Integrated Marketing Campaign: American Red Cross ~ Capstone

AMERICAN RED CROSS CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL. COPYRIGHT KOMBINE ©2013 CONFIDENTIAL 1

IMC CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL

OBJECTIVE

1120 Morning Star

Rockwall, Texas • 75087

To create a 12-month integrated marketing campaign that will

provide young urban professionals ages 22-35 opportunities to

engage with the American Red Cross in fresh and innovative ways

while strengthen relationships and encouraging donations during

non-disaster time periods.

PRESENTED ON 4/20/2013

AMERICAN RED CROSS CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL. COPYRIGHT KOMBINE ©2013 CONFIDENTIAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Summary

4 . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover Letter

6 . . . . . . . . . . . . Kombine Press Release

8 . . . . . . . . . . . . Brand Overview

9 . . . . . . . . . . . . History

10 . . . . . . . . . . . .Internal Branding

12 . . . . . . . . . . . .Competition

14 . . . . . . . . . . . .Current Challenges

16 . . . . . . . . . . . .Millennials

20 . . . . . . . . . . . .Target Research

22 . . . . . . . . . . . .SWOT

24 . . . . . . . . . . . .Brand Positioning, Personality & Perception

29 . . . . . . . . . . . .Positioning Statement

30 . . . . . . . . . . . .Intergrated Communication Strategy Statement

32 . . . . . . . . . . . .Creative Brief

36 . . . . . . . . . . . .Communication Ojbectives

37. . . . . . . . . . . . Communication Tactics

52 . . . . . . . . . . . .Communications Flow Chart

53 . . . . . . . . . . . .Budget Allocation

55. . . . . . . . . . . . Focus Group Summary

56. . . . . . . . . . . . Evaluation

59. . . . . . . . . . . . Conclusion

60. . . . . . . . . . . .Appendices


Here is the situation. There are 80 million Millennial’s in this country and if the American Red Cross is going to continue to do great work they will need their voice, their energy and their dollars. Especially their dollars.

Capturing their loyalty is no easy task. These guys are fickle, distracted and demanding. We know this first hand because Kombine, a full service integrated marketing agency, has a staff full of mildly entitled (Don’t tell them I said that) but extremely talented Millennials. They are full of creativity and passion and genuinely want to help our fellow man. This internal insight makes us uniquely suited to help the American Red Cross engage this target market.

Success will be found in providing authentic experiences that engage the audience in new and innovative ways. We will leverage your amazing legacy while empowering our audience with a new and distinct voice. This voice was developed through extensive research and consumer feedback. It provides a personality that Millennials will trust. A personality they will enjoy and most importantly a personality they will support.

Get ready, this is going to be a lot of fun.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


Dear Ms. Dyer

On behalf of Kombine, I would like to take the opportunity to personally thank you for allowing our

agency to submit the following integrated marketing campaign proposal for your consideration.

At Kombine we take pride in the fact that we are a ‘now-generation’ agency. What does that mean?

It means that we understand today’s digitally powered, socially wired consumer. We understand what

they are looking for in a brand experience and the trends that drive these individuals to become loyal.

What this means for the American Red Cross is our team will focus on amplifying your brands voice

and create experiences that will guide Millennials and internal stakeholders to interact, share and give.

We enter this conversation prepared as we have studied your history, we understand your mission

and admire your values. We’ve conducted surveys, researched past campaigns, market sentiment

and have a strong pulse on the challenges facing the non-profit industry. The strategy you are about

to review is based on a foundation of solid data and innovative ideas, a key attribute of your founder,

Clara Barton, who was known for being resourceful as she served those in need. That bold, innovative

spirit was a key driver in this process. The great thing about innovative ideas is they can make you

uncomfortable and I am confident some of our ideas will make you uncomfortable. New thinking can

be challenging but you are in a challenging situation and we believe that to combat the challenges

the American Red Cross now faces, the economic down turn, an explosion of competition, and an

unprecedented shift in how your audience is interacting with brands that your marketing strategy

requires some strategic disruption. We are confident that our recommendations will provide you

with the tools and tactics needed to meet your campaign objectives, to increase giving by

Millennials during non-disaster, non-emergency time periods.

This is going to be a lot of fun.

Ms. Dyer, thank you in advance for your time and willingness to review our proposal.

Should you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact me at

214.458.6470 or [email protected].

Thank you again for your time.

Sincerely,

Nathan Pieratt

Principle

nathan pierattp r i n c i p l en p@komb i n e 3 6 0 . c om


HERE WE GO!


Full Service 360 integrated marketing agency opens it doors in Dallas.

Kombine, a full service 360 integrated marketing agency has opened its doors in east Dallas.

Kombine’s mission, as stated by founder Nathan Pieratt, is to help brands mean something to their

consumers. “We help brands connect with their consumer by combining insight-driven strategy

and innovative ideas across a 360 platform which includes digital, experiential, mobile, social, PR,

entertainment, promotions, in-store and cause.”

With roots in the rolling fields of the Midwest Kombine champions a strong work ethic and

craftsmanship in both technique and strategy. Pieratt states that their approach is simple. “We roll

up our sleeves and break out the tool box which is full of talented people, big idea strategy, and

innovative tactics. From there we combine the right attributes to build brand experiences that are

authentic and engaging.” Kombine understands that brands now have the unprecedented expectations

to stretch their marketing dollars and are looking for partners that know their business and who can

bring actionable insights and tackle a problem from all angles creating 360 solutions and tiered

deliverables...and to do it with a can-do and innovative attitude. Pieratt believes that “Kombine is

uniquely positioned to do this. We have over 20 years in the business serving juggernaut brands

like Frito-Lays, Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group, Texas A&M University, and a range of small non-profit

organizations. We love what we do, we take pride in our work and we pour ourselves into providing

our clients with memorable, measurable and engaging campaigns so that they can truly mean

something to their consumers.”

Kombine is located just east of Dallas in Rockwall, Texas. Contact them today for your integrated

marketing needs at [email protected]

KOMBINE BRINGS CREATIVE TOOL BOX DALLAS

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Nathan Pieratt please call 214.458.6472 or email [email protected]

###

Contact: Nathan PierattMobile. 214.458.6470Email: [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


our capabilitiesdigital,

experiential, mobile, social, PR,

entertainment, promotions,

in-store and cause.


OverviewA review of the history of the American Red Cross, their competition

and an overview of the unique challenges they face in today’s marketplace.

Exercise of the flight rescue of the Red Cross, Photograph, 15,10,1934


When it comes to helpng you, some people stop at nothing.

~ Unknown


The American Red Cross is one of the most successful non-profit humanitarian organizations in American history. Started by Clara Barton in 1881 it has grown into a massive organization with over 30,000 employees and 650 chapters nation wide and a million volunteers ready to help during a time of crisis.

ARC’s mission is to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Over the decades the American Red Cross has put this into action by providing emergency relief during times of war and natural disasters. They have championed the fight against diseases and become a leading provider of blood donations in the country. This effort is driven by a dedicated staff and an army of volunteers. Because they are a non-government organization and they do not receive federal funding their main source of funding comes through donations from philanthropic organizations, corporations and the everyday household who believes in their cause. At its core the American people have come to see the American Red Cross as their lifeline during a crisis. By connecting communities of people across the nation to provide relief, care and support regardless of location, status, position or income the American Red Cross is able to help millions of people every year.

These elements work as the bedrock of the American Red Cross current branding strategy. The next section will take a closer look at the American Red Cross brings these elements to life through internal branding and key messaging.

In 2012 ARC worked with BBDO to create an internal branding standards guide. The identity system was designed to “drive reconsideration of the American Red Cross as a world-class 21st century brand.” The internal branding process was grounded on the following principles, which are very close to ARC’s value system: Humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and unviersality.

The phrase “Sleeves up. Hearts open. All in.” describes the essence of the brand. The objective of this phrase is to spur that relentless spirit, champion that unconditional approach to giving and remind internal stakeholders that the American Red Cross goes to the worst places at the worst times and gets the job done. A strong essence that should help drive internal loyalty and commitment.

Key attributes of the brand are listed as:Authentic, straightforward, engaging, confident, visionary.

The recommended aesthetic style is clean and open, white with a touch of red. Simple. The recommended tone of voice is uplifting, empowering and inviting and personal. Examples of branding elements can be found to the right.

SLEEVES UP. ARMS OPEN. ALL IN.

HISTORY


Open, clear, purposeful,

white with a touch

of red.


The American Red Cross competes with a vast array of non-profit organizations in America. In 1998 non-profit organizations accounted for 7% of the American workforce. (Salamon, 2002) An impressive number that has increased in the past decade, where estimates show a 70% increase in non-profit organizations looking for time and money from the American consumer.

In a connected world where local causes can splash across national headlines the competition for the minds and wallets of the American consumer is becoming stiff. The reality is there are a lot of good people doing really good things across the nation. In addition to this recent changes in how people engage with their communities and neighbors has spurred a new threat to NGO’s. Some of the more aggressive and innovative competition are:

THE SALVATION ARMYKICKSTARTERKIVA Let’s take a closer look at each one.

