Campaign Proposal Development - Example

Marketing Proposal: David Jones Name of Student Institution Table of contents I. Executive summary II. Introduction/Background III. Campaign objectives IV. Environmental Analysis (SWOT/PEST Analysis) V. Target audience VI. Media description VII. Advertisement design VIII. Campaign plan IX. Proposed measures of effectiveness X. Conclusion XI. Citations and references - Executive Summary David Jones is a leading, high-end Australian retail outlet. David Jones is one of the most recognizable brands in Australia, distinctively positioned in the Australian retail market. To retain its market share, the company has decided to establish an online David Jones store. The venture into online marketing is intended to engage more customers who are looking for a different shopping experience, and do not have much time to spare for shopping. The marketing strategy to be pursued is aimed at increasing awareness about the company’s online shopping experience. It will mainly be driven through online social networks, mobile applications and other digital media (David Jones, 2012). It is estimated to cost about $4 million, funded from the company’s cash flows. Introduction/Background The internet has become a popular tool for marketers in the recent past. Its strength as a driver for sales was hitherto underestimated, but it has become the target for many marketing executives (Michael, Michael & Irene, 2010). It offers opportunities for marketing interactions through search engines, blogs, social media and consumer-generated content. It allows marketers to make use of their rich consumer databases at their disposal to create effective marketing campaigns (Perreaut, Canon, & McCarthy, 2011). As of 2011, internet sales in Australia accounted for 4.9% o retail sales in total. David Jones has realized the potential of online marketing and stores. Its sales and revenues will receive a boost by taking advantage of the changing attitudes towards online shopping. The company recently revealed its target of achieving 10% sales from the internet (David Jones, 2012). It already has a physical presence, and this has been found to enhance its online offers. By introducing an online presence, the company hopes to become the preferred brand of choice. This is by increasing its customers’ choices and flexibility in their shopping experiences (David Jones, 2012). Campaign objectives Before embarking on a marketing campaign, it is essential to determine the goals or objectives the campaign intends to achieve. This gives guidance to the marketing team on the selection of Marcomm tools to apply. It also assists in focusing on the audience that is the target of the campaign (Hooley, Piercy & Nicoulaud, 2008). This campaign is intended to increase awareness of the David Jones brand in the internet community. The increased awareness will, hopefully, result in increased sales. Another expectation is that the David Jones brand will stand out as a unique brand, offering flexible shopping experiences. Environmental Analysis (SWOT/PEST Analysis) Globalization and the internet have had a massive impact on the retail industry in Australia (Michael, 2011). Consumers are more aware of shopping options through interactive marketing. Consumers have been offered increased choices in shopping by the increasing numbers of online outlets. Price comparisons have increased globally as a result of online retailing. This puts pressure on stores to differentiate them through competitive pricing. Australian retailers are also experiencing macroeconomic headwinds that have caused sales to drop. David Jones reports that it has experienced the worst sales in the last 20 years. In the period from 2009 to 2011, the store’s sales went down by a record 3.3%. This drop was consistent during this period (David Jones, 2012). The store and most of its competitors are, therefore, pursuing more cautious, short term outlooks. The David Jones brand is viewed as a chic and trendy brand. It is also seen as a high-end brand that offers quality products. Its main rival in the market is Myer, which also falls in the same positioning segment. David Jones, however, is seen as more competitive price wise. It also faces competition from specialized retail stores such as Zara, Marcs and Calibre though they offer less variety than David Jones. Figure 1 in the appendix shows how David Jones is positioned in the market against its competitors. The positioning is in terms of variety the store offers and price. Target audience A marketing strategy can only be successful if the right audience is identified and targeted. The campaign is crafted to have the biggest impact on this segment of the market (Hooley, Piercy, & Nicoulaud, 2008). There are people who have little time to go through stores shopping. This is the group that this campaign targets. The campaign is expected to have its deepest impact on these people. The campaign informs them that the stores will meet all their shopping needs. Media description The message to be passed to the target audience is that David Jones is committed to meeting its customers’ needs as they evolve. The campaign will use both digital and mass media to put this message across. Emphasis will be on the internet, but other digital media will also receive a lot of attention. The campaign will not be very aggressive in the mass media, as only a small portion of the audience will get the message. The market segment targeted by the campaign spends a considerable amount of time in the internet. Therefore, this is the medium that the campaign will capitalize on. Most of the advertisement will be carried out through social media such as facebook, twitter, blogs, search engines and other online avenues. Many people have internet on their phones (Steve, 2008). The campaign will also utilize mobile phone applications to reach the biggest audience. Advertising design . The company has set goals for growth in the future. It intends to pursue strategies that will increase its annual income by $10 million. There are plans to differentiate the brand from its competitors by