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Classic City Creatives (C3) is a full-service, studentrun advertising agency located at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. The agency’s approach employs in-depth market research to determine the ‘fit’ between brands and their consumer segments. Once identified, brands’ core essence and major messaging are a translated into multi touchpoint campaigns that engage
audiences across a myriad of disciplines and subdisciplines, including advertising, public relations, direct response, personal selling, events, social media, viral, experiential, guerrilla, influencer and content marketing. We believe that no job is truly done until we have pioneered ideas that spark conversation, shape preferences, and drive consumers to action.
“C3 strives to deliver compelling brand experiences that resonate with audiences and prompt powerful responses.”
3 Below is a list of the talented minds at C3: ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT/CLIENT SERVICES
Victoria Skinner, Account Director Derek Satterfield, Director of Finances/Account Manager
ACCOUNT PLANNING/CONSUMER INSIGHTS
Angela deNicolo, Director of Account Planning/Project Manager Simone Rego, Account Planner/Social Media Campaign Manager Lauren Cooper, Account Planner/Copywriter
SOCIAL MEDIA/ONLINE CAMPUS PRESENCE Jeromy Causeway, Social Media Coordinator
STRATEGIC PLANNING/MARKET OPPORTUNITIES Ellie Reed, Director of Strategic Planning & Brand Infusion
CREATIVE MESSAGE OUTLETS/MEDIA PLANNING
Mary Hampton Farr, Director of Media Channels & Implementation
MULTI-TOUCHPOINT IMC/PHYSICAL CAMPUS PRESENCE
CREATIVE IDEATION & EXECUTION
Lauren Klopfenstein, Director of Multi-Touchpoint IMC Strategy Cindy Wang, Director of Public & Media Relations Gabi Aponte, Promotions Coordinator Hannah Ordono, Major Partnership/Sponsorships and Events Stephanie Martin, Event Producer/Project Manager Christine Choo, Director of Promotional Marketing
Brittany McGrue, Creative Director Emily Hovis, Senior Copywriter Jenna Bolognini, Art Director/Graphic Designer Matthew Pimenta, Web Development/Analytics Management KC Smith, Graphic Designer
SPORTS MARKETING
AGENCY MANAGEMENT
Kelsey Runyan, Director of Sports Marketing Jessica Graber, Sports Event Planner Hugh Williams , Sports Correspondent/Alumni Liaison
Kirsten Strausbaugh-Hutchinson, Executive Creative Director
TABLE OF CONTENTS Agency Overview.................................................................................................................................................................................2-3 Table of Contents................................................................................................................................................................................4-6 Executive Summary...........................................................................................................................................................................7-8 Research................................................................................................................................................................................................9-16 Research Goals……….....................................................................................................................................................................10 Primary Research – Online Survey...........................................................................................................................................11 Primary Research – Online Survey Findings…………………………………………………………………………………………………….................12 Primary Research – Focus Groups & Findings………………………………………………………………………………………………..................13 Primary Research – Signing Day In-Depth Interviews & Findings………………………………………………………………..............14 Brand Awareness & Perceptions.............................................................................................................................................15 Situation Analysis..........................................................................................................................................................................16-24 Company History....................................................................................................................................................................17-18 Product Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..........................19 Competitive Analysis..........................................................................................................................................................20-22 SWOT Analysis.......................................................................................................................................................................23-24 Marketing & Communication Direction...............................................................................................................................25-33 Marketing & Communication Objectives...........................................................................................................................26 Marketing Strategy.....................................................................................................................................................................27 Target Audience Segmentation………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...........28-31 Positioning & Message Strategy………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………............…..32 Brand Promise.............................................................................................................................................................................33
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Creative Direction & Campaign Touchpoints.......................................................................................................................34-45 Campaign Creative Concept.......................................................................................................................................................35 The SEC Fanaticism Test...............................................................................................................................................................36 Consumer Touchpoints.................................................................................................................................................................37 Campaign Microsite…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...................38-45 Fanatic Fan Mosaic. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...............40 Fanatic Rap……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..............41-43 Microsite Analytics…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….................45 Fanatics on the Couch Viewing Experience……………………………………………………………………………………………….................46-49 Event Marketing – SEC Alumni Kickball Tournament……………………………………………………………………………………………….50-52 Event Marketing – Georgia Gameday Tailgate…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..............53-55 Guerrilla Advertising & Event Collateral…………………………………………………………………...................................................................56-58 SEC Fanatic Frisbee………........…………………………………………………………….............................…………………………………………………………….........59 SEC Fanatic Laptop/Water Bottle Decals…….……………………………………………………………...........................…………………60 Fanaticare Packages………..……………………………………………………………...........................……………………………………………61-62 U-verse Information Sheet…….……………………………………………………………...........................……………………………………63 The Trophy Room E-mail Marketing…………………………………………………………………..............................................64 Public Relations……………………………………………………………………........................................................................65-67 Social Media..........................................................................................................................................................68 Social Media Objectives.......................................................................................................................69 Social Media Strategy............................................................................................................................70 Social Media Results…………………………………………………………………………………………………...........................71 AdWords Campaign…….……………………………………………………………...................................................72-73 Evaluation.............................................................................................................................................................74 Campaign Evaluation…….…………………………………………………………….................................................75-78 Future Recommendations...............................................................................................................................79
TABLE OF CONTENTS Appendices..........................................................................................................................................................................................80 Added Value…….....................................................................................................................................................................….81 Budget Breakdown...........................................................................................................................................................82-83 Campaign Touchpoint Calendar……..................................................................................................................................84
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7 Executive Summary AT&T is a premier communication company and a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, Internet, as well as cable services. Although the brand is a technology company, there’s an element of humanity, energy and enthusiasm in everything the company creates. AT&T’s “Rethink Possible” tagline embodies the idea of expanding what humanity is capable of. The brand strives to be professional, yet optimistic and personable, creating products that revolutionize innovation and human progress. One of AT&T’s most popular products is its cable service, U-verse. AT&T U-verse delivers an allinclusive cable entertainment experience that encompasses Total Home DVR, interactive apps, and multiple HD channels. Beginning August 2014, AT&T will add the new ESPN SEC Network to the brand’s already extensive channel lineup. Subscribers will be able to stream gional sports content across multiple devices, from their television screens to their laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones. With the challenge of marketing this new offering in mind, the agency employed both extensive primary and secondary research methods to gain insights on
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY awareness levels, the SEC lifestyle, product usage habits, and key factors in choosing providers. Throughout a series of online surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, respondents showed: 1) high awareness of the coming SEC Network, but 2) low awareness regarding its carriers and of the ability to view content on multiple devices. Research also revealed that the most viable target audiences for U-verse services were avid SEC fans, recent alumni, parents of college students and athletes, and faculty/staff/administration and the surrounding Athens community. Students, although not the primary household decision makers, were found to be huge influencers of their parents’ purchases. Shared across all target segments was a love of the Southeastern Conference, its pride, elitism, integrity, community and storied aspect. Fans expressed a sense of unity and unbridled passion. C3 translated this nugget into a “Test of fanaticism”, a natural call-to-action, based on a modified version of the timeless television test pattern, that challenged potential viewers to “stream their team across every screen”. Audiences were shown that U-verse was the way to get their sports fix, and that they could live the SEC lifestyle anytime, anywhere with AT&T.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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The concept of an extreme test of fans’ fanaticism lent itself perfectly to a highly engaging campaign, that included over 18 unique touchpoints, including: brandexperiences, promotions, direct response, partnerships, sponsorships, crowdsourcing, social media, digital, event, content, viral, guerrilla, and influencer marketing. At the hub of the campaign was the pop-up couch viewing experience, in which audiences could take part in a real time demonstration of AT&T U-verse, its streaming capabilities, channels and offerings. Participants at multiple sporting events, such as the NCAA Regional Gymnastics Championships, UGA’s Gameday, an SEC Atlanta-based kickball tournament, and across campus, enjoyed a respite from their activities on the “fanatic” couch, where they were alsoprovided with collateral materials, presented with fanaticare packages, and challenged with trivia to win promotional items. Key strategies also included social media contests which encouraged consumer-generated content through the submission of fanatical photos and raps. In order to draw attention and create buzz, guerrilla pieces were distributed among the target audience on campus, with unique “fanatic” decals as badges for collecting multiple devices. In its brief duration in market, the “Test of Your Fanaticism” campaign increased overall awareness of AT&T U-verse by 16% and purchase intention for AT&T services by 31%. Additionally, the campaign promoted the AT&T mobile student discount and referral programs, creating awareness among potential consumers. If the “Fanatics on the Couch” campaign is adopted nationally and able to run for a more extensive period, C3 believes that results will surpass these and inspire the target audience to connect with AT&T U-verse in ways they are unable to do with other providers.
