PR Campaign
PR Campaign
PR Campaign
The Team
Cali Blodgett
Cali Blodgett was born in Salt Lake City, Utah but grew up in many different states
including Texas, Kentucky, California, New Jersey, and different areas of Utah. Cali will
graduate in April after studying public relations, event planning, and photography. She
loves anything outdoors but her favorite outdoor memories include camping on the
beach and boating the next morning all day with her family. She loves wakeboarding
and kneeboarding the most.
Kayla Watson
Kayla Watson is from Palm Springs, California and is studying public
relations. Her favorite outdoor activity is throwing a baseball outside
with her little brother. Her family considers themselves boat people.
They are on the water every other weekend from March-November
and spend two weeks at Lake Powell every summer.
Noah Lektorich
Noah Lektorich is from Southern California. Noah will walk this December
and graduate in April, 2016, after completing his internship. Noahs favorite
outdoor activitys are hiking and snorkling. Two of Noahs favorite places are
Yosemite, California and Oahu, Hawaii.
Jace Gregory
Jace is from Provo, Utah and will receive his bachelors degree in Communication
in December 2015. His favorite outdoor activity is backpacking, hiking and fishing
in the mountains. Once, he even hiked across the Grand Canyon in one day and
to the top of the Half Dome at Yosemite National Park.
Tyler Griffitts
Tyler Griffitts is from Coeur dAlene, Idaho and will receive his bachelors in
Communications this December. What he enjoys most about the outdoors is
hiking, exploring and he finds himself doing half marathons or triathlons as a
way to stay connected with his family. In his spare time, he goes to new places
and spends time with his family camping or at the lake.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
ORC Outdoor Program Director, Scott, expressed the desire to reach out to more students while
creating a distinct identity for the ORC. He worried that students confused the ORC with Outdoor Activities,
a campus-run group that puts on outdoor events with the ORCs equipment, as well as the Outdoor Learning
Center.
To measure the effectiveness of ORC advertising and public relations, the PR team created a survey
of 12 questions and sent it to 300 students selected by the university at random. Students were asked to
identify basic information about the ORC as well as identify how they heard about the ORC, how they felt
about its service, price, and inventory, and when they last rented/purchased from the ORC. The results were
surprising.
Ninety-four percent of the students surveyed heard about the ORC. When asked to identify its
purposes (they were asked to mark all that they thought applied), 83% knew that the ORC rented and sold
equipment; 60% thought the ORC led activities and provided training. While some confusion is evident, it is
not as significant as the PR teams original assumptions.
2
Reaching out to a smaller group of confused students requires that the ORC expand its influence to
students across campus. Creating a stronger and distinguishable brand will come only after students pay
attention to the ORC and interact with it--effectively done through online/social media engagement.
According to the survey, 81% of students know where the ORC is located, but only 60% have ever
been there. The survey identified a target audience (83%) of 19-25 year-old students. This age group indicates that it listens to social media advertising and word of mouth when hearing about or trusting a product.
The survey showed that 67% of students heard about the ORC through word of mouth, but only 17% of the
students heard about it through social media.
The PR team advertised to students about the ORC gear swap and held a raffle/giveaway tied to
social media engagement. By handing out fliers and advertising a raffle, people came directly to the ORC.
Computers were stationed at the gear swap and students and community members were awarded raffle
tickets if they liked the ORCs Facebook page, reviewed the ORCs Facebook page (which is rarely done
since it has a 50-words-or-more requirement), or shared the page.
GEAR SWAP & GIVEAWAYS
THIS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH!
AT THE ORC
GIVEAWAYS AT:
11 AM, 12 PM,
GRAND PRIZE AT 1 PM
WIN FREE SKI PASSES TO GRAND TARGHEE
AND OTHER FREE STUFF INCLUDING:
JACKETS
CHACO
SANDALS
CH
CAMELBAK WATER BOTTLES
FREE RENTAL COUPONS
AND MORE!
