Creative Campaign Proposal

Creative Campaign Proposal Chocolate

Holly Wampler & Sam Velazquez A320

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

2

Creative Brief

3

Consumer Profile

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Print Ad

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Video Script

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Social Media Campaign

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Promotional Event

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Executive Summary

Chocolate Diet Coke, a brand new line of soda from Coca-Cola, must achieve two communications objectives and a single marketing objective. The communications objectives are as follows: (1) To establish the Chocolate Diet Coke name as a new option in the crowded soda industry and (2) establish Chocolate Diet Coke as an experiential product that appeals to the sentimental sensibilities of a youthful target market that is increasingly disinterested in diet beverages. The marketing objective is to obtain a 0.1% market share in the soda industry within one year of the product’s introduction.

In order to satisfy the communication objectives, we’ve developed a campaign that focuses on the sentimentality of decades past that is targeted at men and women ages 18-29. While this is not the demographic that most often drinks diet sodas, we identified an opportunity to appeal to this underserved demographic and convert them to Chocolate Diet Coke consumers. While this demographic has no actual experience or memory of 1950s or ‘60s, the aesthetic and romanticized nature of those times can be applied to the modern, forward-thinking lifestyles of our target audience.

We propose a campaign that doesn’t veer into simple nostalgia; rather, we intend to leverage the most appealing aspects of the 1950s and ‘60s and inject them directly into the very modern lives and aspirations of a young, career-driven target audience. We intend on engaging them on social media via visually-driven platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, and through face-to-face marketing via pop-up promotional events in bustling cities. These tactics, combined with print and television ads, will appeal directly to our target audience’s experiential, sentimental tendencies while establishing Chocolate Diet Coke’s unique brand positioning.

Ultimately, we intend to position Chocolate Diet Coke as an experiential beverage, one that potential consumers can attach their own sentiments and ideals to. By taking focus away from the suspect “benefits” associated with most diet beverages, Chocolate Diet Coke can carve out its own unique position in the soda industry.

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Creative Brief Current Situation Diet beverages face increased scrutiny from the health community, with consumption of diet sodas tied to increased risks in metabolic syndrome (obesity, high blood pressure, etc.), depression, and diabetes. Accordingly, sales and consumption of diet drinks has fallen in recent years. In this increasingly hostile environment, Coca-Cola plans to release Chocolate Diet Coke, a sweeter, more indulgent addition to their line of Diet Coke sodas.

Consumer Problem Consumers are becoming more educated and aware of the health risks associated with the consumption of diet beverages. Additionally, Chocolate Diet Coke is a new beverage with no name recognition beyond what the Coca-Cola brand name bestows on it. Convincing consumers that Chocolate Diet Coke is less about non-existent health benefits and more about experience and indulgence eliminates the perception issue and positions the product in a unique way.

Assignment Diet soda consumers must be convinced that Chocolate Diet Coke’s benefits are experiential in nature; any health “benefits” associated with diet drinks must be made secondary. Chocolate Diet Coke must be positioned in consumer’s minds as a brand swathed in sentimentality. It must engage consumers’ forward thinking aspirations while simultaneously tapping into their desire for a romanticized, “out of time” experience.

Consumers don’t want to be reminded of the health risks associated with diet sodas, or their empty health promises. Instead, Chocolate Diet Coke will provide consumers not with an escape to the past, but rather with a way to bring the best parts of the past to their modern life.

Marketing Objective

The objective is to establish Chocolate Diet Coke’s name recognition in the crowded $73.6 billion soda industry, and gain a 0.1% market share (approx. $76 million) through one year of the product’s introduction.

Brand Strategy Positioning Chocolate Diet Coke is the only beverage that provides the sentimentality and indulgence of decades past to compliment your modern lifestyle.

