BE A GOOD ‘NEIGH’BOR CAMPAIGN a case study
getting started
[S]TABLE OF CONTENTS
Meet the Mares........................5 Overview....................................6 Executive Summary...........9 Situation Analysis.......................10 SWOT Analysis.................12 Competitve Analysis..........13 Creative Brief...............16 Campaign Objectives.................18 Goals & Objectives.........20 Evaluation.......................21 Creative Tactics......................24 Mood Board...................27 Measures of Success..................38 Metrics Report................41 Appendix..........................43
3
about us
MEET THE MARES
Cara Anne Anderson Account Executive
McClain Talley Strategic Planner
Kara Templeton Asst. Account Executive
Sophie Litchman Copywriter
Erica Cleary Social Media Coordinator
Alexis Robinson Art Director
Haley Stauffer Asst. Art Director
5
executive summary
ATLANTA EQUINE THERAPY
7
Executive SUMMARY Nestled in downtown Atlanta, Chastain Horse Park is both a beautiful event space and a full-service horse stable. Along with boarding horses and offering riding lessons, Chastain is specially known for its hippotherapy and therapeutic riding lessons. Hippotherapy has been used as a physical, occupational, and speech therapy treatment strategy, using the horse’s movement to help improve sensory processing. It has been proven beneficial for many who suffer from a wide range of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, developmental delay, autism, and traumatic brain injury. Therapeutic riding focuses on creating a relationship between the rider and the horse. Ultimately benefiting the rider, this form of
treatment heals through physical activity, increased responsibility, and emotional stimulation. Each hippotherapy and therapeutic riding lesson is guided by a therapist and two volunteers, one to guide the horse and one at the side of the rider. Because of Chastain’s pristine facilities and gentle horses, therapeutic riding and hippotherapy lessons have been in high demand, providing over 100 lessons a week to those in need. However, volunteer levels for the therapy programs were low. It was our job to increase awareness about Chastain Horse Park’s amazing volunteer program and in turn increase volunteer participation.
9
siutation analysis
SWOT + COMPETITION
11
SWOT analysis Strengths
Weaknesses
Local press publications like the Around the Park magazine and Simply Buckhead magazine
Weak social media platform besides Facebook (i.e. no twitter activity since 2011)
O Network spotlight
Lack of awareness on a large scale
Established therapeutic programs
Relatively new leadership
Large facility with newly revamped website
Riding lessons cost $65 per session (might be expensive for some customers)
Well managed Facebook page with several links Several facets to their business including an event venue for weddings, birthday Parties (pony parties), riding lessons and camps 3 barns, 4 arenas, and over 30 school horses
Opportunities Opportunity to reach out to the large hospitals in the Atlanta area. (Ex. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Piedmont and other therapy programs) Reach out to caregivers (mom’s or professionals) to increase awareness of the therapy program Creating field trips for the outreach programs that involve inner city populations The ability to provide a service that is unique, especially regarding the local community in the mostly urban area of Atlanta Opportunity to utilize more social media platforms such as Instagram that would be able to convey the visual nature of the horse park
Threats External threats such as surrounding state parks with equestrian trials and other competition: such as the Georgia International Horse Park (site of the equestrian events for the Olympics) Lack of interest for physical therapy through equine therapy programs like PATH that Chastain Horse Park uses Direct competition: Georgia International Horse Park, Flowered Rock Farm, River Run Equestrian at Huntcliff
COMPETITIVE
analysis
1. GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL HORSE PARK Branding: ++ “Groomed for Greatness” ++ Maintains an air of prestige and superiority ++ Hosted all Equestrian and Mountain Biking events for the 1996 Olympic games (and not likely to let anyone forget it). ++ Very accommodating - You can bring your own horse to their facility and they will allow you to use their facilities recreationally ++ Exclusivity (they really capitalize on their Olympic involvement and legacy). Media Placement ++ The Goss Agency - Asheville, NC ++ The Rockdale Citizen (newspaper) ++ Tentpole event at Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds ++ Theknot.com and Weddingwire.com (wedding webiste) ++ Allow concerts to be held there which garners high amounts of media attention and free publicity
