An Integrated Marketing Communication

Plan on Reducing Wastage of Excess Food

United International University
Course Code: MKT 4203

Course Title: Integrated Communication

Submitted To:

Submitted To: Sarker Rafij Ahmed Ratan

Assistant Professor

School of Business and Economics (SOBE)

Submitted By:

Nusrat Jahan

ID: 111 163 071

Section: A

Date of Submission: May 7, 2021

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The time I have spent in the idea generation and the process the integrated marketing communication plan
on reducing wastage of excess food was an experience worth the time and effort. I believe this attempt will
shape and influence my professional life in various ways. This report is not perfect and may contain
shortcomings. Thus, I remain open to all criticisms and suggestions which could present me with new
sources of inspiration.

This report would not have been possible without the contribution and collaboration of others. My sincere
gratitude towards:

• The Almighty who granted us with good health and long life.

• The respected faculty Sarker Rafij Ahmed Ratan, an Assistant Professor of United International
University (UIU), who provided us with valuable information and direction.

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 LETTER OF TRANSMMITAL

Sarker Rafij Ahmed Ratan,

Assistant Professor,

School of Business and Economics,

United International University,

United City, Madani Avenue, Badda, Dhaka

Subject: Report on IMC plan for reducing wastage of excess food

Dear Sir,

Here is the report that you have assigned me on the given topic. This report required the knowledge we
have gathered by doing the course “Integrated Communication”.

I am thankful to all the people who helped me by providing their valuable time, presence, information,
suggestions, and advices. I would be very happy if you could spare your precious time and read the report
carefully. I will try my best to answer any question you have about this report.

I have tried my best to complete this report as meaningfully and correctly as possible. I do believe that I
have followed the guidelines properly while making the report. However, if you need any assistance in
interpreting the report, you can contact me without any hesitation.

Yours sincerely,

Nusrat Jahan,

ID - 111 163 071

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 Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................................... 3
LETTER OF TRANSMMITAL ....................................................................................................................... 4
Executive Summary: ................................................................................................................................... 6
1. Introduction: ........................................................................................................................................ 7
2. Analysis of Promotional Program Situation..................................................................................... 8
Internal Analysis: .................................................................................................................................... 8
External Analysis: ................................................................................................................................... 8
3. Analysis of Communication Process ................................................................................................ 9
4. Budget Determination....................................................................................................................... 10
5. Develop Integrated Marketing Communication Program ............................................................. 11
6. Integrate and Implement Marketing Communication Strategies ................................................. 13
7. Monitor, Evaluate and Control Integrated Marketing Communication Program ........................ 14
Reference: .................................................................................................................................................. 15

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Executive Summary:

Global garbage could be a comprehensive drawback with tremendous monetary, ethical, and
environmental costs. The causes vary from jarring roads to too selective customers, however, in spite of
the cause, we can all pitch in to combat this international issue.

Excessive food waste (nearly 1.3 billion tons per annum) has exacerbated the planet's hunger crisis. This
comprehensive review focuses on the waste food scenario, adverse effects, food waste management,
existing waste management policies, and rules in Bangladesh. Municipalities and urban centers generate
3.78 million tons of waste annually (15.96% of total food waste). This study utilized the national info to
research garbage generation and projected growth by the year 2050. Yearly a calculable 17215.2 thousand
acres of land and a big quantity of natural resources (water, energy) are getting used to supply 23691.15
thousand tons of wasted food (45% of total food production). This study critically analyzed the waste
management policy gap of Bangladesh and clearly known every stage of the food loss production provide
chain.

Everyone incorporates a half to play in reducing food loss and waste. ALAQ foundation consequently works
with a broad spectrum of stakeholders and partners to tackle the matter. At the macro level, ALAQ
foundation works together with governments and alternative international bodies to push awareness and
support on the problems and to develop policies to scale back food loss & waste. At the mid-level, ALAQ
foundation’s activities facilitate coordination among food offer chain actors - farmers, handlers, processors,
and traders, together with the general public and personal sectors and civil society. At the root level, ALAQ
foundation focuses on consumers and change their individual attitudes, behaviors, consumption, and
shopping habits associated with food. This can be done through education, significantly that specialize in
providing information on safe food handling, correct food storage in households, and understanding “best
before” dates so as to stop and cut back waste matter.

Reducing food loss and waste is vital to making a Zero Hunger world and reaching the world’s Sustainable
Development Goals. For many individuals on the earth, food may be a given. except for the staggering
more than 820 million of those who are hungry, food isn't a guarantee. FAO aims to extend respect for food,
further as for the farmers who produce it, the natural resources that come in producing it, and also the
people who go without food.