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Creative Brief Target Audience Demographics • Male and female • Ages 18-29 • Upper-middle class • College-educated Psychographics • VALS Experiencer • Romantic, retrospective view of the past • Values modern lifestyle, luxury • Career-oriented Relationships • We are marketing to an entirely new customer base Targets • Users (consumers) are the main targets • Influencers and opinion leaders will also be targeted

Competition Direct Competition • Pepsi products, particularly Diet ones • Lower-tier Coke products • Vanilla/Cherry Coke (regular, Diet, Zero versions) Indirect Competition • Other low-calorie/diet-based drinks • Health-conscious alternatives • Starbucks (experiential competitor)

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Creative Brief Creative Strategy The benefit of Chocolate Diet Coke lies in its experiential appeal rather than its diet-ness.

Chocolate Diet Coke provides consumers with the aesthetic, romantic appeal of decades past and injecting it into the modern comforts, amenities, and lifestyles they experience today.

The Brand Promise Chocolate Diet Coke promises to bring the most romanticized ideals and indulgences of decades past to your modern, forward-thinking lifestyle.

Main Idea to Communicate Chocolate Diet Coke doesn’t transport consumers back in time to those days of nostalgia.

Rather, Chocolate Diet Coke brings the best sentiments of yesterday to the present, offering the consumer a uniquely beneficial and emotional experience.

Call To Action We want our consumers to engage with their sentimental side through Chocolate Diet Coke.

We want consumers to take a little time to indulge, to let Chocolate Diet Coke bring the simplicity and romance of days past to them.

Net Impression Only Chocolate Diet Coke can provide you with the romantic sentimentality of the past alongside comforts, luxuries, and aspirations of your modern, forward-thinking lifestyle.

Chocolate Diet Coke keeps you moving forward, not looking backward.

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Consumer Profile Demographics • Name: Allison Buchanan • Age: 21 years old • Gender: Female • Race: Caucasian • Location: Midwest • Class: Upper-middle class ($150k annually) • Education: College student

Psychographics • Aspiring young professional • Busy, on the go lifestyle •Values an active social life • Values class, elegance, and timelessness • Balances a strong work ethic with a “treat yourself” mentality • Desires a successful, glamorous lifestyle and career • Self esteem derived from image consciousness • Purchasing habits reflect image/trend consciousness • Enjoys the idea of a healthy lifestyle, but not necessarily knowledgeable on the subject

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Consumer Profile Allison Buchanan, a 21 year old Caucasian female, spent the first 18 years of her life living in comfort in the affluent community of New Albany, Ohio. Combined with the exposure to her intelligent parents and high quality secondary education, Allison is very intelligent and has always excelled as a student. Her parents instilled a strong sense of tradition and appreciation for the arts while she grew up. She fondly remembers watching movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Grease with her family in her youth, and will occasionally cue up artists like Frank Sinatra on her Spotify account.

Allison is now a junior at Vanderbilt University studying Fashion Merchandising. She has always been captivated by the glamour of New York City, London, and Paris. One day, she hopes to leave the Midwest and establish a career in one of the luxury fashion houses in the industry. She grew up very loyal to brands with classic, elegant aesthetics such as Ralph Lauren and J Crew, but she values her modern lifestyle and pays close attention to trends.

Between her academic schedule, internships, and an ample social calendar, Allison leads a very busy, on-the-go lifestyle that doesn’t offer a lot of free time. She never leaves the house without her iPhone 6 handy, which she frequently uses to organize her schedule and stay connected with friends via social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.

While she doesn’t currently have a living salary, she has some degree of access to her parents disposable income, allowing her to occasionally indulge her luxurious-leaning sensibilities.

She comes from a family of means: her father is a corporate executive at a national publishing house, and her mother leads a popular local event planning service. Their combined annual salary amounts to approximately $150,000, and they use it to provide Allison with as much opportunity as possible. Because of this, Allison isn’t particularly thrifty, but she does aspire to financial independence from her parents.

Allison has a naturally slim physique and generally eats healthily, so she does not prioritize exercise in her very busy life. However, she does make an effort to incorporate small things in her day to maintain her health, such as walking to campus and attending the occasion yoga class with her friends. However, it is very important to Allison to maintain her polished image and keep up with trends. Because of this, she has been known to invest in expensive athletic brands such as Lulu Lemon and Nike to look stylish while hanging out with friends or during the occasional trip to the gym. Allison is a strong believer of treating herself to the occasional indulgence as a reward for all her hard work. She often drinks diet soda both as a treat to herself as well as a necessary energy source for long nights at the Vanderbilt library.

