Paquette Productions 2014 Online Marketing and Advertising Strategy

Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 4 2. Strategic Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 4 Contact Information ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Background Company Information .......................................................................................................... 4 History ................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Mission Statement/Vision ............................................................................................................................ 5 Current Marketing and Advertising Strategy ........................................................................................ 5 Target Market ................................................................................................................................................... 6 Current Client/Market Place Evaluation ................................................................................................. 6 Four Pillars ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Marketing Mix .................................................................................................................................................. 8 PEST Analysis ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Environment and Competition ................................................................................................................ 11 SWOT Analysis .............................................................................................................................................. 11 Porter’s 5 Forces Model ............................................................................................................................. 14

3. Current Challenges ........................................................................................................................ 15 4. Marketing Outlook ........................................................................................................................ 16 Budget Implications .................................................................................................................................... 16 Goals ................................................................................................................................................................. 16 SMART Goals .................................................................................................................................................. 16 Short and Long Term Goals ....................................................................................................................... 17 KPIs and Targets ........................................................................................................................................... 18

5. Brand Building and Brand Reputations ................................................................................. 18 Company Identity (Visual Identity) ....................................................................................................... 18 Personal Website ......................................................................................................................................... 19 Update Print Documents ........................................................................................................................... 20 Tracking Brand Building (Through Websites) ................................................................................... 20

6. Marketing Strategy ....................................................................................................................... 20 Online Revenue Streams ............................................................................................................................ 20 Online Presence ............................................................................................................................................ 21 SEO .................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Video Marketing ........................................................................................................................................... 22 Email Marketing ........................................................................................................................................... 23

7. Advertising Strategy ..................................................................................................................... 23 Objectives ........................................................................................................................................................ 23 Getting the Advertisements Online ........................................................................................................ 24 Banner Advertisements ............................................................................................................................. 25 Text Advertisements ................................................................................................................................... 26 Search Advertising ....................................................................................................................................... 26 Social Media Advertising ........................................................................................................................... 26 Payment Models ........................................................................................................................................... 26 Targeting Specific People/Areas ............................................................................................................. 27

2

8. Social Media Strategy ................................................................................................................... 27 Various Social Media Sites ......................................................................................................................... 27 Risks and Challenges ................................................................................................................................... 27 Objectives and Goals ................................................................................................................................... 28 How will these Objectives and Goals be Achieved? .......................................................................... 28 Tracking and Monitoring Success of Social Media Presence ......................................................... 28

9. Analysis of Options Considered/Rejected ............................................................................. 29 10. Tracking Success ......................................................................................................................... 29 Evaluation & Metrics ................................................................................................................................... 29

11. Strategies for Ongoing Optimization .................................................................................... 30 12. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 31 13. Appendix (Visuals) ..................................................................................................................... 33 14. Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 42

3

1. Executive Summary Pete Paquette is one of Canada’s top ranked Elvis Tribute Artists. Pete has travelled across the United States and Canada winning awards and gaining recognition for his portrayal of the King of Rock – Elvis Presley. In 2010, Pete retired from performing at competitions and started his own company called Paquette Productions. The company is family run and manages Pete’s selfproduced show called “ELVIS – The Moments,” which tours throughout Ontario to many fans.

The company has many strengths, which include dedicating a great amount of time in providing quality entertainment, building a reputable company and celebrating the life and accomplishments of Elvis Presley. A few weaknesses that the company suffers from include a lacking online presence in terms of social media, which includes (but is not limited to) Facebook, YouTube and more. Without brand identity and awareness, there is a small chance for Paquette Productions to expand and solidify itself as a true entertainment company. Furthermore, another weakness that can completely shut down the company is the fact that Pete is the sole provider and performer under the company and for the show “ELVIS – The Moments.” If an accident occurs, the company would find themselves at a loss and out of the business. What we suggest the company improve on first is its online presence via Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms. Social media is an excellent method to not only promote brand identity, but also gain exposure. Another suggestion that the company can improve on is to factor in other acts outside of the Elvis market. Lastly, Paquette Productions can appeal to a younger demographic to stay relevant, as well as promoting and sponsoring local businesses to develop strong ties with one another.

2. Strategic Analysis 2.1 Contact Information Name: Pete Paquette E-Mail: petepaquette@yahoo.ca Website: paquetteproductions.com Phone: 905-569-1234 2.2 Background Company Information Paquette Productions is a production company formed by Pete Paquette in 2010. Currently, it is the company behind Pete’s self produced Elvis tribute show called “ELVIS – The Moments.”

The company is family run and consists of five individuals (including Pete Paquette). The company was originally based out of Toronto, Canada but has since moved to Milton, Ontario.

2.3 History Pete Paquette is one of Canada’s top ranked Elvis Tribute Artists. He has also claimed numerous titles across Canada and the United States including 2-time Collingwood Elvis Festival Grand Champion, Toronto Elvis Festival Grand Champion, Best Performer at the Las Vegas Elvis

4

Festival, and ranked one of top 10 Tribute Artists in the world, a title acquired at the 2009 Ultimate Elvis Competition organized by Elvis Presley Enterprises in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2010, Pete retired from the competition world and started his own company, Paquette Productions. Under this company, Pete brought his portrayal of Elvis to a new level, selfproducing his show, “Elvis – The Moments.” Since 2010, Pete has toured throughout Ontario and has brought his show to British Columbia. This year, in addition to Ontario shows and another west coast tour, “EIVIS – The Moments” will be touring the Maritimes.

2.4 Mission Statement/Vision Currently, Paquette Productions is focused on providing people with a quality and entertaining show that will leave the audience wanting more through the authenticity and amazing energy Pete possesses. “Elvis – The Moments” is a true celebration of the one and only Elvis Presley, and Pete ensures that this is shown in each show.

The company itself is an entertainment company, with Pete hoping to expand the company in the future to allow for other non-Elvis shows. One of the main characteristics Pete wants others to attribute to his company and show is for it to be known as a reputable company. When people see his show, they know they will be getting a great return on their investment and will know what to expect. When people see the company and show logo they will instantly recognize the company. Pete also wants to maintain a consistent online image and personality across all online platforms, and ultimately wants to lower the company’s advertising expenses, as people get accustomed to his show and the name “Paquette Productions.”

In addition, Pete understands that more individuals are using social media and e-mail to communicate with others and learn about various artists and events, so Paquette Productions is looking for an expanded and more involved social media presence and an increased fan base. It is important to note that this vision for Paquette Productions connects back to the company’s mission statement of providing people with quality live entertainment through a show that successfully pays tribute to Elvis Presley.

2.5 Current Marketing and Advertising Plan/Strategies Although Paquette Productions is entering its fourth year of creation, it does not have a wellestablished online marketing and advertising plan. Looking at the company’s social media presence, Paquette Productions is currently on Facebook and YouTube. The Facebook page acts as an official fan club page for the company and has 364 likes (prior to our suggestion, which will be introduced in a subsequent section). Pete notes that these likes are all voluntarily as they have not promoted the Facebook page. On YouTube, Pete posts some videos of songs he performs live in his show and has thirty-eight current subscribers.

Paquette Productions also uses e-mail marketing by sending an e-mail blast to members of the Paquette Productions Fan Club and the company contacts theaters to send e-mail blasts to subscribers. The e-mail blast contains a brief introduction about news and lists all of the shows for the year. However, Paquette Productions only does this twice a year, so Pete has expressed a great interest in sending a newsletter more frequently throughout the year. Furthermore, Paquette

5

Productions continues to contact local newspapers (in areas where there will be a show), and has a web banner advertisement placed on some websites. When a viewer clicks on the advertisement, they are directed to buy tickets or to Pete’s website. At the moment, Paquette Productions is focusing on smaller newspapers, so online viewership is not as high as it should be to get the number of clicks required to get good value out of this strategy. As noted, Paquette Productions also has an official website (paquetteproductions.com), but it can be expanded and revised based on several of our marketing suggestions and branding ideas. One of the final online strategies is posting videos of live performances on YouTube. While the videos do generate several hundred views, subscribers remain at thirty-eight and the YouTube page is not updated on a regular basis.

Most of the company’s current strategy, and where Pete has found the greatest success, is offline advertising and marketing. One of the major offline advertising platforms the company utilizes is print advertising in newspapers. The company contacts the editorial department of newspapers in cities where shows are held and has them produce a write-up about the show. Paquette Productions has also used radio advertisements to help promote the show and has had numerous complementary ticket offers through radio by conducting on air contests. Lastly, Pete personally travels to various businesses that have a community bulletin board and posts show posters for others to see.

