Scenario
You work for a communications consulting firm, Consulting Comm, and your manager, Juanita Markson, has asked for your help on an upcoming project. Two companies, Acadia Park Equipment Co. and Java Been, have approached your firm for assistance with creating a communications strategy. You will choose one of these companies and create a proposed communication strategy outline for your boss.
It is important that you consider the communications goal of the company that you choose. The message that you create will be based on the successful achievement of that communications goal. Each company has provided you with a brief summary including company history, vision, target audience, and communications goal. This information will be valuable when creating a message to meet the needs of both audiences and stakeholders. The companies are as follows:
· Acadia Park Equipment Co.
- Company History: Acadia Park Equipment Co. was founded by a brother and sister who were inspired by their love of the outdoors. They decided to start Acadia Outdoor Equipment Co. in response to all of the overpriced outdoor camping, hiking, and other recreational products in the big-box retail stores and sought to create high-quality products at a price anyone can afford. The company’s mission is to spread the love and appreciation of the outdoors to all of its customers and beyond.
- Vision: As Acadia Park Equipment Co. moves toward its goal of making it affordable for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy nature, we will support organizations whose main efforts involve research to continue environmental preservation efforts. We regularly encourage employees to engage in preservation and clean-up efforts to help the environment.
- Target Audience: The target audience is adventure-seeking adults ages 18 to 40.
- Communications Goal: Acadia Park Equipment Co. would like to expand its advertising to appeal to active adults over 40 years old.
- Java Been
- Company History: Founded just under three years ago, Java Been is now a bustling café. With its high ceilings and “found space” appeal, the café has come to host exhibitions, meetings, and local bands. It has become an integral part of the arts revival community that has taken root in the old factory mill buildings along the river.
- Vision: The owners take pride in their community, striving to provide a creative space with gourmet coffee, tantalizing baked goods, and music to inspire the artist’s soul.
- Target Audience: Throughout the day, self-employed and remote workers enjoy a focused space away from home to get in a few productive hours. At night, the space comes alive with artists, student study groups, and everyday people just looking to enjoy a cultured night on the town.
- Communications Goal: Java Been is planning a grand opening of a second location and needs help advertising this event.
Directions
- Stakeholders Analysis: Consider who the internal and external stakeholders are for the company and answer the questions that follow.
- Internal Stakeholders include owners, employees, and investors. Imagine if you owned, worked for, or invested in either Acadia Park Equipment Co. or Java Been. How would your needs or interests impact or influence the organization’s communications goal? How would you want to receive communication about the organization’s communications goal?
- External Stakeholders include customers, suppliers, and the community. Imagine if you were a customer of, supplier for, or community member of either Acadia Park Equipment Co. or Java Been. How would your needs or interests impact or influence the organization’s communications goal? How would you want to receive communication about the organization’s communications goal?
- Target Audience Analysis: Both Acadia Park Equipment Co. and Java Been have provided you with a summary of their target audience(s). Be sure to consider who the target audience is for the company you chose, and describe their needs in relation to the communications goal. In this section, be sure to consider why a member of the target audience might be more likely to choose either Acadia Park Equipment Co. or Java Been over one of their competitors. In other words, what gives the organization a competitive edge for that particular target audience?
- Messaging: Once you have analyzed the stakeholders and target audiences, Juanita would like you to propose one message that will meet the needs of both groups. You will need to address the message type, content, and measurement. More specifically, include the following:
- Message Type: This could be any message type, such as an email, flyer, poster, Tweet, advertisement, text message, and so on. You do not need to create the actual message, but you should propose the method you plan to use to communicate the message based on the communication goals of Acadia Park Equipment Co. or Java Been.
- Message Content: Describe the message content. For instance, if you are planning to use images and visuals, you can describe them rather than create them. All message text should be included and geared toward the stakeholders and audience.
- Measurement: Discuss how you will measure the success of your proposed message. For example, will you determine the success based on the number of customers acquired or the number of shares on a social media website?
- Rationale: At the end of your communication strategy outline, include a brief rationale that explains why you selected each message type, content, and measurement. Explain how your understanding of stakeholders and audiences informed your message creation.
What to Submit
Communication Strategy Outline
You will submit one completed communication strategy outline for the company that you chose. The focus of the outline will be on stakeholder needs, audience needs, and messaging. There will be a brief rationale at the end of the outline that summarizes why you selected each message type, content, and measurement. The outline should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length.
Sources
Ormeno, M. (2007). Managing corporate brands: A new approach to corporate communication. Deutscher Universitäts Verlag. PP 133.
Ormeno, M. (2007). Managing corporate brands : A new approach to corporate communication. Deutscher Universitäts Verlag. PP 227-228.
Ormeno, M. (2007). Managing corporate brands : A new approach to corporate communication. Deutscher Universitäts Verlag. PP 271.
SVETLANA, D. (2014). An Approach for Forming the Brand Communication Strategy. Annals (Constanţa Maritime University), 15(22), 139–143.
Miletsky, J. I., & Hand, M. (2009). Perspectives™ on marketing. Course Technology. PP 118-120
Miletsky, J. I., & Hand, M. (2009). Perspectives™ on marketing. Course Technology. PP 133.
Choi, J.-A., & Lewis, R. (2017). Culture and the Star-Power Strategy: Comparing American and Korean Response to Celebrity-Endorsed Advertising. Journal of Global Marketing, 30(1), 3–11.
Lewis, B., & Varey, R. (Eds.). (2000). Internal marketing : Directions for management : directions for management. Taylor & Francis Group. Chapter 10.
Fisher, C., Vallaster, C., Vallaster, Lastfisher, Lastvallaster, Fisher, C., & Vallaster, C. (2010). Connective branding : Building brand equity in a demanding world. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. PP 123-145.
Percy, L. (2008). Strategic integrated marketing communications: Theory and practice. Taylor & Francis Group. PP 8-9
Anisimova, T. (2014). Benchmarking desired corporate brand image in relation to stakeholders: a managerial perspective. Qualitative Market Research, 17(4), 441-463. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-06-2012-0034
Fisher, C., Vallaster, C., Vallaster, Lastfisher, Lastvallaster, Fisher, C., & Vallaster, C. (2010). Connective branding : Building brand equity in a demanding world. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. PP 146-165.
Varey, R. (2001). Marketing communication: A critical introduction. Taylor & Francis Group. Chapter 7.
Communications is Key: Web Marketing Company, fishbat, Reveals the Importance of Marketing to a Target Audience. (2016, September 2). PR Newswire.
Adeyeri, E., & Jeffries, C. (Speakers). (2015). Social media: Strategy director [Video]. SAGE Knowledge. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781473933170
Vernuccio, M. (2014). Communicating Corporate Brands Through Social Media: An Exploratory Study. International Journal of Business Communication, 51(3), 211–233.
