Chevrolet is throwing another hat into the small car ring. The upper-level advertising students of the University of Texas at Arlington have been challenged to orchestrate a marketing strategy to get Generation Y, specifically the UTA community, behind the wheel of this vehicle; to get ourselves behind the wheel of the Chevrolet Sonic. Challenge accepted. To execute this plan, we will implement a strategy designed to market to the student body – from within the student body. We learned from our research that the problem with our target market is perception. They perceive Chevrolet as a brand that is lacking, inferior to its competitors. What’s more, the Chevrolet Sonic is almost non-existent in the minds of the ones we expect to buy the vehicle.

However, after we’ve completed our campaign at UTA, the Sonic will be at the forefront of the minds of each student. Concordantly, Chevrolet will be ushered into acceptance alongside the Sonic. With constant exposure, the target market will realize that the ever-elusive perfect fit is the Sonic. We will highlight the features the consumers of our target group have grown to look for in the marketplace, emphasize the Sonic’s fuel efficiency and other practicalities. What we have created is the Big MAV on Campus, a school-year-long integrated marketing communications campaign that will take UTA’s Mavericks by the reins and steer them right into the driver’s seat of the all-new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The Sonic is fun. It is aggressive. It has the attitude of its intended driver. We will transform a Chevrolet Sonic from the automobile it is into one of us. It will become… the Big MAV on Campus.

Projections

• 2012 projected small car sales: 665,000 vehicles

• Chevrolet Sonic market share goal: 10% of small car market

• Chevrolet small cars sales goal: approximately $964,000,000

Consumer Expectations

• Fuel economy because of high gas prices

• Value because of economic downturn

• Connectivity because they are millennial

• Safety features because they are now standard in small cars and to challenge the 'unsafe' perception of small cars

Strengths

• Competitive fuel economy

• Competitive price

• Good connectivity features

• Good safety features

• Best student discount program

Weaknesses

• Most features similar to what's already offered

• Brand/product awareness

Opportunities

• Lowered competition from Honda and Toyota because of the March 2011 earthquake. This gives Chevrolet a solid chance at capturing a decent chunk of market share.

• Chevrolet is not considered environmentally friendly

• Nissan Versa sales decreased by 15.9 percent

Threats

• Chevrolet is perceived to be inferior in quality.

• Chevrolet is not considered environmentally friendly

• Chevrolet engineering is not considered the best

• Honda sales increased by 11.3 percent

Competitive Analysis

Positioning

The Chevrolet Sonic needs to be positioned as the safe, fun and connected alternative, which provides high-gas mileage at a reasonable price. Tactics need to address the interactive aspect of advertising, which is essential for millennials. The Sonic has an advantage over the competition because of its high fuel efficiency and great student discount program. The main focus of the campaign should be to differentiate the Sonic from the competition by relating to the target audience and creating brand loyalty. Ways to do that will be addressed in the tactics section.

Demographics

• Ages 18-26

• Sons and daughters of the Baby Boomer generation

• 68-71 million in the United States

• Largest consumer group in the history of U.S. and will be the most lucrative in the future

• Spend between $170 and $190 billion per year

• 3.5 million Gen Y drivers get their licenses each year

• Very diverse, consisting of 1/3 minorities (predominantly African Americans and Hispanics)

Psychographics

• Growing immune to most sales pitches, relying instead on peer evaluations and positive word of mouth

• Very high awareness level of advertising

• Do not want to drive cars they see their parents driving - unlike Baby Boomers

• Very tech savvy, family centric, achievement oriented, team oriented and attention craving

• Addicted to motion, change and constant activity

• Excellent at multitasking, especially with technology

• Always seeking out new challenges and experiences

Chevrolet Sonic Attributes Attractive to Gen Y

• Great gas mileage (40 mpg highway)

• Ability to customize and tune the car to preference (Wraps, sports packages, ground kits, etc.)

