showcase animals and are even easier to share. METRICS:
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Increase in followers, increase in favorites or retweets
Number of followers, revines, likes comments and click-throughs
I N STAGR A M Instagram is a special opportunity for APA to show off its personality and its animals who are up for adoption. Creating a balance of the Instagram account between images and videos of animals currently up for adoption and the culture of APA, followers will be entertained and informed about APA’s actions. Increase in followers compared to numbers from the previous month, increase in likes and comments broken down by what type of posts (dogs, cats, events, people, etc.) METRICS:
LI N K E DI N While we understand that APA is a nonprofit, not a for-profit-business, we believe that the organization could greatly benefit from creating a profile on this unchartered territory. Volunteers can add APA to their experience, creating more visibility for the nonprofit and a source of recognition for the volunteers. APA will also be able to share important information and stories on the network, establishing them as thought leaders in their field. Positive rise in followers and people who add APA to their LinkedIn profile as an organization they’ve volunteered with METRICS:
OT H E R S O C IA L R EC OMME NDATI O NS Wow, thats a lot of social servitude - especially for a nonprofit - but since we strongly believe in the effectiveness and cost efficiency of social strategies we suggest that APA employ a social assistant. Here for your social assistance and growth, we give to you: the Communications Intern.
PR ES S K IT S
BLOG
With good reason there are plenty of people who’d like to support APA. Whether they be businesses, individuals, or clubs, it is important that APA’s messaging remain streamlined and cohesive across the board to ensure a uniform understanding of the nonprofit. Our recommendation is to send all approved parties our media kit containing the following materials:
The APA blog is a huge opportunity for your organization to show its voice and personality. Utilizing this valuable resource will open the door to deeper client connectivity and even give adopters the chance to share their story. A few of the blog ideas we developed include:
– Infographic breakdown of an APA animal’s journey – List of rules when forming an APA group - including what can and cannot be executed without your approval – Pitch letter outline for those wanting to hold a profitshare event or other promotion to fundraise on APA’s behalf – Volunteer sheet for those interested in lending a hand both individually or as a group In addition to the above materials, we recommend making a downloadable brand style guide complete with editable logo files and Facebook Cover and Profile photo templates for outside parties to use when creating digital advertising or other printed promotional materials.
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– Event recaps including pictures and milestones achieved and major donations – Weekend wrap up of what happened this week at APA including links to stories you love or pictures/ videos that made you laugh – Buzzfeed-inspired quizzes that tell you if you’re a dog person or a cat person, what kind of breed are you? – Special guest blog entries from adopters who want to share their stories MARAT HONS Participation in dog-friendly marathons will further promote APA’s strong image in the community while giving the dogs more publicity. Marathon participants will be paired up with leash-trained, APA dogs for the duration of the event and all dogs will sport an “Adopt Me” shirt. APA can kill two birds with one stone by connecting with the greater Austin community and giving their dogs some facetime with the locals. We’ve selected the Arthritis Walk, Austin AIDS Walk and the Mighty Texas Dog Walk as three dog-friendly, local walks to kick-off the APA marathon madness.
I N T E ND E D E F F EC TS By highlighting real examples in our blog, social media tactics, and other aforementioned public relations execution, we will help influencers understand the value of APA. Our messaging will all be conveyed with a specific goal in mind that falls into one of the following categories: – Giving personal/general thanks to those who have given so much to us.
GRATITUDE
NECESSITIES
EVENTS
GRATITUDE
– This will be the greatest chunk of our efforts since this includes everything from funding for various needs to animals that need a home. NECESSITIES
– Spreading the message of precisely what it is that APA does and giving updates about animal news affecting the greater Austin community. EDUCATION
– Announcements about upcoming events, including adoption offsites, galas, and the activities of APA support groups. EVENTS
EDUCATION
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Advertising STRATEGY The creative strategy behind our campaign is rooted in forming meaningful connections between APA and the public and motivating people to help through either adopting, volunteering or donating. All of our proposed messaging will be anchored to the new tagline we have developed for APA: Paws Up. In comparison to the existing tagline, “Helping People Help Pets,” this new line differentiates APA from other shelter or rescue organizations in a memorable way that will resonate with the target. Each element of the campaign encourages the target to put their metaphorical ‘paws’ up in support of APA. This “Paws Up” mentality will spread contagiously positive messages that will keep people amused, touched and engaged in supporting the APA mission.
