BENJAMIN FAUNCE • SYDNEY LIU • MOLLY MYERSON • MARA BEY

A public relations campaign proposal for

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTSExecutive Summary....................................................1

Situation Analysis.......................................................2

Research Plan.............................................................5

Research Analysis......................................................6

Campaign Plan...........................................................7

Timetable....................................................................10

Evaluation...................................................................11

Appendix.....................................................................12

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 UrbanOutfittersisatrendyclothingretailstoregearedtowardscollegeagedmalesandfemaleswhoeasilyadapttochangingclothingtrends.UrbanOutfittersoffersuniqueclothingformenandwomenaswellashomegoods,cosmetics,andartwork.WhenthecustomerwalksintoanUrbanOutfittersstore,theyareimmediatelyimmersedandatrendyenvironmentandgetaboutiquestyleshoppingexperience.UrbanOutfittersalsohasaverycomprehensivewebsitewherecustomerscanbuyalloftheirmerchandiseonlineaswell.ThegoalofUrbanOutfittersisto“helptheircustomersexpressandenhancetheirindividualityandconnectwiththeirinterests,needs,passions,andeachother”.

Urban’sstrengthsincludeastrong,reliable,andfocuseddemographicaswellasbe-ingaverywellknownstorewithaverygoodreputationamongstcollegestudents.UrbanOutfitterswillbeabletoreachitspublicsthroughanInstagramandTwittercampaignknownas#tuitiontuesday,alineofseasonalhealthandwellnessgraphict-shirts,andusingeverydaypeopleasthespokespersonfortheiradvertisinguse.Thesetacticswillbeimplementedoverthecourseoftheyearandcanbetailoredtomultipledemographicstoachievethehighestsuccess.DuetothemanycontroversialstatementsassociatedwithUrbanOutfittersclothing,wehopetoseeaturnaroundintheperceptionofUrbanOutfittersamongsttheirpublicsandincreaseonlineadvertisingofUrbanOutfittersasasociallyresponsiblecompany.

UrbanOutfittersisafunky,trendy,vintageclothingstorewithproductsgearedtowardsmoderatetohigherincome18-30yearoldswhoembraceabohemianlifestyle.Thereisstilladifferencewithinthatpublic;customersthatareontheyoungerendofthatagescaletendtobeattractedtoproductsthatmaybeconsideredgraphictee’sor“immature,”whiletheolderagegroupwilltendtopurchaseproductsthathaveamorecontemporarystyle.Withover200namesonthelistofbrandsthatUrbanOutfittersbuysfromtheyconstantlyhaveanevolvingandadaptingmarket.

Urbanisknownfortheirsocialmediapromotions,having1.2millionfollowersonInsta-gramandover800,000twitterfollowers.Recently,Urbanhasbeentrackingrealcustomersviasocialmediaandpostingtheirpicturesontheirwebsiteandsocialmediapages.Urbanalsolaunchedanewappin2013asamarketingstrategytobecomeamoreintegralpartoftheircustomers’lives.Theyalsomarketthroughtheirlookbooks,whichisamagazineofalltheirnewproductsandthroughemailnotificationstoalreadyexistingcustomers.