Like us on Facebook
Social media engagement including likes, reviews, and shares spiked after the event so the PR team
held another giveaway in the BYU-Idaho Manwaring Center on campus. The purpose of this giveaway
was to engage a crowd that doesnt typically attend the ORC Gear Swap but may have interest in renting
equipment. There were about 340 people who entered the giveaway--each completing likes, shares, or
reviews. Once winners were selected at each giveaway, they were invited to go back to the ORC to claim
their prize and take a picture for the ORC Facebook (to encourage more people to engage in future giveaways).
In addition to the social media driven giveaways, the PR team created a Buzzfeed article about the
ORC titled 15 Things You Didnt know You Could Rent at BYUI ORC to appeal to the target audience. The
article contained animated gifs, pictures, or videos describing each of the items.
At the beginning of the campaign, the ORC had 897 Facebook likes and 0 Facebook reviews.
There was no presence on the web that wasnt affiliated with BYU-Idaho. Now the ORC has 1,145 likes on
Facebook and 133 Facebook reviews with a 4.8 average star rating out of 5. This is an increase of 248 likes.
In addition, the ORC now has a Yelp account with positive reviews along with a Google Business account,
which helps distinguish it as its own business and makes it stand out when keywords are searched. The
business now appears on the side of Google with photos, virtual tours, hours, reviews, a phone number, and
directions to the store. You can also easily navigate on any smartphone.
Contact Information:
Scott Hurst, Outdoor Program Director
Phone: (208) 496-7337
Email: [email protected]
Research was done to figure out how to execute future campaigns. One of the most prominent ideas
the PR team had was to include a 40% off rental coupon, along with wristbands in Get Connected packets,
which are distributed to new incoming freshmen. This will be beneficial because students can learn about the
ORC at the very beginning of their college career.
The positive feedback and engagement with students has been part of the preliminary plan in
preparation for the anticipated remodel next spring. The PR team suggests that a grand reopening be held
and it has provided press releases for the Standard Journal and the Scroll, a feature story for the Scroll, other
video media coverage options, contacts and information regarding a potentially impactful grand reopening
event featuring key brand-differentiating messages, new promotional material, and customer involvement
initiatives.
SWOT Analysis
The Outdoor Resource Center (ORC) is a business on BYU-Idahos campus that rents and sells just about everything an adventurer could need
for a great outdoor experience. Currently, the ORC enjoys a profit but it could increase involvement and awareness among BYU-Idaho students in
specific areas like social media and visits to the ORC building.
The ORC owner worries that students confuse the ORC with Outdoor Activities, or the Outdoor Learning Center (OLC), and he would like there to
be clarification among students. The ORC planned to remodel in October or early November but remodeling has been delayed to an unknown date
in Spring 2016. The PR team sees the impending remodel as an opportunity to rebrand and to correct any misconceptions--a plan was created for a
Grand Reopening with relevant strategies and tactics.
STRENGTHS
OPPORTUNITIES
The ORC has a variety of items available for rent during any season at
affordable prices.
The grand reopening is an opportunity to differentiate the company from others and to gain more momentum on social media and through word of mouth.
The ORC can serve anyone on campus as well as anyone in the community.
Fall IBC groups have partnered with or have expressed the interest to partner with the ORC and opportunities for future IBC companies to partner
with the ORC will continue because IBC companies start each semester. The
advantage of these partnerships is that they already advertise to students on
campus and they are generally popular.
There are group discounts or percentages off when more items are rented.
94% of BYU-Idaho students have heard about the ORC.
They have high-quality and expensive things to rent at amazing prices.
The ORC page has one of the largest viewership (after the PR campaign) out
of all the BYUI webpages.
The ORC could create a separate website or blog apart from BYU-Idahos
website to make the page more visually appealing and drawing more customers.
The ORC could also offer internships to communication students to help create
better content for Facebook. This could also lead to creating an Instagram
account.
6
WEAKNESSES
Social media presence/influence was extremely low; only
17% of respondents (students) heard about the ORC through
social media
Brand differentiation is weak
There is a lack of communication with students when they
participate in activities with the Outdoor Learning Center or
Outdoor Activities.
The inventory is so large and the brochure can look daunting.
Customers arent allowed to pay online yet.
THREATS
Some people confuse the ORC with Outdoor Activities or
the Outdoor Learning Center and thus dont know that they
can rent equipment without a guide/planned activity.