The Salvation Army help the poor and those in need on a daily basis. They are active in 5000 communities across the nation and assist more than 42 million individuals throughout the year in the United States – almost 6 million of those during the holiday season alone. They boast more than 4.6 million volunteers who provide assistance to those in need through more than 9,300 service units across the country. They do provide disaster relief at the local level.

Key differences:They are a religious organization. They focus on local domestic problems like rehab, abuse, missing persons.Known for their holiday campaigns and the red Christmas kettle. They operate a retail store.

COMPETITION


Kiva is seen as competition for the simple fact that it provides a direct line from the donor to the person in need in the form of a loan. Launched in 2005 the non-profit has raised over 200 million micro finance institutions (MFI), and has many corporate sponsors, including but not limited to Cisco, Google, Intel, Ernst & Young and Wal-Mart.

Key DifferencesAn important difference is that KIVA provides loans to people around the world. It is not a disaster relief organization but it does offer a very compelling and personal offer. Help those in need, get your money back, everyone wins.

Kickstarter is considered competition for the same reasons as KIVA. They offer customers the ability to build a relationship with an idea, a product, or a service through financial contributions.. Since their launch in 2009, more than 3.8 million people have pledged over $567 million, funding more than 39,000 creative projects. Over 114 projects on the site are labeled as non-profit.

Key differences: Kickstarter is not in the business of helping communities, they help people meet their creative goals and bring ideas to life. Many of these have a community based element to them, similar to the mission of the Red Cross. They are focused on local initiatives,

The average American lives in a world where a lot of really good people are doing great things. The internet has made it possible to connect organizations and ideas to people in a personal and dynamic way. Non-profits have always been the best at this but the emergence of crowdsourcing, crowdfunding and innovative platforms for sharing ideas and money could be creating even more competition for the traditional non-profit like the American Red Cross.

The vast array of options to serve and help others combined with the demand for Fast response and innovative engagement presents a clear and present danger to large, traditional non-profits.

COMPETITIONSUMMARY


CURRENT CHALLENGESTOO BIG TO FAIL:The American Red Cross faces some unique challenges. The most pressing to this campaign is to communicate that they are relevant, even during non-emergency time periods. To be relevant means there is a reason to engage in a real relationship with the brand on a consistent basis. Without the catalyst of an emergency the target is left looking at the details and personality of the organization and its other functions, which they may not fully understand. This is where the size of the American Red Cross becomes and issue. Larger organizations have the risk of feeling too large, too impersonal which may compromise a potential relationship. One Millennial blogger put it this way; “Any money a 25-year-old can give – even if they donate half their income – is chump change. It’s a single drop in a large bucket, compared to what they can donate later in life, when they’re older and much much richer. It doesn’t matter. At all. It means nothing.” (2012, Vance) Given the fact that most Millennials only give small amounts of money on a consistent basis to charity the size and success of the American Red Cross could be an obstacle with this target market. Sharing how those dollars count in a way that invites discussion and meaningful engagement will be a challenge. Providing a personal experience and ownership though strategic and creative touch points will be important.

MASSIVE EXPECTATIONS:Our target market considers disasters and crisis to be apart of their identity. 9/11, Katrina, Haiti, The war in Afghanistan, and more recently Sandy Hook and

Hurricane Sandy. In recent years the American Red Cross has come under attacked on their ability to respond nimbly to natural disasters. The criticism is intense and attacks the integrity of the organization. The criticism also implies that expectations are changing. People expect NGO’s to be nimble and quick, even in dangerous and complicated situations. Here is an example of some criticism about the response to Sandy. “The real problem with the Red Cross was not that it was stretched thin, but rather that it was simply too big, and its people too inexperienced in disaster recovery, to be able to respond nimbly to Sandy...Of course, the Red Cross is burdened with massive expectations. If you’re stuck in a remote part of Staten Island without power or communication for days on end, no one’s going to blame Doctors Without Borders or Occupy Wall Street if you get no help — but they are going to blame the Red Cross.” (Salmon, 2012) Much of this criticism is unfair but it is expected to continue. Millennails want access and transparency in a way past generations did not demand. If the American Red Cross can bolster their communication tactics to be more transparent and more frequent during non emergency-time periods this will strengthen our relationship and provide more flexibly of expectations during a major crisis.


WHITE NOISE:A third challenge will be to break though the white noise that is bombarding this target market with messaging across multiple channels, screens and platforms every hour of the day. Competing with that noise with frequency and memorable messaging across the right channels will require careful planning and collaboration at the national and local level.

IDENTITY PROBLEM:The American Red Cross has an identity problem with Millennials. The three challenges already listed point to a larger issue and that is the lack of a clear identity, or at least and identity that Millennials will find attractive. This target is quick to offer criticism to things they do not feel a part of. And while ARC does an excellent job of sharing stories about how they are helping people in crisis it spends very little time promoting their own distinct and attractive personality. A concerted effort to channel the local voice of the organization, their donors, volunteers and staff and then to set that voice on our muscular and powerful infrastructure will provide a personality that they can relate to and trust. There is nothing easy about providing an identity Millennials will respect or trust and considering the ARC legacy it is amazing we are even having to deal with this challenge. The good news is it is a challenge that can be met with strategy and innovation. It provides a fun opportunity to grow an stretch our voice.

SUMMARY OF CHALLENGESIn summary the challenges facing the American Red Cross are:

Fight the idea of apathy and indifference that may be inferred due to the size of the organization.

Dispel the idea that a large and successful organization cannot provide a personal relationship with their donors.

Combat and break through the white noise that surrounds this target market.

Engage critics and apply damage control on critical and unreasonable expectations.

Target audience expects innovative, consistent and personal messaging which is time consuming, expensive and complicated.

Create a stronger identity, a distinct personality that this audience can relate too and trust.


MillennialsA profile of the ideal target market within the 22-35-age category

SWOT


Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

~ George Orwell


MILLENNIALSMillennials, also known as Hyperlifers and Generation Y is a generation of firsts. This population of 80 million were the first to be raised in with computers in the home and instant access to the internet. The first to have ipods, smart phones and tablets. The first to grow up with gaming consoles and cable television and MTV. They were the first to be raised in predominately single-parent homes and they are first generation in American history to boast strong diversity.

Here are some more specific details on this generation:

80 million strong which makes them largest generation.

One in four lived in a single-parent household. (Morgan, 2008)

75% have working mothers. (Morgan, 2008)

They grew up in homes with dual income.

They earn about $211 billion a year and they spend about $172 billion per year. (Harris Interactive, 2003)


This diversity also applies to their interests, media habits, and general outlook on life. An audit of this generation uncovers a complicated web of personalities and lifestyles. To help provide clear categories in this demographic we will use the research from Boston Consulting Group who suggest that there are 6 distinct segments within the Millennial population. Hip-ennials (29%) “I can make the world a better place.”

Millennial Moms (22%) “I love to work out, travel and pamper my baby.”

Anti-Millennials (16%) “I’m too busy taking care of my business and my family to worry about much else.”

Gadget Gurus (13%) “It’s a great day to be me.”

Clean and Green Millennials (10%) “I take care of myself and the world around me.”

Old School Millennials (10%) “Connecting on Facebook is too impersonal, let’s meet up for coffee instead!” (BCG, 2011)

A common thread between these segments is their appetite for technology and the digital realm. They are digital natives and this has a direct impact on their outlook on life. Mark Alch author of “Get ready for the next generation” describes them in this way; “Bombarded with information and media-savvy, the newest generation displays a strong work ethic and

has grown up understanding the electronic economy. They’re comfortable with changes brought about by new technologies and e-commerce. More than any previous generation, they’re conversant with a communications revolution transforming business, education, health care, entertainment, government, and every other institution. But rather than reject wholly the lifestyle choices, values, and outlooks of previous generations, they accept some of the old with the new. In that respect, they’re synthesizers.”

This works for the American Red Cross because we have strong roots and established processes that benefit millions of people every year. This also applies to their marketing strategy which leverages traditional channels on a regular basis. As we develop our strategy many of these channels will continue to be used. Like they say on the farm, if it’s not broke don’t mess with it!


TARGET MARKET RESEARCHTo help get a better understanding of how Millennials relate to and feel about non-profits and the American Red Cross a survey was conducted. Results from this survey can be found below.

We interviewed a total of 55 Millenniais.

WHAT DO THEY CURRENTLY THINK ABOUT NON-PROFITS AND GIVING?

100% of those surveyed responded that they give to some form of charity.

TOP FIVE REASON PEOPLE GIVE TO CHARITY:1. To support a cause they believe in.2. To help people in need.3. It feels good to help.4. My faith requires it5. It’s my responsibility to contribute to society.

59% of those survey believed that non-profits are managed moderately well.27% believe they are managed very well.13% believe they are managed slightly well.

WHAT KIND OF CHARITIES/NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS DO YOU GIVE TOO?82% responded locally60% nationally47% international34% disaster relief26% animal

The survey asked key questions about the users relationship with the American Red Cross. Here are the results of those questions.