2.6 Target Market When considering the target market, one must look at the show “ELVIS – The Moments” and evaluate what the show offers. The show covers the musical career of one of the most celebrated entertainers, from early Rock n’ Roll to the Vegas Years. “ELVIS – The Moments” is an authentic show that showcases the King’s early years of the 1950s, the army years, the sixtyeight comeback and Vegas years. Thus, the target market is the baby boomer generation. This includes individuals who were born between the years 1946 and 1964 and who would have grew up during the time Elvis Presley was rapidly gaining popularity. When evaluating the target market from a gender and financial perspective, the show is primarily targeting low to middleclass women in middle-income households. Since Elvis did not live a lengthy life, individuals from this era still want to relive the excitement of seeing Elvis perform live. This means that “ELVIS – The Moments” fulfills this need by providing this target audience with a quality Elvis show and performance. Furthermore, since Pete Paquette is located in Milton, Ontario, the primary geographic target area is Ontario.

While the target audience is an older age bracket and geographic targeting is largely limited to Ontario, Paquette Productions has expressed a high amount of interest in lowering the age of its target audience to individuals in the twenty to thirty year old age bracket and expanding its geographic coverage to include many other provinces and various states throughout the United States.

2.7 Current Client/Market Place Evaluation Currently, Paquette Productions is well positioned when comparing Paquette Productions and the show “ELVIS – The Moments” to other Elvis tribute shows in Ontario (and throughout Canada).

6

A large majority of this ties back to the talent, Pete Paquette (this will be further evaluated in the SWOT analysis). Although Pete is well positioned within the Elvis show market, the music market is overall very competitive. Paquette Productions would be considered a niche market since it is specifically dealing with Elvis material. This is one of the main challenges the company faces in this market because a large majority of the population will choose other forms of musical entertainment. In addition, the company is severely underdeveloped in regards to its online presence, and considering more businesses are significantly expanding their online identity, Paquette Productions suffers from a poor online marketing and advertising strategy.

This ultimately hurts the company’s market place evaluation and places the company at a disadvantage when evaluating growth and competitive advantages.

2.8 Four Pillars 1. The Environment: From an economic standpoint, the company is affected by not having enough capital within the company itself, and also by theaters charging too much to rent the space for a show. This prevents the company from going to key locations that require a higher cost to rent the theater but a lower ticket cost because people cannot spend the amount of money on entertainment as they used to. Socially, people are choosing other options for outings with family and friends, and connecting with the economic factor, might not view buying four tickets for a Mississauga show at thirty-nine dollars each as the best option. In addition, social media and communication is rapidly evolving, which can either benefit or hurt the show. The social environment carries through to the technological environment since information can be disseminated at a fast pace and reach a large geographic area. If people are writing positive things about the show and company, this benefits the company. However, people can easily negatively comment on various aspects of the company and show, which can hinder its reputation. Lastly, weather is the primary environmental concern for the company and the success of the show because if the weather is bad, people will be unable to travel to the show and the talent (Pete Paquette) might be unable to make the show. This means that customers will want refunds and the company will be out of a lot of money as there are no ticket sales and theatres often do not return the full cost of renting the theater when weather is involved.

2. The Business: For most of the four years, Paquette Productions did not have a brand or an identity that people could identify. More focus was on the show itself rather than providing the company with an overall brand and identity. Upon learning about this project, we met with Pete to discuss various aspects of the company, which helped us develop the brand we will present in a subsequent section. Our goal is to communicate the quality live entertainment aspect of Pete’s show throughout the brand, keeping the designs clean and professional while incorporating a bit of an edge into the designs. We want people to feel positive and lively emotions when they see the logo, a poster or the website. We want the same positive characteristics of the show and of Pete Paquette to transfer to the overall brand and identity of the company, and we hope to maintain a consistent colour scheme and look and feel throughout all branding materials. Moreover, aside from the Pete Paquette bringing uniqueness and a distinct advantage to the company, the branding we will present will provide unique qualities to the business too.

7

Although the company does not have a clear unique selling point (USP) at the moment, aside from Pete Paquette being one of the top Elvis Tribute Artists in Canada, one of the set goals is developing a USP that sets Paquette Productions and Pete’s show apart from others.

3. The Customers: The consumer journey when considering whether to purchase a ticket(s) to a Paquette Productions show is not linear. There are many ways a potential customer engages with the company prior to making a purchase. The customers become aware of the company and the actual shows by seeing posters on bulletin boards, read about the show and Pete Paquette in some newspapers, and can learn about the show through online web banners. From these different avenues, customers are directed to the official Paquette Productions website where they can learn more about Pete, the show and see the location of different shows. Of course, these customers will be comparing Paquette Productions and the “ELVIS – The Moments” show to other Elvis tribute shows, so some of the aspects that will be focused on are the affordable price of tickets in comparison to other acts and the overall quality of the talent (Pete Paquette).

4. The Competitors: This pillar is one that affects the company in a significant way because of the large amount of competition in the Elvis tribute show market (and in the music field in general). While Paquette Productions is marketing its own show, other Elvis tribute artists are doing the same. This often happens in the same geographic area, which reduces the number of potential customers for a Paquette Productions Elvis show.

In addition, some of the other well-known Elvis tribute artists are far more active on social media than Paquette Productions currently is. This means that competitors are capturing the attention of potential customers for Pete’s show and are increasing their own brand awareness, identity and ticket sales while reducing Pete’s ticket sales and brand.

2.9 Marketing Mix 1. Products (and services): The main product/service that Paquette Productions sells is tickets to the show “ELVIS – The Moments.” The company’s official website does not sell tickets, but customers can purchase tickets to any show through theatre websites (The company’s website does have a page that links to every website where tickets are sold).

Looking at offline products being sold by Paquette Productions, at every show the company sells CDs, pictures and buttons (not currently offered online).

2. Price: For most of the shows, Paquette Productions charges $39 for a single ticket.

Depending on the area the show is taking place (for example, Ottawa and Mississauga versus Chatham), ticket prices are either reduced to approximately $32 plus HST or increased to $42. Since Paquette Productions is still considered a small player in the market, the company considered differentiating on value. This means that value is not just an affordable price, but considering the price and the value of the experience one receives becomes important. When comparing Pete Paquette to other Elvis tribute artists and “ELVIS – The Moments” to other Elvis tribute shows, the price per ticket is less and

8

customers receive a significantly higher value for the price they pay in regards to the product (the show) itself. Lastly, the merchandise sold at shows is priced at market value.

3. Placement (or distribution): One of the great things about Paquette Productions is that all tickets are available online through theatre websites. Customers have the option to call a box office directly and purchase tickets over the phone; however, purchasing tickets online is available for all shows. This allows people from all geographic areas to see the selection of shows available and if they know they will be in a distant area while a show is taking place, they can purchase tickets ahead of time without having to go to the theatre in person. Further, the only products that are not currently offered online are the merchandise, and this is a disadvantage because most Elvis tribute artists have online stores where they sell merchandise to people globally.

4. Promotion: The Internet has helped tremendously with promoting the company, the show and at times the merchandise at the shows. Prior to creating a Facebook fan club page, Pete relied on offline promotion through posting show posters in different towns (this is still being done). While this was effective, there was no real way to track and measure the success of this promotion. By advertising and discussing the show and the company online, and by creating an official website, Paquette Productions is able to track traffic to the website and evaluate the number of likes on a Facebook post and how many new people are liking the Facebook page and subscribing to the YouTube page. In addition, Pete is able to directly interact with customers on the fan club page, which helps build relationships with customers and fans and has assisted in maintaining the kind of online persona Pete wants for his company.

5. People: The Internet has allowed people to participate in the brand story by posting their own personal experiences on social media websites. After the shows, customers will often post on the official fan club page about their experience at the show and dealing with the company, and will include pictures of their experience. Additionally, fans of Elvis have their own online communities on blogs, forums and social media websites, and share news and updates from their favorite Elvis tribute artists.

2.10 PEST Analysis 1. Political • As Pete and Paquette Productions continue to strive for global expansion of their product and international tours, censorship could be an issue in certain countries.

• Since Pete is a tribute artist of an individual (Elvis Presley) whose property is entirely protected under numerous laws, copyright and trademark issues could arise. o However, since Pete created his own persona off of Elvis’ property, Pete’s shows, props and his overall act is protected.

• As Pete continues to expand his image by travelling and performing all throughout Canada, piracy and streaming can result in Pete and Paquette Productions losing revenue. For example, if an individual streams Pete’s performance on a website without proper authorization.

9

•

Consumer Protection: With expansion comes selling merchandise. The items would have to be high quality, whether the company is dealing with memorabilia or replicated props.

2. Economic • Pete and Paquette Productions are continuing to grow, which means increased tax payments. This could possibly range from income to royalties, as well as disposable income and investing.