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Print Ad

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Commercial Story Board

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Social Media Campaign

The overarching strategy of the Chocolate Diet Coke social media campaign is to encourage consumers to engage with the romantic sentiment of the brand by engaging with the sentimental part of themselves through personal photo sharing and brand-curated content.

The Chocolate Diet Coke campaign will utilize Instagram and Facebook to promote the product and engage with consumers. Both Instagram and Pinterest are visually-based platforms that are popular amongst the 18 to 29 target demographic. Instagram and Pinterest are social spaces where our target audience engages in a cycle of seeking inspiration from others and sharing what inspires them. Both platforms have creative communities and artistic nuances that would best support the brand’s focus on experience and aesthetic.

These platforms were chosen not only for their individual features, but also for their potential to compliment eachother and to drive traffic to one another. For example, the Instagram page will feature some of the best and most brand representative photos from the Pinterest collection while photos in the Pinterest collection will directly link to the Instagram page.

All objectives for follower numbers and engagement levels are based off Coca Cola and Diet’s Coke’s current follower numbers and engagement levels on their Instagram and Pinterest platforms.

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Social Media Campaign

Objectives

Instagram

• Gain 15k Instagram followers within 6 months of campaign launch • Receive a minimum of 100 “ Coke Throwback Thursday” (#CokeTBT) submissions from followers per week for the duration of the campaign

Tactics • Feature hidden camera content from promotional event to showcase candid consumer engagement with the brand • Feature best and most brand representative content from the Pinterest collection • Throwback Thursday follower submission contest • Followers submit “throwback” photos of themselves from the past with the hashtag #CokeTBT to enter the contest • A winner will be chosen every week and their winning photo will be posted on the Instagram page • Each winner will be entered for a chance to win a Coke red 1950’s vintage Thunderbird car and the opportunity to star in a Chocolate Diet Coke social media ad

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Social Media Campaign

Objectives

Pinterest

• Gain 5k Pinterest followers within 6 months of campaign launch • Measure audience engagement through number of re-pins and saves

Tactics

• Feature boards of vintage-inspired content in categories such as film, fashion, culture icons, and lifestyle • Allow popular fashion brands with a classic aethetic to curate content for boards on the Chocolate Diet Coke profile that will attract attention from target audience.

• J Crew • Ralph Lauren • Promote specially-curated content from a variety of vintage-inspired music, television, and film stars.

• Music • Leon Bridges, Lana Del Rey, etc.

• Television • Cast of Mad Men (Jon Ham, John Slattery, Christina Hendricks, etc.)

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Promotional Event In order to capture the ideas and sentiments behind the major marketing strategy, a series of pop-up events will be staged to engage with potential consumers on a personal level. The pop-up events aim to bring spontaneity and surprise while bring the best elements of the past to consumer’s modern lives.

The events will be held in high-traffic outdoor areas, and will resemble a vintage 50s soda shop or diner scene. Each diner scene will be fully functional: diner food will be served, and old-fashioned soda fountains will serve Coke products, with an extra emphasis on Chocolate Diet Coke. Coke brand reps will man the events, dressed in 50s-chic clothes. Live music will be provided by exciting young bands with sounds rooted in classic rock/soul/R&B (St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Leon Bridges, etc.).

Events will be held throughout the Spring and Summer of 2016. They will be limited to one day stops in each city, lasting from 3pm-6pm. We hope to catch potential consumers in the midst of their day-to-day lives: on their way to lunch or meetings, on their way to or from work, etc. Host cities must be busy, thoroughly modern cities that attract our young target market. A list of potential cities and locations is as follows: • Times Square, NYC • Michigan Avenue, Chicago • Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles • Boston • San Francisco • Washington D.C. Hidden cameras will be placed at all of the events, capturing candid moments between Coke brand reps and unassuming consumers. This is in-line with tactics employed by Coke in the past. The best of these moments will be shared via social media, in a coordinated effort to drive web and social media traffic to Chocolate Diet Coke-specific platforms and general Coke platforms.

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