HAVE YOU EVER DONATED TO THE AMERICAN RED CROSS?

Over 60% have given to the American Red Cross.43% had never given to the organization.

Over 70% indicated they would give to the Red Cross in the future.

20% said they would not be giving to the Red Cross in the future.

DO YOU THINK THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IS A TRANSPARENT AND ETHICAL ORGANIZATION?

91% of those survey believe that the American Red Cross is a transparent and ethical organization.

When asked who the Red Cross was communicating too 65% of those surveyed responded with “all of the above”. 26% believed their parents were the key target. 13% believed that they were being targeted.

Based on this initial survey and supporting evidence it is clear that the American Red Cross has a legacy of action and trust that reinforces loyalty and drives even this younger generation to give.


WHAT WILL SPUR THEM TO GIVE EVEN MORE?There are some key attributes Millennials are looking for when engaging with non-profit organizations. The Millennial Donor Report breaks these down into three clear categories.

A PERSONAL REQUEST57% of Millennials gave in response to a personal ask and 49% gave online. However, when Millennials were asked how they prefer to give, online giving took the top spot, being identified as the method of choice by 58% of respondents, with personal requests dropping to 48%.

TRUST84% of Millennials said they are most likely to donate when they fully trust an organization, and 90% said they would stop giving if they do not trust an organization.

COMPELLING CAUSE85% of Millennials are motivated to give by a compelling mission or cause, and 56% by a personal connection or trust in the leadership of the organization.

We also need to watch out for our critics. Many have taken issue with the American Red Cross process, finding it to be cumbersome and slow. Key issues here are the size of the organization and the ability to make sure donors know where there money is going. While transparency does not seem to be a problem based on the research it is a factor in long term success.

BE REMARKABLE!Millennials may be a diverse and complicated group but this presents a fun challenge because they reward innovation and honesty. They are attracted to brands who are motivated by a cause and deeper values. They are looking for a way to give back and no brand is better suited to provide this opportunity than The American Red Cross.

Our campaign is going to build loyalty and drive donations by leveraging the values and legacy of the organization and mobilizing our local base in innovative and engaging ways. We will present reasons to give in a new and compelling way by using a fresh voice and unique activation. We will drive trust with our stories and donations through creative activation strategies.

This will create awareness and bring renewed purpose for building a long term relationship with our organization. The campaign will be direct, innovative and customizable, providing our target market the opportunity to engage at multiple levels, on multiple platforms and with their own voice.

This is going to be fun!


American IconLegacy of serviceReal tangible help to those in needSupported by millions of volunteersSupported by celebritiesRelevant resources (apps)Great stories of lives changed

STRENGTHS

OPPORTUNITIES

WEAKNESSES

THREATS

Younger generation eager to give and helpNew digital tools (apps)Excellent stories that reinforce missionLarge amount of volunteersMany platforms and channels for engagement

Too bigNot nimble enough to meet expectationsAwareness at community level too smallPerceived lack of transparencyWebsite is impersonal (youth especially)Inconsistent messaging and marketingToo corporate in tone and executionLacks innovative activation/marketing

Compassion fatigueGrassroots charities dominating attentionDistraction of crowdsourcing movement like Kickstarter and KivaInability to be nimble and to communicate on a local level effectivelyInability to allow donors and volunteers a customizable Internal organization locked into traditional mind-setHigh turn over in leadership

SWOT


Brand PositioningPersonalityPerception


~ Anonymous

Keep looking my way, my head is held high. You want to bring me down?I dare you to try!


BRAND POSITIONING, PERSONALITY & PERCEPTIONResearch shows that the American Red Cross is rolling out a wide range of marketing materials across the national and local levels and through a wide range of channels.

Their most successful national campaign, Give Something that Means Something, was launched in 2010. This annual holiday campaign encourages the public to buy gifts from the Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog or make a monetary donation in honor of a loved one to benefit those in need. The campaign featured a direct mail catalog, an online catalog, direct email appeals, social media, online search marketing and the use of celebrities. The campaign was seen as a success, with a 44% increase in catalog donations and a 46% increase in the average gift amount, compared with the same campaign the previous year. Their social media engagement skyrocketed, with a 1900% increase in Facebook referrals.

The campaign was repeated in 2011 this time with featuring a playful animation character named Fred in both print and tv ads. This campaign was cut short by Hurricane Sandy and ARC decided to shelve the fun animation and roll out their storytellers ad campaign, which shares the stories of 25 families and individuals who have been helped in some way by ARC. These stories were used in tv commercials and posted on YouTube. Each video has been viewed over a thousand times, with total views going over 15 thousand. ARC continues to capture stories through

their website with an invitation for users to share their story and a call to action to help people in need.


In addition to launching fully integrated ad campaigns The American Red Cross is leveraging celebrity endorsements. The American Red Cross has a celebrity cabinet, full of A and B level celebrities who are “on-call,” donating their time, skills, passion and energy to help the Red Cross highlight important initiatives and response efforts. This past year Trace Adkins gave The American Red Cross national exposure when he competed on “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice, on their behalf.

The American Red Cross is leveraging partnerships in their marketing as well with the help of social media. In 2012 they partnered with Craigslist founder, Craig Newmark, @Red Cross and used Twitter to launch a short Promoted Tweets campaign. This matching-gift fund drive asked Twitter users to respond with their idea of the perfect gift. The Tweet included the simple hashtag #PerfectGift and a link to the donation website. Newmark agreed to match each Retweet or @reply with a $1 donation, up to $10,000. A simple tactic but an example of how ARC is using social media to reinforce their campaigns. (twitter.com, 2012)

FIRST BLOOD AND A YAWNThe American Red Cross has developed clever marketing campaign for their blood drive, leveraging properties like The Walking Dead and Vampire Diaries, however this has not been converted into a ‘donate’ money campaign. It is shared here to show that The American Red Cross has been bold and innovative with their marketing ideas in the past.

Strategic partnerships combined with national PR, the seasonal Give Something To Mean Something campaign and their current storytellers campaign provides a strong foundation of what the American Red Cross branding looks like at the national level.

It is safe to say that most of their current marketing is traditional in tone. They show the need, they tell stories about changed lives and they provide a clear call to action. Their tone is inviting and uplifting which is consistent to their branding requirements. This kind of approach is effective but expected and may not create the kind of buzz or be as sticky as it needs to be with this target audience.


An area where the Red Cross is falling short in both execution and messaging is with their online presence. The American Red Cross Youth web page is leveraging the right communication channels with a focus on engagement but the tone, the look, the style, and the overall strategy of engagement falls flat. Through this conduit they communicate with K-12, College and young professionals, sharing what is happening at the local chapter level through social media channels, the site blog and the website as a whole. Using the same website to speak to K-12 and young professionals is problematic at best. It compromises the ability to target messaging at the audience that has the dollars and time to donate, young professionals. The challenges of engaging this audience is substantial but brands do more damage than good if they are not prepared to really engage these young professionals with meaningful messaging and a real relationship. There is a lot of work to be done in this area if the American Red Cross is expecting long term interest and loyalty from these younger Millennials.

A FEW PROBLEMS

AMERICAN RED CROSS NEW BRAND POSITIONINGThe examples provided make it clear that The American Red Cross takes an authentic, straightforward, and uplifting approach to their marketing. Their messaging is grounded in that uplifting, empowering and inviting tone of voice. The visuals are either epic putting a human face and hope in the middle of despair, or friendly, playful animations and imagery reminding us to do the right thing. This puts their brand position in the middle of traditional legacy driven non-profit organizations. While this may resonate with the secondary audience, Boomers, it may not be as attractive to Millennials who are looking to engage with new and innovative ideas and processes. The fact that the American Red Cross Youth program feels neglected and marketing

has not been used to engage this audience speaks volumes about their current brand positioning. For the purposes of this campaign the American Red Cross will have a new brand position that will be grounded in access, innovation, crowdsourcing, reward driven, bold ownership, customization and creativity, an updated and improved digital presence and a tone of voice that is not just a call to action but an invitation to engage and build a relationship with us.

This new position will give emphasis to who the American Red Cross is, not just who they help which has been an emphasis in marketing for years. There needs to be a stronger balance to reinforce that badge of “Red Cross Volunteer’ is something they want as a part of their identity. At its core the Red Cross is more than just a multi-million dollar organization, it is a network of talented people who work tirelessly help their neighbor. This fact that they are a network of people should resonate with our target because they have been using networks all their life. This American Red Cross is not just a relief agency, we are a “help our neighbor with life’ agency. We are a net network that is changing lives across the nation because the people that wear our badge are brave, innovative, creative and givers. Everything a Millennial wants to be and something all Americans can understand, regardless of age or status.


POSITIONING STATEMENTThe American Red Cross is a powerful network of people who look disaster in the face and provide help to those in need during a time of crisis. We don’t back down. We don’t give up. We are always there. Always. When disaster strikes again, we are going to need your ideas, your energy, your voice and your financial support.

Join today and let’s do some good together!

