Public Relations Plan for Bangers - Essay Example

? Executive Summary This public relations plan will detail how “Bangers” a leading brand of sausages will be re-launched in order to make it more appealing to the overall market. The primary technique in use will be SOSTAC (Situation, Objectives, Tactical Planning, Action Plan and Control). (Money Online, 2011) The company, its primary markets, market segments and its relative strengths and weaknesses have been worked out in sufficient detail to allow a comprehensive plan to be developed. Implementation and control procedures have been outlined below as well to track the progress of improved public relations. This will ensure that a new public relations plan can be unfolded and monitored effectively for progress and that shifts in strategy can be made according to achieved progress. (Twittasaur, 2011) Situation: Situation Analysis The company’s internal and external situations need to be established in order to create a benchmark which would be utilised to proceed further. To delineate the company’s internal and external conditions two different kinds of tools are being used. SWOT (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Strengths) is being used primarily to discover the company’s internal situation. (Menon, 1999) On the other hand the PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) tool is being utilised to comprehend where the market currently stands. (Armstrong, 2006) SWOT Strengths Weaknesses established supply chain for fresh delivery in most areas; only high quality meat used to create sausages; spiced and non spiced meat varieties offered; lowered fat content of sausages; British ingredients use ensured; herbs used extensively to promote healthy eating; dedicated and committed workforce. meat cannot be stored for long periods due to small freezers ? demand cannot be fulfilled in certain situations; some flavouring recipes used are French and exotic; operations in Middle England need to be expanded on ground. Opportunities Threats market is expanding after recession; sausage derivatives such as hot dogs can be easily introduced; Middle England is health conscious so a proven healthy food product can easily take over the market. people want more English recipes; fat levels are lowered but certain other brands have lower fat levels. PEST Political There are no bans on meat (such as through Mad cow) and the short term political outlook is healthy for the market. Economic The market is conservative but recovering gradually which will permit greater sales in the longer run. People have the buying power to afford sausages with ease. Social The food market is headed for reform which will enable healthier eating and thus healthier lifestyles. Sausages are becoming popular because of their readymade nature, ease of processing and rich taste. Technological Fat levels can easily be lowered from meat products using technology. Herbs and other spices can easily be added to sausage meat before making sausages. Sausages can be manufactured and transported with relative ease due to technology without compromising their quality. Objectives: Charting a Course Mission Configuring and implementing an effective PR campaign in order to expand “Banger’s” market share to promote company profits and healthy eating. Business Objectives Increasing sales in Middle England by at least 20% within 90 days of the launch of this campaign; Expanding “Banger’s” market presence by introducing it to 3 new counties in Middle England within the first month; Promoting the use of sausages as a healthy food item to replace other meat items on consumer shopping lists by 10% in 12 months. Prioritising Marketing Objectives Clear and concise marketing objectives must be established to ensure that a clear direction can be ascertained. (Stone, 2001) Moreover, the objectives have been assessed using SMART (Specific, Measured, Attainable, Realistic, Time bound) to validate them. (Doran, 1981) Two different kinds of markets are being targeted. First are markets where “Banger’s” already exists and secondly there are markets where “Banger’s” does not exist already. The initial mix of marketing will be targeted at markets where “Banger’s” already exists but gradually the marketing will be more focused on markets where “Banger’s” does not already exist. This strategy will enable simplified measurement of marketing effectiveness through quantification in already established markets. Smart Test For Objectives Specific All objectives are well defined in terms of their scope and growth. Measured All objectives are based on measured values and offer measurable perspectives such as through market surveys. Attainable All outlined objectives are attainable given market conditions and long term sales growth has been kept at low figures due to gradual market growth. Realistic All objectives outlined above are realistic and can be executed within available market constraints. Time bound Timelines have been set for each objective to aid measurement and baseline comparison. Strategy: Identifying and Targeting the Audience A marketing plan cannot work until it is directed to