OBJECTIVES 1 – Increase brand engagement across all of APA’s social media platforms 2 – Polish and tighten brand messaging so that it speaks to the positive nature of APA’s mission while telling the success stories of the relationships APA helped to form 3 – Raise awareness for the need of both volunteers and donors that are crucial to ensuring APA’s successful future
Creative Insights K E Y B E N E F IT Community members as well as potential pet owners look to APA as the primary voice for pets and animal welfare in Austin. Our campaign will strengthen APA’s positive reputation among Austinites, ensuring that this organization will continue to have top-of-mind awareness for not only pet adoptions but also goodwill toward animals in general. TO N E This campaign will take a purely positive tone. People are very aware of the heavy hearted realities associated with shelter animals and do not need to be reminded of it in order to feel like they can make a difference. From over the top social media content where the animals are the stars to more traditional media that showcases the love between animals and their owners, our campaign will have everyone putting their paws up. To achieve this, we will specifically target our primary audience of young women who are social media savvy with humorous, viral videos and memes that lets the animals do the talking. The secondary target will be reached in a more serious manner with delicate direct mailers that speak to the more serious and passionate aspects of APA. Overall, every execution will continue to draw attention to APA’s unique brand of positivity in an industry shrouded in darkness.
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Executions PR I N T After gauging consumer touchpoints with the APA brand, it was clear that the APA donation buckets scattered around restaurants and local business are prime real estate for a print campaign. The ads will feature APA success stories, showcasing the connections and unique stories that former APA pets and their owners share. This will be achieved through the use of a minimalist photography style that lets the pet owner and their dog or cat’s personalities shine and brief, specifically personalized copy. Production costs of this campaign will be minimized by asking a local photographer to donate time to set up a temporary photo studio on site at APA and inviting recent adopters to come and tell their stories. The ads will then be printed on low-cost paper and then affixed to donation buckets around the city. These ads can be shared on social media where the featured model can be tagged, subsequently spreading the ad to their networks where countless impressions can be earned. METRICS:
Increased donation amounts, Facebook likes, comments and shares
FAC E B O O K A D S In order to increase volunteer registration, we have designed Facebook ads that are specifically tooled for our primary target in hopes of setting them up as an APA matchmaker. The art direction and copy of these ads will mock overly cheesy dating ads, adding to the viral nature of this campaign. This will catch our target’s attention as 22% of people between the ages of 25 and 34 have used dating sites or apps11. With a hefty amount of humor, audiences will be delighted to click-through and learn more about how they can help. METRICS:
Facebook analytics
CAT GOT YO U R TO N GUE MEMES People love a good meme. APA has adorable kittens, puppies, cats and dogs, waiting to make someone’s day on the interweb. Caption contests using photos of actual APA animals will be held on Facebook and Twitter, employing fans to write the best possible meme. The winner will not only receive free merch and bragging rights but will also see their winning meme created as sharable content from the APA page. METRICS:
Facebook likes, comments and shares
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Executions V I RA L VID EO Our culture is propelled by a universal aptitude for the favorite guilty pleasure that is reality television. While APA may not have a network television-sized budget, it does have all of the means to make equally viral video content. Film interns would be tasked with producing weekly reality video series that use Austin Pets Alive! animals as the cast. From The Dog Bachelor to America’s Next Top Kitten, the possibilities are endless for how well silly video content can keep Austin Pets Alive! fans engaged with the brand. We recommend having people vote on their favorite contestants and fictitious plot lines each week to maximize audience participation. METRICS:
YouTube views, Facebook shares
DOWN LOA DA B L ES Quirky and eccentric patterns and prints can be turned into branded downloadable smartphone or desktop background wallpapers, which will serve as almost constant reminders of APA’s mission and values to people who choose to use them. By asking local Austin artists to contribute designs, APA will not only tap into their fanbases and social networks but will also save lots of money in the process. METRICS:
Number of downloads
DI REC T M A IL Elegant and special direct mailers, targeted at prior donors or adopters within the secondary target market, will be sent out, thanking them for their previous contributions and encouraging them to consider making a more permanent investment in APA by donating to the Forever Home fund. The letter will also include instructions in how to purchase a sponsored dog tag or cement slab as well as a self-addressed envelope for sending in donations. METRICS:
Donation amounts, dog tag and cement slab sales
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Media STRATEGY APA needs to reach broader audiences and put more effort on attracting the secondary target audience of 65+ years old female donors. Therefore, we suggest to approach them through local events that are related to “health” and “curing.” Most of the APA events are hosted by APA and there is a very low chance to meet new audiences and potential donors than at external events. However, through these external, wellknown local events, APA will gain a new and strong brand presence in Austin. Also, this will create another word-of-mouth opportunity among the older audience who had previously been slightly neglected. In addition, we will continue to maintain a heavy brand awareness on online media throughout the campaign to build an in-depth relationship with the primary target audience. APA will also deliver ‘easy to digest’ and ‘easy to access’ content through its online platforms.
