EKO Advertising Campaign
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Transcript of EKO Advertising Campaign
Executive Summary
In this report, we will provide an advertising strategy for a leading
footwear and sports apparel company. The company seeks to improve its
market share among college students, and as students, we feel we can
most successfully reach this target audience. Based on the results of our
research, we have developed a marketing campaign which consists of a
creative brief, a detailed message strategy, and a media strategy for
advertising our company.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction II. Research III. Creative Brief IV. Appeals & Message Strategy V. Media Selection & Strategy VI. Campaign Evaluation VII. Appendix
Introduction
The footwear industry is one of the worst polluting in the world, with
mass production factories emitting airborne and toxic chemicals daily,
producing soles that take 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill.
Eko Sole is a company developed by Erin Morris and Kelsey Duke of
Southern Illinois University. The company strives to decrease the carbon
footprint of its consumers by making environmentally-friendly shoes from
organic or recycled materials. Their linings can be made from bamboo or
recycled yarn and the outer layer of the shoe may be made from hemp,
organic bamboo, or any other sustainable material. Their soles are often
recycled from old tires, while their laces can be made from recycled
plastic. Our company also uses the minimum amount of packaging
necessary to reduce waste. Our products will be made with athletes in
mind, combining lightness, disassembly and durability for the ultimate in
ergonomic design.
Research
Method: To find out the most effective media strategy for our company, we created
questionnaires for conducting interviews with other students in our target
market. To get a better feel for our respondents media habits, we asked
questions in a discussion format, which resulted in more detailed responses
about their behaviors.
Findings and Key Indicators: The results of our interviews indicated that magazines and radio were the media
least likely to reach our target audience. Though they are effective for
advertising, not enough people read or listen on a regular basis. Not
surprisingly, internet and television were rated the most effective media for
reaching our audience. Our test group indicated that, on average, between 20-
50% of the purchases they make are influenced by advertising, with the females
indicating that they are more easily influenced than men. The most common
place that our participants noticed advertising seemed to be on television or
coming from their email inbox. Most of the group also admitted that they
typically avoid advertising while using media, and are more influenced by what
their friends say on social networks.
In addition, we found that “Birkenstocks” was the most frequently recalled
company associated with environmentally friendly gear. Based on our research,
we have concluded that outdoor guerilla campaigns are effective with our target
audience, and that relating to our audience using the slice-of-life method would
be the best way to market our company.
Creative Brief
Background: Eko Sole offers an eco-friendly alternative to consumers in the market for shoes,
sports apparel and sports equipment. Eko Sole uses recycled materials to make
their products and hopes that all of their customers will return to recycle their
old products and buy new ones.
The success of the program will be measured by how many customers not only
buy the products but return to recycle them.
Audience: Primary Audience: College Students, because they don’t generally have a lot of
extra spending money, affordable shoes appeal to them. Shoes are obviously a
necessity for everyone, but comfortable, durable shoes are needed for students
to walk across campus.
The fact that Eko Sole is not yet a well known shoe company should not be
mentioned to the audience. Our hope is to appeal to so many students, athletes
and other people that it does become well known and “popular.” Over all college
students care less about their appearance than they did in high school but they
still want to be fashionable.
Out of any other audience we believe that college students are more willing to
make a difference. College differs from high school because you have to want to
be there, you have more freedom, and no one can make you go to class.
Knowing that, we believe that people that have the motivation to make a better
life for themselves and graduate from college must care about their future.
Therefore, they should care enough to protect our environment and make it a
safer place to live resulting in their purchase of Eko Sole products.
Secondary Audience: Athletes, because they are in the market for shoes and
sports equipment often.
Objectives: 1. The most important objective for Eko Sole is to offer an eco-friendly
alternative for necessities such as shoes. The company also offers athletic
apparel and sports equipment made from recyclable materials. The goal is cut
down on wasted materials from a very large market, after all shoes, and sports
equipment wear out relatively quickly.
2. The next objective is to offer shoes, apparel and sports equipment at an
affordable price. College students are one of biggest target markets due to the
fact that they need comfortable tennis shoes to walk around campus and they
don’t generally have very much money to spend. This company would be able to
make a very affordable shoe for college students because of the materials used
to make them. Also athletic teams go through a lot of equipment and shoes, it
would be ideal for team members to buy and recycle their materials through Eko
Sole.
3. Another goal for Eko Sole is to make sure that all of the customers not only
support an eco-friendly lifestyle by purchasing the products but by recycling
them. As a company we hope to ensure this happens by rewarding people
with a discount off of their next purchase if they bring in old shoes,
clothing and sports equipments to be recycled.
