Hip Pops

Client Summary

Table of

Contents

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Julia Kleiber

Advertising Message Strategy

Spring 2015

Landrum

company history

brand history

marketing

history

SWOT analysis

3C analysis

creative brief

visual inspiration

SWOT worksheet

brainstorming

sketchbook

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Hip Pops:

Handmade

Frozen Pops

Company

History

In May 2011, Melissa

Fontaine started her very

own popsicle business in

Athens, Georgia. After

realizing her occupation at

this point in time wasn’t

meant to be, Fontaine and

her husband played around

with the idea of starting a

business, which later turned

into a reality. Hip Pops,

named one of Athens’

Favorite Local Businesses by

Flagpole Magazine, offers a

wide variety of frozen treats

made with fresh, simple

ingredients. Each pop flavor

is named after America’s

famous hip-pop/rap artists,

which is also how the

company got its name.

Hip Pops began by Fontaine

making pops for close

friends and parties. Because

of all the positive feedback,

she was encouraged to

make the company a full

time career. She gains

business through her

popshop at Chase Street

Warehouses, catering for

events and weddings, as

well as selling pops at the

Daily Co-Op Grocery. A fresh

and healthy Popsicle

Company with flavor puns of

hip-pop artists is the ideal

dessert treat for the locals of

Athens, Georgia. Over the

past 4 years, Melissa

Fontaine has grown Hip Pops

from a small business dream

into an established

company with passion for

flavor.

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Hip Pops is a relatively newer brand of the Athens’ dessert

market. The current slogan is “pop it like it’s hot!” as

pictured above, with the logo being the purple pop with

headphones on. The typography and bold color palette

used throughout these elements give off a youthful, trendy

v ibe. The logo is a memorable image that will stick in

consumers’ minds, reminding which dessert

company is noted for the purple pop with

headphones. The tagline supports the ideas

of the brand and is well communicated to

the audience. The Hip Pops shop, website,

and social media sites all follow a consistent

creative design. The color palette is made

up of bright, fun colors that flow with the pop flavors and

values behind the company. The company’s photos

present the brand as a happy, healthy, wholesome treat

that is simply irresistible on a hot summer day. The upcoming

brand of Hip Pops continues to develop as the consumer

base grows and opportunities for the company arise in the

town of Athens, Georgia.

Brand

History

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Hip Pops uses a wide variety of advertising vehicles in order to reach a diverse clientele. The

company’s website reaches a broad costumer base and includes the most information

about the brand, the history, and the pops themselves. It is the most explanatory source for

consumers where they are able to find out where the popshop is located, review customer

testimonies, and skim through the owner’s personal blog to gain a knowledge of why.

Hip Pops also uses multiple forms of social media including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The Facebook page has over 700 likes and is updated with current events, pictures, and

promotions. I t is a strong vehicle for the local Facebook users who can be reminded of Hip

Pops just while scrolling through their newsfeed. Twitter is a great source for followers to tag

the Hip Pops twitter handle and even retweet to support or for promotional reasons. The Hip

Pops Instagram feed is full of delectable pictures of pops, as well as quick, current news and

events going on within the company.

Not only is Hip Pops featured on all of these media vehicles, the company also gets a lot of

brand recognition through magazine and online articles. Melissa Fontaine and her frozen

treats were most recently featured on The Broad Collective, a renowned blog who strives to

promote to locality of Athens. Another acclaimed publisher, Flagpole Magazine, named Hip

Pops one of Athens’ Favorite Local Businesses of 2014.

For a local business, Hip Pops acquires a lot of inexpensive marketing opportunities which is

one of the many reasons Athens is a prime location for upcoming brands.

Marketing

History

Flavors for Every Taste.

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S

WO

T a

na

lysis

Strengths

o Hip Pops has a very

loyal, consistent

customer base of

families and children

because of all the

foot traffic around the

shop. o Fontaine is very open

to new ideas,

experimenting with

requested flavors, and

adapting to what the

consumer wants. o Hip Pops are the

healthy & inexpensive

alternative for a

dessert, are made

with fresh, real

ingredients and no

dye. o The Chase Street

Warehouse, where the

popshop is located, is

a new, upcoming

destination spot for

Athens.