revolutionizing its customers’ experiences. It also intends at increasing sales through new distribution channels (David Jones, 2003). . The company has a rich database with its customers’ profiles details. It will utilize this to give updates and notification about the campaign. The use of print media and television will be limited. Internet will take up 80% of the advertising efforts and 20% will be for other media. David Jones’ products will be available from online catalogues. The customers will be able to make purchases from the store’s website. The products will then be delivered to the buyers (David Jones, 2012). Campaign plan Creating and increasing awareness about the product is the main aim of the campaign. This will have a significant influence on the length of the campaign. The store targets 90% awareness among its customers and other members of the targeted market segment. This is increment from the current 60%. The campaign will be short. It will be launched on 1 June 2012 and end on 30 August. Various promotional activities will be featured in the campaign. Customers will be offered discounts if they spend given amounts on online purchases. Other promotional activities will involve the variety of goods purchased. There will be a massive and aggressive launch in the mass and digital media on I June 2012. The first two weeks of June will involve aggressive media campaigns. Customers will also be informed about the product while shopping in the stores. During this time and weeks to follow, the promotional activities will be carried out. Evaluation of the campaign process will be carried out fortnightly. An evaluation of the campaign will also be done at the end of August, when the campaign will come to an end. Activities will be coordinated by team leaders in the different groups working on the campaign. The expectation is that the campaign will be a success. Customer awareness levels are projected to reach 90%. The store will attract more attention from online shoppers, and its loyal customers will be retained. David Jones is expected to increase its market share and improve its competitiveness after the campaign. Proposed measures of effectiveness When the campaign comes to an end, it will be evaluated to measure how effective it was. The existence of demand for the product in the market may be an indicator that a campaign may be successful. The identification of the right market segment to be targeted by a campaign may also point towards its success. Among measures commonly used to measure effectiveness include; sales, attention, response, and profits among others. This campaign’s effectiveness will be measured by way of monitoring sales, the change in level of awareness and the attention the brand gets. Changes in these factors will indicate how effective the campaign was. Surveys will be conducted to measure this. Conclusion Feedback will be sought from its customers and the public. There are numerous ways to For many businesses, having stores and online outlets improves their competitiveness. They take care of the needs of customers who love shopping and yet do not have enough time to go to stores. Making products accessible at a click is the aim of all online stores. This flexibility is popular with clients and it also creates brand loyalty. It is hoped that this campaign achieves this for the David Jones brand. The marketing campaign is expected to raise David Jones’ sales and revenues. It is also expected to bring about increased awareness about the store’s online outlet. Pricing is a major aspect of this campaign. The company will reposition itself as competitive against other stores. Customers will be assured of the brand’s continued commitment to meeting their needs. This is aimed at retaining their loyalty and commitment to the brand. The results of the campaign will be measured by its effectiveness. Realization of sales and revenue targets will be a pointer on the success of the campaign. The store’s revenues have been dropping for a long time, and measures were implemented to check this. The measures that the company took to improve its financial were not effective. The marketing campaign is another shot at increasing sales and improving the store’s performance. It is hoped that this campaign will improve the store’s competitiveness against its rivals in the market. Increased awareness is expected to draw more attention to the brand. The store enjoys strong brand loyalty. This is one of the strengths that the campaign built on. This group of loyal customers will be retained. They will then be used to attract more customers to the store. The campaign is well thought out. It will also be carried out professionally and aggressively. This will, hopefully, bring about the desired results. Appendix Figure 1: David Jones Positioning High Prices Myer David Jones Zara Calibre Wide Variety ________________________________________ Little Variety Marcs Low Prices References David Jones. (2003). David Jones Announces B to C e-Commerce Strategy. Retrieved from http://www.davidjones.com.au/downloads/eCommerce_announcement_29June David Jones. (2012). David Jones Announces its Future Strategic Direction. Retrieved From http://www.davidjones.com.au/files/ASX-Release-Strategic-Directions-21-March-12 Hooley, G., Piercy, N. & Nicoulaud, B. (2008). Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning. Melbourne: Pearson Education. Malcolm, M. (2006). Strategic Marketing Planning: Theory and Practice. Marketing Review. 6(4), 375-418. Michael, B. (2011). Online Brands Set off on New Marketing Journey. Marketing Week. 34(37), 14-18. Michael, V., Michael, E. & Irene, P. (2010). Practitioner Prognostics on the Future of Online Marketing. Journal of Marketing Management. 26(3/4), 361-376. Perreaut, W., Canon, J., & McCarthy, J. (2011). Basic Marketing. A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach. New York: McGraw-Hill. Steve, H. (2008). Are You Experienced? Precision Marketing. 20(13), 21-22. Retrieved From https://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=103&sid=c013f271-5f4b-4669-be44-c85d9ff5a81f%40sessionmgr4 Read More