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RESEARCH
RESEARCH GOALS Objectives: • Comprehend the U-verse product and its bundle options • Understand the mobile student discount and the structure and function of referral programs • Assess the marketing landscape and identify comparable competitive service offerings • Determine and define suitable target audience groups • Gain insights about the South Eastern Conference, its values and lifestyle • Assess awareness levels about the new ESPN SEC Network and its carrier(s) • Examine attitudes toward the AT&T brand • Uncover television viewing habits and understand multiscreen viewing situations and preferences
Methodologies: • • • •
online surveys focus groups in-depth interviews observations
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PRIMARY RESEARCH
Online Survey Online surveys were employed to gather information on awareness of AT&T U-verse, the SEC Network, and the ‘SEC lifestyle and mindset’ in general. The target market for the online survey included alumni, parents, students, and UGA faculty and staff. The survey garnered 465 responses in total, with participants ranging from 18 to 56+ years of age. The majority of participants (82%) were UGA students. However, the survey also drew 13% of participation from alumni and 5% from parents. 81% of participants were female and 19% of respondents were male.
Price, online reviews, and word-of-mouth are the most common influencers that determine product or service purchases.
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PRIMARY RESEARCH Online Survey Findings Research showed that price (29.7%), online reviews (21.8%), and friend’s opinions (23.8%) were the most common influencers in deciding to purchase a product. It was also evident that social media is the main medium from which participants receive their news and hear about upcoming events, solidifying that social media would be crucial during campaign implementation. When compared to TV and mobile services, Internet was considered the most important service to the majority of the respondents. 50% of the respondents concluded that price was the most important factor considered in switching cable providers, while a mere 11% said availability of content was the most important factor in switching providers. A large 75% of survey respondents reported using TV as their primary screen to watch SEC content, while only 1% of them use tablets or mobile devices as a primary source to stream games or sports content. In addition, many respondents were unaware that streaming sports content on tablets or mobile devices was even a possibility.
Research showed that 21% of respondents had a strong desire for the SEC Network channel to be a part of their service; however, only 34% would actually switch providers to AT&T solely because they are one of the only two carriers of the channel.
13 Focus Groups Two focus groups with a total of 15 male and female UGA students, ages 19-22, were conducted to further understand the SEC mentality of students and to explore their current feelings towards AT&T and U-verse. Results showed that most participants were SEC supporters but would not switch to AT&T exclusively for the SEC Network. Furthermore, the majority of participants considered price to be the most important factor in determining service provider, even though their parents paid for their cable. Participants said that if local zoning restrictions were not an issue, then they would be more interested in switching to AT&T over their current cable provider. Lastly, participants feel that if they are paying for cable, the extra services should be available in all outlets (TV, computer, tablet, smartphone); however, the participants did not view AT&T as the sole provider that could offer this to them.
Overall focus group outcomes indicated that students were not a viable target audience to satisfy the U-verse subscription goal, but should instead be used to create buzz and generate awareness about the product. Additionally, students were identified as the most logical market for the mobile discount and referral programs.
PRIMARY RESEARCH
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PRIMARY RESEARCH Signing Day In-Depth Interviews Signing Day is an annual event at which high school seniors sign letters of intent to play football for their college of choice for the following season. Many students, alumni, parents and highly dedicated UGA fans attend the event each year, all hungry to know who the next big talent will be to grace the field and proudly don the Georgia G.
channel is currently only provided through (major providers) AT&T U-verse and DISH.
14 in-depth interviews conducted at the event provided a powerful glimpse into the mindset of avid UGA/SEC fans, including their values, behaviors, the basis for an depths of their passion for the division.
Participants in these in-depth interviews were all about the “SEC experience,� citing it as unique, due to a high level of athletic competition and talent, fan passion and commitment, and a sense of family within the conference.
The findings from this event were significant: participants showed high levels of awareness of the new SEC Network, but limited knowledge that the
Furthermore, those surveyed said that they would in fact truly consider switching to AT&T solely because of SEC Network, making this a major audience targeted in terms of gaining U-verse subscriptions.
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BRAND AWARENESS & PERCEPTIONS
Significant Campaign Drivers Overall awareness for U-verse is low (mostly due to zoning restrictions and limited green footprint locally). Current customers who do have U-verse love the product and are aware that the SEC Network is preparing to launch, there is a high price point associated with AT&T services. And there is a general lack of knowledge about which cable and/or satellite providers will carry the new channel. The SEC fanbase shares an unbridled devotion to the division and consider themselves an elite, tight-knit community.
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SITUATION ANALYSIS
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Company History The history of AT&T is in large measure the history of the telephone in the United States. AT&T’s roots stretch back to 1875, with founder Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone. During the 19th century, AT&T became the parent company of the Bell System, the American telephone monopoly. The Bell System provided what was by all accounts the best telephone service in the world. After years of service, the system divided into eight companies in 1984 by agreement between AT&T and the U.S. Department of Justice. From 1984 until 1996 AT&T was an integrated telecommunications services and equipment company, succeeding in a newly competitive environment. By mid-2000, the company had three rapidly evolving networks: data, broadband and wireless. In 2004, the company was acquired by Cingular Wireless, a joint venture between SBC Communication and BellSouth. The group combined assets and resources, and in 2007, became known as AT&T Mobility, one of the largest local, long distance, and wireless providers in the world.
COMPANY HISTORY
COMPANY HISTORY Company History (continued) Since then, AT&T has also acquired four separate businesses: cable, wireless, business and the consumer. In 2000, the volume of data traffic for the first time exceeded the volume of voice traffic on the AT&T network. In the new millennium, AT&T announced that it would restructure over the next two years into a family of separate publicly held companies: AT&T Wireless, AT&T Broadband, and AT&T. In this way, each business could best obtain the capital structure needed to fund its growth. Today, AT&T is a global networking leader, focused on delivering IP-based solutions to enterprise and government customers. Additionally, as AT&T pivots away from traditional consumer services, the company continues to offer consumers and small businesses a breakthrough alternative to traditional services.
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PRODUCT ANALYSIS AT&T U-verse & AT&T Wireless AT&T was the first 100% IP-based TV service, as well as the first TV with a wireless receiver. Users have the ability to sync with tablet, computer, or mobile device and can record up to four shows at once on the Total Home DVR. AT&T has a reliable wireless network, voice coverage in 225 countries, 3G in 175 countries, 32,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots and 461,000 hotspots globally. AT&T Wireless currently carries the most phones that work in the most countries. The network’s voice coverage includes over 225 countries, with 3G capabiity in nearly 175 countries worldwide.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS Charter Charter has over 200 channels and free HD programming. The company offers its customers expansive “On Demand” programming and has an option to upgrade customer TV packages in-home with one click on the remote. Like AT&T, Charter also offers multi-screen viewing with tablets and phones. The company is the primary cable server in the Athens area; however, many people are highly dissatisfied with Charter’s customer service and it’s cable service reliability. The dissatisfaction creates a desire for another cable provider.
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COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS DirecTV DirecTV is the only provider offering the NFL Sunday Ticket package that brings every outof-market game to the customer. The package includes multichannel viewing of up to 8 games and the option of upgrading to “max� to get live games, real-time highlights, and even NFL.com fantasy. Like AT&T, DirecTV offers a variety of unique bundles with wireless internet to satisfy the needs of the customer. This unique package makes DirecTV a strong competitor in relation to other cable companies. In addition, DirecTV was voted #1 in American customer satisfaction in 2013 by consumers.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS DISH Network Dish Network customers receive a free iPad mini and free Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points with new subscription. Dish offers free multi-screen viewing with tablets and phones. Dish Network also has its exclusive Hopper-DVR, On Demand selections available for customers. Lastly, Dish network also offers customers a free primetime anytime streaming experience where customers can watch primetime programming up to eight days after their original air date.