Students involved on social media may turn to other rental
companies or stores in Rexburg because the ORC presence
has been very low. The lack of publicity could affect the
stores sales
8
The key publics identified for the ORC to focus on are
as follows:
Students (14 thousand on campus students each semester)
Clubs and associations
Wards
Family home evening groups
Freshmen (5 thousand freshmen each semester)
Customers (Community Members)
Members closely associated with students (Bishopric members,
professors, faculty, business owners) -- these are the people who should refer
students to the ORC
Partnerships
Outdoor Activities
Competitors
National Parks/Local Parks
Non-profits and charities
Non-partnership Competitors
Media
What to do in Rexburg blogs
Outdoor therapy groups
Local news
Social Media
Federal, State, and Local Legislators
Chamber of commerce
While there are many audiences that are important to the ORC, the client
has asked the PR team to focus solely on BYU-Idaho students.
10
Get students inside the ORC so they are familiar with the building
Publicize 15 visits (Post pictures on Facebook of raffle winners
claiming prizes in the ORC)
12
14
Buzzfeed
The ORC has such a large variety
to rent for different activities. In an effort to
get more of the less-known and more unique
products circulating around the Internet, the
PR team created a Buzzfeed Article titled,
15 Things You Didnt Know You Could Rent
at BYUI ORC. The buzzfeed article included
photos of products, animated gifs, and videos
showcasing how the products worked. It also
had prices, a link to the ORC, and other
helpful information.
16
The team shared the article on multiple Facebook pages including the
ORC page, Rex Burg So Cial, Social Rexburg, and shared with their Facebook
friends who in turn shared with their friends. The team also shared it on blogs
about things to do in Rexburg, Twitter, and on Pinterest. The team also received an
email list with customers and included a link in an email sent to customers.
The article received huge success and fast. This could be something the
ORC does every semester to highlight products for that certain semester. The ORC
could consider having a communication intern that could be responsible for content
creation. The intern could also create an Instagram page for the ORC and post
daily to promote the ORC. The intern could find students and community members
in Rexburg and follow them in an effort to receive a follow back. Instagram is a huge
way to get people interacting with the company. To learn more about having an
intern, the ORC should use the contacts in the provided chart.
18
Google Business
A local business page was created for the ORC. The PR
team also established it as a verified Google business. This means
that when certain keywords are searched, the business will show
on the right side of the page. It will show hours the business is open,
directions to the business, reviews, photos, virtual tours, and other
helpful information. The team added in photos and filled in all the
information.
It is suggested to take new photos after the remodel is done and
add it to the page.
20
Yelp
22
24
26
Find out what people think about the ORC (Cont.)
Ninety-four percent of students who have heard of the ORC, only 82% knew
where it was and only 61% had ever been there before. These statistics later improved
as shown on page 34.
Strategy
Tactics
Set up informational booth promoting the gear swap
Improve awareness
Distribute flyers around campus and in the community to promote the gear
swap
Have booths at the gear swap that allows people to enter in the raffle
Create a buzzfeed list with 15 things you didnt know you could rent at
BYU-Idahos ORC with animated gifs and photos
Share the buzzfeed on different social media platforms and on
pages promoting things to do in Rexburg
28
Strategy
Tactics
Gain more likes and reviews on Facebook
Write press releases to give to the Scroll and the Standard Journal to gain
media coverage
Plan for Grand Reopening and remodel
Find contacts and research prices to gain news and video
coverage at the event.
Create a flyer to handout prior to the event promoting the Grand Reopening
Research
Quantitative
Method 1:
The PR team sent a survey to 300 BYU-Idaho students at random and asked questions about the ORC. 94% of
student respondents had heard of the ORC. 89% of the respondents were 19-25 years of age. Due to the appearance of
a possible target age group, the PR team researched what would be the most effective form of advertising for that age
group: social media and word of mouth are popular and effective ways to reach them. When asking how students heard
about the ORC, only 18% of students said that they heard about the ORC through social media so social media became
a main focus. Participants of the survey received a percentage off for a rental. This helped get more people in the door and
gave an incentive for completing research.