UrbanOutfittershasbeeninthespotlightofmanycontroversiesthathaveoffendedawidevarietyofdifferentminoritygroupsdatingallthewaybackto2003.In2003,Urbanfirstcameunderpublicscrutinywhentheyreleasedaracistmonopolyparody,Ghettopolyandagraphict-shirtwiththephrase“EveryoneLovesaJewishGirl”surroundedbymoneysigns.In2005,UrbanwascriticizedforsellingsparkygunshapedChristmasornamentsinneighbor-hoodsthatwerepronetogunrelatedmurders.In2007,theJewishcommunitywasagainsingledoutbyanUrbangraphicteethatfeaturedaPalestinianchildholdingagunwiththewordvictimizedonit.Oneoftheirbiggestcontroversieshappenedin2010concerningtheir“EatLess”graphictees,beinginsensitivetothosewitheatingdisorders.In2011,theNavajoIndiancommunitysentaceaseanddesistlettertoUrbanbecauseoftheirNavajoproductline.In2012,UrbanoffendedIrishAmericanswiththeirSt.Patrick’sDayshirtsportrayingtheIrishasdrunkards,andtheirHolocaustJewishStartees.Urban’smostrecentcontroversyoccurredin2014overashirtfeaturingtheword“Depression.”MostofUrban’sresponsestothenegativefeedbackontheirmerchandisehavebeenquietlyremovingtheproductsfromtheirstore,with-outpublicstatementsapologizingfortheirinsensitivity.Becauseofallthescandalsoccurringforoveradecade,Urbanhasadoptedanimagethattheyareinsensitivetominoritiesgroupsandareknowntostereotyperacialgroups. Ourunansweredquestionsregardingourpublicishowmuchthesecontroversiesaffectthemandwhetherornotthiswillaffectthemshoppingatourcompany.Inaddition,anotherquestionwemustansweriswhatformofsocialmediadoesourpublicprefer.

SITUATION ANAYLSIS 2

Weaknesseso Constantnegativepublicitydueto tasteinspecificmerchandiseo Storelocationsonlyinmetropolitan areasornearcollegecampuseso Verynarrowdemographicthat companycaterstowardso Disposableincomeofyoung consumercanchangedramatically inashorttimeperiodo Onlyformofpromotionisthrough SocialMediaorStoreCatalogo Certainclothingitemsarepriced higherthannecessary

Strengthso StrongandFocusedDemographicso Customergenerallyhasamore disposableincomeo PopularMarketCampaignsvia SocialMediao BrandIdentityStronglyConnected withMissionStatemento Identifiableatmospherewithin storesandthroughemployeeso Consistentlycomingoutwithnew andupdatedmerchandisebased ontrendso Varietyofprivatelabelswithinmer chandiseofferedinstoreand online

Opportunitieso ExpansionintoAsiao Useofsustainableandecofriendly methodsinclothingitemso Useofseasonalclothingitemsinor dertoattractcustomersatamore frequentrateo Expansioninsocialmedia marketingo Expansioninlineofmaleclothingo Adoptingabroaderrangeof advertisemento Useoffreeshippingpromotions

Threato Competitionthroughsimilar clothingstoreso Forever21andH&Musingcheaper pricestolureinbuyerso Competitorstapintomen’snet workmorerapidlyo Demographicsofstore,asyounger peopledonotconsistentlyhave thesamefundstopayforhigher pricedclothingitemso Natureisathreatinregardsto climatechangecreatingcotton shortageso Difficultyofemploymentatyoungage lowerspotentialbuyersdiscretionary spendingabilities

2 SITUATION ANALYSIS 3 (SWOT)

SITUATION ANAYLSIS (ANALYSIS OF COMPETITORS)

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NordstromNordstromisahigh-endretaildepartmentstoreknownforfollowingthetrendsofeverydayAmericansaswellaspavingthepathwayfornewones.Foundedin1901,NordstromstartedoutasalocalshoestoreinDowntownSeattle.Aftergoingpublicin1971Nordstrombecomeamultimillion-dollarcompany,makingitalmosteveryfashionstoresbiggestcompetitor.Nord-stromtendstoappealtothe20-40yearoldaffluentwoman,butmorerecentlyappealingtomanymalesaswell.Nordstromhasastrongsinglestatementmissionstatementof“AtNord-stromourgoalistoprovideoutstandingserviceeverday,onecustomeratatime.”

TobiTobiisanonlineinnovativeshoppingwebsitegearedtowardsayoungdemographicofwom-enage16-30.InordertoenticecustomerstotheirwebsiteTobiprovidesanonlineshoppingexperiencefor“membersonly”makingthesitemoreappealingduetoitsexclusivity.AlongwiththisTobiimplementsintelligenttacticsofdrawingincustomersbyusinga30%offcouponforthefirstsevendaysofeachnewclothingitemintroduced.TobiisappealingduetothefactthatyoucanshopanywhereatanytimeaslongasyouareconnectedtotheInternetvialaptoporcellphone.AmaindisadvantagethatTobihashoweveristhefactthatitdoesnotappealtoanytypeofmalecliental.