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SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
Weaknesses
• Affordable new customer bundle prices, as well as high upload and download speeds • A wide variety of channels are offered, including 205+ HD channels • Customers can watch up to four channels on one screen with the multiview feature • Customers can use U-verse anywhere with a wireless receiver, U-verse app for tablet and smart phone, U-verse website on computer and AT&T hotspot for Internet • The U-verse app allows customers to manager DVR settings on-the-go • DVR allows up to four shows being recorded at once • Service is available in Athens • U-verse is currently one of the select cable providers of
• Limited green service availability footprint in Athens and the surrounding areas • Fiber optics have to be installed beneath the ground for the service to work which contributes to its limited availability • After 12 months of bundle pricing prices increase dramatically
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SWOT ANALYSIS Opportunities:
Threats:
• Alumni target market provides a great window of opportunity for AT&T U-verse because they are unbound by family plans, have the desire to establish credit, are highly educated and have more disposable income • Students and Alumni can use their college email address to get discounted service • Athens has a high concentration of AT&T wireless users which could interest existing wireless users into signing up for U-verse
• Charter has a monopoly over the Athens area • DirecTV has requires no in-ground cable, making it more readily available everywhere • Dish has the Hopper which allows for availability in more remote, hard-to-reach areas • Because the majority of students are still on their parents’ plan, their parents make the final decision on who they choose for a provider for paid cable
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MARKETING & COMMUNICATION DIRECTION
MARKETING & COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES The agency set out six marketing objectives for the campaign. This includes objectives on U-verse subscriptions, wireless discounts, referrals, awareness, and campaign cohesiveness.
Marketing Objective
• Gain 50 new AT&T U-verse subscriptions • Increase awareness of ESPN SEC Network and AT&T U-verse by 70% among alumni, students, and SEC event attendees • Increase awareness of and promote mobile student discounts • Increase awareness of and promote the AT&T “Refer a Friend” program • Create a cohesive, creative marketing campaign that reaches UGA students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff
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MARKETING STRATEGY
Strategic Marketing Direction AT&T continues to develop the company and its product and service offerings to fit the needs of consumers. Keeping customers informed about the increasing variety of services is a substantial way to secure new customers. The competition is stout, and in order for AT&T to be successful they have to build product awareness and continue to present new markets with adequate product information. The company should continue to meet the constantly changing needs of consumers in order to improve their market share.
The campaign aims to target several audiences that all have positive emotions and strong ties to the SEC as a whole. The “hook� of the message strategy is the SEC Network that AT&T U-verse is offering, beginning in August 2014. The campaign uses the SEC Network as the main pull to generate U-verse subscriptions at UGA and around the Athens area, and it also highlights the benefits and features of AT&T U-verse.
The campaign focuses on crowdsourcing students to create a buzz among parents and alumni because both of these audiences have a Target Audience Segmentation higher likelihood of purchasing the services. The AT&T U-verse campaign also focuses on the ability to access Primary: Recent Alumni, Parents of Students, U-verse content through any screen, free of Parents of Athletes, Faculty/Staff/Administration & charge, with subscriptions to AT&T U-verse. Surrounding Local Community This campaign has positioned the agency as brand Secondary: Students (as influencers of their parents) ambassadors for the AT&T U-verse package. AT&T Mobile Student Discount Product line: The AT&T U-verse package, Primary: Students including: TV, phone and Internet. Secondary: Recent Alumni, & Parents
AT&T Referral Program
Primary: Students Secondary: Recent Alumni, Faculty/Staff/
TARGET AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION Parents of Students & Athletes (Baby Boomers) Parents of Millennials are known for their rigorous work ethic and largely still support their children financially, even after their children have left the home. This role gives them significant purchasing power. Parents are less concerned with instant gratification, compared to their children, and are more likely to thoroughly research a product or service before purchasing. They stay in touch with changing technologies, though they are not as familiar and up to date as their children. As “empty-nesters,� they are able to re-establish their identity apart from their children and are looking for entertainment and ways to connect with others. There are roughly 69,072 parents of UGA students.
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TARGET AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION
College Students (Millennials) Millennials, ages 18-35, are all about instant gratification. With many being college students, their lives are always on the go and convenience is key for them. Communication is kept short and sweet, often through status updates consisting of 140 characters or less. Social media is used as a tool to both share their lives, as well as to stay connected to their friends and family who may now live in different cities, states or even continents. Similarly, Millennials prefer to connect with brands on a personal level, while building relationships rather than engaging in a quick sale. There are approximately 34,536 Millennials residing in Athens.
TARGET AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION Recent Alumni Many characteristics of recent alumni coincide with those of Millennials, since a large portion of this group also belong to the Millennial generation. Like Gen Y, recent alumni are often on the go and value convenience; however, this group is more attached to their smartphones than college-aged Millennials. Although they are no longer in college, many remain avid sports fans and continue following SEC news, carrying this passion into their work life. Though recent alumni have many of the same interests as Millennials, one of the biggest differences between this group and Gen Y is that they have more monetary resources available to them (starting salary of $43,800; $79,400 mid-career salary), making them a more appealing target for advertisers.
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TARGET AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION University Faculty/Staff/Administration These individuals constitute a substantial proportion of the local Athens/Clarke County, Barrow and Oconee County year-round residential population. In addition to their roles in the institution, they maintain active family and personal lives, which often parallels with attending University-related academic, social and sporting events, as well as fine arts performances and so forth. Their incomes and lifestyles vary greatly, but their community involvement is a strong common tie. In Athens, there are approximately 2,879 faculty members, 3,986 administrators, and 3,009 university staff members.
POSITIONING & MESSAGE STRATEGY The complete SEC experience…is now perfectly packaged in AT&T U-verse’s a convenient take-home, multi-screen bundle. • • • •
All of the target audiences have strong, positive emotions tied to the “SEC experience” Focus is on the launch of the SEC Channel as the ‘hook’ to generate subscriptions Highlight the attributes and benefits of U-verse Use students to create buzz among parents and alumni who have a higher likelihood of purchasing the service • Highlight the ability to access cable through any screen, free of charge via their parents’ subscription
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BRAND PROMISE
Single Most Important Idea to Convey “You can live the SEC lifestyle anywhere, anytime with the help of AT&T U-verse.�
Tonality/Mood Prideful - The SEC is an elite group of connected fans and athletes, and the goal is to convey the intensity and unity of the conference.
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CREATIVE DIRECTION & CAMPAIGN TOUCHPOINTS
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CAMPAIGN CREATIVE CONCEPT
THE SEC FANATICISM TEST
• AT&T invites avid SEC sports lovers to “stream their team across every screen, and embrace U-verse as THE multi-screen viewing experience that delivers the SEC Network, the best way to get their ‘fix’. • AT&T challenges fans, testing their dedication and daring them to “Commit to the Conference”.
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THE SEC FANATICISM TEST RELEVANCE
ENGAGEMENT
RECOGNIZABILITY
WIDESPREAD APPEAL/ GLOBAL APPLICABILITY
• Utilizes a broadcast industry symbol known for commanding immediate attention • Imagery is perfectly applied to a television-centric service
• Employs well known SEC school colors as the background, and patterns to create the couch icon
• Challenges fans’ dedication and unites them in team spirit • Invites crowdsourcing, heightens involvement, showcases commitment
• Message, campaign concept and tactical mix are all widely adaptable to any school or campus audience
Key Graphics:
Color Palette: Typefaces: Omnes_ATT Omnes_ATT
StagATT ClearviewATT LED COUNTER 7 Stag Stencil ATT ClearviewATT
Major Headline: Body Copy (Main): You can’t officially call yourself a fanatic until you’ve streamed your team across every screen. Campaign Tagline: Commit to the Conference.
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MARKETING MIX Target Segments Addressed:
UGA students: 34,475 UGA workforce: 9,874 UGA alumni: More than 280,000 worldwide Also parents of athletes, local UGA/SEC fans, local sports/bar business owners, and Atlanta-based SEC alumni
Tactical Mix:
Traditional Advertising (OOH) Guerrilla Experiential Events Promotions Social Viral Content Marketing Influencer Marketing Public Relations Crowdsourcing Collateral Direct Response Partnerships
CONSUMER TOUCHPOINTS
CAMPAIGN MICROSITE Classic City Creative created a holistic, experiential campaign designed to drive viewers to a microsite as the hub that would further move them toward U-verse purchase consideration. Supported by events and real-world applications, each digital tactic pushed potential customers to the site at FanaticsOnTheCouch.com.
