Integrated Marketing Communication for Bradleys Co - Business Plan Example

Integrated Marketing Communication Plan: Bradleys Co. Name Institution Date Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Introduction A significant change has been observed in the way in which communication takes place between the organization and the customers. Technological advancement and innovations have made a great impact on the millions of people – an impact that has never been experienced before in history. The power to control information is no longer in the hands of manufacturers; rather, it has shifted to the hands and minds of the consumers. As a result, organizations have to change their methods of conducting their marketing communication activities. These marketing communication activities are becoming more and more holistically customer-oriented, or rather, potentially customer-controlled. This process is commonly referred to as ‘Integrated Marketing Communication” (IMC). Integrated marketing communication incorporates planning and execution. Planning represents the backbone of the IMC because it enables the organization to develop and deliver an effective and consistent message across all communication media. The planning process begins with a thorough evaluation of the market and competitor environment. Today, people are slowly integrating the coffee culture in their lives, and the business environment for coffee houses and outlets is rapidly growing especially in the developed countries. Therefore, organizations in this industry have to evaluate their operating environment, identifying their competitors – their strengths and weaknesses – and taking actions that will contribute towards their success. The next step involves selecting the appropriate target audience and seeking to understand how they can make decisions in the market. In the present paper, Bradleys will target college and university students. Bradleys will seek to understand how college and university students make decisions in the market. Understanding the target market is critical because it will help Bradleys identify where the audience fits in the marketing communication process. The third step involves the positioning strategy which the organization must establish. Finally, the organization must identify media that will be consistent with its communication objectives. All organizations are using marketing communications in one way or another, and this has become one of the most critical components of effective marketing (Masterman and Wood 2006). However, the first step has been to understand the nature and importance of integrated marketing communications. The present paper has used Bradley Coffee Co. to assess the nature of marketing communication and propose the best practice in marketing communication. To understand Bradley's marketing communication strategy, it is important to approach it via two perspectives: marketing and communications. According to Chitty, Barker, Valos and Shimp (2014), marketing is composed of marketing mix strategies that a company develops to transfer value, through the exchange, to their customers. On the other hand, communication is a process in which a company conveys shared meaning between different individuals, or between it and individuals. As evidenced in their website Bradleys has a unique way of communicating to their customers in terms of offering website visitors the direction of where their shops are located. However, marketing communication in regard to their products is not very elaborate. For example, in the ‘Welcome to Bradleys’ tab, the organization displays their five coffee outlets in the form of pictures in addition to explaining that their five outlets offer similar customer services. There is not much in that tab to tell the customers about the products. However, one line at the top of the page directs the visitor to another tab upon click. This tab displays different types of coffee, including Bradley's expresso coffee, Bradley's cappuccino coffee, Bradleys café latte coffee, Bradleys Americano coffee, Bradleys café mocha coffee, and Bradleys macchiato coffee (BradleyS Coffee 2016). However, despite having been explained well in the tab, these types of coffee have not been displayed in pictures as would be expected by the customer. In addition, the prices of different types of coffee have not been displayed alongside each type of coffee. The website visitor may feel that the website has not provided all the required information. However, in terms of location, Bradleys has displayed Google location maps on the website to show the customer the location of their shops. The marketing objectives of Bradleys integrated marketing plan is to increase the rate at which Bradley's coffee is purchased and consumed. One of the factors incorporated in the plan is to provide discounts to customers in order to make this objective attainable. In addition, the present paper proposes that Bradleys should seek to increase its market share and expand its coffee outlets by using promotional activities such as advertising and other promotional activities as proposed in the present integrated marketing plan. Currently, Bradleys has only five outlets namely, Pepper, the Town Hall, Jubilee, Barry, and Muni (Bradleys Coffee 2016). In the past, Bradleys has focused their marketing activities to working class members of the society. The present marketing plan proposes that Bradleys should focus more on college and university students in order to significantly boost its sales and profits. For the proposed IMC plan to work on the target audience, it is important to combine different communication vehicles, including personal sales, the internet, sales promotions, and advertising. The four communication vehicles have been selected because they are more suited to the target audience. In consideration of the target audience, these communication tools are the most effective