H&MH&MisaSwedishretailclothingcompany,knownforitstrendy,fashionforwardclothingformen,women,andchildren.Itspurposeistoofferfashionableandgoodqualityitemsatanaffordableprice.Theyalsoplacestrongimportanceinbeingasustainable,environmentallyfriendlycompany.H&MisverypopularinternationallyandintheUnitedStates,withclothingstoresin53countries.Itcurrentlyhas2.1millionfollowersfollowingitsInstagrampage.

Forever 21 Forever21isanAmericanchainofclothingretailers,knownfortheirstyleconscious,fun,andcreativeclothingdesigns.Itsmerchandiseincludestrendyclothingandaccessoriesforteenag-ersandyoungadults.Forever21isconstantlychangingitsmerchandisetokeepupwiththechangingfashiontrends.Themerchandiseisalsoveryaffordable.ThereareForever21storeslocatedinNorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,LatinAmerica,Asia,Europe,andtheMiddleEast.Itcurrentlyhas3.3millionfollowersonitsInstagrampage.

Weusedquantitativeresearchtogatheraccurateandproperinformationregardingourcompanyanditspublic’sviewsregardingcertainareasofimportance.Usingavolunteerandconveniencesample,weadministeredasurveythroughsocialmediatogainabetterunderstand-ingofourpublicsandtheirattitudestowardclothingandthecompany.Usingsocialmediaasthemediuminwhichwedistributedthesurveylimitedourpopulationwtihinoursampletocollegestudents.However,thisisanagegroupthiscompanytargetsandsoitallowsoursampletoberepresentativeofamajorpublic.

Oursurvey,whichwasadministeredthroughFacebook,includesquestionsaboutdemo-graphicsregardinggenderandagegroup,shoppingandspendinghabitsonclothing,andsocialmediapreferences.Specificallythroughresearch,weweretryingtodeterminewhatformofsocialmediaourpublicspreferandiftheycurrentlyfollowanystoresonsocialmedia.Thesearemajorareasofimportanceduetothatfactthatithelpsustailorourcampaignbasedonthispreference.

Inaddition,wewantedtogainabetterunderstandingofourpublicsandtheirawarenessofourcompany’scontroversiesregardingthesaleofoffensivet-shirts.Wewantedtodeterminehowstronglyourpublicfeelsaboutthesecontroversiesandtheirattitudetowardwhetherthiswoulddeterthemfromshoppingatthecompanyandifso,why.

RESEARCH PLAN 54

RESEARCH ANALYSIS Ourprimaryresearchprovidedfurtherinformationonourintendedpublicofcol-legestudents.Throughoursurvey,wegainedfurtherinsightintoourpublic’sshoppinghabitsandhowoftentheyshopatourcompany.Wediscoveredthatthemajorityofoursamplearefemales,belongstothe18-20agegroup,andpurchasesclothing1-2timesamonth.Inaddition,40.38%ofthesamplepreferUrbanOutfittersfollowedby28.85%whopreferonlineshoppingoverNordstrom,AmericanEagle,andForever21.Furthermore,only19studentsoutofoursampleof52oftenshopatourcompanywhile21studentssometimesshopatourcompany.

Inaddition,wediscoveredInstagramisthemostpreferredformofsocialmediaamongourpublic.67.31%ofoursamplepreferInstagram,followedby19.23%whopreferFacebookand9.62%whopreferTwitter.Onlyalittlemorethanhalfofthesamplecurrentlyfollowsastoreonmediasocial.

Inregardstoourcompany’scontroversies,only14people(26.92%)inthesamplesaidtheywouldbeoffendedbysocialissuesorreligionbeingnegativelyportrayedonat-shirt.Outofthese14people,only5saidthiswoulddeterthemfromshoppingatthecompany.Whenaskedwhy,wewereprovidedwithanswerssuchas“mybeliefsmeanalottomeandseeingthesenegativelyportrayedisoffensive”alongwithit’s“rudeandunnec-essary.”Seefullsurveyresultsinappendix.