• Inexpensive base price point ($14,495)

• Tech connectivity (iPod connection, Bluetooth, XM Satellite Radio, MyChevrolet Remote Link)

• OnStar service including GPS, hands free calling, roadside assistance, remote door unlock, Google Maps and MapQuest navigation

UT Arlington Student Survey

• 510 people surveyed

• 79% of respondents were 18-26 years old

• 61.7% female; 38.3% male

Survey Results

• 73.6% of the respondents didn’t know who made Sonic

• Honda, Toyota and Nissan all ranked higher than Chevrolet in overall opinion, quality and engineering, value and cost of operation and environmental friendliness

• 91.3% of respondents were unaware of Chevrolet’s college discount program

• Among body styles, the four-door Econosize was ranked below Midsize Sedan, SUV/Crossover and two-door Sport Coupe.

Chevrolet did not score very well in our sample market survey. This means we have a great opportunity that we need to seize. What better way to sway the misinformed masses who believe Chevrolet produces an inferior product than giving a population of more than 30,000 the opportunity to interact with that product for an entire school year?

Utilizing the information gathered from our primary research and SWOT analyses, we have arrived at a strategy with great potential. We will create a campaign in which students will continuously see, hear about and get to interact with the Chevrolet Sonic, thus putting it at the forefront of their minds and changing their opinions. We will execute this campaign through interactive and informational promo booths at large campus events throughout the school year leading up to a large end-of-year Chevrolet event, interactive activities, poster and newspaper advertising, heavy use of social media and tie it all together with the chance for a student to win a Chevrolet Sonic. These tactics will lead to a campus-wide awareness of the Sonic and should highlight its connectivity features, design, fuel efficiency and its fun, aggressive personality, thus changing Chevrolet’s and the Sonic’s image in the target market’s minds.

Communication Goals • Achieve at least 5,000 Twitter followers

• Achieve at least 5,000 Facebook “likes”

• Acquire at least 1,000 e-mail addresses for e-newsletter and future direct marketing

• Have at least 65% awareness of the campaign and the Chevrolet Sonic on campus

• Have a total event attendance of at least 2,000 people at the end-of-year Sonic event

Big MAV on Campus Campaign This campaign is an integrated marketing communications plan that will span the course of the fall and

spring semesters at The University of Texas at Arlington campus to build a general awareness of the Chevrolet Sonic and improve the overall image of Chevrolet among the target market: ages 18-26.

It will include: • Chevrolet Sonic “Big MAV” promo car, named after the university’s mascot, the mavericks. • Promo booths with fun, interactive games and activities at popular campus events throughout the school

year • A large end-of-year bash, dubbed the Sonic Boom, which will include music, games, interactive activities

and a Chevrolet Sonic giveaway • A strong social media presence on Facebook and Twitter • Campus newspaper advertising • Event poster advertising • Student Organizations’ shirt sponsorships • Campus event sponsorship • Free shirt giveaways at promo booths The goal of these tactics is to put the Chevrolet Sonic in the forefront of the target market’s minds and to

articulate its attributes to them through the use of the Big MAV on Campus promo events all leading up to the Sonic Boom event.

Chevrolet Sonic “Big MAV” Car

• Will have a UT Arlington-themed spirit wrap

• Will be personified through social media

• Will be used for campus-wide interactive activities

• Will make appearances at numerous campus events

• Will become a “campus celebrity” throughout the course of the school year

• Will be given away at the Sonic Boom

• Students will have the opportunity to interact with the car at every event that we are at

A large incentive, such as winning a car, will get the target market to attend and interact with us at our campaign events.

Interactive/Non-Traditional Marketing

• Will be used heavily in this campaign; target market responsiveness to this form of marketing is very high.

• Twitter will be used to post clues as to the locations of the hidden keys in the scavenger hunts. This will attract students to Big MAV’s social media profiles.

• Social Media profiles can also be used to post other Chevrolet-related news and facts and to interact with his fans and followers.