30
32
34
Qualitative
Method 2:
Each person in the group will have two separate flyers with two different logos.
Show each logo to each person in the target audience
Ask the following questions:
Which one do you like better?
What do you like about this flyer?
Flyer two with the new logo was more popular than flyer one with the older logo. Those who liked flyer two said they enjoyed the
new, modern logo and that it made them feel creative, playful, and youthful. With a need to compete against electronics as the
preferred recreational entertainment, the Outdoor Resource Center has a need to make people feel creative so that they want to
go out and explore their own adventures. Respondents also said that the older logo lacked color and made them feel like they were
refrained from their own adventure.
36
OUTDOOR
RESOURCE CENTER
Timeline
38
40
42
Budget
Item
Price
$5 and up
$180
per 1/4 page
ad
As low as $0.06
an envelope.
($0.48 a stamp)
See Apendix
Fliers*
$100 per dealio
Dealio
BYU-Idaho Booth
Free
Free
44
When to post:
Including a Photo and a video in a press release increases views by over 45%
60% of consumers are more likely to consider or contact a business when an image shows up in local search
results
67% of consumers say the quality of a product image is very important in selecting and purchasing a
product when on an ecommerce site
Online store customers think that the quality of a products image is more important than product-specific
information (63%), a long description (54%) and ratings and reviews (53%)
Engagement rate on Facebook for photos averages 0.37% where text only is 0.27% (this translates to a 37%
higher level of engagement for photos over text)
*Read more at Jeffbullas.com
46
Email List
Survey - the surveys provide insight and can be conducted online. The survey can be sent to students or previous customers.
Newsletter - First day of each month to stay in contact with buyers, sellers, and the student body.
Sales/Promotions - 1-2 months prior to any event.
Giveaways - weekly or bi-weekly on social media platforms.
New Remodel Plans - Immediately
Grand Opening - TBD
Social Media
Scroll
Restrictions
Unfortunately, due to the fact that the ORC is under BYU-Idahos rules, there are
some ideas that we have that wont be able to work currently, but we hope the ORC can
implement them in the future.
Updated logo
Website change
Get connected packets
Collaborate with IBC
Appendix - Printing
Advertising in the Scroll
BYU-Idaho Scroll
Web: http://byuiscroll.org/
Phone: 208.496.3737
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
Black and White
Color
Quarter Page: $180.00
+
$80.00
Half Page:
$250.00
+
$140.00
Full Page:
$720.00
+
$200.00
*Running stories through the Scroll is free
Quick Ship N Copy
Address: 20 W 1st S, Rexburg, ID 83440
Phone: 208.356.3388
Hours: Open today 8:00 am 9:00 pm
Black and White
8.5 x 11
11 x 17
12 x 18
Color Each
8.5 x 11
11 x 17
12 x 18
Text
$0.50
$1.00
$1.15
Cover
$0.60
$1.15
$1.25
48
GIVEAWAYS AT:
11 AM, 12 PM,
GRAND PRIZE AT 1 PM
WIN FREE SKI PASSES TO GRAND TARGHEE
AND OTHER FREE STUFF INCLUDING:
JACKETS
CH
CHACO
SANDALS
CAMELBAK WATER BOTTLES
FREE RENTAL COUPONS
AND MORE!
Like us on Facebook
50
Enjoy your date with the ORC!
Please
bring
this
voucher
in
to
the
BYU-Idaho
Outdoor
Resource
Center
to
redeem
your
date
items:
Contact Information:
Scott Hurst, Outdoor Program Director
Phone: (208) 496-7337
Email: [email protected]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
This
voucher
expires
the
last
day
of
the
semester,
December
18,
2015
Please
bring
this
voucher
in
to
the
BYU-Idaho
Outdoor
Resource
Center
to
redeem
your
date
items:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
This
voucher
expires
the
last
day
of
the
semester,
December
18,
2015
Please
bring
this
voucher
in
to
the
BYU-Idaho
Outdoor
Resource
Center
to
redeem
your
date
items:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
This
voucher
expires
the
last
day
of
the
semester,
December
18,
2015