Thus, we are to trying to create a social awareness campaign to alarm the society about the impact of the
food waste that is causing global warming as well as leaving millions of people in hunger. We have been
partnering with some of the big corporations as well as international authorities like JICA, UNICEF and
World Bank to fund this project of creating social awareness to minimize food waste which will have direct
impact on people lifestyle. We have drafted a promotional campaign plan that we intend to use for this
social awareness campaign. We believe, if we can implement it to the correct approach, our initiative will
be much more effective and save people, the world and the economy from diversified effects of food waste.

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1. Introduction:

Food waste refers to food that completes the food supply chain up to a final product, of excellent
quality and appropriate consumption, however still does not get consumed as a result of it's
discarded, whether or not or not after it's left to spoil or expire. Wastage of food generally takes
place at retail and consumption stages within the food supply chain. it's an intentional discard of
food that is suitable for consumption.

Food loss is that the unplanned reduction in food available for human consumption that results from
inefficiencies in supply chains. It happens primarily at the production, post-harvest, and process
stages, for instance when food is damaged during transport and disposed of.

We, Alaq foundation had decided to carry out an extended social awareness campaign to raise and
alarm the society the impact of food waste in our society and how sustainably we can resolve the
issue. As this campaign needs to be communicated to mass people along with certain targeted
concern, we need to consider using the integrated marketing communication for delivering the
communication message to people.

IMC emerged into an atmosphere where marketing communication practices were radically
dynamical. These changes enclosed e.g.
i. reduced faith in mass media advertising (media muddle, rising prices, and negative
consumer reaction)
ii. fragmentation and demassification of target audiences
iii. inflated sophistication, perceptiveness, and interest of consumer
iv. enlarged reliance on extremely targeted communication methods
v. larger demand obligatory on promoting communications suppliers
vi. technological advancements
vii. economic process of markets
viii. enlarged efforts to assess communications’ come on investment.

When communicating with their target teams (customers, clients, and other stakeholders) all
business enterprises share similar functions for communication:

a. Informing prospective customers regarding their product, services, and different connected
issues.
b. Persuading individuals to decide on explicit products and types, shop in certain sales shops,
attend sure events, and otherwise, influence their behavior.

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 c. Inducement action from customers therefore that their behavior is directed toward the
marketer’s providing and is undertaken at once instead of delayed.

An integrated promoting communications campaign includes two distinct characteristics: campaign

continuity and strategic orientation. In keeping with Sirgy,” campaign continuity means all
messages communicated completely different media through different promoting communications
tools are interrelated”. Campaign continuity will further be divided into physical and psychological
continuity. Physical continuity refers to the consistent use of inventive components altogether
promoting communications, e.g., by exploiting the same slogans, taglines, and trade characters in
all kinds of promoting communications. Psychological continuity refers to a uniform perspective
toward the firm and its brands: its consumers’ perception of the company’s” voice” and its”
persona”. The strategic orientation characteristic of an IMC campaign means IMC campaigns can
be effective as a result of their originally designed to realize strategic company goals — in our case,
creating social awareness to reduce food waste and create an alternative form to utilize the
unwanted food is the strategic goal of ALAQ foundation.

2. Analysis of Promotional Program Situation

Internal Analysis:

ALAQ foundation is a pioneer non-profitable organization that works for reducing of excess food
wastage and food loss in Bangladesh. The company is trying to promote the dangerous effect of
food waste that is creating in our life as well as impacting in our economy. The company decides
to hire advertising agency who will be responsible for planning, developing and implementing the
promotional campaign on reducing wastage of excess food. The foundation promises to pay all
sorts of expenses required to create a mass campaign and alarm people about its importance. The
foundation hired “The Market Maker” ad agency who is responsible for this social awareness
campaign.

External Analysis:

“The Market Maker” agency will conduct an assessment of the market. The agency will find out the
particular segments to target and promote appropriately. The agency finds out that most of the
hotels, restaurant, coffee shops, street food vendors, wedding or corporate events are the pioneer
group who is responsible in creating food waste. They are the major source of food waste and they

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 are the primary target to create awareness among them. These people shall be taught that what
impact does this food waste creates in our environment as well as economic deficiencies.