• Once Pete and Paquette Productions expand into different countries with different global offices, the exchange rate would be apparent.

• Confidence and economics is tied together since if a paying customer is happy with what the show offered, revenue and the fan base would increase.

3. Social • Lifestyle Changes: Through Pete’s dedication to keeping a legend alive, people could be inspired to change their life around and follow their dreams. Countless individuals out in the world look up to artists and celebrities, with Pete being an excellent role model.

• Fashion and Fads: People dressed far more differently than what is addressed as fashion today, meaning certain unpopular fashion styles could arise in the near future.

• Education: As Pete continues to uplift the image of Elvis Presley, the King’s history and how he lived his life could and would intrigue Pete’s audience.

Furthermore, as Pete’s goal is to include numerous other acts run under his company, educating the ignorant on this subject matter is an idea worth considering.

• Demographics: As Pete’s demographic is directed towards the declining baby boomer generation, Pete must appeal to the younger generation in order to keep his company afloat. This can be achieved by introducing new acts or by simply adopting a more youthful routine.

• Influence: Since Pete is and will be appealing to a younger demographic, his influence regarding his consumers is high as consumers generally try to mimic what is shown.

4. Technology • Social Media: Social media is an excellent way to gain exposure to either increase the company’s fan base or publicity for Pete’s company. As previously stated, there are a few details that need to be addressed, such as the Facebook and YouTube page. Although, it is vital to remember that Pete is in competition with other tribute artists as they also use social media to generate buzz.

• Equipment/Props: The technological equipment to run the show is already expensive, meaning that including stage props would financially hinder the company.

• Emergence of Online Community: As Pete and his company generates popularity in regards to their product, consumers and like-minded people will be wondering what else the company offers or when the next show will be. This will

10

•

result in traffic to the company’s website. In the future, it is possible that the main landing spot for the company could include a forum for discussions, and could possibly allow for fans to dictate what should be shown for the next show (For example, songs people want to hear that are not generally on the setlist).

Intellectual Property Issues: Issues may arise if Pete accidentally uses something that is protected. Since Pete is a performer, there are certain rights that he has and he can also protect them. For example, “Performer’s Rights” mean that the performance Pete provides the audience has to be reflective of considerable additional creative expression. In addition, Pete now has control over succeeding dealings with the visual image of his show. Other rights to keep in mind are trademark and copyright, with trademark allowing the company to use their preferred name in a professional setting and copyright providing protection of the company’s creative ideas, which can include Pete’s original songs.

2.11 Environment and Competition Paquette Productions is in a competitive market and must ensure that it provides customers with a quality show and maintains several advantages over other production companies and Elvis tribute shows. This is currently difficult to achieve because of the complex nature of the music industry, the niche market for Elvis performances and the sheer number of other tribute artists that are producing a similar product. Although in the local environment (central Ontario and the GTA) Pete is well positioned, competition from other tribute artists makes expansion and success difficult when looking at other geographic areas outside of the area Paquette Productions has focused on for the past few years.

The music industry is one of the most competitive industries in existence and it is extremely rare to get a “big break.” When looking at the Elvis area of the music industry, this idea of “making it” in the music industry is very difficult because there is not a widespread appeal. This area has an older fan base, and many of them are slowly passing away. This results in a need for a youthful representation of Elvis and changes to the show and the company so it appeals to a younger crowd. This can happen through the advertising and marketing of the show and how the company communicates and connects with young individuals. Since competitors are all maintaining a similar “old” image of Elvis because it is the truest representation of the Elvis era and it is what the current audience wants (in part because of Las Vegas representations), the environment is changing and the company must adapt to maintain a competitive advantage over its competitors.

2.12 SWOT Analysis 1. Strengths • Stay with one band, which means the band and Pete Paquette become a more cohesive unit, which makes for a stronger show.

• The talent level of Pete Paquette when compared to other Elvis tribute artists.

• Higher the best of the best when a replacement singer is required or when additional individuals are needed for various aspects of the show (such as sound, lighting and a brass instrument section).

11

• • • •

•

Consistency of quality of the shows.

The company and show itself is very well organized.

Reputation is very strong within the industry in regards to what the company offers and the quality of the show in comparison to others.

Family run business in the sense that everyone has the best interest of the company. Individuals work extended hours and are very dedicated since the family wants the best for Pete, and the money stays within the family.

Flexibility in relation to travel, time available for shows and the songs that can be included in the show.

2. Weaknesses • The company relies on a single person (Pete Paquette). If something should happen to the main performer, there would be no show. There would also be no income or anything else that comes with Pete performing on a regular basis.

• Undercapitalization: There is not enough money for the company to perform in areas that are of interest and to grow the show even further by including stage props and an expanded band.

• Not enough staff members: Since it is a family business involving immediate family members, the number of individuals involved in the company is limited.

There are many tasks that need to be completed to have a successful and fully functioning company, which means that the company is at a disadvantage when everyone has to multitask on a regular basis and Pete Paquette himself has to manage many different areas of the business in addition to performing at every show.

• Lack of business connections: Paquette Productions has not had the opportunity to establish long lasting business connections that benefit the company. One of the primary actions a company in this market can take is networking with other businesses that might provide your own business with the right contacts to progress further in the market.

3. Opportunities • Having the show “ELVIS – The Moments” bought by an entertainment company.

This would result in limited pressure for Paquette Productions staff members to promote the show and would let the company focus on creating a better show instead of spending a lot of time marketing the show itself. In addition, the company would be guaranteed a specific amount of money, so there is a reduced risk of losing money.

• Expand the show roster by continuing to grow the company into a full production company into one that manages “ELVIS – The Moments” and other non-Elvis shows.

• Expand show locations to include markets that have a demand for Elvis shows but are currently out of reach for Paquette Productions. This will include other Canadian provinces (aside from Ontario and British Columbia) and into the United States.

12

•

•

•

New and expanding technology such as Dropbox, smart phones, new laptops and Quickbooks means that people can always be connected with one another, there is an ability to multitask much easier and get tasks done at a higher speed.

An additional opportunity is the chance of gaining sponsorships from other businesses. This can include radio stations and even businesses such as Pizza Pizza, hotel chains or record stores. If the company were able to secure a sponsorship(s), the sponsor would give an monetary amount and Paquette Productions would include their brand name on all of its advertising and mention them at the show to give them exposure. Accordingly, this could also be beneficial for businesses that want exposure.

Connecting the show to school boards is an opportunity because if the show relates to students in some form, the company would contact the school board and organize bus trips to the theatre to see the show.

4. Threats • Competition from other Elvis tribute artists creating bigger and better shows.

Since many of them have the resources and capital necessary to enhance their show, this is a direct threat to Paquette Productions.

• Weather is a threat to the success of the show because if weather conditions are poor, people will be unable to make the show and will want refunds, and there is the possibility of the show being cancelled, resulting in a huge monetary loss for the company.

• The additional “P” in marketing mix, “People,” can be considered a threat because they can easily spread rumors about Pete Paquette and the quality of the show and company.

• Many theatres are increasing the cost to rent a theatre for a show, so it is becoming too expensive for the company, which means the company loses out on showcasing the show to that market and potential income is also lost.

• A lack of theatres is a threat to the show and the company’s success because the show relies on theatre availability and location. For example, if there is a demand for an Elvis show in a location where no theatre exists, Paquette Productions cannot hold a show in that location and will have to find the next closest city with a large enough theatre. However, this will be asking people to travel a further distance to see the show, which is something they might not want to do.

• Similar to the first threat is the threat of other Elvis tribute acts booking shows at theatres Paquette Productions is interested in. Theatres often have set rules in place for shows with similar content. For example, if an Elvis tribute artist books a theatre for a January show, Paquette Productions cannot book a show at that theatre for January and must wait several months after that show to schedule a show there.

• Poor Elvis tribute artists and performers that make a mockery of Elvis are tarnishing the Elvis tribute reputation. This affects Paquette Productions ticket sales and prevents people from wanting to see Pete’s show.

Please see our Porter’s 5 Forces Model on the following page.

13

2.13 Porter’s 5 Forces Model

Threat of New Entry: • Not too expensive to enter the market • Experience needed, alongside talent, which cannot be taught • Positive benefits if in the business for some time • No technology protection • Low barriers to entry, but hard to stay consistent

Threat of New Entry

Competitive Rivalry: • Few competitors • Commodity products (Selling an act) • High customer loyalty • High costs of leaving market

Supplier Power

Supplier Power: • Low number of tribute artists • Suppliers large as there are not too many tribute acts • Similar products • Not able to substitute as most actions revolve around Pete • Cost of changing the product is extremely high

Competitive Rivalry

Threat of Substitution

Threat of Substitution: • Substitution varies as there are other similar tribute artists • The cost of change also varies accordingly

Buyer Power

Buying Power: • Customers are scarce • Is there really a difference between one tribute artist and another?