Target Market ++ Horse lovers ++ Mountain bike enthusiasts ++ Golfers ++ Lovers of the outdoors Products/Services ++ Horse Riding ++ Mountain Biking ++ World-class golf course designed by Arnold Palmer Social Media ++ Facebook: posts minimum once a day, most of the time more than once, always including a photo (4,528 likes and 21,280 visits) ++ Instagram (doesn’t have an account but frequently tagged as a location). Why they’re unique ++ Conyers Cherry Blossom Festival ++ Big Haynes Creek Wildlife Festival
13
COMPETITIVE
analysis
2. FLOWERED ROCK FARM Branding: ++ Kid friendly ++ Girly ++ Very “to the point”- not a lot of flashy ads ++ Home-grown
Social Media ++ Facebook: infrequent posts with uncompelling photos (346 likes, 743 visits) ++ Instagram: flowered_rock_farm (24 posts, but low involvement) ++ Appears to be managed by children
Media Placement ++ Almost solely confined to their own website ++ Some free media attention via Facebook
Why they’re unique ++ Neigh’bor Saver ++ Membership grants access to an equestrian amenity package that features 50% off every Flowered Rock program and service with the exception of boarding ++ Boarding will always be $150 less than the posted rate for nonmembers ++ Only $500 per household ++ Lifetime membership
Target Market ++ Children ++ Girls ++ Mothers of active kids Products/Services ++ Horse riding lessons ++ Birthday parties ++ Seasonal and extremely frequent intensive riding camps
COMPETITIVE
analysis
3. RIVER RUN EQUESTRIAN AT HUNTCLIFF Branding: ++ Safety, safety, safety ++ Emphasis on real life natural experiences with horses (without technology) ++ “Horses are experienced, not googled.” ++ “Horses are an opportunity to get connected, without wifi.” ++ Very well organized website Media Placement ++ Theknot.com ++ Flyers at medical therapy centers ++ Generate majority of attention from well delivered blog and Facebook posts Target Market ++ Riders of all ages ++ Dressage ++ Hunting ++ Therapeutic riding (entirely separate website for this)
Products/Services ++ Lessons for beginners, hunters, and dressers ($90/hr) ++ Therapeutic horse riding ($65/hr) Social Media ++ Frequently updated blog ++ Accessible through their website ++ Very moving, real stories of patients and customers ++ Facebook: Updated frequently with intriguing photos and articles linked to their blog (6,109 likes, 818 visits) ++ Instagram: river_run_ride -strong profile with frequent posts including both pictures and videos (136 followers) Why they’re unique ++ Therapeutic Riding PRogram ++ “Stardust” ++ Caters to not only the ill but also family members ++ Physical challenges ++ Learning disabilities ++ Self-confidence issues ++ http://www.stardustproject.org
15
Creative BRIEF CLIENT: Chastain Horse Park KEY FACT: Chastain Horse Park is a premier equestrian facility operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to serving riders of all skill levels from beginner, intermediate, to advanced, as well as riders with cognitive, physical or mental disabilities through our Therapeutic Program and inner city and at-risk children with our Outreach Program. We develop and strengthen skills in the areas of awareness, focus, leadership, team playing, confidence, coordination, courage, friendships and fun along with superb hunter equitation skills and abilities.
Currently the horse park includes three barns and four arenas serving the Therapeutic and Hippo-therapy Lesson Programs, Lesson Riding Program, Summer and Holiday Camps, Pony Birthday Parties, along with serving competition and pleasure riders. There are currently five PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) trainers, and ten lesson, competition and camp trainers. In addition, there is a team of Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist and SpeechLanguage Pathologists for Hippo-therapy. The barns have a capacity for 65 horses, for both Chastain’s own school horses and independently owned boarder horses. Our Clubhouse offers offices and banquet facilities. Barn managers reside on the premises. They rely on the community for support and donations are 100% tax-deductible as allowed by law. PROBLEM: Chastain Horse Park is suffering from low brand awareness and volunteer participation.
OBJECTIVES: (1) To increase awareness of Chastain Horse Park Therapeutic Programs and non-profit activities like the outreach group as well as for-profit activities like birthday parties and group rides by increasing followers and likes on social media by 100. (2) To increase volunteer participation and donations. TARGET AUDIENCE: Our primary target audience is potential volunteers for Chastain Horse Park. This is a broad category that can span from high school students looking to complete community service hours to retirees who desire to give back to their community. The minimum age is 14 and there is no required experience with horses. Our research and interviews with managers at CHP revealed that the most common volunteer at CHP is an older individual who is more likely to volunteer full time. Out secondary audience is caregivers of both therapy patients and children in order to get more people involved in the Hippo therapy program at CHP.