The American Red Cross brand personality characteristics are:

These characteristics were chose for the following reasons.

Bold. The American Red Cross founder, Clara Barton, was bold. That bold spirit helped her to achieve her goals and start one of the most successful humanitarian organizations in the history of world. We will continue to be bold in message and in action.

Engaging: At its core our work is grounded in engagement. We engage those in need, our communities, our volunteers and our donor’s everyday 356 days a year. It never stops. If it does our work will suffer and our purpose will be compromised. Our branding will spur this engagement across all channels.

Honest. We will be honest and transparent about our process, our status, our success and especially our failures. We will be open to honest discussion and while we do not have to agree we will provide a platform for honest dialog internally and externally so that we can grow as individuals and as an organization.

Creative: We are a network of creative problem solvers. We have been doing it for a long time but we have lost that creative voice that Clara Barton is famous for, so we are bringing it back. Creativity is at the core of what we do so is must be a key attribute to the brand.

BOLDENGAGINGHONEST CREATIVE


INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION STRATEGY STATEMENT

This statement has been selected for the following reasons:

1. IT’S LOADEDIt supports the mission an vision of ARC which are full of active words like mobilizing, action, save lives. This ICSS echoes those active words with story, helping, giving, and winning, which will be brought to life with a robust set of tactics. This phrase is also a clear call to action. Give = be a hero. Give = win and the American Red Cross provides that purpose which is on track with their vision statement and supports the campaigns goals.

2. IT’S WHAT WE DOThe target market finds value in helping and giving back to their community because it provides a sense purpose to their life. The campaign will show that by giving money and time you make life better/safer for your community and individuals in need.

3. IT’S THEIR STORY The target market is extremely social and constantly telling their story across social networks and word of mouth which is a key driver in this campaign.

4. WE SOLVE PROBLEMS EVERYDAYThe term solving problems brings to life that ARC is focused on solving all kinds of real, tangible social problems, not just massive relief efforts. This gives us the option to highlight local and national initiatives.

We believe this statement provides clarity and purpose to our target while allowing for creative execution to bring our messages to life in unique and innovative ways

Giving is an important part of your story because when you help ARC solve problems you make a difference in the lives of others.



INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION STRATEGY STATEMENT

Tax deductionBy helping people I help my community Partnership with ARC provides access to: • tangible skills development (training) • real time content that can save lives (apps)Opportunity to help solve real problems (relief)Opportunity to be a part of a legacyA sense of responsiblity

Helping feels goodHelping and giving brings meaning to lifeHelping others enriches my life and theirsGiving is an extension of my valuesI win when I help solve problems.I can be a heroLoyalty


RATIONAL EMOTIONAL


Why are we advertising?To increase donations to the American Red Cross during times of non-emergencies.

Whom are we talking to?22-35 year olds. 28 is the sweet spot. More females than male. Digital natives, connected, some education, lower to middle income. .5 kids. Active in their communities. Confident. Giving.

What do they currently think?The American Red Cross does not need my money unless there is an emergency or natural disaster.

What would we like them to think?The American Red Cross helps people everyday in communities across the nation and they need your support to continue changing lives.

What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey?Giving is an important part of your story because when you help the American Red Cross solve problems you make a difference in the lives of others.

Why should they believe it?The American Red Cross has a legacy of 125 years of service and they work with communities every day assisting with local emergencies, helping Veterans and their families, and providing health and safety courses like CPR and life guard training.

Are there any creative guidelines?Stay within ARC branding standards guide for logo use.This is a campaign focused on fundraising, not blood donations, so stay focused on donor messaging.Ideas and style have to work across all channels. Digital, print, outdoor, 1 color to 4 color application.

CREATIVE BRIEFClient: The American Red Cross: 04/20/13 Type: Integrated Marketing Campaign pages 1


Think left and think rightand think low and think high.Oh, the thinks you can think up if you try.

~ Dr Suess


Communication ObjectivesCommunication TacticsBudget AllocationIntegrated Communication Flow Chart


Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead.

Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow.

Just walk beside me and be my friend.

~ Alber Camus


COMMUNICATIONOBJECTIVES

KEY OBJECTIVES

Increase giving frequency to 2x year. (Currently 1x a year).

Increase average annual gift amount from $100 to $150.

Increase millennial donor base during non-emergency time frame from 10% to 15%.

Change the targets perception of American Red Cross as an emergency only agency to a local aid agency that helps people ever day.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVESGenerate over 100K app downloads

Grow Facebook likes by 100 thousand

Grow Twitter followers by 200 thousand

Grow YouTube views by 500 thousand

Grow Vine followers by 50 thousand

Grow email mailing list by 100,000


COMMUNICATION TACTICSINTRODUCTIONThe following tactics will be used to achieve the communication objectives over the next twelve months. The campaign theme is ‘PowerUp”, which is a call to action for Millennial’s to get involved at the local and national level.

To be prepared, or ‘power up’ during non-emergency time periods so when the big one does hit, they are ready. To help their neighbors ‘power up’ on their skills in first aid, CPR and other life saving skills which ARC offers through classes. PowerUp is about providing access and service while empowering our audience to donate and get involved in their local communities. The campaign will provide our most valuable asset, our volunteers, donors and staff the opportunity to bring their voice to our campaign.

The campaign can be broken down into three promotional platforms:

The Digital Reboot, The PowerUp Tour, and PowerUp the Holidays. Each section was created to tackle all four of our objectives; increase awareness, increase donations, increase frequency of donations and increase the number of Millennial donors. Multiple tactics are

used on each platform to help achieve our goals. A breakdown of each promotion, tactics and evaluation process is provided.

SO GET READY, BECAUSE IN 2014 AMERICA IS GOING TO PowerUP WITH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BLAST!

DIGITAL REBOOTYoung professionals want a relationship with their brand. These digital natives want access to content, leadership and opportunities to contribute to the cause, at the national and local level. In 2014 the American Red Cross is going to reboot their online and digital tactics to provide a stronger community, better access and real opportunities to engage at the local and national level. In addition heavy hitting online research and crowdsourcing tools will be used to gain a better understanding of the target and increase engagement with key influencers.

The Digital Reboot will consist of five digital tactics.Three of these tactics will focus on creating awareness and drive donations. Two tactics will be geared towards internal communication, to encourage engagement among loyal American Red Cross staff, active donors and established volunteers and use their help to promote this new campaign.

The driving force behind our digital reboot is to shine a bright light on the fact that the American Red Cross is a part of these young professionals local communities. That ARC is helping people everyday in their own backyard and even more people can be helped if they would support the mission through time and money. These tactics will create awareness and provide access and opportunities for young professionals to get involved at a personal level. This will drive community, loyalty and donations.

OVERVIEW OF TACTICSExternal digital tactics:1. A new web site = Build community. Targeted messaging. Stronger connection with the target market.

2. Power Up App = Provide access. Drive local engagement, community, and donations

3. Digital Donor Badges = Reward. Loyalty.

Internal Digital Tactics:

1. Crowdsworth = Reward active donors and recruit influencers gain insight on target market

2. Flockstar = Provides the ability to crowdsource marketing ideas and best practices for fundraising. Reinforce brand loyalty and create excitement.

Let’s take a closer look at each one.


WEBSITE REBOOTThe Website Reboot & PowerUp AppThe current youth site will be broken into two parts, Youth (k-12 and college) and Young Professionals. For the purposes of this campaign we will focus on the Young Professionals site and the tactics used to promote it and drive donations.

The purpose of the new site is to give young professionals their own space to share ideas, network, volunteer, and donate to the mission of the American Red Cross at the local and national level.

The site will host seamless integration with the major social networks and provide users the latest information from the 650 local chapters which be organized under 6 key regions:East, South Midwest, West, West coastNational (the big kahunah….Home Office)

Each of these regions will have sub-sections where the user can drill down into their local chapters content and social network posts. While this may sound complicated it is necessary if we are going to drive donations during non-emergency time periods. This can be managed by recruiting key ARC staff and volunteers a each local chapter to post updated content on the site on a regular basis:

WEST

MIDWEST

WEST COAST

SOUTH

EAST

NATIONAL


The website will be supported by the ARC PowerUP app.

This app will serve 5 purposes:

1. Promote local giving opportunities through opt in push messaging.

2. Push notifications on the local action/situation and how the money was spent over the set period of time. This method of transparency is crucial to the success of the program. Young Professionals want to know their money made a difference.

3. Updates at the local and National level. Updates will include social networking posts, volunteer opportunities, unique giving opportunities and other news. This will include access to exclusive content from thePowerUp tour.

4. A platform for sharing their own experiences. The app will allow them to share their own comments on YP website and social networks.

5. Track the PowerUp Contest.

In addition to this the app will connect the user profile will to the new Grainger Volunteer connection system, so when a local emergency happens and they have the right skill set they will receive a notification that their help may be needed and to give the local office a call.

Providing the opportunity to help at the local level and issuing updates on the situation through push notification is key to building brand loyalty and providing a real relationship with the target market. It will drive donations.