• Prices may increase due to factors, which could result in a decrease of consumers • Ability to substitute is medium • Cost of changing varies

14

3. Current Challenges There are many challenges that regularly affect the company and it is important to address as many challenges as possible to improve the company and the show. One of the main challenges Paquette Productions currently faces is a lackluster online presence. Paquette Productions only has a Facebook fan club page and a YouTube page, and do not update them on a consistent basis with new material and information about the company and the show. While the company has compiled a group of 2,600 subscribers for their e-mail blast, the company only does this twice a year.

In addition, it is a positive that the company has some online banner advertisements; however, they are mostly found on small city newspaper websites and do not generate the number of views and clicks necessary for the banners to be a successful advertising tactic. This results in Paquette Productions having no solidified identity and there is no brand or personality attached to the company.

Along these lines, Paquette Productions is having difficulty increasing Facebook likes, YouTube subscribers and traffic to the official website. One of the unique parts of every “ELVIS – The Moments” show is a raffle during intermission, where the audience fills out a ballot for a chance to win a prize. One section on the ballot asks, “How did you find out/hear about the show?” The large majority of responses across all shows have been an offline method, including newspaper advertisements and posters. One of the reasons we believe this is occurring is because of the primary audience for Pete’s show is an older age bracket.

Although, Paquette Productions understands that it needs to market and cater to a younger crowd so the show and company can maintain its longevity. This will include heightening the company’s online presence and providing the company an identity that will stand out from other Elvis tribute performers.

When comparing Paquette Productions to competitors, the main aspect that separates the company from others is Pete. However, the success of the company and show cannot rely solely on having one of the best Elvis performers in Canada. A main component of any business that people look at is how it communicates with potential customers and how it markets itself to others. Further, word of mouth is another factor in the success of the company, but people might not completely trust what others say and want to see what Paquette Productions entails. The easiest way to accomplish this is through an online search, but a current online search will not produce much and might not “sell” the company and the product (the show) to a potential customer.

Moreover, the Elvis performance area is flooded with poor tribute artists, which presents a challenge for Paquette Productions even though the talent is strong. People are searching online to see what and who is out there, and the Internet is cluttered with videos and websites of Elvis tribute artists who do not do Elvis justice. Yet, these companies and performers are frequently updating social media websites and have more online revenue streams and communication than Paquette Productions currently does.

15

4. Marketing Outlook 4.1 Budget Implications Considering undercapitalization is one of the weaknesses of Paquette Productions, there are clear budget limitations when looking at what is possible for marketing and advertising. Paquette Productions typically assigns one thousand dollars per show for marketing and advertising. This includes newspaper advertisements and write-ups, radio advertisements, targeted online advertisements and labour/creative costs (Note: Paquette Productions does not always use newspaper and radio advertisements).

Understanding that it requires additional money to have a well planned online marketing and advertising strategy (this does not consider any offline marketing and advertising costs), Paquette Productions will consider spending more if it means increased company awareness and ticket sales. Exposure is a main piece to growing a business and gaining opportunities that were previously unknown. Thus, we suggest advertising for shows in groups rather than individually.

4.2 Goals Although budget is limited for Pete’s company, the ideal goal is to develop cheap and costless marketing strategies that will allow Paquette Productions to expand in viral popularity, develop a growth in cliental, and increase his financial profits. This goal is to be achieved through social networking sites such a Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Kijiji, Instagram, Flickr, as well as email.

These virtual strategies are to be constantly updated allowing clients to become better aware of upcoming performances as well as to have easy contact ability with Pete for any questions or possible job opportunities. Facebook is to allow Pete’s company to become Internet accessible where fans can share his page. The objective is to increase the fan base and allow his production company to become better known through the web. The idea of Twitter is to allow fans to become aware of show dates, where to purchase tickets and what new innovations the company is taking on. It is to inform followers about Pete’s performances and projects. Ideally, Kijiji is to give Pete the ability to promote and advertise for free as people are able to search for his services. This is also the goal of email newsletters, which also allow for fans that are not active on social networking sites to be included and in connection to business information. YouTube’s main objective is to express what Paquette Productions is about, their abilities, and demonstrate some of the performances. Moreover, both Instagram and Flickr are photo based platforms, which means Paquette Productions will use these two sites to upload pictures from the show, sneak peaks, behind the scenes and even at home content. The plan is to give people a feel for the company and its services. The goal of the marketing campaign is to take Pete’s current online strategies and expand and update them to develop a greater fan base in order to raise a greater financial profit for Paquette Productions.

4.3 SMART Goals 1. Specific: The ultimate objective is to grow Paquette Productions into a profitable and well-known entertainment company by increasing their demographic and cliental through

16

the web. It is to be costless but still effective where new spectators are reached that otherwise would never have been informed about Pete’s services. The goal is to reach a fan base of over 1000 followers, subscribers, and ‘likes’ on social media as Pete’s overall fan base is currently set on 364 ‘likes’ on Facebook. Email newsletters are to be sent out monthly as people will be in constant reminder of Pete’s upcoming performances. The end goal is to raise Pete’s yearly profits by booking supplementary job opportunities.

Online media is to raise awareness where future clients can easily contact Pete through online messaging. This is where they can ask questions or discuss business inquiries.

2. Measurable: Pete’s growth in popularity through the online marketing strategies can be tracked in multiple ways. Media marketing can be measured by observing the number of fans that are a part of Paquette Productions fan page and have joined other social network sites. The progress of the marketing techniques is also measured through the profits, as well as the number of job opportunities that arise after the expansion of the campaign strategies.

3. Achievable: These goals are achievable as the marketing strategies are costless. The financial budget does not become problematic since these are free steps the company can take. Paquette Productions will lack the expense of paper as email will be able to achieve the same result as promotional flyers. The sites also do not need much maintenance except current updates. Pete does not need to spend most of his valuable time or become tech-savvy to use the social networking sites as the sites follow a basic and general layout anyone can use. Most features on social networking sites are easy to use and understand, where anybody can access the sites with little difficulty.

4. Realistic: The goals are realistic as viral popularity is easy to expand once the word about the company is broadcasted. Even if there is a small fan base, if they share the company to their friends, the popularity can rapidly increase. Once there is growth upon the sites, clients take notice and the company should see a growth in interested clients.

Pete has the ability to become a virtual sensation and his job bookings will increase, allowing for his profits to grow exponentially as well.

5. Time-Based: There is no real time set for Pete as he can become a success overnight.

The faster growth in popularity the better, but this is typically something that takes time.

Depending on the number of people who share his fan page the sooner, Pete grows within his fan base.

4.4 Short and Long Term Goals Some of the short-term goals for the company include providing a complete visual identity for the production company and the show. Currently, there is not a coherent brand identity across all online platforms and offline advertising/marketing materials. Another short-term goal is to start branding each social media platform Paquette Productions currently has, upload a bit more content to YouTube, make frequent postings on Facebook and create a variety of new online platforms. This will include Twitter, Flickr, Instagram and more. We also hope to generate interest in the company by increasing website traffic, Facebook page likes, YouTube subscribers,

17

and a slight increase in ticket sales. After speaking with Pete Paquette, the ultimate goal for the company is a full production company that is not limited to Elvis shows. Some of the long term goals we have include creating merchandise that can be sold online through the company’s official website (this will act as another revenue source), expanding tours to different countries, having viral success with online content and increasing the interest in the company and show by a large amount compared to current numbers.

4.5 KPIs and Targets As a way to monitor the company’s progress, there are a few key performance indicators that will be imposed. Not only will the number of fans on the social networking sites be observed, the profit sales and number of performance bookings will also be examined. There will be a comparison tracker that will monitor the quantity of previous ticket sales of past years. The number of viewers who wish to receive e-mail newsletters will also be tracked, as it will be easy to observe who wishes to be informed about Pete’s events. Furthermore, Facebook acts as a form of research as it allows Paquette Productions to understand its audience, resulting in a better means of appealing to its audience through advertisements. Lastly, Paquette Productions will be able to see the age, location, gender and general interests of the average demographic and will be able to find new strategies to engage with them.

5. Brand Building and Brand Reputation 5.1 Company Identity (Visual Identity) A brand is a visual identity for a company or individual that tells a story to others. The brand of a company typically communicates certain qualities of that company through visuals, such as using a colour scheme where the colours represent an emotion or imagery in the logo and print material. Since its inception, Paquette Productions has been at a disadvantage when compared to other production companies and other Elvis tribute artists who have spent years crafting and promoting a unique identity.