to help Bradleys achieve its planned objectives. It is important to note that existing marketing activities at Bradley do not comprehensively address the needs of the target population. The approach used in the proposed IMC plan seeks to enhance Bradley’s current marketing strategies and to increase focus on the target group. As indicated earlier in this paper, the prices of different types of coffee have not been displayed alongside each type of coffee in the website. Thus, the website visitor may feel that the website has not provided all the required information about the products. Failure to communicate information regarding their products has given reviewers an opportunity, sometimes, to criticize their products. For example, one reviewer has indicated that the cafeteria coffee he had at Bradley's was “as bad as it could possibly be…weak…” (Cossy Coffee Shops 2007). The target population in the present integrated marketing plan is price sensitive because it is composed of students. Therefore, it is important for Bradleys to display the prices of their products on their website. INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION MIX Bradleys’ Marketing Communication Objectives As indicated earlier, Bradleys will target college and university students. Bradleys will seek to understand how college and university students make decisions in the market. To comprehensively fulfill the needs of this target market, Bradleys will set several communication objectives, including creating awareness of its products to the target audience, projecting their own positive image to its target audience, stimulating a desire for products among its target audience, and effecting sales. These represent the communication objectives that Bradleys will seek to fulfill. Some of the ways that will be integrated into the proposed IMC plan include sales promotions, advertisements, public relations, and personal selling. Advertisement incorporates both paid and non-personal form of media communication. In the proposed IMC, the advertisement is focused on building the brand image of the organization and providing the target audience with the relevant information. Flooding the appropriate advertisement media with right information about the organization will help cover the negative publicity such as the one given by the reviewer discussed earlier in the paper. Personal selling is another very important marketing communication tool, and it will involve personal interactions with patrons who frequent the coffee shops with the aim of fostering a good relationship with the customers. Also, personal selling will help in addressing the needs of the customers because they will have an opportunity to give their feedback concerning the products and will also prevent them from giving negative reviews in other places. Customers’ feedbacks will be considered, and improvements will be made on the products while assuring customers of better service the next time they visit the shop. Sales promotion is another important marketing communication tool that has been integrated into the proposed IMC plan. According to Saxena (2009), sales promotion incorporates styles such as discounts, coupons, and contests. Despite not aiming at the long-term objectives of marketing communications, sales promotion attracts new customers and provides them with purchase-oriented incentives. The final tool that will be used by Bradleys is public relations to enable the organization to support the credibility of its business since it uses features such as promotions, sponsorship, product features, as well as new stories. The advantage of this latter tool is that it is not expensive compared to some of the other tools and achieves many desirable results. Advertising: Coffee Classes To attract new customers in this segment, the present paper proposes that Bradleys should consider establishing free coffee classes within reach of the members of the target market in order to explain coffee and coffee drinking to them. The message communicated to the target audience during these coffee classes will significantly contribute to increased coffee intake. There are some important facts about coffee and milk that Bradley's website has provided. One fact is that boiling the milk kills it thus ruining the final tea product. The website explains, “when milk is heated to the temperatures exceeding 70 degrees Celsius, the texture and taste of the final product are likely to be ruined” (Bradleys Coffee 2016). However, the website explains that the organization provides the customers with what they need despite such knowledge. These are some of the things that make the present paper propose that the organization should start free coffee classes in order to explain such facts to their customers. Gifts and coupons are important tools because they help an organization to attract and retain its customers. These tools also lead to an increase in sales because more customers will be motivated to purchase from the business and also purchase in large quantities. Product Display and Pricing The pictures of the shop (both outside and inside) are very attractive and matches well with the statement that the environment is customer-friendly. Therefore, the physical location, as well as visual display of Bradleys' coffee shops, has been excellently done. However, the existing Bradleys’ marketing strategy on their website has left out some of the most important types of information in marketing a product – the price in addition to other factors that are likely to attract new customers. Not much is available on the internet and in the literature regarding the marketing strategies of Bradleys Coffee. Therefore, the proposed marketing plan has been based on the information available on the company’s website. The present paper proposes various improvements to the existing marketing communication plan. For example, the target audience may be more attracted