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6 CAMPAIGN PLANThiscampaignisspecificallydesignedtoencouragecollegestudentsintheUnitedStatestobemoreactivelyassociatedwithUrbanOutifttersonInstagram.AlthoughthiscampaignistargetedspecificallytotheUnitesStates,withfurtherresearchitcanbeal-teredtoincludetheanyothercountryaswell.

Campaign Goals •CompletelychangethenegativeimageassociatedwithUrbanOutfitters •Bethemostculturallyawareandsociallyresponsibleclothingcompany •Encouragecustomersandtargetedpublicstobemoresociallyresponsible •HavethemostfollowersonInstagramincomparisontootherclothing companies •GetcollegestudentsaroundtheworldtoparticipateinUrbanOutfitters promotionalgiveaways Campaign Objectives •IncreasetheamountviewersoftheUrbanOutfitter’sInstagrampageby20% •Increaseactiveparticipationofcollegestudent’sonUrbanOutfitter’ssocia lmediaby10% •Increasenumberofthepositiveimagegraphict-shirtsoldby15% •IncreaseamountoflikesonUrbanOutifittersInstagrampageby5% •Increaseamountoftraffictourbanoutfitters.comby10% •Increasewordofmouthandhashtagsassociatedwithurbanoutfittersby5% •DecreasethenegativepressassociatedwithUrbanOutfitter’sby15%

Campaign Strategies •Createalineofgraphict-shirtseachseasonpromotingbodyimageawareness •Giveapercentageofthemoneymadefromthetshirtsaletoacause promotinghealthybodyimage. •OrganizeamonthlyInstagramcompetitionbetweencollegestudentswearing thet-shirt •RecognizethepersonwiththemostlikesormostcreativepictureontheInsta grampageandrewardthemwithasemesteroffreecollegetuition •ImplementarecognizablehashtagassociatedwithUrbanOutfittersthatwill gainpopularityamongstcollegestudentslike#tuitiontuesday •FeatureacollageofthealltheInstagramcompetitionwinnersonUrban Outfitter’swebsite,magazine,andotherpromotionmaterials

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8CAMPAIGN PLANPublicsTheintendedpublicsincludebothmaleandfemalecollegestudents,aged18-22,althoughthemainpublicisintendedtobefemales.TheseconsumersvaluethestylethatisofferedbytheUrbanOutfittersbrand.Theyvaluethenewbrandthatthecom-panyplanstoportraywithacampaignthatpromoteshealthandwellness,aswellasbecomingmoreactive.Thispublicvaluesthestyleofclothingandthebrandthattheywearbycontinuingtospreadourbrand.

SegmentsCollege Students With Dispensable Income:Ourresearchindicatedthatamajorityofstudentsarewillingtospendmoremoneyonbetterqualityclothing.Theyalsohaveapreferenceofbrand,asmanyfinditanimportantfactorintheirchoiceofpur-chase.Withthisinmind,amainpublicforUrbanOutfittersiscollegestudentswithadispensableincome,astheyarelikelytospendthemoneyonmoreexpensivecloth-ingifitmeanstheywillreceivebetterquality. College Students Without Dispensable Income:StudentswhostruggletogetfundstopayforcollegewilluseourscholarshipprogramthroughInstagram.Thisgroupofstudentsstillfindstheirstyleandbrandofclothingtobeimportant,althoughnotnecessarilyaswillingtospendmoremoneyonat-shirtbecauseofthebrand.Ourpromotionofcollegestudent’shealthandwellnesswillbenefitgainingthispublicaswell.

SocialmediaispopularamongthecollegeagedpublicthatUrbanOutfittersisreachingoutto.WeintendtousethisknowledgetodrivetheUrbanbrand,througheventsandcompetitionsonTwitterandInstagram.TheyoungdemographicthatUrbanOutfittersaimstowardstendstobesingle,youngcollegeagedstudentswhodon’ttendtohaveadispensableincome.Acommoneconomicissuewiththisdemo-graphicistheconstantstressofpayingoffstudentloans.Withtheimplementationof‘TuitionTuesday’UrbanOutfitterswillstrivetohelptorelievethisstress.Theideaistohaveat-shirtcreationcompetition.