Summary: Rebooting the website to be a stronger channel for community and supporting this with a useful app will give Millennials a reason to engage with more frequency and foster long term loyalty.

HOW IT WORKS:- DOWNLOAD THE APP- CHOOSE YOUR REGION- CHOOSE YOUR CHAPTER- BEGIN RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS- SHARE CONTENT AND COMMENTS- DONATE TO LOCAL CAUSE/EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS


PowerUP CONTESTTo ensure these young professionals feel a sense of urgency to get involved and to tap into their drive to be loyal to community the American Red Cross will launch their new site and app with a contest in partnership with United Airlines.

United Airlines and the American Red Cross are on a mission to ensure communities are prepared for the next disaster. When disaster strikes being prepared is the key to saving lives and helping those at risk. To be prepared means resources are in place, primed and ready to go. This takes strategy, time and money. Are you prepared? United Airlines and the American Red Cross wants you to be so they are throwing down the gauntlet and asking which region is going to be the most prepared for the next emergency.

To keep the local theme strong each region will be connected to a specific kind of disaster. East Coast is hurricanes and snow storms. The Midwest is floods. The South is tornados. The West is wildfires. The West Coast is earthquakes. Which region will ‘PowerUp’ and raise enough money to ensure that when disaster strikes a response will be ready you are prepared? That is the question United and the American Red Cross are bringing to the table. Let’s be prepared!

The winning region will receive $50,000 dollars., donated by United Airlines. This money will be divided among the local chapters of each region.

GOALS OF THE CONTEST:The over arching goal is for reach region to raise $500,000 dollars. We estimate the winning region to bring in close to 1 million dollar over the course of the content (which runs from March to September)

HOW IT WORKS:SIGN UP:The contest will live on the new website, the PowerUp app, and on a Facebook contest page.

LOGIN: The user will login and fill out their user profile. This will sync with the PowerUp app. The app will load up their region and remind them of the challenge. Help your local chapter PowerUp and be prepared. As donations are made supplies and resources will be purchased.

DONATEVirtual goods and supplies will show up on the website to provide a visual of the progress being made. Donate option will be under PowerUp, and the user can pick their region to donate too. This will be used to track where the money will go. *The money donated can be used for local emergencies as well. The regional disaster focus is used to give the region a common cause as funds are donated.

BADGESWhen a gift is given the donor will receive a badge that can be shown on their user profile if they want it to be. It can also be applied to the major social networks. Badges will be broken down by how many times someone gives.

1-5 X

5-10 X

10+ X


CONTEST PROMOTIONThe contest will live on the new website, the PowerUp app (mobile donations), and a Facebook contest landing page. It will be promoted through word of mouth, social networks (Facebook and Twitter), press releases and posters at local chapter locations. We will partner with StarStar.co (**PowerUp) to prompt an immediate response and app download.. United Airlines will issue their own press releases about the program and they will share it across their social networks, including Twitter.

TIME FRAME.The contest will launch in March, Red Cross Month, and end in December. Winners will be announced in January.


TARGET RESEARCH& INFLUENCERS CROWDSWOTH A key objective of our campaign is to gain a deeper understanding of the target market, Millennials. We want to know what they like, their interests, habits and expectations they have towards non-profit organizations. To achieve this insight the American Red Cross will partner with Crowdsworth, an innovative online insights and activation platform that will allow the brand to engage these digital natives on their turf. Crowdsworth will work with ARC to generate a list of customizable questions that target the 1000 Millennials in the Crowdsworth community. Crowdsworth will provide tools to help vet this community so the right Millennials can be targeted with the right questions.

Crowdsworth is fully customizable so questions can be changed in real time. This flexibility will allow them to access opinion and insights before, during and after a specific campaign. For example when the PowerUp Tour ends we can ask our audience if they felt the campaign was effective, how did they hear about it, did it spur donations, and what would they do different.

The benefit of the platform is it provides actionable insights around what will strengthen loyalty, communication preferences, messaging and experiences with the ARC brand. To drive engagement participants will be rewarded by earning badges and points which can be redeemed for American Red Cross gear.

Crowdsworth will also be able to help the American Red Cross identify key influencers. These influencers can be tapped to help promote our national campaigns and provided unique opportunities to reward their loyalty. For example we will reach out to key influencers and offer a personal invitation for them to attend the PowerUp Tour event at their local chapter to meet the local celebrity on site and be apart of the video.

The American Red Cross will promote the initiative through email, blog posts, social networks and the web site, inviting American Red Cross employees, donors and volunteers join in the conversation.

By partnering with Crowdsworth the American Red Cross will be collect actionable insights from Milliennials on the following:During the 2014 Campaign: What drives loyalty Reasons they give to charity Communication preferences Messaging that resonate with the target Current opinion of the ARC brand Giving preferences.

Crowdsworth will be used to gather data on the campaign after it is over. This will help to drive metrics on awareness, perception: Did you see the PowerUp Campaign? What forms of advertising do you remember seeing or hearing. Did it make an impression Did you give after seeing or engaging with the campaign?

The ability to customize the questions on a regular basis will allow ARC flexibility on gaining key insights at specific times.

In summary this platform will provide ARC the ability to identify key influencers which can be leveraged in future marketing campaigns. Our objective is to identify 20 influencers (five per region) and to have them engage with the PowerUp Tour and their local chapters.

The investment in this platform will allow the brand to uncover much needed actionable insights on the target market. It will provide a stronger foundation for future campaigns and result in increased engagement, loyalty and donations.


BRANDING CAN BE CUSTOMIZED

REWARDS


PowerUP THE HOLIDAYS The American Red Cross is overflowing with passionate and talented people who are dedicated to the mission of helping others. Their loyalty and dedication is crucial to the long-term success of the brand. To help strengthen this loyalty we want to give them an opportunity to share their voice and their ideas on how the American Red Cross should market their cause in 2014. We are going to ask them to help us create the 2014 holiday marketing campaign

The advantage of a community driven marketing campaign is it will provide a much needed personal touch to the brand. The American Red Cross is quick to share stories around the good work they do, but they have not developed a personal tone or voice to their own personality. Research shows they are seen as a large corporate entity which does not sit well with our target. Millennials are looking for an authentic relationship with real people and a community driven marketing campaign will provide that authentic voice.

To make this happen we will partner with Flockstar, a crowdsourcing platform, that will be used as the hub to share this initiative, collect and aggregate responses and reward participation.

HOW IT WORKSAmerican Red Cross staff, volunteers and donors will receive an invitation to join the ARC/Flockstar platform. Once they login they will see the customized Flockstar page (customized to look like an American Red Cross branded website) which will host a creative brief and clear direction on what needs to be created, including time frame and guardrails.

THE ASK: The Give Something to Mean Something campaign needs a new and fresh look, it needs your voice. What does that look and sound like? Show us in a 30 second commercial asking people to give to the American Red Cross this holiday season. Videos will be tagged with local chapter/region. Once submitted to the Facebook landing page and vetted by ARC and their creative agency.

The top 5 videos from each of the five defined regions will be shared with the ARC community and public and they will vote on a winner from each region. A second round of voting will be conducted to choose the grand prize winner among the top five.

THE PRIZEThe grand prize winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to meet the American Red Cross Celebrity of their choice. (From the ARC Celebrity Cabinet.) In addition to that $10K will be donated to their local Red Cross chapter.

TIME FRAMEContest will start in February.Submissions are due April.Voting ends in May.Winner announced in May.Campaign execution will be being in May and launch in September. See Holiday Campaign for details on strategy.

PROMOTION. This will be promoted through word of mouth, internal emails, flyers at local chapters and social networks.

POST

ER


FPO


PowerUP TOURA key objective of this campaign is to make Millennial’s aware that the American Red Cross is active at the local level on a daily basis. They are not just an emergency relief agency, they are a “help our neighbors with life” agency. In 2014 the American Red Cross is going to team up with Ford to take this message on the road. We are going to share our story with Millennials while they are at play. That’s right, we are going to show up at 4 of the top music festivals across the country and engage them in an authentic, non-disaster space. Patrons will be met with a smile and a helpful service to make that experience memorable.As important the tour is going to visit local chapters and promote the good work being done on a daily basis. Each stop will highlight a different service that the American Red Cross offers at the local level. To drive interest and PR a key celebrity will be invited. Stories will be told. A call to action will be made, make our story your story, help us help our neighbors. Donate today.

HOW IT WORKSThe American Red Cross will partner with Ford to create a custom truck and trailer.The PowerUp Truck will be decked out with a generator and over 100 cell phone charging stations and pop out tents. (See image below) The truck will be parked at each venue and concert goers will be able to sit and charge their phones in the shade for free. A much needed service at these festivals where outlets are limited and temperatures are high.

POWERUP, SHARE, GIVE.While charging their phones they will see signage hosting an invitation to download the PowerUp app by dialing **PowerUp on their phones. (This app was described under digital tactics.) When the app is downloaded they will automatically receive an invitation to:

Follow the tour and gain access to exclusive content.

