Branding and Communications: Building Lives Charity - Essay Example

Branding and communications: Building Lives Charity BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL INFO HERE HERE Branding and communications: Building Lives Charity Executive summary The Building Lives Charity (BLC) requires an effective branding and communications strategy in order to guarantee a higher volume of public donations for this special cause. Since the goal of this non-profit organization is to assist youths in gaining better education, employment or specialized training, all marketing communications must be geared toward markets that will find benefit in this service provision and find personal connection to BLC goals. To the advantage of the organization, knowledge of the charity and the ability to raise funds has found success, thus there is a platform of community knowledge of Building Lives Charity that an integrated marketing campaign can build upon. The organization is not starting out fresh in terms of establishing brand awareness in the local community which is advantageous to the goal of improving brand visibility. In order to build a stronger brand, the organization will benefit from developing an appropriate and well-crafted value proposition that will be the cornerstone of all marketing literature produced. Since the organization is working with a limited budget of only £23,000, the proposed marketing scheme must have significant ROI with limited costs in labour and ad-related production. To make use of this limited budget effectively, BLC will develop a mobile marketing campaign, coupled with guerrilla marketing, the development of various sponsorships with community leaders, social media marketing, strategic alliance, e-mail marketing, merchandise development and telemarketing. The integrated marketing campaign Fortunately for BLC, there is a trend in the consumer marketplace today in which humanity and values are increasing in importance. “The focus is on empowerment, not telling customers what to do or that it’s all done for them, but putting them in charge to take action” (Bayley, 2010, p.15). Building Lives Charity has multiple benefits to community citizens, for its ability to improve the social condition by employing and educating young people and also for its ability to appeal to those taxpayers who understand the importance of lessening youth reliance on welfare programmes (or similar programmes) that bleed the taxpayer. By understanding the psychological mechanisms related to humanity and also the disgruntled taxpayer profile, BLC can gain more interest in its brand and its platform causes using effective marketing that empowers multiple community demographics. Part of this empowerment process is to develop a rememberable value proposition that can deliver a sense of community empowerment related to their role with BLC whilst also identifying the key values and humanistic mission of the organization. “We need to build brands as information services, providing customers with information worth searching for, paying attention to, and using; where the information we offer is as much a part of our overall value proposition as the outputs of our operations” (Mitchell, 2010, p.6). The need for a quality value proposition is the first step in launching the new brand identity with an emphasis on empowerment for the receiver and to establish trust in the BLC mission and values. Picoult (2008) reinforces the importance of a value proposition that is more than just straplines, but is a method of introducing a sense of authenticity to the receiver. Arussy (2010, p.12) identifies three key ideas that must be considered before developing a value proposition: What is the receiver’s lifestyle and where does our service fit? What dreams and aspirations does the service support? What impact will an exceptional experience have on the receiver? With these concepts in mind, the following represents the proposed value proposition that will accompany the majority of the marketing materials produced, which will be described in further detail later in the report: Building Lives Charity provides education and employment to young people as a means to reduce their dependencies on community welfare programmes. As the taxpayer, we need your assistance to help us manage our goals. Building Lives is not just about helping disadvantaged youths, it is about restoring civility, aesthetics, and social order at a time where our services are needed desperately in community and business. Won’t you please join us on our mission to improve lives and reduce taxpayer burdens and become an honorary manager in our charity?! The first element to establish trust is to utilize this value proposition in a telemarketing scheme. Telemarketing requires a very small staff (1 to 2 volunteers or low-paid labourers) to handle the support calling. The organization will utilize a small portion of the £23,000 budget to purchase an auto-dialer that will automatically transfer a live caller to the telemarketing labourer or deliver the automated value proposition message on community answering machines or voice mails. Telemarketing is the first low-cost function of the promotional budget to improve brand recognition and attempt to build trust in the non-profit mission and goals. The telemarketing will provide information to the community member to visit the BLC dedicated website to find out more about its behaviours, goals, and current achievements, along with the ability to electronically donate funds to the cause through the website. “(Organizational) operations are undeniably linked with trust-building with community people where the operation is based” (Kyoto University, 2007, p.4). The goal is to establish trust in the brand, which has been identified as being important elements on the