8 9CAMPAIGN PLAN (TACTICS)

Health and Wellness T-Shirt CampaignInordertochangethecompany’snegativeimagefrompastcontroversialshirtslogans,eachsea-sonwillfeatureaspecializedt-shirtthatpromoteshealthandwellness,aswellasastressonpositiveself-image.Inordertopromotetheseideas,aportionoftheprofitsfromthet-shirtssoldwillbedo-natedtovariouscharitiesororganizationsthatpromotetheseideals.SpringCampaign:‘BeComfortableWithYou’SummerCampaign:‘OwnYourBody’FallCampaign:‘LetLoose,BeHappy’WinterCampaign:‘LetYourYouOut’

‘Tuition Tuesday’ on InstagramThroughthesocialmedianetworkInstagram,collegestudentswillhavethecapabilitytoshowofftheirfavoriteUrbanoutfitbypostingontheirInstagramaccount,using#TuitionTuesdaytoenteramonthlytuitioncompetition.ThestudentswhopostthemselvesintheirfavoriteUrbanoutfitwillbeaskedtoholdupasignthatsayswhattheywouldusethescholarshiptoaccomplishagoalintheirlives.Wewanttoinspireyoungstudentstoachievetheirdreams,andtobewearingUrbanwhileaccomplishingthesedreams.OnthefirstTuesdayofeverymonth,thecompanywillpickouttheirthreefavoriteoutfitstomoveontothenextround.ThenextroundwillbethesecondTuesdayofthemonth,andthiswillincludeUrbanpostingthethreefinalistsontheirInstagramandTwitteraccounts.WhicheverofthethreegetsmoreInstagramfavoritescombinedwithTwitterretweetswillwin$1,000towardstheircollegetuition.

Advertising with InstagramInordertocontinuebuildingourbrand,wewillutilizethe‘TuitionTuesday’picturesthatwereceiveinanadvertisingcampaign.Weplantocreatecollagesforposterstoplaceoncollegecampusesinordertopromotethecollegescholarshipsupportthatweareprovidingforourdedicatedcustomers.AnotherplanistousetheseInstagramphotosinaTVcampaignthatshowssomeofthebestphotosback-to-back,showingthateverypersonhasadream,andthatUrbanisheretotrytohelp.Through-outthecommercialwewillhaveanarratorthatgivesinspirationtoyoungpeopleandshowsasenseofwhatUrbanwantstoaccomplishfortheirloyalcustomers.

TIMETABLEJANUARY Implement‘TuitionTuesday’onthefirstTuesdayofthemonth.Thisisamonthly event. ContinuingtopostonTwitterandInstagraminformationonthe‘TuitionTuesday’ eventsinthecomingmonthstodriveawarenesswithourcustomers.

FEBRUARY ‘TuitionTuesday’onthefirstTuesdayofthemonth.Gaineventawarenessthrough Twitterbypostinginformationontheeventandaskinggettingfollowersto‘Retweet’.

MARCH Begin‘BeComfortableWithYou’HealthandWellnessSpringCampaign. ‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth.

APRIL ‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth. Advertisingcampaigntopromote‘TuitionTuesday’bycreatingfirstcommercialsand posters.

MAY ‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth.

JUNE Begin‘OwnYourBody’HealthandWellnesssummerCampaign. TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth.

JULY ‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth. Secondadvertisingcampaigntopromote‘TuitionTuesday’beginswithanew commercialthatfocusesonthesummer.

AUGUST ‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth.

SEPTEMBER ‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth. Begin‘LetLoose,BeHappy’HealthandWellnessfallcampaign.

OCTOBER ‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth

NOVEMBER‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth Finaladvertisingcampaigntopromote‘TuitionTuesday’withnewfallbased commercial.