Connect with the local chapter. (Prompt on celebrity visit)

Donate to the local chapter. (Preview a local story via video)

Share your experience. #Powerup #ARC #OurStory

Sign up for email mailing list to get local and national news.

The entire tour will be filmed and edited while on the road by a small team of creatives. The content will be shared on a daily basis on YouTube, Vine, the tours Facebook page, and the ARC young professionals web site. The content will also be leveraged for future marketing campaigns.

LOCAL ACTIVATION. COME AND HELP!Local Red Cross volunteers will be recruited to help run the space during the concerts. American Red Cross will provide discounted tickets to volunteers. A lottery process will be used to select interested candidates, so as to keep things fair.

This huge activation play is going to put ARC in a new space for our target market. We don’t just come out during times of disaster, The American Red Cross works everyday at the local level, you might even find us at a concert, ready to help you rest and recharge as you move through life. We want you to be apart of our story.


TOUR LOCATIONS

SXSW (Austin, Tx) 49,000 attended in 2013 49% were between the age of 21 and 35. Dates: March 7th to March 14th. Focus of local chapter visit will be on classes for life saving skills. Local Chapter visit will be by David Spade.

Coachella (Indgo, CA) 675,000 people attended in 2013. Over 60% were between the ages of 20 to 34. (Coachella.com) Dates: April 4th-5th and April 17th and 19th. Local chapter visits will focus on health and safety services. Local chapter Celebrity visit will be Amanda Peete.

Bonnaroo (Manchester, Tenn) 80,000 attended in 2012. Local chapter visits will focus on supporting Military families. Dates: June 13th, 16th Local Chapter celebrity visit will be Sara Evans.

Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (Seattle) 125,000 visitors in 2012. 32% between the ages of 21 and 34. (bumbershoot.com) Dates. August 31st to September 2nd. Local chapter visits will focus on supporting Military families. Local Celebrity visit will be by Darius Rucker.

Tour map and local sites on next page


= local visits for content


A number of activation tactics will be used to promote the PowerUp Tour.

LOCAL RADIOLocal Radio ads will be placed in Austin, Dallas, L.A, San Francisco, Nashville, Chicago, and Seattle and Portland. Ads will run 1 month before the venue, promoting the PowerUp Tour and the local site visit by the key celebrity. Local radio is still a popular channel with Millennials. Research shows that 93% of Millennials (or more than 62 million of them) spend over 2.5 hours per day listening to radio. (2013, Garber) The ads will promote the tour and provide share the 1-800-PowerUp for users to learn more.

TWITTERWe will use twitter to offer updates on the tour, recruit volunteers, and share content. Promoted Twitter ads will targeted Millennials at a regional level throughout the tour to encourage engagement and donations to the local chapter. Pew research shows that 26% of urban based Millennials are active on Twitter. This number has grown 400% since 2012 and continues to grow. (2012, Buallas)

PINTERESTA PowerUp Pinterst page will be used to share best practices for concert goes. Supplies, gear and lifestyle imagery will be shared as suggestions to enhance the concert experience. Local chapter imagery will be shared as well.

^ FACEBOOK & STIPPLE & VINEStipple will be used in conjunction with Facebook during the tour, to share images of the concerts and ARC in action. The information shared on the photos will drive users to the website, Vine videos hastagged #PowerUp and offer up information on options to give to the local chapter.

< PANDORAA PowerUp music channel will be created on Pandora, offering music from artists at each of the four venues. Couldn’t make it to Coachella this year, you can hear some of the bands on our channel. This channel will be live from March to September. PowerUp Tour ads will also be executed on Pandora’s website and targeted at the regional level. Research shows that Pandora has 47 million active users, with over half of those between the ages of 18-34. African Americans and Hispanics index high with the service as well. (2012. Munarriz) Ford and Pandora also have an exclusive partnership through their SYNC AppLink, which will be leveraged during the campaign.

EMAIL BLASTS. We will scrub our database and send out an informative email twice a month during the course of the tour, encouraging the reader to engage with the content online, reminding them of the celebrity chapter visit, and providing donation opportunities at the local level. * A call to action to sign up for the PowerUp contest! Emails will be targeted regionally and by demographic information on file.

PRThe local celebrity visits will generate local PR impressions. The PowerUp Ford sponsored tour should generate local and national attention from media outlets and the music industry as a whole.

TOUR PROMOTION


This holiday season the American Red Cross is going to continue their “Give something that means something”campaign but with a twist. This time it is going to be crowdsourced by our most valuable assets, our donors, volunteers and staff. Using the submissions from the ‘PowerUp the holidays’ contest discussed under the digital tactics the voice of this years campaign will come from our local chapters. Five unique voices, one consistent and clear message; We are not just a relief agency, we are a “help our neighbor with life’ agency. Make our story your story, help us help our neighbors. Donate today.

PROMOTION TACTICSIn 2014 we will abandon television ads and purpose our crowdsourced videos to be videos ads on the follow on websites popular with Millennials. Research shows that 20 second online video ads had a 87% completion rate in 2012. (2013, Moses) Our target market is watching less TV and going online, so we are going to meet them there with our crowdsourced video ads and supportive banner ads.

Three popular sites will be targeted with our video ads:

A classic streaming service that is popular with Millennials and Boomers. Research shows that Hulu has 4 million subscribers, with over 447 million videos view in the past year. Over 38 million people watched a Hulu video last year and the average length of time a users watches a show is 1 hour and 13 min. (statisticsbrain.com) It is a active platform for our target market and a great way to share our message.

Extremely popular with Millennials. These ads would be targeted at our demographic and predetermined geographic regions. Campaigns like Chevy Sonic’s “Firsts” provide evidence that this approach can work. “Firsts” achieved 9.7 million impressions, over 80,000 clicks and a 93% in-stream completion rate. (thinkwithgoogle.com) We would leverage TrueView ads, standard in-stream, YouTube mobile roadblock, and the Google Display Network to ensure our ads were seen by the right people across our key urban markets.

PIVOT.TV – A new cable channel that targets Millennials. They launch at the end of August with 40 million subscribers and a lot of buzz. Pivot will have a reach to 40 subscribers with an aggressive push towards digital subscribers. This channels programming is targeting idealistic Millennials. It is backed by emerging Millennial stars like Joseph-Gordon-Levitt which is creating a lot of buzz. The American Red Cross will have a presence during their launch in August and throughout the holiday season.

These ads will run in urban markets, Salt Lake City, Dallas, L.A, Houston, Chicago, and New York. Research shows that these cities index have a high Millennial population. (www.pewresearch.org)

PowerUP THE HOLIDAYS

Winning idea will be used as a video ad and the style of the ad, the voice, will be used to drive the creative fo the entire holiday campaign.


OUTDOOR:Outdoor advertising will be used in Salt Lake City, Dallas, L.A, Houston, Chicago, and New York. Research shows that these cities index very high with Millennials. The billboard ads will host the **PowerUp call to action for app download and access to holiday giving catalog feature of the PowerUp App.

DIGITAL CATALOGA digital catalog will be created to promote giving options at the local and national level. The catalog will be cross platform and work on a traditional website and on the PowerUp app on all mobile devices and tablets. All promotion and advertising will lead people to the online and mobile app to drive donations.

FACEBOOK The video ads and local content will be posted on the ARC Faebook account.

TWITTERWe will use twitter as a way to share the camapign and dialog with donors. Promoted Twitter ads will targeted millennials at a regional level throughout the campaign to encourage engagement and donations to the local chapter. Pew research shows that 26% of urban based Millennials are active on Twitter. This number has grown 400% since 2012 and continues to grow. (2012, Buallas)

PRLocal and national PR will be leveraged to promote the new and exciting crowdsourced videos and ads.

EMAIL BLASTSUsing our extensive emaill mailing list from our database, which would of grown during the PowerUp Tour, we will send two email blasts a month highlighting the campaign. Email campaigns have had high return rates in past campaigns so we will be leveraging the same process for this campaign.

WHERE’S THE CREATIVE?Because the creative voice and imagery will be crated by our winning submission it is difficult to execute examples. It is safe to assume the creative will show real people in authentic environments. The success of similar campaigns like Doritos Crash the Superbowl has us excited to see what kind of ideas will come from our local and loyal partners.

SUMMARY By executiing three distinct promotions (digital reboot, Tour, and Holiday) under the ‘power up’ banner we will increase donations and brand loyatly with our target audienec. All of these tactics can be measured with relative ease to determine what worked best and what may need to change in future campaigns. Oh, and we kept things fun!

Now let’s take a look at how this will roll out, how much it will cost, how we plan to measure it, and why we think it will work (we did your research!).