INSIGHTS: “I love it. It’s so beautiful to see the connection with riders and the horses. My sister worked with a lady with ALS and when she told me about her experience that did it.” - Susan, volunteer for 10 years
TONE AND MANNER: Comfortable, calming, and inspiring.
“I’ve been wanting to learn about horses and wanted to work with children so this lets me do both.” - Faith 14-year-old volunteer
MEDIA/COMMUNICATION VEHICLES: Instagram, Facebook, Print ads, Promotional videos
MANDATORIES: Logo, social media handles, website
PROMISE: Chastain Horse Park will deliver rewarding benefits of equine assisted activities and therapies to both therapy participants and riders of all ages and skill levels, creating a unique relationship between horse and rider that allows people to experience healing through horses. SUPPORT: Currently they have 75 in the therapeutic riding program, 35 in hippotherapy and outreach groups vary so much but is usually an additional 20-30 participants a week, and they all have reported immense satisfaction with Chastain’s service. Chastain has 3 barns, 4 arenas and over 30 school horses, perfect to accommodate a wide variety of needs. Chastain allows its clients to benefit from their ability to provide a service that is unique, especially regarding the local community in the mostly urban area of Atlanta. They have over 200 volunteers with a database of over 500 volunteers to aid their established therapeutic program and provide maximum benefit for participants.
“It’s so beautiful to see the connection with riders and the horses.”
17
campaign objective
BRAND AWARENESS + VOLUNTEERS
19
OUR MANE GOALS & objectives Primary OBJECTIVE: Goal #1: Increase awareness of the volunteer programs at Chastain Horse Park Objective: To increase volunteer participation by having 10 individuals become new volunteers by April. Rational: The main request of Chastain Horse Park was to promote their volunteer programs. They have volunteer training and programs for both hippotherapy and therapeutic riding lessons. In order to keep up with the influx of riders, Chastain must have a certain number of volunteers to keep up with the demand. By promoting social media and other visible consumer platforms we would be able to access potential volunteers.
Secondary OBJECTIVE: Goal #2: Increase social media following and impressions Objective: To have an effect on the awareness of Chastain Horse Park in the local Atlanta area by increasing social media following by 20 percent by April. Rationale: The Chastain Horse Park had a very low following on social media even though they were on both Facebook and Instagram. We took over their social media platforms with a goal in mind of increasing their following and therefore their awareness. Social media promotion is a free medium for advertisement, so on a small budget we would be able to increase their awareness.
crossing the
FINISH LINE
EVALUATION OF THE OBJECTIVES Goal #1: Increase awareness of the volunteer programs at Chastain Horse Park Objective: To increase volunteer participation by having 10 individuals become new volunteers by April. Was this accomplished? Why or why not?
Goal #2: Increase social media following and impressions. Objective: To have an effect on the awareness of Chastain Horse Park in the local Atlanta area by increasing social media following by 20 percent by April. Was this accomplished? Why or why not?
OBJECTIVE MET:
OBJECTIVE EXCEEDED:
After speaking with managers at Chastain we learned that several people have attended the training to become volunteers. Our creative team designed print ads for the “be a good ‘neigh’bor” campaign. The ads will be sent to Chastain and can be printed for distribution in any way they see fit. We also created two branded items, Emijay hair ties and a horse-shaped stress reliever that are embellished with the Chastain logo to help promote the brand. The hair ties in particular are going to be used by Chastain in the future.
Our team gained access to the social media platforms that Chastain was using, specifically Facebook and Instagram. Our social media coordinator began posting on Instagram and used hashtags to attract followers that would be interested in the goals and mission of Chastain Horse Park. At the beginning of the campaign Chastain had 1,437 page likes for Facebook and 60 followers on Instagram and 16 posts. After taking over social media we increased Facebook likes to 1,490 page likes for a 3.7 percent increase. We increased the Instagram following from 60 followers to 545 followers for an 808.3% percent increase.