OBJECTIVES 1 – Attract a broader demographic and build an even stronger brand image within the local Austin community by becoming a staple at local events 2 – Stabilize the relationships between APA and its donors, volunteers and adopters by maintaing an active and engaging online presence
K E Y M E D IA P R O B L E M The key problem of APA’s current media strategy is that social media content is not approaching the current target audiences efficiently. The primary target audiences of APA are females 26-38 and 65 and older. Women between the ages of 26 and 38 are heavy online users and are looking for convenient and portable media usage. They use online media for entertainment, obtaining information and communicating. APA’s main focus is on online media and numerous events throughout the year. Although the primary target audiences are heavy online users, the brand awareness and brand message is not delivered as effectively as it could be. For the 65+ female audiences, APA needs to shift gears and focus more on approaching them through more traditional media. While this secondary audience is an important part of APA’s overall target, they are currently not being reached through a specific medium to maximize their potential in meeting APA’s objectives and goals.
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Online Media SOCIAL MEDIA APA is actively approaching the younger target audiences through social network media. Although they frequently post their news and stories about pets, the content lacks variety. Therefore, we suggest APA keep their current frequency on social media but develop variety in the content messaging. A PA HOMEPAGE & BLOG Spectrum Studio suggests APA reach the online audiences through redesigning and frequently updating the website and APA blog. Both the website and blog must be updated weekly or semi-weekly. This will allow APA to share in-depth information about donating, fostering, volunteering and upcoming events. O NLINE V IDEO (YOU TU BE) Many donors and potential adopters are having a hard time finding their matching pets yet most of them are interested in the APA organization. In order to provide vivid images and information, we suggest APA to upload online video weekly throughout the first half of the campaign year. This online video will cover the past events, daily stories of the animals, and interviews of the APA members as well as our reality TV spoofs. YouTube is going to touch the audiences more emotionally and effectively. E MAIL MARKETING Spectrum Studio suggests redesigning your weekly newsletters to make them easier to digest, thus encourages engagement rather than overwhelming subscribers. Email marketing is not only cost efficient, but it also serves as a great platform to engage audiences more personally and we believe this media is a great opportunity to design strong brand messaging.
Offline Media DI REC T M A IL During the holidays, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, APA can build stronger relationships by sending out personalized mail directly. A third of online donations are made in December which makes this an optimum time to reach out to the secondary target9. This medium will be a great opportunity for APA to approach older target demographics (65+ female) who would benefit from a more traditional medium and easy to access advertisements. DON AT IO N B U C KETS For the many APA donation boxes in local businesses, we suggest updating the picture and the stories monthly. This unique print/out of home media platform of APA will generate high impressions and create buzz about the brand among many pet owners and other broader audiences. E V E NT S Many residents in Austin are more interested in local activities and festivals than other cities. In order to reach broader audiences in Austin, Spectrum Studio suggests APA engage with broader audiences through numerous events that are related to ‘health’ and ‘curing.’ By presenting itself as ‘friendly’ and ‘healing’ to event participants, APA will continue to grow its already strong brand awareness at new consumer contact points.
Women between the ages of 26 and 38 are heavy online users and are looking for convenient and portable media usage.