• A photo booth inside of Big MAV at campus events will allow students to pile in for a picture that will be uploaded to the Big MAV on Campus Facebook profile. Students can then tag themselves in the picture at our computer on-site, thus displaying the picture, our fan page and the Chevrolet Sonic to that person’s entire friend base.

• Event and campus organization shirt sponsorships will get thousands of people wearing shirts with our logo, helping to build awareness of the campaign and the Chevrolet Sonic.

Our research shows that the target audience is heavily involved with social media and responds positively to interactive activities.

Key Scavenger Hunts

• A Chevrolet Sonic key will be hidden at seven different events throughout the school year; three keys will be hidden at the Sonic Boom

• Each of these scavenger hunts requires students to search for a key, which will be hidden somewhere on-site at each event

• Hints as to the locations of the keys will be given out via @BigMavOnCampus twitter during the events

• The first person to find the key wins it

• All key winners (10 total) will then be able to try starting the ignition of the Chevrolet Sonic “Big MAV” car at the Sonic Boom event; the person with the key that starts it wins the Big MAV car

• The incentive of finding a key at the campus events will create buzz around the campus about the campaign and the Chevrolet Sonic; it should also drastically increase event attendance

The key scavenger hunts will be a fun interactive activity with a huge participation incentive that the target market should respond very well to.

Traditional and Direct Marketing

• Posters will be posted on campus announcing which events Big MAV and the Chevrolet Sonic Promo booth will be at, as well as posters advertising our campaign and the Sonic Boom event.

• We will advertise our appearances and campaign in the campus newspaper, The Shorthorn. Estimated readership is 70% of the university’s 33,000+ students.

• Handouts containing information about our campaign will be given out at our promo booth.

• E-newsletter will be sent out to subscribers who sign up to receive it at our promo booth.

These tactics are a low-cost way of reaching a large portion of the campus community, creating buzz around our campaign and being ever-present in the mind of our target market.

Campus Events Promo Booth • Promo booths will be set up at seven different campus

events throughout the year

• We will work closely with campus organizations hosting the events to obtain booth space at events

• The booths and any other activities for the campaign will be worked by Chevrolet interns to cut costs

• Key scavenger hunts will occur at each event; hints will be given out via Big MAV’s Twitter account during the event

• Chevrolet Sonic “Big Mav” car will always be present at events

• The Chevrolet Sonic will be used as a photo booth by using a dash-mounted camera; photos will be uploaded to Facebook on-site where participants can tag themselves

• Free “Big MAV on Campus” shirt giveaways; shirts will be given to students who choose to provide their e-mail address for an e-newsletter and future direct marketing efforts or if they “like” or follow our social media profile

• Event appearances will be advertised via social networking, posters on campus and campus newspaper advertising

• Other event-related games and activities will occur at the booth, involving event attendees

• Marketing materials, such as hand-outs, describing our campaign and attributes of the Chevrolet Sonic will be distributed

The promo booth will provide campus event attendees with an opportunity to interact with the Chevrolet Sonic and participate in fun activities.

The Chevrolet Sonic promo booth and Key Scavenger Hunt activity will be at the following scheduled campus events.

Promo Booth Schedule – Fall

Activities Fair Day • First large event of the school year • Dozens of student organizations set up booths in

the middle of the campus to pass out marketing materials to thousands of student attendees.

• Information about the campaign will be distributed.

Oozeball • A day-long mud volleyball tournament • This campus tradition attracts approximately 350-

400 students • Oozeball t-shirts, given to all participants, will be

sponsored by the Chevrolet Sonic Big MAV on Campus campaign; logo will be clearly visible on shirts

Fall Concert • This annual UT Arlington event consistently sells

out every year with big name acts such as Rihanna, Maroon 5, B.O.B. and Lupe Fiasco; Approximate attendance is 2,700.

• An air guitar contest for bragging rights will be held at the promo booth, creating some great photo opportunities for students

Annual Sigma Chi Fight Night • Fight Night is an annual amateur boxing

tournament, featuring UT Arlington students, that benefits the local Boys and Girls Club hosted by the Alpha Chi fraternity.