back of new humanistic consumer values. The language included in the BLC website will be focused on empowerment and membership to the BLC organization, providing an opt-in email promotional sign-up form that will be compiled electronically. This will provide the organization with considerable quantitative data on demographics and geographics for future segmentation and targeting and also provide opportunities for other elements of mobile and email marketing. Mobile marketing and email marketing Mobile marketing is the use of wireless mediums, typically the cellular phone, to provide personalized and real-time information on ideas, accomplishments and services (Bouhlel, Mzoughi, Hadiji & Slimane, 2011). Mobile phones as a platform for extending promotional messages is a low-cost scheme that is easily updatable and provides a unique platform for press release-style announcements about major milestones achieved by Building Lives. High penetration using mobile phones allows for very low-cost advertising and typically leads to higher retention rates (Bouhlel, et al). BLC believes that there will be a very high response to promotional materials on the mobile devices based on a recent survey conducted by InterQuest and Mobile Marketing Association. A survey targeting 10,000 to 30,000 users between 16 and 26 years of age in Italy, the UK and Germany indicated that 80 percent of users remembered the content of the m-advertisement after 15 days had elapsed (Ashraf & Kamal, 2010). Further, 70 percent of respondents had a willingness to refer m-advertising services to others through word-of-mouth (Ashraf & Kamal). Of all surveyed, only seven percent of this large sample voted against receipt of mobile marketing content (Ashraf & Kamal) which is a significant advantage for the use of this low-cost system. The business requires only electronic data sources to produce unique content that is easily upgradable and then deliver the content using permission-based marketing tools available through various web-based partners offering these services. Mobile promotions will offer information about current BLC accomplishments and goals, with regular information about fund-raising successes and how to make the consumer more interactive in becoming the manager described in the value proposition. This will be coupled with another form of permission-based marketing through e-mail promotions sent to consumers who have signed up as donators or member partners on the BLC website. According to Shakula (2010, p.27), “Creating a web community of e-fluentials empowers customers to connect and collaborate across multiple platforms and spread like a virus”. Promotional e-mails will be developed using low-cost electronic data and graphic arts tools, delivered to consumers in easy-to-read format in the style of formal reports to a manager, thus building on the notion of membership, management, and empowerment to experience the ongoing accomplishments of BLC. The value proposition describes the role of members who sign up to receive permission-based promotions on the web devices and through e-mail systems and all literature delivered must create this sense of long-term trust and commitment to taking on an interactive leadership role with BLC. Guerrilla marketing There are many low-cost promotional companies that produce merchandise for brands in the form of keychains, T-shirts, or buttons that clearly illustrate the brand logo or a catch phrase selected by BLC. The organization will make use of these promotional services to develop small-scale merchandise such as this for distribution into the community. A street team will be hired by BLC to carry out this task, which will consist of volunteers or very low-paid labour. Street teams will periodically meet with community members, hand out promotional leaflets asking community members to become empowered managers with BLC, and overall promote the brand. “The sense of being an insider, the excitement of promotional activities, the free swag, and meeting new people are a few of the things that street team members receive for participation” (Smith & Reynolds, 2008, p.145). Street team or guerrilla marketing strategies will not cut much into the low budget for promotion and will provide community members with retainable merchandise (at low production cost) such as refrigerator magnets and keychains, thus always having a visual representation of the brand in the household and professional environments. The pamphlet production for use by the street team will also be available at the BLC headquarters and include information about why it is important for community members and leaders to become partners and managers to help the organization reach its goals. Case studies of those youths who have been helped by the organization, their real-time testimonials, will also be included in these packages along with important statistics about the benefits of the organization’s mission in reducing welfare dependencies. BLC believes that financial statistics for the disgruntled taxpayer will ensure more interest especially when humanitarianism and empowerment language is utilized in all low-cost promotional materials. The dedicated website There are low-cost website developers on the web that allow hosting services at minimal cost in which BLC can maintain its own pages, content and visual appearance. Typically, these services are competing in a large market of website developers and thus provide hosting services for only £40 per month or even less in some cases. The company will further consult with Ektron, a content management company, (or similar developers) that assists in driving more online donations by providing tools to update videos, links, content and pictures on the website and also introduce BLC to better internet portals and social communities