Product Information
First and foremost, the microsite provided information about AT&T U-verse, its vibrant imagery and call-to-actions leading customers to the U-verse purchase page.
Event Information
The campaign relied on events to bring excitement and buzz to U-verse, so the website needed to provide information to event-goers. The Kickball Tournament, G-Day Tailgate, and Couch Games each have dedicated pages detailing locations, times, and activities. There is a master page linking all of the events together, so visitors can truly reach a one-stop shop for all Fanatics on the Couch events.
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The Trophy Room showcased exclusive content, including interviews with UGA athletes and celebrated alumni. Featuring one-on-one discussions with names such as Olympic medalist Allison Schmitt and professional football player Tavarres King, the website truly gives visitors content they cannot get anywhere else. These interviews draws viewers in, entertain them, and transfers the positive affect to AT&T and U-verse.
Fanatic Raps
The campaign also included a tactic where viewers could record a rap using the free mobile app, AutoRap, to enter a fan contest. The website served as the hub for all information for the rap as well as direct links to download the iOS and Android versions of the app. Of course, the website also provided terms and conditions for the contest.
Fan Photos
Audiences also needed a hub for sharing game day photos and fanatical fan pics. Because the website did not automatically interface pictures to a feed, the team invited viewers to post images through Facebook. Facebook engagement increased, while the social team curated the content and integrated the images into a master mosaic.
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CAMPAIGN MICROSITE
MICROSITE & FANATIC FAN PHOTO MOSAIC Fanatic Fan Photo Mosaic The microsite facilitated the construction of a massive fan and agency-generated content piece that incorporates audience photos with campaign imagery to create a lifesize compilation of the SEC Test Pattern and couch motif. The final mosaic includes over 746 individual images.
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MICROSITE & FANATIC RAPS
For the microsite-anchored a consumer-generated Fanatic Rap contest, Facebook fans were invited to submit a rap articulating what they love about the SEC and how their fanaticism rivals all others. Loud in Here Loud in… So loud in here… So loud in… I was like, good gracious fans outrageous Contagious, paintin up faces Lookin for the right time to let out a scream (you know) Lookin for the right time to hate them bees Then um we’re leadin, it’s a beating Me and the rest of my breeding Check it, got seats for the rest of the season Front row, half field, friends are pleadin No ceding, nothin’ll make me leave, no teasin I need you to get up up on the scoreboard Give the fans what they askin for Cuz I feel like cheerin loud and I feel like screaming wow And can’t nobody stop this crowd so Dawgs make me proud [Hook x2] (I said) Its gettin loud in here (so loud) Cause it’s the bulldog’s show It’s gettin so loud, I wanna cheer my face off Why you at the game if you aint goin full throttle What good is the game if you don’t get a little hostile I see you cheerin, Go Dawgs!, crowds gettin hotter And we be down, get an interception, beat down and slaughter Point at the trumpet, Larry Munson starts it Red Coats, spell “Georgia,” band ignites it National Anthem and Grantham, run out and play it We spit game cuz Gators we got it Warm, sweatin its hot up in this joint Crazy kickoff, its on at this point
Our team’s a winner so Dawgs we can’t lose The “Battle Hymn” is my favorite tune [Hook x2] So scream loud cuz we’re in the zone You know raise your fingers cuz the fourth quarter we’re gonna own Checkin the scoreboard and tellin your new friends, Like “woah I think we’re gonna win big” Start pacin, time’s racin I gotta a friend who should be this ref’s replacement (What?) I’m just cheering for Mason (Oh) This year he’s gon’ do it Extra, extra eh, spread the news The Dawgs just booked a trip to Atlanta real soon Come back with something nice for the trophy room Gonna win it all I assume [Hook x4] (Call the Dawgs out) Mix a little bit a woof, woof With a little bit a woof, woof (Call the Dawgs out) Give a little bit a woof, woof With a little bit a woof, woof (Call the Dawgs out) With a little bit a woof, woof And a sprinkle a woof, woof (Call the Dawgs out) I like it when ya woof, woof Girl, Baby make it woof, woof
BUZZFEED FANATIC RAP ARTICLE
To promote this tactic, the “Rappers of the SEC” Buzzfeed article was released describing each SEC school by relating them to a popular rapper; for example, The University of South Carolina was Lil Jon because they “get crunk.” The article was shared on Facebook, where fans were encouraged to upload their own original rap. In the two short weeks that the rap challenge was issued, five fan submissions emerged. Buzz surrounding the rap posts doubled original engagement numbers.
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BUZZFEED FANATIC RAP ARTICLE
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CAMPAIGN MICROSITE Mobile Student Discount & Referral Program The microsite also needed to leverage information about the student discount as well as referral programs. These channels each have dedicated pages on the website as well as clear, calls to action where users could click a button to reach the relevant page.
Fanatic Games - Crosswords & Wordsearches In incorporating the fandom theme and putting visitors to the test, the microsite also provided a hub for the crossword and word search puzzles included in the Fanaticare packages. Care packages encouraged recipients to visit the website to view the games’ answer keys and download more copies.
Fanaticare Packages
Classic City Creative leveraged Fanaticare packages as a nostalgic reminder of UGA’s impact on each of its students. The microsite provided the mechanism to sign up for the care packages. Users could visit the site and, using the clearly defined menu bar, navigate to an embedded form to sign up for the Fanaticare packages. In total, over six dozen packages were distributed throughout the course of the campaign.
Social Media Drivers
The campaign had a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. All platforms drove user engagement to the website. The microsite itself leveraged direct links to each platform on the permanent navigation sidebar. There is also a dedicated page for all of the social drivers with links to each, for users to access the platforms via the site.
G-Day Band Page
Last but not least, the development team created a page to showcase Walden, the local band who played a concert for the G-Day event. The Walden page includes links to their music, Facebook page, and also another concert at the renowned 40 Watt in Athens. Total cost for microsite WordPress theme and hosting: $69
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MICROSITE ANALYTICS
Microsite Analytics Since its launch, FanaticsOnTheCouch.com has had over 566 unique page visits. Out of these 566 visits, users have logged over 4,365 page views on the website. In addition, 215 unique visitors generated these 566 visits, meaning that many visitors are repeat visitors. Each visit reinforces purchase consideration and connects the positivity and passion of college fanaticism with AT&T U-verse.
This suggests that the events had a direct impact on driving traffic to the website. Analytics recommended that the team posts traffic-driving content during the week rather than on the weekends. In addition, campaign events provided call-to-actions, to drive users to the website to capitalize on potential customer acquisition.
The average user spent 8 minutes on the website and visited 9 unique pages. Location demographics revealed that 49% of visitors accessed the website from Athens, while 8% of visitors lived in Lawrenceville and finally, 4% of visitors resided in Atlanta. This suggests most visitors were students or Athens-based alumni or locals. This also indicates that other Atlanta-based alumni are interested in learning more about AT&T U-verse.
Demographics of visitors varied as expected, with gender distribution hovering close to a 50-50 split. Over half of visitors were male, with 45% of users being female. More importantly, the ages skewed favorably for the alumni market, because the majority of visitors were 25-34 years old.
More users tended to visit the site during the week rather than on the weekends. The website experienced boosts in traffic immediately following the Kickball Tournament on April 6th and the G-Day Tailgate on April 12th.
In addition, the 25-34 and 35-44 demographics combined to make 50% of all visitors to the website. Thus, half of all visits were dominated by the campaign’s target market: alumni and young professionals. Extrapolating, a combination of 35-44 and 45-54 demographics yields 28% of total sessions, suggesting 28% of visitors may also be parents, another focus of the campaign.
FANATICS ON THE COUCH VIEWING EXPERIENCE Pop-Up Couch U-verse Demonstrations At the heart of the Fanatics on the Couch campaign was the pop-up couch viewing experience. This immersive, SEC-inspired, interactive tactic was employed to demonstrate the product to consumers within the context of a relaxing setting that replicated a living room. Two inflatable, portable couches provided a comfortable oasis for sports-goers and for students and faculty on campus while they learned about AT&T U-verse product and capabilities. Participants were challenged with SEC trivia and quizzed about U-verse capabilities. They were rewarded for participating and receiving high scores with prizes such as UGA baseball tickets, an SEC tailgating cookbook and coupons from nearby restaurants. In addition to games and trivia, participants had the chance to manually control U-verse with a remote and a TV streaming the product in front of them. To provide more extensive and lasting information, collateral pieces were provided, along with the call-to-action to visit the microsite, FanaticsOnTheCouch.com, and to follow the campaign on social media.