Paquette Productions presented us with a unique opportunity in regards to branding because there is the production company and the show “ELVIS – The Moments.” Pete specifically asked for a different look and feel for both because although the show is under the company name, and is therefore directly associated with the company, Pete wants the show to be its own entity and its own identity. This is also representative of where Pete wants to take his company in the future – a full-fledged production company with many different acts under the Paquette Productions name, so it is important for each show to have its unique brand.

For Paquette Productions, we decided on a minimalistic and clean design for the logo (See Appendix: A1) and branding materials. The overall look for Paquette Productions is based on a logo Michael recently designed for Paquette Productions. We used a black, gold and white colour scheme with a primary accent colour being a light blue. The focus for the company was simplicity, modern and stylistic. We understand that Elvis fans are older, and we also know that Pete wants to start attracting a younger crowd. With this in mind, our branding for the company

18

merges a retro vibe with new age design. Since we went with a simplistic approach, it is very corporate in regards to the personality of the graphics. The logo uses a script and sans serif font to provide a sense of movement and handcrafted look and feel. The colours are warm and inviting and provide a rich contrast when used on advertising and marketing materials.

Transitioning to the show, “ELVIS – The Moments,” Pete wanted an edgier look for the logo and was looking to incorporate more blue tones in the shows identity as opposed to the gold colours Paquette Productions identifies with (See Appendix: A11). When promoting an upcoming show, the advertising will look like a Paquette Productions product, but will incorporate a few design elements from the branding of the show itself (such as blue colours and a textured look in some cases).

Moreover, the logo for the show is very different from the company logo as it is more involved, complex and visually striking. It is very clear that the show involves some form of music since a graphic motif of a guitar is used throughout. The look and feel of the branding for the show is more youthful, but not youthful to the extent of pushing older individuals away from the show, and it hints at what the show entails (an impactful performance with many different elements and different “moments” of Elvis Presley).

Overall, we provided Paquette Productions with a brand that individuals will easily recognize and relate to on a professional level, the style of font used allows for the company to only use the “P” if necessary for marketing materials (such as a stamp or at the top of a letter), and the colours are professional, warm and appealing. Furthermore, the show “ELVIS – The Moments” was given its own brand identity since it is a show under the Paquette Productions name, and it has an edgier and more impactful look.

5.2 Personal Website It is very important for Paquette Productions to have an official landing spot where individuals can go and receive all of the information necessary to grasp what the company and show entails.

For most of its establishment, Paquette Productions had a website that had an abundance of tabs, links and textual information, but there was no clear hierarchy and no true brand identity (See Appendix: A3). Although it served its purpose when Paquette Productions was formed, the website required a major update to reflect the direction Pete is taking the company and the growth of the company over its four years.

Michael has been working with Pete since the start of 2014 updating his website to reflect the company’s current identity and look and feel (See Appendix: A4). The layout will remain the same, but we have changed the colour scheme of the website to reflect the brand identity we are presenting (a Black, Gold and White colour scheme). The navigation bar is conveniently placed at the top and the overall design maintains a symmetrical layout with key information (See Appendix: A5).

The website will contain links to all of the social media websites that Paquette Productions uses, and the website will be featured and pushed on each social media site so people can easily click a link to view the website.

19

5.3 Update Print Documents Paquette Productions must implement the new branding to its existing print documents to ensure that there is a consistent identity across all mediums. This includes all of the show posters, rack cards containing yearly show information and dates, newspaper banner advertisements, business card (See Appendix: A2), envelope and letterhead designs and a number of other potential print documents that we suggest using. These will include pamphlets, flyers and press releases.

5.4 Tracking Brand Building (Through Websites) After the company sets up various social media pages, people who are in charge of monitoring, maintenance and posting the pages can observe what is happening on them and how brand building is evolving. For example, if a Facebook page were created, there would be many signs of how brand building is occurring within that page. One can look at the number of likes, the number of people that like the page over time and how that number fluctuates. The comments, shares, mentions and likes on the page posts are another way to monitor brand building.

Furthermore, it is expected that more people will like the Facebook page after Pete performed in a show than other days. The number of people liking the page after each concert can be used to see how the brand is being built and how successful or unsuccessful the concert was in regards to online brand building and awareness. This can also be used in a very similar manner on other social media platforms such as Twitter and Google+.

6. Marketing Strategy 6.1 Online Revenue Streams A key aspect in the success of Pete and his company is to have a greater online presence as most research is done online and not by word of mouth. If the company was to generate discussion about its service/product, this not only increases revenue, but it can also promote the brand identity of the company. This could occur through various methods, such as consistently updating and uploading information to giant social media platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube. Moreover, other methods to increase online revenue streams include blogs, where Pete could personally update and interact with the fan base. Although not a huge amount of income is accumulated, through blogging Pete can promote his business and services effectively by creating online content.

In addition, a monthly cheque from Google AdSense can financially help Pete. Another way to increase revenue is by implementing subscription revenue. Once Pete and Paquette Productions are further established in terms of managing multiple acts, numerous offices opened across the country and a concrete fan base, Pete could possibly add subscriptions to his website. In theory, it is possible that people will pay Pete to become a premium member of the website. Pete could offer a premium membership for people and those people are able to gain access to a special part of the forum. Premium membership could include special videos, giveaways, tickets and more.

All that would be needed is a PayPal account. Along these lines, forming an online store where fans can purchase official Paquette Productions merchandise is an effective way to generate

Â

20 Â

revenue, and is something many competitors are currently doing. Lastly, having an album or some songs on iTunes is another way to generate some profit.

6.2 Online Presence As previously stated, Paquette Productions suffers from an ailing online presence, which is hurting the company not only financially, but as a business overall. The company already uses Facebook and YouTube, where the YouTube page needs to undergo several changes. Paquette Productions needs to appeal to a younger crowd to not only stay afloat, but to increase its brand identity. The current demographic that the product is marketed towards is the baby boomer generation. As time goes by, that generation is slowly decreasing, meaning the current marketing and advertising methods need to be revamped in order to appeal to a newer crowd. Online presence is key for expanding, increasing, and staying relevant in business.

Additionally, Twitter is an excellent tool for Pete to use to communicate to his fan base. It is a personal communication tool that can connect the real Pete to his fans. Social media is important in terms of promoting a brand, monitor trends among customers, and even research new product ideas. Another website that could be used is LinkedIn. Where this specific application can be used for the professional side of the company. Through this application, various networks and connections can be made over time that can benefit a small company such as Paquette Productions. The benefits that can occur could be funding, exposure to other businesses, brand identity, partners and more. Instagram, Flickr and possibly Pinterest are other social media websites where documenting the company and Pete through photographs is the primary objective. These platforms are not as professional and corporate as the others suggested, so they would be helpful in connecting with the audience.

In addition to social media, the official Paquette Productions website is the main landing spot for the company. It is here where people can learn more about Pete, the show and company, buy tickets and eventually purchase merchandise. Lastly, by posting banner advertisements on online newspaper websites and other websites that are cost effective and relevant to our target areas, this would be another form of online presence.

6.3 SEO An aspect that is also extremely important in developing a brand identity is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). A key component in a business' marketing strategy is to effectively position its brand in search engine results. Currently, Paquette Productions relies on the text on the YouTube page, alongside the metadata to determine the video's content. The most important aspect to a business is its website. The website is the most important and valuable online asset, meaning that proper care should be taken to ensure that it is optimized to appear high within search results. What also needs to be added to Pete's website is highlighting and including as much information about the local area as possible to further associate the business with the nearby vicinity. For example, sport teams, parks, music stores and other establishments. Through this, not only will the added information help our customers, it will also boost Paquette Productions' search visibility as a local business. Furthermore, another aspect that increases SEO is for Paquette Productions to link to other related websites. A reason for this is because it helps

Â

21 Â

to establish the authenticity and credibility of your business. There are a few ways Pete can accomplish this, such as consistently sharing links to the main website via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites while encouraging others to pass along the information. A final tactic to consider involves building bonds with community resources to provide an opportunity for Pete to link out to others and for them to return the favor.

6.4 Video Marketing Since Pete Paquette is an Elvis tribute artist, the main component that determines whether an individual will choose to see Pete’s show is how well of a performer he is. The Elvis tribute market is overflowing with Elvis impersonators; however, many of them are ruining the image of Elvis, which hurts the image of the top Elvis tribute artists.