21
strategy
EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA We implemented a campaign based on a need to increase volunteer numbers at Chastain. We also created social media content for Chastain as a budget-friendly effort to raise brand awareness. 23
creative tactics & executions
HOW WE HOOFED IT
25
Setting the MOOD BOARD The construction of a brand begins first with a vision. Inspiration fuels the conception of a brand that speaks heart, honesty, and quality. Our inspiration for Chastain’s brand is a compilation of imagery that captures the purity of the organization’s intentions and the foundation on which the company was built. That foundation is, and forever will be, a mission of service and a love of equestrianism.
“...imagery that captures the purity of the organization’s intentions and the foundation on which the company was built.”
27
facebook COVER ART We leveraged existing exposure opportunities like Facebook to voice a need for additional volunteers to the therapy program. This was a smart choice for Chastain Horse Park based on their large following of Facebook users and special interest in gaining retired seniors to donate their spare time. Older demographics are most likely to use Facebook over other social media platforms, so this was the best way to reach them at no cost.
*Facebook Holiday Cover Art
snapchat GEOFILTER The snapchat filter we created would be an easy way to geographically tag Chastain Horse Park in order to separate it from the broader filter of Chastain Park. This would distinguish between the park and the ‘horse’ park, thus allowing people to recognize them as separate facilities and individual brands. This separation of brands would lead to a greater awareness of CHP and provide clients with a fun and popular way to share pictures taken at the horse park using social media.
*Snapchat Geofilter
29
social media CONTEST The social media competition incorporated pictures taken at Chastain Horse Park using Facebook and Instagram. The competition was based on a “spot the difference� style of puzzle commonly found in magazines. The pictures were placed side by side and followers could comment with the three differences between the two pictures to win the competition. They were also required to follow CHP, like the post, and tag a friend. This effort would engage followers and provide incentives to find out more about the horse park.
31
branded EMIJAYS Because a majority of riders and volunteers at Chastain Horse Park are female, we thought it would be fun to create emijays that they can wear to hold back their hair when riding, volunteering, or for completing any other activity around the park. It also appeals to Chastain Horse Park’s younger client base. This was a fun way to show CHP pride that also presented itself as a potential fundraising opportunity.
*Emijay Hair Ties
horse-shaped STRESS RELIEVER People and caretakers utilizing Chastain Horse Park’s hippotherapy and therapeutic riding lessons have a lot on their plate. To help cope with this, we created stress relievers in the shape of a horse. They can be squeezed to combat mental and emotional stress and but can also be used for physical therapy as a muscle-strengthening exercise. This is another way to promote Chastain Horse Park’s therapy program and another potential fundraising opportunity.
*Horse-shaped Stress Reliever
33
print ads POSTERS The “Be a Good ‘Neigh’bor” campaign consisted of print ads that coupled “neighborly” behavior with Chastain Horse Park through images and copy, like the tagline “You can’t lend them your shoes, but you can lend them your time.” Increasing volunteers at the park is one of the main goals of our campaign, and these print ads will help illustrate the need for volunteers in the therapy program. The print ads will be distributed across Chastain Park in an effort to inspire and maintain current volunteers and educate potential volunteers about the benefits of working in equine therapy.
35
37
measures of
SUCCESS
39
METRICS report Facebook
PAGE LIKES:
FOLLOWERS:
Therapy VOLUNTEERS:
Before: 1,437 After: 1,490
Before: 60 After: 545
Before: 225 After: 250
8X
more followers
41
appendix & future
RECOMMENDATIONS
43
Guerrilla MARKETING The guerilla marketing campaign is an innovative and interactive strategy, designed to increase awareness of Chastain Horse Park. Because Chastain Park is massive and spread out, we wanted to guide people to Chastain Horse Park by inserting gilded horseshoes into the concrete sidewalks throughout the main park. This would raise brand awareness, spark curiosity among visitors, and become a unique landmark within the park. Our hope is that it would promote the volunteer program as a result.
Alternative SOCIAL MEDIA We also recommend that CHP broaden their social media tools by creating accounts on other platforms such as Twitter and Snapchat. Currently, they are active on Facebook and Instagram, but they could expand their reach and awareness by adding other social media sites into the mix.
45
Rebranding NEW LOGO We designed a new logo for Chastain Horse Park that represents the Chastain Horse Park as a whole, with a simple yet strong message. There are two versions for use in a variety of different media according to design and layout limitations. The new logo could be used on business cards, stationery, and any branding materials, and could be implemented in the future to update the visual identity of the brand.