Locations Dates
NCAA Gymnastics Regional Championship Saturday, March 29 Atlanta Alumni Kickball Tournament Sunday, April 6 Georgia Gameday Saturday, April 12 Herty Field - UGA North Campus Monday, April 21 Herty Field - UGA North Campus Wednesday, April 23
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FANATICS ON THE COUCH VIEWING EXPERIENCE
FANATICS ON THE COUCH + LET’S GET POPPING
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Promotional/Prize-Filled Balloons The Fanatics on the Couch balloon tactic was created to make a final, lasting impact on the members of the Fanatics fan base. Completed in conjunction with the couch viewing experiences, the agency inserted candy and cash in each of the balloons as prizes for participants. Each balloon contained a factoid, displaying information such as “With AT&T U-Verse, your smartphone can also be used as a TV remote” . When individuals learned about the cash prizes, they were eager to follow up for U-verse information. In this manner, both the couch viewing experience and the balloons garnered as much attention as is possible on a busy day at UGA. Total cost for 120 promotional balloons: $29
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COUCH VIEWING EXPERIENCE OUTCOMES
Fanatics on the Couch Viewing Results The couch viewing experiences successfully raised awareness about the new SEC channel among students and faculty, as well as created buzz at all sporting events attended and on and around campus. The NCAA Regional Gymnastics Championship event garnered over 230 impressions with over a dozen viewing experiences delivered. The two north campus couch viewing experiences generated over 150 impressions and 26 product demonstrations. Overall, approximately 80 total participants participated in a couch viewing experience product demonstration. Surveys were administered to participants, all with highly positive feedback about the event and the U-verse service. Some individuals already had U-verse and were thrilled to learn about the SEC Network, whereas others were excited to learn of an alternative to Charter. Total cost for 5 viewing experiences: $514.36
EVENT MARKETING SEC ALUMNI KICKBALL TOURNAMENT Objectives The SEC Alumni Kickball Tournament aimed to increase awareness for AT&T U-verse as well as interaction and engagement among consumers.
Tactic SEC alumni in Atlanta, GA, and surrounding areas were invited to represent their respective SEC schools in a show of their fanaticism for the conference. Participants were invited via e-mail, Facebook advertisements, the AT&T Brand Challenge SEC Alumni Kickball Tournament Facebook page, posts on the UGA Alumni Association blog, and event fliers posted in Atlanta area businesses. The event was held on April 6, 2014, in Atlanta at Piedmont Park from 3:30- 6:00 p.m. Multiple SEC schools were represented at the tournament including the University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University. Two teams competed against one another in five games, with the team winning three of the five games named the winner and taking home bragging rights as the school with the most SEC fanaticism. All individuals were required to fill out a liability form before participating in the kickball tournament.
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EVENT MARKETING SEC ALUMNI KICKBALL TOURNAMENT Tactic (continued) The previously mentioned Fanatics on the Couch Viewing Experience was also present at the Kickball Tournament. The experience allowed consumers to see first hand how the service operates in a comfortable and inviting environment that encouraged individuals to spend time watching U-verse streamed content and ask any questions they had. Product demonstration experts within the agency were present to inform consumers about U-verse and answer any questions. Fanaticare Packages (discussed subsequently) provided promotional items, specialty media, additional information on AT&T U-verse, and a value-added experience for consumers.
Major Sponsorship The event was co-sponsored by Mercedes Benz of Buckhead and generated the most added value revenue out of all the events in the campaign. Through the partnership, the dealership rented the tournament field at Piedmont Park and donated water bottles for participants as well as spectators.
EVENT MARKETING SEC ALUMNI KICKBALL TOURNAMENT
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Evaluation Over 750 impressions were made at the event including participants, game spectators and park attendees. Through the AT&T Brand Challenge SEC Alumni Kickball Tournament Facebook page, 39 individuals responded that they were attending the event. A total of 35 individuals participated in the kickball tournament. All participants filled out an informational survey regarding their knowledge of AT&T U-verse. Through these surveys, 16 email addresses were acquired and subsequently contacted for follow-up marketing efforts and post-campaign research. Total cost for tournament: $797.58 Minus $450 Mercedes Benz Sponsorship
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EVENT MARKETING GEORGIA GAMEDAY TAILGATE Objective
The purpose of the tailgate was to hold an event to spread awareness about AT&T U-verse and to hold a product demonstration for students, parents and alumni. The intention was to reach SEC fans during
Tactic The event took place on the Grady College lawn, located adjacent to Sanford Stadium; thus, the prime location was a large factor in the success of the event. The agency constructed a fully functioning tailgate three hours prior to the spring season preview football game. Included as part of the set up were: the pop-up couch viewing experience, SEC trivia with games and prizes, food and beverages, fanatic cornhole boards, a giant fanatic SEC Frisbee, and featured local up and coming band, Walden. As an extension of the U-verse live demonstration, an additional table was set up that contained surveys, product information and fanaticare packages. As part of the SEC games, participants could win exciting prizes such as: Georgia Baseball tickets, food coupons for nearby restaurants and an SEC Tailgating cookbook.
EVENT MARKETING GEORGIA GAMEDAY TAILGATE
Evaluation At the G-Day Tailgate, about 300 people filtered in and out throughout the time the tailgate was in progress. 37 couch viewing experiences were delivered. Using marketing and sales initiatives, the agency was able to impress upon multiple key targets the knowledge of the upcoming SEC Network on AT&T U-verse.
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EVENT MARKETING GEORGIA GAMEDAY TAILGATE
Total cost for Gameday tailgate: $254.88
GUERRILLA ADVERTISING & EVENT COLLATERAL Multi-Screen Viewing Device Set As a dual use set of pieces, C3 created the hybrid “multi-screen viewing set”. The devices, a tablet, laptop and smarphone, were crafted to appear lifelike in nature, true to size, texture and color. Inside and on the reverse, the devices contained product advertising and information, housing the campaign’s challenge to fans in the headline, “You Can’t Call Yourself a Fanatic...Until You’ve Streamed Your Team Across Every Screen.” The set emphasized the cross-platform, multi-screen viewing experience available on U-verse, and contained a QR code to engage the audience in a fan challenge and drive traffic to the microsite.
Guerrilla Marketing and Campus Scavenger Hunt On dates coinciding with the pop-up couch viewing experiences at Herty Field, the devices were scattered across campus on transit vehicles, at libraries, on benches and counters, in grassy study spots, coffee shop hangouts, and near computers. From a distance the pieces appeared to be inadvertently left behind personal electronics. All pieces were stickered with information on the couch viewing event. Students who collected a whole ‘set’ and brought them to the event were rewarded with a ‘badge of honor’, the fanatic laptop decal, as well as with prizes and campaign swag. Total cost of guerrilla and event collateral pieces: $754.49
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CAMPUS SCAVENGER HUNT & GUERRILLA ADVERTISING
EVENT COLLATERAL Event Marketing Collateral The multi-screen viewing devices were given out to participants at all pop-up couch experiences, providing further information and featuring a call to action,. Laptops and tablets contained copy surrounding the U-verse product, while the smartphones carried home the message about AT&T mobile student discounts and referral programs.