Using YouTube as a platform to present live performances from “ELVIS – The Moments” is a smart marketing strategy because “there are more than four billion hours of video viewed each month on the website…and small home videos can experience massive global reach” (“Video Marketing” 344). By uploading live performance footage of Pete Paquette, Paquette Productions is creating an experience, further connecting with its current and potential audience and would be encouraging people to purchase tickets to see a show because it allows viewers to imagine what a full “ELVIS – The Moments” show would be like. Moreover, while the goal of most videos uploaded to YouTube is to ‘go viral,’ Pete Paquette is not looking at his videos achieving this because they currently do not have any factors that would cause a video to go viral.

Sharing this video on social media is an important part of making a video go viral, but it all goes back to the content of the video and whether people find the content unique and attention grabbing enough to share it with others. This means that the company might want to produce several short fifteen to thirty second clips that are very memorable and unique rather than a few three-minute videos. Once Paquette Productions establishes a strong social media presence, videos posted to YouTube and linked on social media websites will have a greater chance of generating many views.

The current audience for these types of videos is women from the baby boomer generation, but the company understands that younger individuals are primarily YouTube users (and spend the most time on the website), which coincides with the audience Paquette Productions wants to attract. Our suggestion is to create a set schedule where the company releases a new video once a week in the initial phase. Once the company’s YouTube page has increased in likes the videos generate views, this can be increased to biweekly videos. Each video will have the company logo at the beginning of the video, annotations liking to social media and the website, and the website address will be the final image people see. The channel itself will also be branded through the name, profile picture and cover page (maintaining a consistent online identity).

Optimizing these videos is important because of the vast amount of videos uploaded to YouTube daily. One of the ways to achieve this is by using correct and descriptive words in the tabs section of each video so when people search YouTube using these keywords your video will appear. Additionally, search engine optimization (SEO) is a key tool. SEO will rely on the text on the YouTube page and metadata that has been added to determine the video’s content

22

(“Optimising” 351). For each video, titles will include key words, informative descriptions will be added in the description box and Paquette Productions will initiate discussion on its videos by liking comments, commenting back to other YouTube users, and posting an initial comment when the video is first posted.

Using the free tool YouTube Analytics will be important for the company since it provides detailed statistics about the videos uploaded. Once the company learns about which geographic regions are watching his videos most and gender/age brackets, videos can be produced that are targeted to certain regions, genders and age groups. An additional option might be paid video promotion, ad InSearch and InDisplay are great options since it is a pay per click method, but the company must be aware of as blockers for YouTube advertisements.

6.5 Email Marketing The practice of using email marketing is exceptionally more efficient than using more traditional methods such as Print Postal Mailings. By using email marketing, Pete can reduce the time and effort him and his company spend on certain methods such as Print Postal Mailings, while maximizing their efforts and output. Personalization of messages is an exceptional way to reach a certain demographic. For instance, Pete can select all of his fans from a specific area, addressing a certain location where a show will take place. By utilizing email marketing, Pete can speak to his fan base in a very personalized and intimate way that is not possible with other various marketing options and avenues.

Additionally, as an email takes less time to create and send than other mediums such as physical mail, Pete can communicate with the fans more frequently. As Pete and his company continue to establish a brand online and offline, the mass emails need to occur more frequently so the company can stay consistent and relevant. It could be possible to send the fan base weekly offers which includes sales, show times, locations, feedback, and even introducing a "fact of the week,” which would send subscribers weekly facts about Elvis and his life.

Moreover, Pete's company not only saves money with email marketing, but the planet benefits as well. Through email marketing, Pete's business could save the planet by reducing the number of trees killed for print marketing pieces. Through this, the general public would notice the attempts made by Pete and Paquette Productions in adopting an efficient way to not only promote user engagement, but being responsible and respectful of the planet.

7. Advertising Strategy 7.1 Objectives A. Building Brand Awareness One of the first tasks is building awareness of the brand we are advertising and marketing to the public. By building the reputation of the brand, we do not only create an audience and a market for Paquette Productions, but we also allow for word of mouth help in communicating the brand.

23

When brand awareness is created, it becomes easier to inform new people of the brand, so we must be careful in how this awareness is built. Essentially, this is the first impression that the brand would be displaying to possible future audiences and various demographics.

B. Creating Demand for the Product After creating brand awareness for Paquette Productions, the company must sell a product (or in this care a service). Our job is to use diverse methods to advertise and market what the company can provide to people that will be giving money to the company for the service or product Paquette Productions provides. Creating demand is also not solely about providing people with everything right away, but the key word here is “creating.” We can build up the anticipation and excitement for a product/service through social media postings, online advertisements and banners, contests and even by posting videos.

C. Delivering Supply for the Demand The final step would be to deliver what is promised in the advertisements. Delivering a good experience is very important in this line of work because it means people who are satisfied and happy with what they have paid for will more than likely tell their friends about the show and buy tickets to future shows. This is crucial since it would help spread the word about the brand, company and show by word of mouth, which is fundamentally free advertising and a great marketing tool.

Overall, our goal is to increase awareness of the company and heighten excitement around the show in a creative manner. We want Paquette Productions to stand out from other Elvis tribute artist acts and production companies, which can be achieved through strategic online advertising.

7.2 Getting the Advertisements Online Since there are many options when evaluating how to get the advertisements online, this section discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

A. Premium Booked Media This option is the standard negotiation between the person wanting the advertising done and the group that they are contacting to have the advertisements displayed. This strategy would be beneficial to use since its outreach is to high profile individuals that are familiar with how advertising works. This also means that they would have good and useful connections in this market; however, it could prove to be very costly if used, which is one of the weaknesses of Paquette Productions.

B. Advertising Networks This strategy is similar to the previous method, although it typically involves reaching out to a network and asking them to advertise for the company by paying them. If a deal is accepted, the network would shoe the advertisements on all of the websites they belong to. An example of this

24

would be Google. If a deal was negotiated with Google, then the advertisements would be shown on Google searches, Google+, YouTube and more. Although, a disadvantage that Paquette Productions must be aware of is that there is the possibility of choosing a network that might have a completely different audience than the advertising company. This could result in advertising that would not reach any potentially interested individuals.

C. Advertising Exchanges This method involves the providers of the advertising space auctioning leftover space that went unsold. It allows smaller companies or advertisers (which fits with Paquette Productions) to have a chance at buying said space in order to advertise on our own. Competing with people that are willing to pay more can be very costly.

D. Social Media Advertising Placements The last method that we will suggest deals with social media. Advertisers can use this method to purchase space on social media websites such as Facebook of Twitter and have these websites feature their posts for interested users. This advertising method would be best for Paquette Productions since it utilizes user-generated content to reach the desired audience – an audience that would be interested in the services provided by Paquette Productions.

7.3 Banner Advertisements Now that Paquette Productions has an established brand and a concrete look and feel, making people aware of the brand is the goal. Forming trust with people who are learning about the company and the brand is important for future success and ultimately success in selling tickets.

A banner advertisement can be a static or animated image displayed on a website for advertising a product, brand or company. In regards to banner sizes, while there are standard banner sizes, some websites specifications will vary slightly depending on the space provided. For Paquette productions, banner advertisements will be used to promote the show rather than the company (the company will be noted by using the phrase “Paquette Productions Presents”) so people know who is putting on the show. Sizes that we believe will be best to use (at different times depending on what the online space provides) are a standard banner (468x60px); Leaderboard (728x90px), Square (250x250px) and a Skyscraper (120x600px). These advertisements will be static as opposed to animated because of mobile viewing limiting what animated banners one can view (See Appendix: A6, A7, A8, A9).

These advertisements will contain an image of Pete, the name of the show, a specific show date or a list of dates (depending on space and the intent of the advertisement) and will have a link to his website and/or a “Buy Tickets” button. This means that the banner advertisements will be creating brand awareness through asking people to perform an action (click to buy tickets and learn more). As always, they will use the same colour scheme and font choices/imagery to maintain a consistent identity.

25

7.4 Text Advertisements Text advertisements are pieces of text that are shown on a website advertising a specific product or service. The text box would usually be accompanied by a link that would lead people who are interested in the product or service to a different website where they can gather more information. In Paquette Production’s case, the company would write a few sentences or short paragraph that describes the type of work performed by Paquette Productions and how the show “ELVIS – The Moments” represents Elvis Presley. Once this is complete, we can have a link under this paragraph that leads to the website or the promotions page of the website. Once here, people can purchase tickets if they are interested.

7.5 Search Advertising Search advertising is using the information available to a search engine in order to have possible interested individuals see our advertisements. It uses a keyword that is related to the individual searching to understand what type of audience they are part of and what they might be interested in. It uses the pay per click payment method, in which the advertiser will have to pay the search engine every time someone clicks the posted advertisement. This would be a very good method of advertising for Paquette Productions because of how accurately it can predict what type of people are interested in the show and any other services the company might provide in the future.

