Amy’s Ice Creams ADV370J/PR367 MWF 8-9 Eric Webber Name(s): Paige Kroll UTEID: pk5926 Case: Amy’s Ice Creams, Case 3.2 Date: 9/9/15 Problem Statement: Amy’s Ice Creams is hoping to increase the number of sales that typically occur during the winter months of January, February and March. Opportunity Statement: Austin, Texas is a city that loves creativity, providing an opportunity for Amy’s Ice Creams to use their originality to gain attention. Critical Factors: • Amy’s Ice Creams volume is down 50 percent during the months of January, February and March. • Merchandise sales are lower than they could potentially be, and more traffic must be driven to their website for people to purchase. • Amy’s Ice Creams does not use traditional advertising methods. • Amy’s Ice Creams focuses on sponsorships, charity events, guerilla marketing and earned media to gain attention from community. • Amy’s Ice Creams brand personality is fun and off-the-wall, as they are dedicated to serving ice cream with a theatrical experience. • Nearly 9,000 people like and follow their Facebook page. Almost 8,700 follow the Twitter account. They are also close to reaching 3,000 followers on their Instagram account. • Amy’s Ice Creams has an established e-newsletter to send promotions to customers. Alternatives: Alternative 1: Social Media Contests and E-newsletter Promotions The key to generating purchases during the winter months is to use creativity and social media engagement to bring customers into the store. Two different social media campaigns will be used on Twitter and Instagram over two months. A different hashtag will be used for each campaign while customers tag the Amy’s Ice Creams Twitter and Instagram accounts. These photographs can be shown on a feed through the website. The campaigns will be announced through social media, the website and the stores, asking customers to participate for a chance to win a prize (listed below). The shirt can also be sold on the website store. The winners would be chosen once a week by random selection using the hashtags. 1. “#FrostbittenAmysFan”- This hashtag would be used for the month of January. It would challenge Amy’s Ice Creams fans to show their loyalty during the harsh winter months. They can take a funny photo in the store with their ice cream and use the hashtag to enter. Once a week, a winner will be randomly selected and given the prize of a limited edition long sleeve Amy’s shirt with the brand’s