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SEC FANATIC GIANT FRISBEE Ultimate SEC Fanatic Frisbee To challenge participants at campaign events, the agency created the ultimate SEC Fanatic Frisbee, a 36� flying disc that encouraged fans to toss caution to the wind and spend some valuable time with the AT&T U-verse brand and its promise of BIG things in the fall with the launch of the new SEC Network! Total cost for fanatic frisbee: $19
SEC FANATIC LAPTOP DECALS
SEC Fanatic “Badges of Honor’ - Laptop/Water Bottle Decals As one of the campaign takeaway pieces, the agency produced laptop/water bottle decals depicting the fanatic test pattern and SEC school couch. Decals were handed out during the Alumni Kickball Game, G Day Tailgate, and couch viewing experiences. Total cost for 85 decals: $69.55
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FANATICARE PACKAGES
Fanaticare Packages for Alumni, Avid Fans, & Recent Alumni
Fanaticare Packages were created to increase awareness of the SEC Network available through AT&T U-verse, to promote the student discount to recent alumni, drive traffic to events, provide a value-added experience and to ,promote brand preference among the target groups. These care packages were free of charge to the consumer and each consisted of a mason jar with AT&T logo and campaign slogan, a 20142015 SEC football schedule, a koozie with AT&T logo and campaign slogan, a pen with the AT&T logo and campaign website, an SEC themed crossword puzzle and word search, AT&T U-verse information sheet, a travel size hand sanitizer and a decorative straw. A total of 75 care packages were created. Fanaticare packages were promoted via the microsite at FanaticsOnTheCouch.com, as well as at events. The campaign website contained an online form in which SEC school alumni could sign up to receive Fanaticare Packages and retrieve them at our SEC Kickball Tournament, G-Day Tailgate or on the UGA campus, on a day of their choosing. The agency also reached out to local media outlets in Athens, GA, offering and delivering them care packages. 24 Fanaticare Packages were received at our Kickball Tournament, 48 at our G-Day Tailgate and 3 were delivered to the previously mentioned media outlets.
Total cost for 75 fanaticare packages: $388.79
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FANATICARE PACKAGE CONTENTS The Finest Word Search in the Land
Georgia Dawgs Football Tradition Hedges Commitment Richt Southeast
Red Black Tackle Run Pass Catch Offense Defense
Bulldog Dooley Gameday Herschel Sanford Tailgate Touchdown Interception
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U-VERSE PRODUCT INFORMATION SHEET
AT&T U-verse Informational Sheets for Fanaticare Package AT&T U-verse information sheets were distributed to consumers through Fanaticare Packages. This long-format piece was designed to raise awareness for U-verse as well as the SEC Network. A school-specific URL for subscriptions was included, as was detailed product information, a general price point and direction to a point of sale.
“THE TROPHY ROOM”EMAIL MARKETING Direct Response Marketing to Athletes’ Parents As part of the integrated marketing campaign, direct response e-mail marketing was used to reach parents of athletes, as well as individuals who attended any scheduled campaign events. The purpose of e-mailing these audiences was to spotlight more attention to the fanaticsonTheCouch website. The e-blasts were focused on showcasing different UGA athletes and promoted the ‘Trophy Room’ section of the website, where different sports players were interviewed on their experiences at UGA. Three different e-blasts were sent out to the parents of UGA athletes; one e-mail focusing on swimmer, Allison Schmitt, the second on football safety, Connor Norman, and the third on Hugh Williams (football) and Jessica Graber (swimming.) The email campaign with Allison Schmitt had an open rate of 26.9%, which is over the industry average of 23%. This campaign also had an impressive click rate to the FanaticsOnTheCouch website click rate of 4.8%, which again, tops the 2.3% industry average of click rates. The additional e-mail campaign featuring Connor Norman had an equally impactful open rate of 26.5%, compared to the industry average of 23%. The click rate for this campaign was again higher than the average industry rate with 2.9% of viewers clicking through to the website. The final e-blast, featuring Hugh Williams, garnered an open rate of 21.4%, but unfortunately no click throughs to the site. These pieces were sent to a total of 267 parents of athletes.
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PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public & Media Relations
Public relations tactics provided a means of meeting communication objectives in terms of publicizing events, encouraging attendance, generating support and spreading awareness.
Press Releases
Public relations outlets were employed to inform the public of the AT&T student discount and AT&T U-verse features, as well as to promote the upcoming ability to stream SEC sports. Tactics focused on press releases spaced throughout the semester, pitching media outlets, reaching out to bloggers and utilizing online sources such as event listing sites and distribution sites.
A media contact list was created with media outlets including newspapers, radio, bloggers and journalists with whom the agency connected. Four press releases were distributed during the campaign to local media in Athens and Atlanta, as well as online distribution sites such as: 1888pressrelease.com and PR Urgent. CONTACT:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2014
Classic City Creative University of Georgia Athens, GA Media Contact: Cindy Wang Phone Number: 678-988-190 E-Mail: cindyw1234@gmail.com
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2014 AT&T CAMPUS BRAND CHALLENGE
CONTACT:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 2014
Classic City Creative
University of Georgia
Athens, GA Media Contact: Cindy Wang Phone Number: 678-988-9190 E-Mail: cindyw1234@gmail.com
AT&T PROMOTED AT UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA AS PART OF THE EXTREME FANATICISM CAMPAIGN Athens, GA – Classic City Creative, a student-run marketing agency at the University of Georgia has developed a marketing campaign to promote AT&T U-verse® TV and High Speed Internet services, wireless discount and reward for referral programs to their school and community. The campaign is designed to increase awareness and purchase consideration of AT&T U-verse TV and the new SEC Network launching in August. The campaign will feature engaging campaign activities and strategies that will spread awareness of AT&T U-verse benefits by tapping into the fervor and loyalty of the SEC culture. The overall campaign will include traditional advertising, guerilla and experiential marketing, events, promotions and social media. The highly engaging social media campaign will feature fan dedication contests such as the Gameday Fanatic Snapshot, Fanatic Rap Competition and even a scavenger hunt. Throughout the campaign, fans will have chances to win giveaways and custom designed fanatic packages and decals. Classic City Creative will also host a series of events throughout the semester. Events will include product demonstrations, food, games, live music, and a chance to hang out with fellow SEC fans. Pop-up couch viewings and tailgates will be set up at several UGA sporting events this spring. They will be present on April 5, 2014 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and the UGA Spring Football Game at Sanford Stadium (G-Day) on April 12 at from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To encourage alumni to join in, the Fanatic Kickback, a SEC Alumni Kickball Tournament, will be held on Sunday, April 6 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Piedmont Park in Atlanta and cosponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead in Atlanta. Participants will play for prizes while representing their SEC school. All events will reinforce the convenience of U-verse and the portability made possible by the live TV capabilities. Tailgating is a SEC tradition that the students will use to showcase U-verse live streaming abilities and a perfect fit for spreading awareness of a new feature allowing SEC fans to watch their favorite sports with a multi-platform experience. The Spring Football Game will be held on Saturday April 12, 2014 at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. and students will start tailgating at 10:00 a.m. They will set up a classic tailgate experience with corn hole, ladder, golf, footballs, and Frisbees. The event will be catered by Guthrie’s, a local Athens favorite on Baxter Street, which will be providing tasty southern dishes. Walden, an up and coming band in the Athens music scene, will provide live music from 11:20 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The talented band is composed of four freshman student musicians and will be putting on a show with catchy -More-
ATHENS, GA – The University of Georgia has been selected as one of seven schools throughout the country to participate in the AT&T Campus Brand Challenge. Students in the Advertising Campaigns course have created an in-class, working marketing agency, Classic City Creative responsible for researching, implementing, and evaluating an integrated marketing campaign. The campaign is focused around increasing awareness and purchase of AT&T U-verse® TV and the new SEC Network launching in August among the Generation Y market in U-verse markets. All seven schools will be competing for the chance to present their creative ideas to AT&T executives at the term’s conclusion. Students will begin by conducting research to find out more about U-verse markets. After they have analyzed their research findings, they will design a campaign aimed at engaging Gen Y and promoting AT&T U-verse TV and High Speed Internet services, wireless discount and reward for referral programs. Classic City Creative will bring their campaign plans to life using a $3,000 budget provided by AT&T. At the end of the term, students will collect post-campaign research, and then conclude with a formal presentation to their client summarizing the campaign results and successes. “This semester promises to be a great learning experience for the students in working with a realtime marketing challenge. This competition is unique. Students will go beyond making simple strategic recommendations to actually execute their ideas. It’s an incredible way for them to build their portfolios with creative samples that have actually run in-market. What’s more, students will realistically be held accountable for their actions and expenditures and will gain valuable face time with high level industry professionals,” said course instructor, Kirsten StrausbaughHutchinson, Senior Lecturer in the Advertising and Public Relations Department. Watch for more information about the AT&T Campus Brand Challenge at the University of Georgia throughout the spring term. For further inquiries regarding the competition, please contact Cindy Wang at 678-988-9190.