Furthermore, the company can use ad extensions with search advertising, such as including phone numbers to be used by plug-ins present on the user’s computers. This would include Skype or images of what the service actually is. Furthermore, we can have a set of keywords assigned and submitted for the search engine that we use for this type of advertising. If any of them are used, our result would be displayed. However, this method is not without faults, as many advertisers will have to bid over the words that they want to use. This means that if the company picked the keyword “Elvis,” chances are that we would have to compete with someone else who might want the word for their own advertisement in the same geographic location. This would lead to competition between advertisers that are interested in this specific advertising space and the highest bidder would have access to this advertising space.

7.6 Social Media Advertising Although Paquette Productions has had a Facebook page for several years, the company never produced any advertisements on the website. One of the great traits of a social media advertisement is the ability to target specific locations and people with a high degree of accuracy.

We suggested this to Pete and the company created its first Facebook advertisement in March 2014. The company went with a standard Facebook advertisement bought on a CPM basis, and produced an engagement advertisement for upcoming shows. Once Paquette Productions establishes itself on other social media websites such as Twitter, the company can consider promoted tweets (See Appendix: A10.7).

7.7 Payment Models For search advertising, the pay per click payment method is the only method that would work.

The other advertising methods have different payment models that can be used. The cost per

26

thousand impressions model (CPM) would be more effective at the start of this campaign. This is because at the start, our main goal is to establish brand awareness and create brand exposure to various individuals. Once this is completed, models that can be used include the cost per click model (CPC) or the cost per acquisition model (CPA). CPA general favours the advertiser most of the time, so that would almost never be the case unless Paquette Productions make it big and becomes very famous and very well known company throughout the world. Due to the nature of the company, CPC would be a very smart method to use if it was possible with the publishers of the advertisements after the exposure phase is complete and the company has established selfbrand awareness.

7.8 Targeting Specific People/Areas Paquette Productions would benefit from targeting and optimizing their online advertisements.

Some of the options that we feel would best benefit the company are as followed: 1. Exclusivity: This means that another Elvis Tribute artist company or performer cannot have an ad posted on the same page as a Paquette Productions advertisement 2. Geo-targeting: This is one of the primary ways the ad server will target Paquette Productions advertisements. Geo-targeting involves targeting specific markets based on location (i.e. cities, provinces, states) 3. Day and Time: This one is important to consider when looking at the company’s target audience. If the primary target audience of the company is busy on certain days and certain times, they will most likely be away from the computer and miss the advertisement if it is posted at a time that does not match up with availability in their daily schedule.

8. Social Media Strategy 8.1 Various Social Media Sites The primary social media sites that will be used towards Paquette Productions are Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (See Appendix: A10, A10.1, A10.2, A10.3, A10.4)). These applications will act as the main forms of social media where Pete can connect with his fans virtually and on a personal level. Once said applications develop and the fan base grows, Pete will be able to expand on to other areas of social media within the future. Some secondary social media websites will include Instagram, Flickr and Pinterest (See Appendix: A10.5, 10.6). As stated, these will promote the business and show visually since they are primarily picture-based platforms.

8.2 Risks and Challenges Although these social media sites are easy to create, there are a few challenges that Paquette Productions might face. Paquette Productions will constantly need to update their social media sites with new information and there can be a difficulty in understanding when to post updates. If one posts too little, the fans become bored with the undated page and can become forgetful of the

Â

27 Â

company, whereas posting too often may run the risk of followers becoming annoyed. This means that an appropriate time would need to be determined where the company would update its sites. Additionally, there is a challenge of attracting a new audience. The targeted audience for Paquette Productions is an older demographic that may not use social networking. Thus, it is difficult to attract and appeal to new audiences if you cannot advertise to them.

8.3 Objectives and Goals The main goal of using social networking is to expand Paquette Production as a company, gain exposure, increase the fan base and promote the show to increase ticket sales. Social media is also used to allow new clients to become aware of the services Pete has to offer. By using social media, one of the goals is to expand the company with hopes that it will become viral and gain exposure. With more awareness comes a greater cliental, which can result in increased ticket sales. Moreover, social media will be used to link people back to the official website since that is the main landing spot for the company, and social media will also be used to further strengthen the company’s brand.

8.4 How will these Objectives and Goals be Achieved?

Paquette Production’s goals will be achieved by maintaining constant updates on the social media sites. The company is to post new events, projects, or any innovations the company is working on whilst updating the Facebook and Twitter pages to allow the fan base to feel connected. YouTube is used to constantly upload new videos so Pete's profile will not become outdated with the same old content (this is the profile’s current state). By always including new information about Paquette Productions, people will become more inclined to share the fan page, as there is something new, exciting, and something to anticipate. Fans will look forward to the new content and will be more likely to return to the fan page, which not only results in financial gain, but exposure as well. In addition, social media advertising (as discussed in the “Advertising Strategy” section of this report) is another way to achieve said objectives and goals.

One suggestion that we made to Pete was merging his personal Facebook profile with the fan club page he formed for the company. The company page was lacking movement, likes and overall excitement, while his personal page had over one thousand friends. Pete took our advice and almost instantly saw positive results. The number of likes increased from 364 to 1,364, there is more fan interaction and fan postings than ever before and when people search his name on Facebook this is the first page to appear (and it is easy to remember).

8.5 Tracking and Monitoring Success of Social Media Presence The social media marketing of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube can be tracked by viewing the rising number count in followers, Facebook ‘likes,’ as well as subscribers. The progress in the social networking sites will display the popularity of Paquette Productions, in addition to the growth in awareness of the company. Facebook will also display the numbers of people who have shared the fan page with their own personal friends and also displays how many people have seen a post. This allows the company to keep track of how viral the company is becoming in a convenient way and on a daily basis.

28

9. Analysis of Options Considered/Rejected Many of the options that we have considered and accepted in this report will prove to be very useful for Paquette Productions. One of the primary overhauls we supplied the company was a complete branding identity. This includes a specific color scheme, a new logo, a show logo and a variety of branding and advertising materials that assume a consistent look and feel. For a professional business such as Paquette Productions, and when considering the future outlook of the company, identity and first impressions play a large role in success. Establishing a strong online advertising strategy is very important for Paquette Productions since they currently rely on mostly offline options such as newspaper advertisements and radio spots. We want to bridge their offline techniques with online banner advertisements on newspaper websites and possibly YouTube and other larger market websites. Text and Search advertising are both useful for Paquette Productions since people will be able to read a brief description about the company or show and click to find more information. Furthermore, generating revenue is needed since one of the weaknesses is undercapitalization. Currently, Paquette Productions makes money from direct ticket sales and some merchandise sales after the show. The suggestions in this report for online revenue, in addition to our suggestions for increasing online awareness and brand integration (Video Marketing, SEO and other methods) will all help the company increase its yearly revenue over time. Lastly, social media has been with Paquette Productions since its establishment; however, the company was only on Facebook and YouTube and did not attend to both sites effectively. We provided a social media success plan and started some new social media accounts for the company to increase its exposure and reachability.

With all of these considered and accepted strategies comes a list of strategies we rejected throughout the process of writing this report. Some of the strategies we rejected include affiliate marketing, online banners other than standard “banner advertisements” and several social media websites that did not meet the needs of Paquette Productions. With affiliate marketing, there is the risk of traffic and sales drops and a loss of brand control, which is something the company does not want to be exposed to and deal with since it is attempting to achieve the complete opposite. Banner advertisements are the most cost effective option for Paquette Productions, and are not as intruding as other forms of online banner ads. Lastly, the social media websites we chose were specifically chosen to maximize Paquette Productions’ brand identity, exposure and communication with its audience. Websites like Linkedin, Blogger, Tumblr and others are not currently smart choices for the company since one of the primary goals is increasing ticket sales and revenue.

10. Tracking Success 10.1 Evaluation & Metrics The success of a small business relies on its core fan base to dictate what is successful and what is failing. Through various methods available, Pete and his company can track the success of certain applications and methods. For instance, tracking email success is vital in establishing a successful campaign. If Paquette Productions is trying to determine if its newsletter is promoting

29

the brand, the company must take note of its email list size. If the email list is well into the thousands, Pete can expect various changes in his performance indicators. Conversely, if the email list is composed of 500 individuals, it is likely that all of the names on the email list are people who are passionate about and/or committed to the brand in its entirety. In addition, another metric to analyze data is deliverability, which is the delivered rate. This means that the metric measures the amount of emails that are actually delivered to recipients, and not the emails that end up in spam or junk folders. A healthy email list will have a limited number of bad or bounced addresses.