Message: Slip your feet into Eko Soles and reduce your carbon footprint. We would prove
the products are eco-friendly and would reduce a person’s carbon footprint by
listing the materials used to make them. Also Eko Soles would have a website
that informs consumers where and how products are manufactured.
The support for Eko Sole would list all of the benefits of buying the products.
Benefits include: affordable, light weight, durable, fashionable and
environmentally friendly.
Our company needs to be very careful that they know exactly how their products
are being manufactured and what materials are being used. It would look very
bad on the company if they were ever caught contradicting themselves in any
way. Other constraints would need to be listed such as proper use for sports
equipment and cleaning instructions to keep from ruining products.
Appeals & Message Strategy
Appeals: The appeal for this particular company falls under the rational appeal which
includes awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, and purchase.
Our hope is to make people aware of the benefits of Eko Sole, give them facts to
let them know what the product is about, which will lead to them liking and
purchasing the product.
Message Strategy:
A cognitive message strategy would be used to present information about
the benefits of Eko Sole. In today’s society “going green” is a popular fad.
Our unique selling point is not only can people recycle their plastic
bottles, aluminum cans, and papers they can recycle other products they
use or wear. The preemptive message is based on the fact that there are
major benefits from using recyclable materials.
The executional framework used to present the ad appeal for eko sole is
slice-of-life and demonstrative.
Slice-of-life would be demonstrated by showing the encounter, problem,
interaction and solution. The encounter could be a tire rolling down the
street, which eventually ends up in a landfill. The problem would be the
massive landfill and the pollution it causes our planet.
The interaction could be the tires being recycled and made into shoes or
basketballs. The solution would be to buy and recycle our products and
eventually cut down on pollution.
Another type of framework that could be used to present the ad appeals
for Eko Sole would be demonstrative. For this type of framework an
inexpensive commercial could be made to show what the shoes are made
of along with facts of what is used such as “water based adhesives and
environmentally safe materials.” An idea that we came up with that would
somewhat symbolize a demonstration would be advertising on an
escalator. Escalator steps are made from a rubber material and they run
in a circular motion. We came up with the idea to try to put our logo on the
actual steps of the escalator so it catches people’s attention and supports
the idea of a cycle.
Media Selection & Strategy
Traditional Media: Our primary source of traditional media would be television. We would
broadcast our advertisements on channels that we know our target audience
watches most frequently. Those channels include ESPN, for the broadcast of
college athletics and other sports, MTV for the age group that tunes in, and the
Discovery Channel for those in our audience that are interested in our
environment.
Social Media:
The results of our research indicated that the internet and cellphone were two
medias that our target group finds most effective. Upon having a website for e-
commerce, we plan to also update our consumers with sales and environmental
news, through the permission of their cell-phone or email. We will also use
search advertising to direct consumers that share our values to our site.
Alternative Media:
Other ways that we intend to advertise our company include selling reusable
bags at our store with our screen-printed logo and information. We also plan to
sell clothing made with hemp and recycled cotton to promote our brand. Eko
Sole will also advertise at sporting events on campuses nationwide.
Campaign Evaluation
In order to test the effectiveness of our marketing strategy, we plan
monitor the sales of Eko Sole in comparison to other athletic gear
companies, as well as to other eco-friendly athletic providers. We also
plan to set up Eko Sole Recycling Stations where consumers of our shoes
can return them when they are worn out, which happens frequently to
athletes. The shoes from the Eko Sole Recycling Stations will be broken
down and used to make more products for our company. Monitoring the
return rate at these stations will help us to evaluate the success of our
strategy. As an incentive for our consumers, we plan to provide a discount
on their next Eko Sole purchase for being environmentally conscious and
completing the cycle. We also plan to regularly re-evaluate what we can
do to minimize waste and toxin use and maximize product use.
In summary, Eko Sole aims to provide an environmentally friendly
alternative for college students and athletes. Slip your feet into Eko Sole
and reduce your carbon footprint.
Appendix
Attached are surveys, filled out by us, upon interviewing
the following students:
Sarah Heck, Georgia State University
Kevin Lavin, John A. Logan College
Allison Davis, Sewanee University
Savina Nikalova, Emory University
Elizabeth Koch, Southern Illinois University
Michelle Jacobs, Illinois State University
Natalie Frenkel, St. Louis University
Andrew Banks, John A. Logan College
Colin Schmidt, Southern Illinois University
Joey Clemmons, University of Missouri