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PUBLIC RELATIONS Editorial Coverage Research was conducted to identify relevant and significant media outlets and bloggers for the campaign. C3’s story was successfully pitched to the Athens Banner Herald, which published a story on Classic City Creative via their online publication.
Placing press releases online enabled additional journalists to find campaign information for a possible story. The first press release focused on initial interest and awareness and served as an introductory outline of the campaign this semester. The second press release provided additional details on location, date and time of events. It also informed the public of the
67 FanaticsOnTheCouch social media campaign, guerrilla marketing and online presence. The third press release announced the G-day tailgate and provided in-depth details such as catering, prizes and live music in order to generate higher attendance. The last press release contains a summary of the semester’s activities, progress, achievements and research information obtained during the campaign.
PUBLIC RELATIONS In addition, C3 utilized free event listing websites to spread awareness of campaign couch-viewing events and tailgates. This allowed events to be on local event calendars and be found online and through search engines.
PR & Media Relations Evaluation Media clips, articles, URLs and awareness were all used to evaluate effectiveness of the tactics used. C3 monitored online activity and created alerts for a published story or post. PR tactics led to editorial coverage of the campaign and spread awareness of the AT&T Campus Brand Challenge. OnlineAthens published an overview of the program and what Classic City Creative planned to achieve this semester. In addition, the press release summarizing the concept of Fanaticism and our G-day tailgate was approved by several press release distribution sites which allowed C3 to widen online presence. The agency’s public relations tactics were cost effective and allowed the campaign to reach readers of the Athens Banner Herald as well as online users at no cost. An estimate of approximate impressions generated through public relations is around 500,000, based on media rate cards and general traffic to listed places.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES
Fanatics on the Couch Facebook Page The Fanatics on the Couch social media accounts were created to promote both the campaign and its various events. Accounts were used to regularly post statuses about happenings in the UGA and SEC sports communities, promote events around Athens and Atlanta and inform the fanatic community about AT&T U-verse and its offerings.
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SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY Facebook Paid Advertising Paid advertisements promoting the campaign were also placed. In order to reach the campaign objectives, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Buzzfeed were used to increase interest and awareness about the campaign and U-verse. By initiating multiple social media platforms, the campaign was able to reach more individuals. The goal was to obtain 500 likes on the Fanatics on the Couch Facebook page and the page reached 508 likes. The first event, the SEC Alumni Kickball Tournament, was promoted via the Fanatics on the Couch Facebook page and supplemented with paid Facebook advertisements set at $5 per day. In order to promote the campaign’s G-Day Tailgate, the second and largest event, there was an extensive social media push with the objective to have over 100 individuals in attendance. Twitter was used in the same capacity as Facebook, to promote Fanatics on the Couch events and AT&T U-verse, but did not include any paid advertisements.
C3 also created paid Facebook advertisements, set at $10 per day, during a one week period for three different social media campaigns. The first campaign was meant to increase traffic and number of likes on the Fanatics on the Couch Facebook page. The next two Facebook campaigns were used to promote AT&T’s Student Discount and Referral Programs to niche target audiences.
Through social media, the campaign also allowed fans to get involved with the brand experience. Twenty-seven fans uploaded their favorite game day pictures to the Fanatics Facebook page as a response to two different posts calling for game day photos. The photos were then used to create the crowd-sourced fanatic fan mosaic (discussed previously), which was implemented to create awareness and generate buzz about the SEC Network and U-verse package. This tactic drove traffic and increased overall social media engagement. Specifically, social engagement increased by five times due to the game day selfies and snapshots posted by fans.
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SOCIAL MEDIA RESULTS
Measure of Social Media Success Social Media was a success in terms of building awareness. Facebook drove 30% of the FanaticsOnTheCouch.com website traffic, and through paid ads, reached a total of 8,923 people. On a weekly basis, around 800 people were actively engaged with the campaign’s Facebook page content. In terms of individuals viewing the Facebook page, our highest number of impressions were obtained on April 17th, with 530 impressions and an average of 58 impressions a day. Our three YouTube videos obtained 34 views, and although there are no free success metrics for Twitter, Fanatics obtained 44 Twitter followers during a one month period. Through paid Facebook ads, the campaign was able to reach around 6,000 potential subscribers as opposed to 100-450 from organic ads.
The various competitions and events throughout the campaign allowed alumni, current students and those living in Athens to show their support of the SEC schools. The Facebook campaign push reached over 2,000 individuals and informed them of fanatic competitions including: fan photos and the fanatic rap contest.
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ADWORDS CAMPAIGN Google AdWords is an online advertising platform that serves ad messages based on certain queries on the Google search engine. Frequency and placement of the ads are based on relevance to the search query and real-time bid auctions. Google’s main source of revenue, AdWords is a powerful tool in reaching consumers during purchase consideration. Not only this, but search ads can also accelerate consumers further down the purchase funnel. If a marketer wishes to raise position on Google search results, he or she must spend more money on keyword bids or improve the quality of the landing page. Google determines landing page quality by an undisclosed algorithm. However, in short, it prioritizes user experience, continuity with search query and website authenticity. The campaign focused on a several keyword themes: AT&T, sports and SEC schools. Since most schools have the same sports programs and compete against each other, the campaign needed to use the school names and nicknames combined with sports-related buzzwords. Regarding the tables to the right, the campaign combines one keyword from the left table with one keyword from the right table. For example, “georgia” + “alumni” makes the “georgia alumni” keyword and “mizzou” + “athletics” makes the “mizzou athletics” keyword. Every possible combination listed below is in the AdWords campaign.
Classic City Creative does not have the AdWords budget to compete against companies with larger budgets like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile for U-verse and AT&T offerings. Because the telecommunication giants dominate the share of voice for AT&T and U-verse, this AdWords campaign needs to focus on sports and individual SEC schools. When people search for any piece of these keywords, our advertisements have an opportunity to show.
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Unfortunately, the website does not leverage individual school information and instead focuses on the holistic fanaticism for the SEC schools. Because we express this holistic fanaticism, but are unable to say SEC, many impressions are missed. Thus, Google determines the site, FanaticsOnTheCouch.com, as having low Quality Score due to little relevance to the search query. Another concern is that few other reputable websites link to the microsite. If, for example, www. att.com linked to the microsite, our Quality Score would improve. Overall, the keywords are very successful in serving for the sports-related search queries. The bid range is moderate, though not inflated enough to consistently position first and second on Google search results. Therefore, the advertisement serves very often, but rarely first out of all search results. Click-through-rate (CTR) fluctuates around 1%, a competitive metric considering the $120.00 budget.
ADWORDS CAMPAIGN After comparative test runs, research displayed the most relevant keywords involved “SEC” or “The SEC Network.” After a 2 day test run, “The SEC Network” keyword generated a 4.05% click-through-rate: the best of the entire campaign. This 4.05% CTR did not stick, but “The SEC Network” still holds one of the best clickthrough-rates. This remains to be the most effective keyword so far. It should be noted that even when The SEC Network was acting as a keyword, at no point was Classic City Creative publicly leveraging SEC. Instead, the ad would only serve when the user himself searched for “SEC” or “The SEC Network” keyword on Google. Here are the keywords which performed best in terms of clickthrough-rate.
CAMPAIGN TOTALS 90 total clicks 93,677 impressions 0.12% overall CTR 2.3 Average Position
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EVALUATION
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CAMPAIGN EVALUATION
CAMPAIGN MICROSITE The campaign microsite acted as the hub of the FanaticsOnTheCouch campaign, detailing all tactics, explaining product features and linking back to the AT&T website. Since the start of the campaign, the website has had over 566 unique pageviews and 4,365 total pageviews. Because this site was central to all campaign tactics, C3 used its success metrics to help determine overall campaign success and to provide a better idea of how well objectives were met, other than those metrics provided by AT&T.
U-VERSE SUBSCRIPTIONS Original campaign goals were to obtain 50 new U-verse subscriptions and 75 wireless customer subscriptions. As of April 23, no U-verse purchases were indicated by brand sources. However, the campaign did have 23 click throughs from the U-verse information page on FanaticsOnTheCouch.com to the AT&T website. The AT&T U-verse page was also the campaign’s most popular webpage, with 281 views as of April 27. Therefore, though other tactics may have drawn people to the site, once there, these individuals were most engaged with the U-verse information. Giving these individuals time to convert, C3 believes that at least 50 of these 281 pageviews, in addition to our 400+ event attendees who participated in our product demonstrations, will convert to customers during the coming months.