• Attendance is approximately 2,000. • The Chevrolet Sonic promo booth will host a

strength contest using an old school punching machine for bragging rights.

Sponsorships

• We will sponsor the University’s annual Fall Concert by paying for the venue and all production costs, in return it will be renamed the Chevrolet Fall Concert and our logo will be on all marketing materials as well as signage at the event; average attendance is approximately 2,700

• We will also sponsor the annual Sigma Chi Fight Night event by paying for the event t-shirts and any other event costs in return our logo will be on the t-shirts and all marketing materials; average attendance is approximately 2,000

By sponsoring large events like these, the Sonic and Chevrolet’s image among the target market will improve and create buzz about our campaign.

The Chevrolet Sonic promo booth and Key Scavenger Hunt activity will be at the following scheduled campus events.

Promo Booth Schedule - Spring College Park Center Opening/Basketball Game • This Spring will host the opening of the university’s

brand new $78 million College Park Center, which seats approximately 7,000 people, where the school’s basketball team will host its games.

• The Chevrolet Sonic promo booth will host a pre-game tailgate party in the parking lot; free food will be given out

Volleyball Game • Attendance at volleyball games can be anywhere

from 500-1,000 • We will host a game that is sure to amuse and

provide a comedic opportunity; contestants will have to race to air up a volleyball for bragging rights.

Homecoming Game • Because our school lacks a football team, we

celebrate our homecoming games with our basketball team. The homecoming game is typically the game with the highest attendance of the season.

• Big MAV will participate in the golf cart parade, a homecoming tradition, prior to the game.

• A DDR game will be set up at the booth connected to a large LCD TV that will be resting in the Sonic’s spacious hatchback storage area, demonstrating its spaciousness and versatility.

Sonic Boom • This event will be a large end-of-year bash for the

students.

• We will reserve the Library Mall on-campus for this event.

• DJ/MC will provide music as well as host games and giveaways.

• We will grill and serve hotdogs, veggie burgers and hand out water bottles to students.

• Big MAV will be available for photo booth pictures.

• Sonic Boom t-shirt giveaways

• Final key scavenger hunt will occur for the final three keys; hints still given out on Twitter.

• All key holders will then get to try starting Big MAV to see who gets to take him home.

Free food and the Sonic giveaway as well as the music and cars set up in the middle of campus should attract a large number of students.

Sonic Boom Event Logistics

IMC / Media Schedule

As you can see from this plan, we have strategically created a continuous integrated marketing communications plan to effectively engrain the Chevrolet Sonic into the forefront of the target market’s mind.

By using low-cost, high impact methods of marketing that would create buzz around our campaign, we were able to focus our budget on creating a long-term continuous plan that would net the highest number of impressions possible through interaction with the target market.

Effectiveness of tactics can be measured by: •Attendance at events and participation in the games and activities at the promo booth

•Number of page “likes” on Facebook

•Number of followers on Twitter

•The number of e-newsletter subscribers

•A follow-up survey at the beginning of Fall, the next school year, gauging the success of our campaign in instilling an awareness and the positive attributes of the Chevrolet Sonic

•Sales numbers for the Chevrolet Sonic in Arlington, TX and the surrounding area after the campaign

•Number of website hits to the Chevrolet Sonic website from the Arlington, TX area after the campaign

•http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=12&hid=23&sid=7964bf9e-80e5-44d2-a141-1ddc48a49b97%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=7207792 •http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=13&hid=23&sid=7964bf9e-80e5-44d2-a141-1ddc48a49b97%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=10078768 •http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/nayar/2011/02/letting-gen-y-lead-a-managemen.html •http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2012_Chevrolet_Sonic.shtml •https://www.gmcollegediscount.com/ip-vpp/#tab_regional •http://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=LPneT3QxPpWVwvPNSmapxmFobyUyNdEE3RQ4aOiTy%2bo%3d (password is A4300)