by incentives such as free Wi-Fi in the coffee shops, electrical sockets at besides each table for customers with laptops. Other incentives may include live entertainments in the coffee shops on a regular basis, including live bands, and poetry readings among others. These are some of the incentives that will do well with the target audience because of the community feel they bring with them. Since Bradleys has different coffee shops, it should consider offering different incentives in different shops so that patrons can visit the shop with incentives of their preferences. Such incentives are directed towards increasing customers spending as well as increase customer retention. Creative Strategies The creative strategy will be directed towards achieving the objectives of the IMC plan. In the hotel industry, it is important to get the opinion of the customers and integrate them with the organization’s component of honesty. In its creative strategy, Bradleys will promise its customers what products that are formulated on realistic expectations. Bradleys will be focused on showing their customers that its products are products that will interest them and are of high quality. The communication of this quality will revolve around customers’ taste and preferences. Media Strategy Media strategy is one of the most important tools in marketing planning (Koekemoer and Bird 2008). As indicated earlier in the paper, Bradley's target audience includes college and university students. The media strategy will be focused on reaching those students who have gain access to the internet on a regular basis. Based on this, the preferred media for reaching this audience is the internet. In the same strategy, the other focus will be to retain these customers while attracting new ones by offering them various incentives discussed earlier in the paper. According to Khosrow-Pour (2008), most of these target customers gain access regularly through their institutions of learning; therefore, it proves appropriate to reach this audience via the internet. Measurement of Results In every marketing initiative, it is important to integrate the measurement of outcomes at the end. The success of any marketing strategy is based on the outcomes. The first method in which Bradleys will measure the outcomes of its IMC plan is by gaining awareness of their target audience. This awareness helps in the assessment of the plan’s success. The attitude that the customers will display towards the organization’s products will serve as the measurement tool. The key objective behind integrating the measurement aspect in the IMC plan is to improve its sales, detect any change in sale quantities, and serve as an indicator of the success of the IMC plan. However, it is important to note that the marketing plans that will be adopted will not yield immediate results; therefore, it is necessary to expect results after a period of three to five months after the start of the implementation of the integrated marketing plan. According to Malcom & Wilson (2011), this period is allowed in order to allow the organization time to determine whether the plan is efficient. If the organization fails to experience any increase in its sales, it should consider reevaluating its plan and set realizable objectives. Bradleys will also focus on the brand in its measurement initiative since a good brand attracts customers to purchase. The measurement will be intended to assist the organization in improving the brand awareness Increase sales will be an indication that the customers are satisfied with the organization’s products and that their attitude towards the organization’s brand is positive. Conclusion As indicated earlier in the paper, the process in which organizations to change their methods of conducting their marketing communication activities is referred to as integrated marketing communication plan. Integrated marketing communication deals with planning and the principles underlying effective marketing communication. The present paper has discussed the Bradleys’ existing marketing communications. The paper has then progressed towards discussing the concepts of integrated marketing communication and proposing an integrated marketing communication plan for Bradleys and the one that the company can use towards college and university students who represent some of its target audience in the new integrated marketing communication plan. Finally, the paper has proposed ways in which Bradleys can measure the progress of its integrated marketing communication process. The marketing communication activities proposed for Bradleys’ are holistically customer-oriented and potentially customer-controlled. Adoption of this plan will help the company capture and retain this audience. The activities proposed in this plan will ensure that Bradleys has the right message, get this message to the right audience, and at the right time thus raising the desire of the target audience for organization’s products. References Bradleys Coffee. 2016. Retrieved from http://www.bradleyscoffee.co.uk/the-bradleys-coffee-story.html Chitty, W., Barker, N., Valos, M. and Shimp, T. 2014. Integrated Marketing Communications. South Western: Cengage Learning. Cossy Coffee Shops. 2007. Bradleys Coffee Shop, Market Weighton. Available at http://cosycoffeeshops.co.uk/bradleys-coffee-shop-market-we/ Khosrow-Pour, M. 2008. Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology. IGI Global Koekemoer, L. and Bird, S. 2008. Marketing Communications. Juta and Company Limited. Saxena, R. 2014. Marketing Management, 4th Edition. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Malcom, M. and Wilson, H. 2011. Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them: How to Use Them. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Masterman, G. and Wood, E. 2006. Innovative Marketing Communications: Strategies for the Events Industry. New York: Routledge. Read More