specific audiences that have been identified to comply with the relevant product. (Gregory, 2010) Market segmentation is presented below briefly to delineate the targeted audiences. Sausages are consumed by people of all age groups but their use is most frequent with growing children and young adults because of the simplicity of preparing and consuming sausages. Moreover, working parents prefer food items that can be readily prepared and served. In the case of “Banger’s” the popular appeal ought to be with kids. However, children cannot be expected to buy sausages on their own so the relevant parents must be targeted. Another market segment is the population of adults who live alone and need food items that are healthy and easy to prepare. (Wansink & Sobal, 2007) Small food vendors and restaurants may also readily purchase sausages given that sausages become popular enough in the market to be requested at food outlets. The resulting marketing segmentation is shown below: growing children (ages 5 to 15) ? major segment young adults (ages 15 to 18) ? major segment adults ages 18 to 25 ? medium segment ages 25 and above ? minor segment restaurants and other food outlets ? potential market segment Tactical Planning: Implementing the Strategy A marketing strategy is only as effective as its delivery to the audience in question. Tools and their implementation have to be optimised to ensure that the maximum effect can be gained within the finite budgetary resources being offered. (Lake, 2011) Decision of communication tools Children’s audiences can be targeted best by targeting their leisure outlets and schools. One on one interaction could be achieved by introducing “Banger’s” as a healthy food product in various schools around Middle England. The contention is to introduce children to the taste of “Banger’s” so that they can provide their feedback and convince their parents to buy “Banger’s”. Moreover, “Banger’s” should be communicated on cartoon television channels and on social networking sites frequented by children. Much similarly, young adults can be targeted best by introducing “Banger’s” to them for free outside schools as trial offerings. Moreover, audiences in this age group are addicted to social networking websites which represent a major marketing tool. An effective channel should be constituted on YouTube that delineates ways to make sausages for eating easily. Other social networking websites such as Facebook, Orkut, and MySpace etc. will also be targeted to deliver user specific messages. Parents can be targeted best by introducing sampling offers near large supermarkets which are frequented by mothers of toddlers and larger children for food supplies. The parents should be encouraged to taste prepared sausages and then they should be apprised of the health benefits and nutritional value of “Banger’s”. Moreover, such activities should be accelerated on Sundays because families will be available for easy access during weekly shopping trips. In lieu of Christmas, an extravaganza is also planned for the Big Ben’s Shopping mall which is the largest shopping mall in Middle England. A floor would be occupied where rides and games for children will be arranged. Teenagers and young adults would be provided sitting areas where they can socialise. A staff of 25 people will be allocated to handle catering, cleaning and supply. A PR staff of 5 people will also be attached who will take people’s opinion and engage them in conversation to delineate the benefits of “Banger’s”. This activity will be coordinated from the 23rd of December to the 25th of December and is going to cost GBP 600 per day. It will be ensured that the essential PR message for “Banger’s” such as health, nativity and ease of preparation will be delivered to as wide an audience as possible. Moreover, a single consistent message must be delivered through all possible marketing mediums based on the message in Appendix A. Marketing message Please see Appendix A. Budget allocation A tentative allocation of budgetary resources is presented below. Budgetary allocation may be modified slightly as the PR campaign proceeds in order to suit marketing needs. Activity Cost (GBP) Duration (days) Total Cost (GBP) Free sampling in schools (1 month) 100 30 3,000 Free sampling in shopping malls (Sundays only, 3 months) 300 13 3,900 Television Communications* 5 365 1,825 Social Networking Websites** 20 90 1,800 Christmas Extravaganza 600 3 1800 Aggregate Cost 13,325 * duration may be reduced if results substantiate it ** YouTube channel, Facebook page, MySpace page, other smaller SEO articles Figure 1 – Budget Action Plan: Roles and Deadlines Active roles must be delineated on all interfaces so that relevant actions and their follow up can be generated reliably. (Kumar, 2009) The overall in charge of the public relations campaign will be a person from our PR agency. In time, this role can be assumed by the brand manager for “Banger’s” so that the company can take over the public relations campaign fully. However, this change can only come through once a positive measure towards increased sales has been established by either side. The entire