WINNING IDEA/VIDEO WILL DRIVE CREATIVE FOR THE ENTIRE HOLIDAY

CAMPAIGN

WINNER(NOT REALLY)


JAN FEB MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC

Digital Reboot

Website

App

PowerUpUnited Contest

CrowdsworthReserarch

FlockstarCampaign

StarStar

SocialMediaFB, T, V, Insta

PowerUp Tour

TOUR

Local Radio

Pandora Page

Pandora Banner Ads

Promoted Twitter Ads

Email blasts

PR

Celebrities

Social MediaFB, Twitter, Pinterest YT

Stipple

WINNER

LAUNCH DUE WINNER CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

SXSW COCHELLA BONNAROO BUMBERSHOOT

AUSDAL

LASF

CHINASH

SEAPORT

U S E D T H R O U G H O U T T H E F U L L C A M P A I G N



JAN FEB MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DECPowerUp Holiday

Digital Catalog

Web TakeOver

Flockstar Campaign

Pivot Video Ads Pivot Banner Ads

Hulu Video Ads

YouTube Video Ads

Outdoor

Email Blasts

Promoted Twitter Ads

Research

Focus Groups

LAUNCH DUE WINNER CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Salt Lake City, Dallas, L.A, Houston, Chicago, and New York

COMMUNICATIONS FLOW CHART


BUDGET ALLOCATION

Deliverable Provider Costs

YP Website Design Kombine 25,000.00

1 yr service contract –Includes updated design assets + maintenance.

Kombine 10,000.00

PowerUp App Design, badges and implementation

Kombine + Bottle Rocket 200,000.00

1 yr service contract Bottle Rocket 15,000.00

PowerUp + United Contest Kombine + Bottle Rocket 5,000.00

Contest Prize United Airlines 50,000.00

Social Media management Kombine 2,000.00

Stipple Kombine + Stipple 12 mnths x 250

= $3,000.00 Star Star PowerUp Kombine + StarStar.co 12mnths x 1000

= 12,000.00 Crowdsworth – Customized Target Market Research

Kombine + The Marketing Arm/Crowdsworth

100,000.00

Crowdworth Maintenance 8 months x 10,000.00 = $80,000.00

Crowdsworth – Rewards $25,000.00 in ARC gear and prizes

Flockstar/Crowdsourced Holiday Campaign

Kombine + The Marketing Arm/Flockstar

$15,000.00

Flockstar Maintenance $3,000.00

PowerUp Holiday Contest Facebook Page Maintenance

Kombine + Facebook $15,000.00

Grand Prize Kombine $9,000.00 (for trip and celebrity appearance)

Total: 519,000.00

PowerUp Truck Design. Graphics. Implementation.

Kombine + Ford $125,000 Ford = 200,000 for Truck. Ask for 1 Million donation to help run the program.

SXSW – 7 day permit + expenses Kombine + SXSW $200,000.00

Chocella – 6 day license + expenses

Kombine + Chocella $200,000.00

Bonnaroo – 7 day license + expenses

Kombine + Bonnaroo $95,000.00

Bumbershoot – 3 day license + expenses

Kombine + Bumbershoot $20,000.00

Tour Crew/Film Team Kombine $400,000.00

Misc Tour Maintenance Costs Kombine $500,000.00

Local Celebrities x 4 Kombine Budget $25,000.00 per

celebrity = $100,000.00 Type of Promotion Time Frame Cost

Local Radio Ads in Austin and Dallas

Ad runs 3x a day for 3 weeks x $2000 per week per market.

$12,000.00

Local Radio Ads LA and San Francisco

Ad runs 3x a day for 3 weeks x $4000 per week per market.

$24,000.00

Local Radio Ads in Nashville and Chicago

Ad runs 3x a day 3 weeks x $3000 per week per market.

$18,000.00

Local Radio Ads in Seattle and Portland

Ad runs 3x a day 3 weeks x $2000 per week per market.

$12,000.00

Pandora Branded Page 6 months $20,000.00

Pandora Ads Targeted Regional ads over 6 months $200,000.00

Email Blasts 100,000 emails x 4 (00.25cents+ 500 set up)

15,000.00

Influencers Tour Attendance Price of ticket + gear

3 influencers at each of the 4 venues. (12)

$2000.00

Promoted Twitter Ads 6 Month Commitment -‐0.75 to $2.50 for each click, favorite, retweet or reply.

50,000.00

TOTAL : 1,917,000.00

DIGITAL REBOOT

POWERUP TOUR

POWERUP PROMOTION


Type of Promotion Time Frame Costs

Pivot.com video ads August + November 500,000.00

Hulu.com video ads September + October + December 500,000.00

YouTube.com video ads November + December 700,000.00

Pivot.com banner ads 3 months – front and secondary page ads -‐ Targeted

365,000.00

Outdoor Billboards 6 high population urban areas for 3 Months

30,000 per billboard, per month = 90,000 x 6 = $540,000.00

Promoted Twitter Ads 4 Month Commitment -‐0.75 to $2.50 for each click, favorite, retweet or reply.

20,000.00

Email Blasts 2 emails for 3 months -‐ 500,000 emails x 6 (00.25cents+ 500 set up)

45,000.00

Digital Catalog + App integration $180,000.00

Production of creative assets $200,000.00

Total: 3,050,000.00

Focus Group 4 locations over 1 year 120,000.00

Ad Research Analysis 50,000.00

Agency Fees, includes creative, account service

1 year 1,500,000

POWERUP THE HOLIDAY

RESEARCH

TOTAL 7,500,000.00


Purpose of the focus group was three fold:

1. To gain insight on how the attendees felt about American Red Cross.

2. To gather opinions on the current StoryTellers and give something to mean something campaigns. Do they resonate with this audience?

3. To generate comment and opinion on key tactics in our campaign. Specifically if celebrities should be leveraged and if a contest should be used at the regional level.

The focus group location: Kombine loungeFocus Group attendees:Jake Abbot - 29Erin Abbot - 28Sara Dower - 29Jenni C. – 26Conrad Spann – 25Susan Spann – 26

FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONSWhat do you currently think about the American Red Cross?

Are they an organization your trust? Do they work at the local level?

What do you think about their Give Something that Mean Something campaign (Showed them the ads and commercial with the character.)

How do you feel about contests? What kind of reward is needed?

How do you feel about celebrity endorsements? Is local engagement important?

RESULTSThe results from the focus group were valuable. The group did not know the American Red Cross worked at the local level, they thought it was focused only on large disasters. Only one person knew they offered classes on emergency responses.

Five people had a positive impression of the brand. They felt ARC could be trusted and did good work. Two had a negative view of the brand. They had friends who were impacted by Katrina and that experience was negative. They would not give money to ARC because of this.

Five of the seven said they would give during a

disaster. All seven said they would give to local emergencies if given the opportunity.

All seven felt the StoryTelling campaign was engaging and on target. All seven really liked the give something to mean something campaign but fourof the seven did not care for the animation character. They found it impersonal and cold.

Five of the seven said that a regional contest sounded like fun and that they would engage because of loyalty to their region but they needed a strong pay out, a cause, a reason to engage. A contest had to have some kind of prize. This was helpful because a tactic being considered was a contest but the prizing was limited. The contest idea evolved based on this feedback.

Five of the seven said they would prefer access to multiple celebrities over access to just one during the tour. This was helpful as a tactic was being debated on whether to have guest celebrities show up at local locations or to have one celebrity travel with the PowerUp tour and dj the entire thing. The tactic uses celebrities at the local level based on the feedback offered.

As a whole the group felt the new appraoch would be successful. We think so too. (Focus Group Moderator Guide can be found in the Appendix)

FOCUS GROUPSUMMARY


QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

During the course of this evaluation we will conduct focus groups to measure any increase of brand awareness and or any change in brand attitudes towards the brand as a result of our campaign tactics. There will be four focus group sessions, one before the campaign starts to provide a baseline. The second focus group will be conducted in April, mid-way through the PowerUp Tour. The third focus group will be conducted in the fall as the tour ends and the Holiday campaign begins. The fourth focus group will be conducted in December, after the campaign ends. These focus groups will be in conjunction with our Crowdsworth platform which will be used over a period of 8 months to engage our target market with key questions pertaining to the campaign and the ARC brand. Crowdsworth provides an incredible level of flexibility so we will be able to work with ARC to identify what insights need to be pulled at any given time throughout the campaign.

Data will be gathered on:

Radio ad recognition/impact

Outdoor advertisement impact

Tour impact

Celebrity impact

Contest impact

Holiday Campaign/crowdsource. Did it work?

Awareness and impression of the Arc Brand.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Donor BaseWe will track giving frequency through mobile, online and traditional donation methods. Amount donated will also be tracked to see amount donated went as determined. (by $50)

New Web site Number of site visits by MillennialsNumber of visitors who registered with a local chapterNumber of people who donated through the website

PowerUp ContestNumber of visitors to the United PowerUp contest pageNumber of donations given to the PowerUp contest by regionNumber of PR mentions for United. Number of social media mentions. #UnitedPowerUpNumber of retweets

CrowdsworthNumber of visitorsNumber of influencers identified. Goal is 10.Length of time users spend on the site.Number of questions they answer. Region from which the users are coming from.Number of social media mentions.

PowerUp Holiday Crowdsource/Internal CommunicationNumber of visits to the Flockstar siteNumber of people who engage with the contest/videos postedNumber of social media mentions.