DECEMBER ‘TuitionTuesday’onfirstTuesdayofthemonth Begin‘LetYourYouOut’HealthandWellnesswintercampaign

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EVALUATION 11

InordertoevaluatethesuccessofourUrbanOutfitterscampaign,wewilluseavarietyofmethodsinordertomeasureitseffectiveness.Thenumberofpar-ticipantsinvolvedinourInstagramcampaignofTuitionTuesdaywillhelptodeter-mineifwehavereachedourgoalofinitialobjectives.WewillmeasurethenumberoffollowersthatanUrbanOutfitterssocialmediasite,suchasFacebookandInstagramhadbeforeandafterthecampaignwasimplemented.Ifanincreaseinnumberoffollowersoccursacrossoursocialmediaaccountsitwillimplythattherehasbeenapositivefeedbacktoourcampaign.Inadditionwewillobserveifthereisanincreaseinmerchandisesalesindirectre-lationtoourTuitionTuesdaycampaign.ThegoalofTuitionTuesdayistoincreaset-shirtsaleswhilepromotingamoreapositiveoutlookonthecompanyofUrbanOutfittersitself.

WewillalsobemonitoringourhashtagTuitionTuesdaythroughoutthecam-paigntoseehowmanypeopleuseit.Withthehashtag,wewillbeabletoseewhotweets,retweets,andinstagramssomethingaboutUrban.WewillknowifwehavesuccessedifourhashtagstartstotrendandifweseetheamountoftalkaboutUr-banincreaseonsocialmediasites.WealsowanttoseeifourcampaignchangestheoverallperceptionofUrbanasasociallyconsciouscompany.Todoso,weplantoimplementafollowupsurveythatwillbeadministeredthesamewayasthefirstsurvey.Basedonthesurveyresults,wewillbeabletoseeifourcampaignwaseffectiveinchangingthenega-tivityassociatedwithUrbanOutfitterspreviously.

Lastly,wewillevaluatethesuccessofusingrealpeopleinsteadofmodelinthe campaign.Todothis,wewillneedtotalkdirectlytoourpublicstogettheiropinion.Usingafocusgrouptodirectlyseetheeffectsofourcampaignwillbethemosteffectivestrategytoreallyconnectwithourpublicsandgettheirfeedback.

APPENDIX

Urban Outfitter’s Twitter account Urban Outfitter’s Instagram Account

12

13

1-2

3-4

5 or more

How often do you purchase clothing a month?

63.46 % (33)

19.23% (10)

17.31% (9)

Of the stores listed below, which one do you prefer to shop at the most?

Nordstrom

American Eagle

Urban Outfitters

Forever 21

Online Shopping

Other 1.92% (1)

APPENDIX (SURVEY RESULTS)

28.85% (15)

40.38% (21)

19.23% (10)

7.69% (4)

1.92% (1)

What form of social media do you prefer?

19.23% (10)Facebook

Snapchat

Twitter

Instagram

3.85% (2)

67.31% (35)

9.62% (5)

No

Are you following any stores on social media?

Yes 51.92% (27)

48.08% (25)

Do you shop at Urban Outfitters regularly?

Often

Rarely

Never

Sometimes

37.25% (19)

41.18% (21)

13.73% (7)

7.84% (4’)

APPENDIX 14

APPENDIX

# I answered yes because...

4321 Idon’twanttobeassociatedwithastorethathasoffensivethingsontheirclothing

Mybeliefsmeanalottomeandseeingthoseportrayednegativelyisoffensive

Offensive

Rudeandunnecessary

If you answered yes to the previous question, why?

I answered yes

91.11% (41)

8.89% (4)

I answered no

No

Yes26.92% (14)

73.08% (38)

Are you offended by social issues or religion being negatively portrayed

on a t-shirt?

Would this deter you from shopping at the company?

9.62

92.31

Yes No

No92.31% (47)

Yes9.62% (5)

15

APPENDIX

What is your gender?

Female

Male

92.3% (48)

7.7% (4)

What age group do you belong?

18-20

21-22

23-25

26 and older

69.23% (36)

30.77% (16)

16