public relations campaign will be executed over a period of 12 months with short term objectives set at 1, 3 and 6 months as listed above. The timeline is presented below for the PR campaign. All personnel involved in the PR campaign are certified professionals with experience in enhancing brand image through communication. The progress of the PR campaign will be noted simultaneously by the PR agency and “Banger’s” concerned personnel. Records will be compared and updated every other week to ensure compliance. Activity Date Kick off for PR campaign 1st November 2011 Complete sampling of “Banger’s” in schools 30th November 2012 Little Ark Elementary School 5th November 2011 Middleton High School 10th November 2011 Appleby High School 15th November 2011 Jones College 20th November 2011 Martha Stewart College 25th November 2011 Holden Middle School 30th November 2011 Christmas Extravaganza 23rd to 25th December 2011 Complete sampling of “Banger’s” in shopping complexes 31stJanuary 2012 Television Communiques 1st November 2011 to 1st November 2012 Social Networking Websites 31st January 2012 Figure 2 – Timeline and Activities Control: Monitoring and Measuring Progress The entire PR campaign will be monitored for setting the direction. This will ensure that the marketing objectives are reformed as required and that the budget is used as effectively as possible. The primary measure of PR campaign success will be taken as the increase in the sales of “Banger’s”. However, because such a measure would not effectively be available within the first 30 to 90 days (as the sales increase will take time) so instead surveys of awareness will be used to measure PR campaign success in the first 30 to 90 days. These surveys will be passed out to participants at schools, malls and other public areas to solicit if they were already aware of “Banger’s”. This process will be repeated every other week and the results will be tabulated and compared to previous results. An increase in this measure will be taken as an effectiveness measure of the PR campaign. On commencement to the next phase after 90 days, the measurement of campaign effectiveness will be shifted to sales figures. However, this will be done only if the sales figures for the previous 90 days show some improvement (at least 5 to 10% over original sales figures). In case no improvement was noticed, the PR campaign would be reconfigured to achieve greater effect. Measurements will be carried out by personnel staffing the PR campaign while sales figures will be measured and reported by “Banger’s” concerned interface. Appendix A Baseline News Release1 For Immediate Release If you feel that healthy eating for the entire family is not really possible anymore, then it is time you looked into your nearest supermarket again for Banger’s. The famous brand has moved into Middle England and promises to bring you well spiced all British recipe sausages with lowered fat content for healthier eating. Banger’s sports one of the lowest fat contents of any food products available within the market at this point in time. The best part in eating Banger’s is that making them healthier never compromised the original taste that has enthralled connoisseurs’ for ages. All the ingredients in Banger’s are natural including the preservatives that are created using specialised herbs grown in Britain. Each serving of Banger’s provides you with uncompromising taste, quality and a healthier lifestyle. If you want to try out Banger’s please visit your nearest shopping mall or supermarket this Sunday and absorb yourself in the rich taste and aroma of original British sausages. For more information please contact {your name} at +44-1234-56789 or email at {me}@bangers.co.uk Appendix B Communication Materials Bibliography Armstrong, M., 2006. A handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 10th ed. London: Kogan Page. Doran, G.T., 1981. There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), pp.35-36. Gregory, A., 2010. Planning and managing public relations campaigns: a strategic approach. 3rd ed. London: Kogan Page. Kumar, N., 2009. Marketing As Strategy: Understanding the CEO's Agenda for Driving Growth and Innovation. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Lake, L., 2011. No Cost Marketing Tips. [Online] Available at: http://marketing.about.com/od/marketingtipsandadvice/a/nocostmktg.htm [Accessed 8 August 2011]. Menon, A., 1999. Antecedents and Consequences of Marketing Strategy Making. Journal of Marketing (American Marketing Association), 63(2), pp.18-40. Money Online, 2011. SOSTAC. [Online] Available at: http://www.moneyonline.net/digital-marketing-strategy/sostac-digital-marketing-strategy-planning-template/ [Accessed 11 August 2011]. Stone, P., 2001. Make Marketing Work for You. How To Books Ltd. Twittasaur, 2011. SOSTAC Strategic Marketing Template Duplicate Success. [Online] Available at: http://twittasaurus.com/blog/sostac-strategic-marketing-planning-template-duplicate-success/ [Accessed 8 August 2011]. Wansink, B. & Sobal, J., 2007. Mindless Eating: The 200 Daily Food Decisions We Overlook. Environment and Behavior, 39(1), pp.106-23. Read More