3. Analysis of Communication Process

In this stage, the agency decides the planning process that can effectively communicate with the
target segment. The agency decides that they will hire Shakib Al Hasan as the spokesperson for
this campaign as due to his high reach consumer’s mind. As people possess high reliability on
Shakib Al Hasan, having him as the brand ambassador for this campaign will create a nuisance in
our reducing food waste campaign. The campaign attracts attention to the intense issues ensuing
from the high volume of perfectly edible food that's wasted, and seeks to vary attitudes and
behaviors so that wastage of food may be considerably reduced around the world. At the heart of
this challenge is the way to grow economies and generate employment in an exceedingly way that
keeps humanity’s footprint at intervals planetary boundaries. The campaign will also teach about
prevention of food waste, how to reduce excess food waste and how utilize the waste food as green
manure that will nurture back to the ecosystem and reducing the use of chemical pesticides.

In order to succeed in any objectives in a very systematic manner a transparent promoting

a communications strategy is needed. An IMC strategy ought to offer answers to the subsequent 3
main queries-

i. Selection Integration - What are the most effective and most efficient communications media
to use together to attain the brand’s communication objectives.
ii. Positioning Integration - How will every communications activity’s message be created
synergistically in line with the brand’s positioning.
iii. Customer Timeline Integration - At what points within the promoting channel ought to
promote communications reach consumers and maybe speed up the decision in favor of the
brand?

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4. Budget Determination

To organize this campaign, a huge amount of money is required for promotion and advertisement.
As this is a campaign for social awareness and not for any products promotion, there were only
limited sponsors who can fund some money on this campaign. ALAQ foundation had managed few
companies and some international associations like; JICA, UNICEF and World Bank to finance this
campaign. We initially determine that the promotional cost tentatively require about Tk. 50 million
as the campaign is targeted for mass people and many advertising channels will be used to create
a buzz in the market and put the cause of this campaign in people mind so that they become more
cautious when wasting food. We will create awareness videos and telecast the video in all tv
channels of the country. We will also post the video on social media as the platform possess with
high number of viewers. The budget will also be used to create newspaper advertisement, bill
board, pamphlets, etc. We will also organize many social events and promote about the food waste.

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5. Develop Integrated Marketing Communication Program

In this stage, we the ad agency has prepared a detail plan and steps of communication. Our
objective of the promotion is to communicate with people about the importance of preserving food
and reduce food waste so that we can save our mother nature as well prevent economic losses.
There are two important aspects of this campaign. Firstly, the creative strategy, which means the
basic message to be communicated to target audience and secondly, which channels of
communication are to be used to deliver the campaign message to mass people. In IMC mix there
are the various types of mass media: TV advertising, Print media, social media or internet
marketing, banners advertisement, public relation, personal selling, etc. The various elements that
are included in the IMC mix must work together to deliver a consistent and persuasive message to
the target audience.

i. Advertising: TV commercials is one of the biggest platforms to communicate to mass people

at once. TV ads have high consumer reach and ads like social awareness regarding food waste
reduction are very effective when shown on TV. As we plan to make an awareness video
regarding the effect of food waste and a solution to preserve or donate food, we will highlight
everything on the ad so that people come to know about the consequences and also learn to
solve the problem. Our vide ad will inform how to reduce food waste and also how we can
redistribute and recycle the foods that we don’t eat. We also highlight and encourage people
to distribute their unwanted foods to ALAQ foundation, NGO’s or charities involved in circulating
foods around the city. We will teach people how we can recycle our unwanted foods or food
waste back to the nature. We will also use print media ads like-newspaper, magazines as
many people comes around these platforms every day. We will also install billboard, banners
in those areas where maximum people will have the visibility of the advertisement. As these
advertising is very costly, we plan to allocate our maximum budget to this platform to spread
our message throughout the country. We would like to allocate about Tk. 30 million for these
ad campaign.

ii. Direct marketing: We will visit those places where food waste mostly occurs, like- hotels,
restaurants, street food vendor, coffee shops, etc., and we will encourage and motivate them
to not to dispose their leftover foods in to the dustbin but to distribute those foods either through
our foundation or to other charitable trust so that their foods can feed some hungry people and
help the community grow with some positive deed. We will also instruct them to take the
responsibility of sharing their leftover foods to nearby slum areas. As it is almost impossible for
our foundation or any charitable trust to collect all the foods and supply to different places
before the night ends or before the food gets rotten, it is highly appreciated if these businesses

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 take the responsibility to form small union or group or community, collect all leftover foods from
their groups and distribute the food to the slums. This way we believe maximum people will be
benefited. We will also send e-mails, text message to join ALAQ foundation, teach them to
build their own local community within their area and guide or support to distribute leftover
foods to the needy people and prevent food waste. We estimate that this promotion would
require about Tk. 5 million for the ad campaign.