47
SOCIAL MEDIA guidelines SOCIAL MEDIA DO’S & DON’T’S ++ DO create a consistent social media presence by using the same picture (logo, etc.) for all of your social media profile pictures! ++ DO create a specific style for your profile. This is essential, especially when it comes to your Instagram account. When a follower is scrolling down their newsfeed, you want them to see your post and be able to tell that it is your post without having to look at your name! You can do this by using the same kind of filters/lighting/coloring throughout the majority of your posts. ++ DO strategize!!! If you want to have a successful social presence, you absolutely HAVE to plan your posts ahead of time. If you don’t plan ahead, your posts may seem unorganized, random, or jumbled. If you plan accordingly, you can execute a successful social media campaign. ++ DO keep track of what your followers like! Take notice when a post gets a significantly larger amount of likes/shares/comments than other posts. This is a pretty good indicator that you should make more posts similar to this one. Make posts that will get the most positive attention for your business! ++ DO be picky about who you follow! Some types of people that you want to follow: potential clients, leaders in your field (other successful horse
++ parks), people who have inspiring or engaging content, people that you might want to collaborate with, and don’t forget the people who go out of their way to help/promote you. ++ DO think about your ideal client when crafting your posts/captions! It can be really helpful to come up with a picture in your head of who your ideal client is before making a post. When deciding what content to include, ask yourself if this client would like what you want to post. If the answer is no, you might want to rethink the post. But, if the answer is yes, it’s probably safe to go ahead with the post! ++ DO make an editorial calendar for social media posts, especially if there is a big event coming up that you know you want to publicize. If you want to get serious about social media, this is a tool for you. This is so you can keep track of what posts you want to make on each type of social media, and when you want to make those posts! ++ DO use analytic techniques. Things like Facebook Page Insights can be used to analyze your Facebook followers, and there are so many more out there for different sites which allow you to see who views your posts which can help you determine your most useful platform and which type of content works best at getting you recognized!
++ DON’T post too much content at one time! Try to keep your posts short, clear, and to-the-point. This makes them easier to understand, attention grabbing, and someone is much more likely to read a post that is a sentence or two long than one that takes up the whole page. This also includes limiting the amount of posts you make in one day- you don’t want overload your followers’ news feeds! ++ DON’T overuse the hashtag! The hashtag is a wonderful social media device that can attract a lot of attention to your page, but overusing them can make it seem like you are desperate for attention. For instagram, a couple of hashtags in your main caption are completely acceptable, but if you want to add more, just make a comment on your own post that includes the hashtags you want to use. This helps alleviate the clutter of your post, while still attracting people to your post. (Hashtags should generally be limited to Twitter and Instagram posts). ++ DON’T always use the same post on every social media platform! With each social media site, you are targeting a different audience, so the post that works really well to attract attention from your Facebook followers may not be the most effective way of communicating with your Instagram or Twitter followers. ++ DON’T go filter crazy! Filters are a great way to add some dimension to your post, but adding too many of them can make your pictures look cheap or overworked. Normally, tweaking the lighting on the photo a bit, and adding a nice, subtle filter will transform the photo into an
Instagram-ready post. Filters provided by Instagram may not always the best to use depending on your picture, but there are a ton of photo editing apps available now that offer a lot more options for your pictures. Some really useful ones are Afterlight, PicTapGo, VSCOcam, and Snapseed. ++ DON’T forget about your accounts! If you are going to be out of town for a vacation, conference, or you think you might just be really busy on a particular week take advantage of sites like Hootsuite which allow you to create your posts ahead of time and will release them for you on a date and time that you can set. This is a good way to ensure that your followers will always be exposed to your posts even if you aren’t able to post them yourself. ++ DON’T feel like you have to use every social media site. While social media is an awesome free way to create your brand and market your business, don’t feel like you have to create an account for every site. Instead, focus on the ones that you think will be the most beneficial for you, so that you don’t get overwhelmed or waste your time and energy on something that might not be very beneficial. ++ DON’T be afraid to try different techniques in your posts. What I mean by this is that you should think outside of the box to try to get attention on your posts. This could be by holding a contest, coming up with a unique hashtag for your business, giveaways, or by advertising events and promotions.
49
THE END