Furthermore, another metric that is important is email open rate, which is the number of people who received your email and then opened it. This certain metric is extremely critical in terms of both monitoring and constantly improving the overall email system. Finally, click-through rate is one of the most important aspects to a business since it generates brand identity and also revenue. Pete relies on people to click-through his email or advertisement to a website page or landing page where he can make money either through a revenue-generating transaction, or an advertising contract. Essentially, click-through rate is presented as the total number of clicks from an email to pages on a website.

11. Strategies for Ongoing Optimization One of the primary strategies for ongoing optimization is setting objectives whenever a new marketing and advertising campaign is being planned. It is important to consider what the company wants to achieve by implementing a campaign, and in the case of Paquette Productions it will most likely always be increase ticket sales and grow brand awareness. One we have objectives established, there can be key performance indicators (KPIs) in place to determine if the objectives are being met. For example, if our objective is increase ticket sales, we can look at the number of tickets being sold, where the tickets were purchased, who actually purchased the tickets. Alongside KPIs are targets, which are “target values that KPIs need to meet to determine the success of a campaign” (“Setting Objectives” 504). For instance, if a KPI is ticket sales and a target is selling forty tickets a month, if ticket sales for one month falls short of forty, a fix is required.

Since one of the main goals for Paquette Productions is increasing revenue through ticket sales and eventually online merchandise purchases, another strategy for ongoing optimization would be increasing the conversion rate of individuals who purchase tickets to a show. One way to increase the conversion rate is by offering a discount, or a special bundle price for multiple tickets. Furthermore, tracking data is just as important as setting objectives and establishing KPIs. Cookie-based tracking would be the best option for Paquette Productions since it “can capture a wide array of factors about each visitor” (“How Information is Captured” 506), and will help the company determine how visitors are accessing the company website and what they are doing on the website. Additionally, understanding the visitors of the company’s website is important to know who is visiting the website and how the company can interact and target those individuals. Universal analytics would allow Paquette Productions to track actual visitors rather than their sessions. This means that Paquette Productions would be able to determine how involved someone is with the company and changes in their behaviour over time. This is

30

evidently useful for the company because it lets Paquette Productions understand specifics about how people interact with the company, its website and what device is being used to access company content. Collecting data and information from this will allow Paquette Productions to optimize its online content to meet the needs and wants of the market.

An additional strategy that Paquette Productions should use for ongoing optimization is testing.

There are numerous components of a brands online campaign that can be tested, but a few that are directly relevant for Paquette Productions will be listed. Testing email marketing is crucial to improve the company’s click-through rate and open rate. Including exclusive rates through emails to determine the affect on sales is another aspect to test, in addition to the actual content of the email itself. In regards to search advertising, testing the conversion rate and click-through rate between different advertisements would be beneficial to the company in order to improve these advertisements.

Social media was a big component of our online strategy for Paquette Productions and will continue to be one of the primary tools the company will use to promote the company and most importantly, the shows. Testing different messages on social media websites to regulate performance is needed. Social media’s bottom line for most companies is engagement, so testing Paquette Productions’ social media presence and engagement would let the company see where increased engagement is needed.

Lastly, the landing spot for Paquette Productions (paquetteproductions.com) will remain the primary place for learning about the company, reading about Pete, contacting the company through a full form, seeing professional photographs, and of course seeing the tour dates and purchasing tickets (and in the future the website will include a merchandise section). To ensure that the website is successful, gathering data (Analytics and User) about the company website is the first step to determining what to test. Once this data is collected, Paquette Productions will be able to evaluate who is viewing the site and for what purpose. From this the company can learn where people are viewing the site from (geographic region), demographic information and even their preferred technological device for viewing the website. As a final step, creating tests and running tests on certain aspects of the website will provide the company with results and will allow Paquette Productions to make the changes necessary to achieve success in regards to conversion optimization.

12. Conclusions Since 2010, Paquette Productions has been relatively successful in small-scale marketing and advertising ventures. Fans of Pete Paquette and of Elvis have come to know the show “ELVIS – The Moments” as a great portrayal of Elvis Presley and recognize Pete Paquette as one of the top Elvis tribute artists there is. However, the company was not experiencing much online growth and required significant help in revamping their online advertising and marketing strategy. By starting off with providing Paquette Productions an easily identifiable identity, this was the best first step to achieving the short and long term goals of the company since one of the first impressions of any company is its branding. Furthermore, most companies are shifting efforts towards online marketing and advertising since online websites acting as sites of communication and interaction continues to grow. With this in mind, the company understands that competition

31

is high, and it can become costly to see significant results. Thus, our online strategy utilizes many free and low-cost options for Paquette Productions to reach diverse markets and communicate with fans. We supplied a number of different options, some expensive and extravagant while others are free and simple. Although it can be difficult to completely revamp a company’s online strategy, Team CMYK believes that Paquette Productions will soon see great improvements and increases through the implementation of our suggested online marketing and advertising strategy.

Please see our “Visuals Appendix” on the following page.

32

13. Appendix (Visuals) A1 (Company Logo) – This logo was recently created (within the past 6 months) by Michael for the company, so all of our visuals and branding are based off of this logo.

A2 (Business Card) – This is the front of a business card for Pete Paquette. Each member of the company will have the same business card, but with different information on the back. The business card utilizes the created logo (see above) and maintains a consistent color scheme.

33

A3 (Old Website) – This is the original website for Pete Paquette, which was what he used until late 2013.

A4 (Current Website) – This is the current website for Paquette Productions. Michael recently redesigned it; however, Pete was uncertain in regards to the brand identity and look & feel he wanted the company to have. We suggest black, gold and white as the new main colours.

(Current website can be viewed at: paquetteproductions.com)

34

A5 (Our Revised Website) – This is our revised version of the website, using the colours we established for our branding and various design elements that are consistent among all of our branding and online visual suggestions.

A6 (Newspaper Produced Banner) – This is a banner design a newspaper created for a show.

35

A7 (Updated Standard Banner) – This is our revised design for one of Pete’s shows (in this case, it is for a Peterborough show). The overall look and feel is consistent with our suggested brand identity and no elements are lost in the background – there is a clear sense of hierarchy.

A8 (Square Banner) – This is our design for a square banner. This will be paired on a website with the above banner, but the square banner assumes a different layout to accommodate for its shape.

36

A9 (YouTube Banners) – This is our design for a YouTube banner that will be placed over a video and paired with a square banner to have an overall YouTube banner campaign.

A10 (Social Media - YouTube) – This is the original header design for Pete’s YouTube page.

37

A10.1 (Social Media - YouTube) – This is the new header design for Pete’s YouTube page.

A10.2 (Social Media - Facebook) – This is the old Facebook design for Pete Paquette’s Facebook page.

38

A10.3 (Social Media - Facebook) – This is the new Facebook design for Pete Paquette’s Facebook page.

A10.4 (Social Media - Twitter) – Since Paquette Production (or Pete Paquette) did not have a Twitter page, we decided to provide them with a Twitter page.

39

A10.5 (Social Media - Flickr) – Considering Paquette Production (or Pete Paquette) did not have a Twitter page, we decided to provide them with a Twitter page.

A10.6 (Social Media - Instagram) – One of the main social media platforms for photos is Instagram. This will be the official Paquette Productions Instagram page.

A10.7 (Social Media - Advertising) – These are some of the social media advertisements we will use to increase page likes and traffic to the official Paquette Productions website.

40

A11 (Show Logo) – Pete Paquette wanted a separate design for his show, something with a bit of an edge and a youthful appeal. This design is based on a design Michael created for Pete within the past year (with some revisions).

A12 (Promotional Video) – This is a promotional video promoting the show “ELVIS – The Moments” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfH_DwjgM88

41

14. Bibliography Course Textbook The course textbook was our primary source for gathering information on the different strategies and options available for online marketing and advertising: http://www.redandyellow.co.za/product/textbook-digital/ Photos Pete Paquette provided all of the photos included in our designs and we were given full permission to use them as needed.

Ad Specifications For figuring our specific specifications for advertisements, we used a few websites to gather information about placement and sizes: https://www.facebook.com/help/www/198128997031137 https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/187095 Advertising on YouTube We know it can be expensive to advertise on a popular website such as YouTube, so we found a website that provides a brief outline regarding pricing: http://www.ppbh.com/how-much-do-ads-on-youtube-cost/

Paquette Productions Links Website: http://paquetteproductions.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/PProductions1 Facebook (Current): https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pete-Paquette/263124813762333 Facebook (Revised Design): https://www.facebook.com/pages/PetePaquette/221907418007010 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmILRnnw9BJeSIqBdjbqwjg Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121297723@N05/ Instagram: http://web.stagram.com/n/paquetteproductions/

Â

42 Â