that fit our target profile (PR Newswire, 2011). For donations revenue growth, the organization requires technical expertise to assist in identifying what type of content is considered most relevant to our target profile consumer and guide BLC forward in these technical matters. Since the budget does not allow for more intensive consultation with information technology architecture specialists, Ektron leadership or volunteer IT knowledge bases will assist in developing a website for the purpose of revenue creation and also information exchanges. Social media Social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are becoming mainstream lifestyle tools across the world. “Wherever people are online, they are actively engaged with a wide variety of social media platforms, from blogs to social networking and video sharing” (Smith, 2009, p.559). The organization will utilize these websites to drive a more real-time relationship with potential BLC members and managers through blogging and also as a means to simply express more fundamentals about the brand’s purpose, mission and values. The organization will develop short two-minute videos using staff members and youth testimonials about the benefits they received from BLC assistance to express a sense of community and humanitarianism for those who visit the home pages of BLC in the blogosphere. Social media is providing companies and non-profits much more visibility and content in this marketing environment will be linked to the dedicated website for consumers who are interested in finding out more about Building Lives or willing to make donations electronically. The organization decided on this low-cost tool as it is easily upgradable and also provides a platform for much more brand visibility. It is taking a benchmark position from the Veterans of Foreign Wars charity that experienced a 16 percent increase in site visits, a 56 percent increase in page views, and immediate growth in new membership applications after developing its own web presence (PR Newswire, 2011). New inquiries about the Veterans of Foreign Wars charity rose by 25 percent from the previous month before having a web-based presence (PR Newswire) which is substantial for growth in expanding knowledge about the BLC brand. The Special Olympics charity also was able to increase donations and improve its brand visibility using web-based solutions provided by Ektron leadership (PR Newswire) which also serves as a model by which this platform was considered for inclusion into the integrated marketing campaign. Twitter, especially, is one of the most effective social media marketing tools available. Restaurant owners, as one example, use Twitter because of its high usage to inform people of drink specials if they show their Twitter message to the bartender of the organization that delivered the promotion (Wright, Khanfar, Harrington & Kizer, 2010). Twitter allows for personalization and constant upgrade of a message as a form of incentive for customers to read and retain the content delivered. Twitter can be managed in real-time by staff members or volunteers with press releases or to provide a small discount on merchandise offered (i.e. the coffee mug and stationary) to promote more interest in making purchases whilst also expanding brand visibility. Strategic alliance Save the Children charity and Stride Rite Shoes formed a strategic alliance several years ago to create competitive advantages and assist in raising capital for Save the Children. A strategic alliance is a partnership between two organizations where resources are shared or expertise shared to develop new core competencies that lead to branding success (Boone & Kurtz, 2007). Other youth-based charities in the area will be consulted with for a strategic alliance to add more credibility to the brand by highlighting the reach of BLC and its knowledge about related youth-based charities. Though the organization is only working with a £23,000 budget, a quality strategic alliance can include linking like charities together in the virtual environment or working together to gain more sponsorship interest or even for sharing labour for merchandise sales or guerrilla marketing teams. This requires only investment by internal executive leadership to identify potential partners for strategic alliance creation that will assist in expanding labour-related methods of building a better brand. Merchandise production as best practice Besides the promotional merchandise, BLC will produce a line of souvenirs, namely coffee cups, stationary and writing tools, and low-cost merchandise for sale in street vendor kiosks. After receiving the appropriate licensing and government approvals for this type of sales, BLC will offer these mugs and other household goods at affordable prices. Large volume coffee mugs and stationary can be produced at very low cost and then have a 40-100 percent mark-up added to ensure revenue production. During special events in the community or peak commuting times several times monthly, the organization will set up its mobile kiosk with this merchandise, including printed literature about the organization and videos produced for the online environment. This will be part of the campaign by taking a lesson from organizations such as Save the Whales and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds that produce similar merchandise to improve revenues and expand brand presence (Mitra & Borza, 2010). These goods are also, by these charities, offered for sale in the online environment at their dedicated or partner websites, thus ensuring more interest and consumer revenues. Sponsorship Because Building Lives Charity is about empowering the community to take an active role in giving and support management, the organization will send out representatives to talk with