#PowerUpHolidaysNumber of votesNumber of mentions on social media platform/PRNumber of retweetsDigital CatalogNumber of downloads. Number of donations online and mobile platforms

PowerUP TourNumber of impressions/visitors to the tour at each venueNumber of phones chargedNumber of visitors to the local site visitsNumber of visits at the PowerUp Tour Facebook PageNumber of mentions on Twitter #PowerUpTourNumber of retweetsNumber of visits to PowerUp Vine page #PowerUpTour #ARCNumber of Stipple visits/clicks/conversionsNumber of visits to YouTube ChannelNumber of local volunteers that attend

MobileNumber of app downloads. Goal is 100K app downloadsNumber of app downloads through StarStarNumber of people who register with a local chapterNumber of badges redeemed.

Social Media.By the end of the year:Generate over 100K app downloadsGrow Facebook likes by 100 thousandGrow Twitter followers by 200 thousandGrow YouTube views by 500 thousandGrow Vine followers by 50 thousand

EVALUATION


EmailGrow email mailing list by 100,000Number of views of email blasts throughout the campaign.

PandoraNumber of page visitsNumber of banner ad views.Number of banner ad clicksAd bounce rate

OutdoorNumber of views based on population and traffic patterns

RadioNumber of listeners based on population and distribution.Number people who call the1800-PowerUp to gain more information on the program.

Pivto Video ads - Hulu Video ads & YouTube Video AdsNumber of video viewsNumber of links clicked to ARC site/Conversion rateBounce rateNumber of videos shared

Public RelationsWill track all three programs and track campaign mentions in local and national media.

Track number and quality of website mentions by third parties

Number of other sites asking to link with the ARC website.

Number of blog posts about campaigns. Positive and negative

Number of donor complaints


The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.

~ C.G. JUNG


Yea. That was

pretty awesome.

CONCLUSIONIntegrated marketing communications at its core is about relationships between a brand and their key stakeholders and target audience. At Kombine we like to compare relationships are like farm equipment. The better you take care of it the longer it will last. Some equipment is easy to take care of while some require more time and attention to detail. The right type of care applied at the right time will maintain a working relationship. Sometimes that means finding creative ways to keep the equipment running. Integrated marketing does the same thing for a brand as they build relationships with their customers. If the brand can find the channels, the platforms, a distinct voice and aesthetic that resonates with their target audience their relationship is going to last a long time. These days a brand has to mix things up to keep your target engaged. That is where intergrated marketing strategy comes into play. That is the fun part of the job and at Kombine we believe we are really good at it.

The ultimate goal of this campaign is to build real, authentic relationships with Millennials. Building and strengthening this relationship is no easy task. If these guys were farm equipment they’d have four letter nicknames because they can be a pain to work with. It is not secret that they are fickle, entitled and intelligent. They have high expectations and demand access and transparency. The American Red Cross legacy is not enough to capture their loyalty nor does not overshadow the criticism or indifference they feel towards large corporations. This poses a real problem because it highlights that ARC has an identity problem with this market.

That is where Kombine has focused our efforts. Our carefully crafted fully integrated marketing campaign is going ‘power up’ the brand to be more authentic and innovative. Our message is the American Red Cross is not just an emergency relief agency, they are a “help our neighbors with life” agency.

To share this message we use a wide range of traditional and innovative channels. We leverage new partnerships, provide updated platforms for community, and put the brand in new places. We empower the audience and trust them to help us find the right voice for a key portion of our campaign. This might make you uncomfortable but we think it shows guts and Millennials respect brands who go big and offer unique experiences. This integrated marketing strategy will provide a fresh voice, build trust and strengthen the relationship with the brand. The outcome will be an increase donations, brand recognition, and local activation among young urban professionals. We are confident it is going to work and are proud to be a part of the team.

We look forward to working with you!


1. Introductions and guidelines (5 min)• Purpose• Tape recording• Causal, informed conversation• A safe place. Not right or wrong answers.• Don’t talk over each other• Questions? 2. General attitudes towards the American Red Cross (20 min)• Are they an organization your trust? • How familiar are you with the services they offer?• How would you describe their personality?• Who is their competition?• Is local engagement important for you to consider donating?

3. Advertising (15 min)• What do you think about the Give Something that Means Something campaign?• What do you think about the Storytelling campaign?• Do either make you want to give to the organization?

4. Media habits (20 min)• Do you go to music concerts?• Do you listen to local radio? Streaming radio?• How important is a clear and organized web site?• How do you feel about contests? What kind of reward is needed?• How do you feel about celebrity endorsements?• What type of media do you use? • How much TV do you watch?• Would you call a 1-800 number for information?• Would you download an app if it provided unique access?

4. Wrap Up (5 min)Thank you for your time!

SURVEY MONKEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. How old are you.

2. Do you give to charity?

3. What is the #1 reason you give to charity?

4. How well do you think most charities or non-profit organizations are managed?

5. What kind of charities/non-profit organizations do you give too?

6. Have ever donated money to the American Red Cross?

7. How would your rank your potential to donate to the American Red Cross in 2013?

8. Do you think the American Red Cross is a transparent and ethical organization?

9. By default the American Red Cross is communicating to you, the older generation (over 70) your parents, corporations, all of the above.

10. Does a non-profit or charity have to be on social media for you to be interested in a relationship with them?

FOCUS GROUP MODERATOR GUIDEAPPENDICES


Alch. Mark, (February, 2000) Get ready for the next generation. Retrieved on Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www. allbusiness.com/population-demographics/ demograph-ic-groups-generation-x/11437547-1.html

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Carmichael. Matt, (2011, March 10th) Where the Millennials are. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://adage.com/article/adagestat/advertising-age-finds-cities-millenni-als/149347/

Chaffey. David (2012, January 3rd) The real cost of a Twitter ad. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/30730.asp

Diversity Staff (December, 2009) Millennials watch less TV, study says. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http:// management.fortune.cnn.com/2010/12/02/scared-straight-how-gen-y-has-benefited-from-the-recession/

Dotson, Anjali. (February, 2011) NGOs and disaster relief: Feel good, do bad? Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.globalhealthhub.org/2011/02/19/ngos-and-disaster-relief-feel-good-do-bad/

Elyse, Dupre. (January, 2012) The American Red Cross Braves the Campaign Storm. Re-trieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.dmnews.com/the-american-red-cross-braves-the-campaign-storm/article/276439/

Garber, MaryBeth. (2013, March 13th) Five ways to connect with Millennials...Yes, Via Radio. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.marketingprofs.com/arti-cles/2013/10374/five-ways-to-connect-with-millennials-yes-via-radio#ixzz2SffG8VAo

Gardner. Eriq, (013, March 27th) Participant introduces ‘Pivot’ TV Cable Network First Pro-gramming Slate. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/participant-introduces-pivot-tv-cable-431316

Gross, Scott T. (July, 2012) The New Millennial Values. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/prospernow/2012/07/05/the-new-millennial-values/

Harris Interactive (September, 2003) Generation Y Earns $211 Billion and Spends $172 Bill ion Annually. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NEWS/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=667

Jayson, Sharon. (January, 2007) Generation Y’s Goal? Wealth and fame. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http:// www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-01-09-gen-y-cover_x.htm

Keeter. Scott, Taylor. Paul, (December, 2009) The Millennials. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://pewresearch. org/pubs/1437/millennials-profile

Levitt, Alexander. (December, 2010) Scared straight: How Gen Y has beneftied from the recession. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://management.fortune.cnn. com/2010/12/02/scared-straight-how-gen-y-has-benefited-from- the-recession/

Moses. Lucia. (2013, May 1st) Online Video Ads have higher impact than TV Ads. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/online-video-ads-have-higher-impact-tv-ads-148982

Morgan. Jessica. (2008 N.D.) The Echo Boom Statistics. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://theechoboom. com/2010/09/the-echo-boom-statistics/

Munarriz. Rick, (01, March 7th) Why Pandora will never be great again. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/03/07/why-pandora-will-never-be-great-again/

N.A. (February, 2010) MILLENNIALS. A Portrait of Generation Next. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 http://www.pewresearch.org/millennials/

N.A. (N.D.) If You’re Young, Don’t Give To Charity Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://rationalconspiracy.com/2012/12/29/if-youre-young-dont-give-to-charity/

N.A. (N.D) How does a national nonprofit drive donations during the holidays? Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from https://business.twitter.com/success-stories/american-red-cross

N.A. (N.D.) The Millennial TAKEOVER. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.graphs.net/201208/the-millennial-takeover.html

N.A. (2012) Coachella Demographics. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://www.coachella.com/forum/showthread.php?53140-Coachella-Demographics-for-2012-The-Poll

N.A. (2010) The Millennial Count. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from- http://www.pewre-search.org

Sterling, Greg. (January, 2009) Pew: Young or Old, Search Cuts Across Age Categories. Retrieved on April 14th, 2013 from http://searchengineland.com/pew-young-or-old-search-cuts-across-age-categories-16346

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Integrated Marketing Campaign: American Red Cross ~ Capstone

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Transcript of Integrated Marketing Campaign: American Red Cross ~ Capstone