iii. Social media marketing: social media is one of the greatest marketing platforms in this
modern society. There are millions of users who uses social media every day. In fact, Dhaka
has the second the greatest number of active Facebook users in Asia. So, according to our
expectation, promoting our campaign through social media will be very effective as it has
plethora of users and communication becomes much easier. The social media is very powerful
tool to marketize anything whether it is any product or and social campaign. It’s the blessing of
social media that any advertisement which is very attractive and spread out to million of users
as people shares their likes which is followed by other users as well. Interesting and good
content gets viral in just few days and people starts talking about the impact of the content. So,
we plan to create our videos and other content is such a way that it becomes very attractive,
educative & lovable to all people. We dream our content to prevent food waste and share their
foods with people in need creates a huge psychological impact and people willingly starts to
organize their local community to help people in need. Our estimated amount for this promotion
is about Tk. 5 million. Our mission is not only to provide the service only by ALAQ foundation,
rather our mission is to spread the awareness to people and form their own community to help
others.

iv. Public relation: ALAQ foundation will also organize social events, carry out CSR activities to
promote our campaign which will also generate media publicity. We also plan to sponsor many
events, create food collection points, food collection carts, purchase vehicles to collect foods
and dispatch to local slums. We will also hire some known celebrity like Shakib Al Hasan to
promote the campaigns importance to people and guide to help reduce food waste which will
ultimately help our society in many ways. For this platform, we allocated a budget of Tk. 10
million to promote our food waste reduction campaign.

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 Advertising
Tk. 30M

Public Direct
Relation
Tk. 10M
IMC Marketing
Tk. 5M

Social-
media
Marketing
Tk. 5M

M = Million Taka

6. Integrate and Implement Marketing Communication Strategies

Now, after the development of the IMC programs, we need to integrate it all together and implement
our communication strategy to our targeted customers. We need to integrate our objective which
is the reduction of excessive food waste and suggest alternative preventive technique with all of
the promotional mix elements determined. It is vital to integrate the promotional mix with all the
other elements of the marketing mix and to integrate with our objectives. It should be recognized
that each marketing mix element has a potential communications value of its own. We also need

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 to integrate the creative themes of our campaign, concepts and messages across all the numerous
marketing activities.

After the integration, we will now create or start producing the advertisements as planned and
implement it into the market. As our promotional campaign is purely based on creating social
awareness, we need to try and reach almost all possible segments and for such, we need to
produce very creative ads that possess with strong emotional appeal.

We will produce all possible contents as planned above and publish to the respective media with
the allocated budget. All the ads need to be published in all the platform at the same time so that
whenever people come across the awareness campaign, they should see the same message in
every media to create a buzz in the market. This type-high integrated promotion has strong impact
on the minds of target consumer as people even though reluctantly cannot avoid the message we
are trying to communicate and will force people to understand the message and be aware of the
impact.

7. Monitor, Evaluate and Control Integrated Marketing Communication Program

This is the last step where our foundation shall try to monitor and evaluate the performance of our
social awareness campaign. We need to evaluate which of our promotional campaign have higher
effectiveness and which have lower. It’s pretty obvious that human nature retains the status quo
and does hold to whatever they are holding it. So, the job of changing people’s attitude towards
reducing food waste and encouraging to donate or reutilize is extremely difficult. As we do not have
financial constraints, yet, investing into the proper media that brings significant response from the
society is the key to effectiveness. If any of the media isn’t performing well enough, we can simply
reduce the budget and shift rest of the amount to the most-effective platform.

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Reference:
1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550920313622
2. https://www.x-mol.com/paper/1318715927280455680
3. https://www.x-mol.com/paper/1318715927280455680
4. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344778586_Sustainable_food_waste_management_mo
del_for_Bangladesh
5. https://www.slideshare.net/LaValeShare/smartketing-se01-ep03
6. https://images.template.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/05160617/pitch-a-new-integrated-
marketing-communication-plan.pdf
7. https://images.template.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/05160617/pitch-a-new-integrated-
marketing-communication-plan.pdf
8. https://www.coursehero.com/file/p5blf6n/particularly-to-support-a-singular-macropositioning-for-
the-brand-and-3/
9. https://images.template.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/05160617/pitch-a-new-integrated-
marketing-communication-plan.pdf
10. https://pt.scribd.com/document/96258255/nbnfi-fe20031411
11. https://herrypradana.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/integrated-marketing-communication-the-nike-
and-adidas/

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