opinion leaders and business professionals in the community to expand interest. Sponsors typically pay a small fee for a low-scale marketing function for having their name or brand logo included in promotional materials. It is of no cost to BLC to send dedicated labour sales teams into the community to discuss potential sponsorships. Because employers and specialized training providers will benefit from youth education and employment, these leaders will be the target of sponsorships. Trusted business professionals who agree to provide resources for inclusion into promotional or information materials add more credibility to the brand and also give the business some leverage for partnered marketing activities, such as setting up mobile kiosks in front of sponsor businesses to save costs. Interested parties and those who donate to the cause through sponsorship agreements will be highlighted online and in the printed materials that advertise the organization, as well as in email and mobile marketing promotions. Budget allocation and operational needs To ensure success and remain within budget of £23,000, allocation of this budget must be applied effectively to each element of the integrated marketing communications campaign. The following represents a projection of expenses based on assumptions on preliminary market prices and goal-attainment activities related to building a more reputable brand and increase brand loyalty in multi markets: Autodialer for telemarketing: £2,500 Coffee mug, pens and stationary production: £7,000 Promotional merchandise for guerrilla efforts: £3,000 Website development fees: £1,500 Labour needs: £6,000 Graphic arts software: £1,000 Printed pamphlets: £2,000 Labour needs include the one-time payments to street teams or short-term labour assistance from non-volunteers to perform the sales services on branded merchandise or perform the telemarketing services during this branding campaign. Graphics arts software includes all personal web development tools needed electronically to ensure quality visuals and graphics on the website and for email promotions. Operationally, BLC will require a general manager from existing staff to monitor the activities of internal telemarketing staff to ensure they are complying with job-role regulations and presenting themselves according to the decorum required for interaction with community members. These applicants or volunteers will be screened for capabilities and run through testing procedures that include telephone etiquette, software proficiency, and general office skills. To lower costs, the business will first attempt to recruit youths that have benefitted from BLC services in the past, thus adding more elements of corporate social responsibility to the company’s brand name. Otherwise, any other internal functions of management will be coordinated with existing staff members familiar with BLC operations, policies and procedures where these roles will be consolidated and delegated according to budget and job role obligations. Offsite representatives who will handle merchandise sales will be monitored by general management leadership to ensure integrity and compliance to BLC policies. Revenues earned from merchandise sales will be applied to internal operational needs or applied to future branding strategies based on the success or lack thereof of this proposed integrated marketing campaign. It can be utilized for expenses as well by the sales team that will meet with strategic partners or sponsors during the course of the campaign to lessen the financial burden on BLC to provide this support. Since this is a social enterprise that operates not-for-profit, all revenues earned will be applied to labour or internal operational provisions throughout the campaign. However, the goal of merchandise sales with branded logos printed upon the products is to expand brand knowledge in a visual representation that has usefulness and form for a variety of community members. Conclusion This integrated marketing campaign will occur simultaneously rather than in increments in order to satisfy the six-month timeline allowed for launch and completion. The website, social media, telemarketing, sponsorship, email and mobile marketing for promotion, and printed informational literature should take no more than two months to develop fully, with an additional one to two months allowed for ongoing sponsorship accumulation to occur during the course of the campaign. All elements are realistic to the allowed budget and will provide Building Lives Charity with a new marketing presence and, ultimately, the ability to attract more donations from community leaders once trust, empowerment, and dedication to taking an interactive role in helping to forge a more quality charity have been established with the local surrounding community. This integrated marketing campaign was measured against several successes in non-profit services providing a template by which to launch a more successful branding campaign. Successes or failures of this campaign can be measured through merchandise sales, increased or decreased web membership and viewership, as well as the ability to procure sponsors as part of auditing. If adjustments to the branding strategy are required, they will occur as identified through internal research findings and higher volumes of budget allocated to other areas that are generating more positive buzz about BLC or bringing more return on investment. Auditing will be the most quality measurement tool to determine whether or not this campaign is meeting its intended objectives, with a community-based survey of opinion launched on the website to assist in gaining perspective on community beliefs related to their involvement or perception of Building Lives. 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