Media Schedule FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 ONLINE FACEBOOK TWITTER VINE INSTAGRAM LINKEDIN BLOG E-NEWSLETTER YOUTUBE EVENTS NO-KILL ANNIVERSARY LOVE YOUR RESCUE PET DAY MIGHTY TEXAS DOG WALK ARTHRITIS WALK AIDS WALK PRINT DIRECT MAIL DONATION BUCKETS
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JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
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Media Menu & Budget TYPE ONLINE FACEBOOK POSTS TWITTER VINE YOUTUBE LINKEDIN BLOG SQUARESPACE INSTAGRAM EVENT POSTERS (18X24) MIGHTY TEXAS DOG WALK ARTHRITIS WALK AIDS WALK PRINT DIRECT MAIL LETTERS DONATION BOX PRINTS
UNITS
BUDGETS CPU
CPM
IMPRESSIONS
TOTAL $1,000
60,000 /MONTH 15,400 /MONTH 1,600 /MONTH 1,600 /MONTH 10,000 /MONTH 10,000 /MONTH 10,000 /MONTH 15,912 /MONTH
$288.00
50 50 50
$20.00 13 $20.00 13 $20.00 13
$1,000 $1,000 $1,000
200 100
$2.00 12 $0.59 14
$400 $59
Total Expenditures:
1,500+ 5000+ 5000+
$0.059
300+ 3000 /MONTH
$4,547.00
Metrics & Evaluation At Spectrum Studio, we care about metrics, measurements and results grounded in data. We’re confident that all of our objectives are measurable and will produce tangible results for APA. That’s why under every marketing, public relations, and advertising objective, we have included detailed metrics that quantify what success for this year-long campaign would look like and have provided further recommendations for the brand. APA excels in many areas, from brand awareness to brand affinity. However, we feel that APA could implement strategies that would maximize potential donors, adopters, and volunteers. Spectrum Studio is here to lend a paw; our objective is to further engagement, particularly amongst groups that have already proved to be crucial supporters of APA. We are committed to deepening the connection women 26-38 and 65+ have with APA through our targeted marketing strategies and believe we can spread APA’s optimistic energy further through our advertising campaign, online content, and public relations efforts. We ask that you give us the “Paws Up”.
Commitment March 4, 2014 I, ___________________ , as an official representative of Austin Pets Alive!, understand and approve the campaign plan outlined in this book. My signature indicates that I would like this media plan executed in its entirety, without exception, by Spectrum Studio. Furthermore, I give Spectrum Studio full access to any and all financial resources as outlined in this budget. I also agree to allow Spectrum Studio full use of Austin Pets Alive! logos and other promotional assets.
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________________________________________ Austin Pets Alive Representative
__________ Date
________________________________________ Spectrum Studio Representative
__________ Date
Appendix – Pet Adoption Timeline Research. Rep. DraftFCB, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. 1
– ”Approved Partners | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin.”Approved Partners | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin. City of Austin, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
INTERV IEW QU EST IONS Why do you enjoy volunteering at APA?
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– “The 90 Percent Club.” No-Kill Advocacy Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. 3
– ”Austin’s Progress | Austin Pets Alive!” Austin Pets Alive! N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. 4
– Mintel. “Marketing to Pet Owners – U.S.” September 2012. Web. 02 Mar 2014. 5
– Mintel. “America’s Pet Owners – U.S.” March 2013. Web. 02 Mar 2014. 6
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– Mintel. “Single Lifestyles - U.S.” February 2012. Web. 02 Mar 2014.
– Mintel. “Marketing to Moms - U.S.” September 2013. Web. 02 Mar 2014. 8
– Flandez, Raymund. “Post Navigation.” Prospecting More Proof That December Is Critical to Charities Annual Giving Comments. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 14 Dec. 2010. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. 9
– “Society6.com.” Society6.com Site Info. Alexa, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. 10
– Smith, Aaron. “5 Facts about Online Dating.” Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research Center, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. 11
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– FedEx Office Print Online. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
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– Large Format Digital Printing. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
– Office Depot Brand Single Sided Full Serve Color Copies by Office Depot. Web. 01 Mar. 2014. 14
What is your understanding of APA!’s programs? What is the No-Kill Movement? What does APA do? To your knowledge, how does APA! intake animals? Why do you think there is a high turnover rate with APA volunteers? What do you think can be done to combat this issue? How long have you been involved with APA!? In your opinion, what is APA! doing well? What do you think could be done to improve APA?
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