CAMPAIGN EVALUATION
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AT&T WIRELESS SUBSCRIPTIONS As of May 5, C3 is still waiting to obtain the number of new AT&T wireless subscriptions for UGA students and faculty. Though the agency is unable to obtain exact numbers for the referral program, the “Referral Program” page on the FanaticsOnTheCouch.com website obtained a total of 23 pageviews, 16 unique pageviews, with almost a two minute average spend on the page. Since the amount of content on this page is limited, although the number of pageviews is lower than anticipated, the time spent with the content suggests that each of these viewers were highly engaged. As the campaign did not concentrate on the referral program and spent about a week promoting the program within the smartphone guerrilla piece, the number of viewers met expectations and their Our online presence including: Adwords with 93,677 impressions, the website with 566 impressions, our 213 email marketing pieces and 16,486 social media accounted for 110,942 total impressions. Public Relations efforts received approximately 4,300 total impressions, some of these also coming from online publications. Our event traffic totaled approximately 530 attendees including traffic from our Alumni Kickball Tournament, which included 150 individuals, the G-Day Tailgate consisted of 300 individuals, and the Couch Viewing Experiences around campus including 80 individuals, with total impressions estimating at well over 3,500. Engagement among attendees at these events was ensured through the 75 Fanaticare Packages that were distributed, on-site games, food and our Let’s Get Popping balloon tactic. Through event advertising and prizes, we secured $2,444.47 in
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CAMPAIGN EVALUATION Campaign Reach, Continuity and Communication Goals Achieved In total, the campaign reached over 2,500 individuals through events, public relations, social media and guerrilla marketing. The idea of fanaticism was a strong theme in every tactic implemented and allowed the campaign to be cohesive and engaging. During a one month implementation period, C3 was able to increase awareness of AT&T U-verse and the SEC Network product by 16% and purchase intention of the service by 31%. Though there were no subscriptions to date, since campaign implementation recently ended, C3 believes that purchase intention is the best indicator of overall campaign success and that individuals will take at least a few months to convert to customers.
Post Campaign Survey Results C3 opened a post-campaign survey which included many of the same questions as the pre-campaign survey to gauge how much insights and perceptions had changed throughout the course of the campaign. The post survey was administered to students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff, and participants who attended any of the Fanatic events. Email addresses were recorded at the Kickball event, G-Day game, and pop-up couch viewing experiences.
CAMPAIGN EVALUATION Through the post-campaign survey, it was determined that our 416 respondents were more aware of the SEC Network coming this fall than in the pre-campaign survey. As with the pre-campaign survey, it was found that price (34%), friends (20%), and online reviews (15%) were the primary factors that influence people the most when they decide to purchase a new product. 46% of respondents said that they prefer to watch video content on their computers, which reinforces that 51% of respondents said that the internet was the most important service from their cable providers. The majority of respondents (29%) said that ‘ease of use’ was what they were most satisfied with from their current provider and that price (35%) is what they were most dissatisfied with from their current provider. The majority (75%) was generally satisfied with their current provider. The results also showed more positive perceptions of AT&T than the pre-campaign survey, with the majority of responses rating positively (“good”) for qualities such as the brand itself, ease of use, and overall value; when compared with other cable providers, respondents had a more favorable attitude towards AT&T, ranking the others as being “fair” or “poor.” 79% said that they were not currently looking to switch cable providers, however, this is likely due to the fact that most respondents were students (68%) and many are required to subscribe to a particular local cable provider. Further research shows that even though 90% of respondents would consider themselves to be SEC fans only 32% would switch providers solely for the new SEC Sports Network, but that 52% would be interested in subscribing to AT&T within the next year.
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FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS
Locker Room Decals One of the Fanatics’ most promising tactics that never came into fruition was the use of locker room decals. The C3 creative team designed larger than life vinyl cling pieces that would be displayed inside various gym locker rooms. These decals included a special QR code for the UGA-specific URL, as well as information about U-verse services. Each decal took on a different shape, some were modeled after footballs and soccerballs; however, all of them showed our test pattern logos. Others were life-size decals of sports players caught in action. Because college students and recent graduates are typically concerned with physical fitness, C3 believes that locker rooms are the perfect venues to display these decals. These bright and noticeable decals are centered around sports, thus aligning with the motif of physical fitness. C3 wanted to provide an easily accessible link to the page for key members of the target audience. The agency believes that the high visibility and high traffic in the locker rooms would make the decals a very worthwhile investment. For these reasons, C3 recommends that AT&T considers developing the decals in order to attract the attention of young fitness Fanatics.
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APPENDICES
81 Added Value Through Donations and Partnerships
ADDED VALUE
Throughout the semester C3 has secured numerous donations and added value opportunities, in the form of prizes, catering services and entertainment to offset costs and help generate interest in campaign events.
The total amount of added value is $2,774.47. The following list shows the donations obtained throughout the duration of the campaign: Mercedes Benz of Buckhead Kickball Co-Sponsorship: $450 Walden (band) at G-Day: $250 Jack Daniel’s (tank tops): $225 Guthrie’s (G-Day catering): $200 Jim Beam (35 shot glasses): $175 UGA Bookstore (supplies): $130 Google Adwords Credit & Campaign: $120 Fanatic cornhole boards: $100 Mercedes Benz of Buckhead (72 water bottles): $75 Facebook Advertising Credit: $50 Grindhouse Killer Burgers (5 coupons): $50 Zoes Kitchen (G-Day catering): $43.98
Skull Candy (headphones): $40 Amazon.com (inflatable couch): $39.99 Grady College/UGA Printing Services: $121.50 Towne Club (11 t-shirts and koozies): $47 UGA (2 baseball tickets): $16 UGA AdClub, 3 2 liter Coca-Cola bottles: $6 Marker 7 Coastal Grill (75 plastic cups): $5.30 UGA AdClub t-shirts: $300 Bel Jean printing services: $330
BUDGET BREAKDOWN The campaign was given in initial investment of $3,000 by AT&T and EdVenture Partners. This money was delivered in two installments ($1,000 and $2,000.) To properly track expenditure and for ease of payment a joint checking account was created by the Account Executives. SunTrust Bank was selected as the institution because of low minimum balances, and no checking fees. Initial budgeting was broken up by department and tactic. The first budget planned for $2,889.12 of the $3,000 to be spent. The allocations were made as such: $1,365 for IMC tactics (Fanaticare Packages for $345, Couch Viewing Experience for $670, Alumni Kickball Tournament for $250, The Trophy Room for $100,) $1,169 for Creative executions (Collateral Pieces for $600, Website/Hosting for $69, Decals for $250, and Locker Room Decals for $250,) $300 for Social Media targeting and ads, and $55 for research.
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Actual expenditure differed somewhat from the original budgeting. The campaign spent a total of $3,275.37. Spending broken down by department and tactic was as follows: $2,010.36 for IMC tactics (Couch Viewing, Kickball Tournament, Fanaiticare Packages, and the G Day Tailgate,) $754.49 for Creative executions (collateral pieces, website,) $85.01 for Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, AdWords,) $52.79 for Research, and $366 on miscellaneous costs (presentation materials, fees.) Throughout the course of the semester the campaign was able to secure sponsorships/ giveaways valued at $2,774.47. This was an incredible 81% addition to the original budget the campaign was able to utilize.
With this sum, the total value of the campaign was $6,049.84.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
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CAMPAIGN TOUCHPOINT CALENDAR February 2014
29 • Athens Banner
Herald Story Published
7 • Site Live
22 • Post Survey Open
7 • Pre Survey Started
20 • Focus Group Held
March 2014
6 • Pre Survey Closed
6 • Kickball Game •
Fanaticare Packages first handed out
April 2014
3 • Platforms Go Live
5 • Gymnastics Tailgate
12 • G-Day Tailgate
14 • Trophy Room Begins • Fanatic Rap Begins • Game Day Photos Begin
17 • Guerilla Pieces Dropped For Scavenger Hunt
21 • Let’s Get Popping Phase 1 • Couch Viewing at Herty Field
May 2014
5 • Post Survey Closed
6 • Site Closed • Platforms Taken Down
23 • Let’s Get Popping Phase 2 • Couch Viewing at Herty Field
Events Social Media Public Relations Tactics Research Website