Weaknesses

o It is difficult to build

new relationships

with other

businesses. o Melissa Fontaine

herself runs the

company of Hip

Pops, no extra

help or

employment is

provided quite

yet. o Improvements

need to be seen

within social

media updates

and blogs in order

to create more

personality behind

the brand. o There are few

resources with only

one employee,

one cart, and one

external store

selling the pops.

Opportunities

o In the past few years,

“frozen treats” have

become a societal

trend. It is “cool” to

have popsicles for

dessert or afternoon

snack. o Athens takes pride for

the localness offered

among restaurant and

food choices, Hip

Pops included. o Athens has a broad

demographic; there is

a lot of availability to

reach students at UGA

as well as the local

individuals, couples,

and families. o New organizations

and companies

renting out space in

the Chase Street

Warehouse will create

more brand

awareness and foot

traffic.

Threats

o Local competition is

one of the biggest

threats. There are a

few direct

competitors within

the market, as well

as the overall dessert

market. o Other frozen treats

become more

competitive with Hip

Pops because of

prices, location, and

convenience. o Inevitably, weather is

a factor since pops

are typically eaten

during warmer

seasons. o Potential harms

include the

dependency of foot

traffic based on

other company’s

clients.

POPS PRODUCE SMILES.

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Based on the strengths and weaknesses of Hip Pops, the company is understood to have a strong,

loyal clientele, yet very few internal resources. In order to grow quickly as a brand, Hip Pops must

assess short-term goals to improve their online presence as well as their local network. The company

needs to better engage with surrounding businesses and use the popshop location to their full

advantage. As for the long run, two goals could be identified in order to create an appeal to larger

demographics and to hire people to work behind the pops. Within the college community, Hip Pops

has the opportunity to better communicate directly to college students through media vehicles and

campus promotions. They have potential to hire students to create more word of mouth in town. With

these goals in mind, Hip Pops has the potential to become a better-established brand of Athens.

Hip Pops’ wide array of demographics orders different communication techniques between the

segments. For instance, the clients who are mothers need to be reminded of the fresh, natural

ingredients of the pops, as well as how this benefits for their child. On the other hand, the college

students’ decision factors are based on the flavor names and options, along with the location and

price. Both of these target consumers are readily available and willing to purchase, but it all draws

back to how the product of the pop is communicated to the specific segment.

Within Athens, there are few direct competitors, yet abounding indirect competitors. King of Pops is

Hip Pops largest local competition. Because they have been in Athens much longer gaining the

ability to grow as a franchise, they are more of an acclaimed brand in the consumer’s eyes. Indirect

competition includes Ben & Jerry’s, Pouch Pies, Insomnia Cookies and frozen yogurt shops. Although

these brands aren’t as refreshing as popsicles, they are still desserts that strive for just as much

awareness as any other company. Hip Pops must differentiate their brand among these competitors

by showing consumers the perception behind the pop.

3C Analysis:

Company,

Customers,

Competitors

Frozen with Love.

Company

Customers

Competitors

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Mini

Creative Brief

Client/Product Name: Hip Pops

Campaign Name: Funkify Your Life

Ad Headline: “Don’t Let Your POP Be Cooler Than You”

Strategy: Claiming Hip Pops as the trendiest, most delectable dessert local Athens has to offer.

Target Audience: College students, ages 18-24, at The

University of Georgia who are following the current Athens t rend of support ing local, along with making healthier

choices, and are highly infatuated with the music scene.

Benefits: Hip Pops are a guilt -free dessert because they are made with real, fresh ingredients. In comparison to

competit ion, they are on the least expensive end and are

conveniently located just 5 minutes from campus. The pop flavors are musical puns relevant to today’s most world-

renowned hip-pop and rap art ists.

Main Message: Hip Pops offers the most funky, affordable

pop flavors that make anybody’s taste buds sing.

Visuals: Advertisements will contain bright, fun color schemes

in accordance to the website and media vehicles to

maintain consistency. They will be highly visual to speak loudly and communicate clearly to the target audience.

Resembling the design of a music poster, the advert isement

will draw the specific demographics to the brand’s message.

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Visu

al In

spira

tion