Progressive IMC Marketing Plan

Order Description
PLEASE USE ACTUAL ” ” WHEN QUOTING! I NEED TO SEE THE QUOTES.

MY NAME IS AMBER, THE PARTS WITH MY NAME NEXT TO IT ARE THE PARTS I NEED WRITTEN OUT.

III. Positioning and Campaign Theme/Big Idea
Creative Strategy- Amber, Megan, Alyssa
Copy Platform- Amber, Megan, Alyssa
We will all share ideas through our group discussion area, but Alyssa will compile and write it up.
iV. Promotional Mix – Amber, Megan, Alyssa
Advertising Media –Amber
Internet/Interactive – Amber
Public Relations – Amber
Creative Brief- Amber 2 pages
Conclusion – Alyssa, Amber, Megan

BELOW IS THE GRADED ASSIGNMENT FOR THE FIRST HALF FOR YOUR REFERENCE:

**** Progressive Insurance
IMC Plan
Alyssa Roman, Amber Steimer & Megan McCauley
Marketing 343 – 50 Integrated Marketing Solutions
Metropolitan State University
Katryna Johnson, Ph. D
Situational Analysis
Industry Analysis

Progressive has steadily risen over the years and has landed among the top insurance providers in the United States. Progressive revolutionized insurance when they offered a “compare” option for the shopper to compare Progressive’s prices with a competitor. Progressive allows customers to access insurance information 24/7. They have evolved with technology and came out better and more successful for it.
Current trends are to be user friendly and convenient. The consumer wants a good price, but appreciates Progressive’s “Name your price” option. Progressive gives the consumer a customized plan and the consumer appreciates that. the consumer now has the option to access their insurance information on their smartphone. This has contributed greatly to Progressive’s success .They have also caught up with the “bundling” trend. Progressive offers insurance for just about anything that needs to be insured: Homes, boats, motorhomes, etc. even though only a handful of locations offer life insurance.
There are many key factors that impact the automobile insurance industry. The economy plays a major roll. Without a working economy, consumers don’t have the money to purchase a car. Without a car, there is no need to pay for automobile insurance. When people are put to work, and the economy is thriving, and there is more money to spend. Technology has helped Progressive advance above competition with new options for users and available help 24/7. The weather is another factor for Progressive. Most accidents happen when the weather is bad; especially in the winter where it snows.
Company Background

It was in March of 1937 when a couple of lawyers decided that investing in an insurance company sounded like a smart idea. Joseph Lewis and Jack Green wanted to give drivers good automobile insurance at a good price. Progressive’s philosophy and vision was to “Reduce the human trauma and economic costs associated with automobile accidents. We do this by providing our customers with services designed to help them get their lives back in order again as quickly as possible. Governing our vision, decisions and behavior are our Core Values — pragmatic statements of what works best for us in the real world” (Progressive Web). Since 1937, the company has succeeded in doing just that: giving the consumer not only what they need, but what they want.
In 1987, the company grew market share by surpassing $1 billion in insurance premiums and acquired a net worth of over $14 billion. Gaining speed and popularity, Progressive grew into the one of the largest insurance groups in the United States. Progressive was the first insurance company to show the quotes of a competitor on their own website. As of last November, Progressive held 8.45% of the market. Today, Progressive is worth over $18 million in premiums. Progressive offers home insurance in select locations.
Product/Brand Information

Progressive Insurance dedicates its personal and auto insurance services to
meeting the expectations of its diverse, cost-conscious consumer base and is increasingly savvy about the auto coverage they provide to their excellent service clients (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015).Progressive features an outstanding market brand – Flo – that has appeared in over 100 advertisements. Since 2008, the company has been known for its use of their spokesperson Flo. Flo has a personality and style that makes her instantly recognized and associated with the brand.
Flo has become a reputable brand mascot in the insurance industry. She has evolved from humble roots as a cashier to a love interest, reality star, and insurance pusher; maintaining relevance in the numerous commercials she features. Progressive rolled out a new campaign in November 2014 featuring Flo trying to discuss her impressive insurance alternatives over dinner with her family. The firm designed the advertisement to establish a strong link with clients, tap into a relatable timeframe, and showcase the range of its campaign that often involves improvisation and supporting characters (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015).
Customer Analysis

The insurance industry tends to have a broad target market since customers of all ages require it, but the bulk of their campaign efforts have been aimed towards young to middle-aged adults and couples (millennial generation) due to their buying power in the market today. Since the instatement of Flo as Progressive’s spokesperson, the target market tends to be: female, age 25 – 44, with an income of $30 – $60k (Patriquin, 2009).
Acquiring new customers is harder than ever for insurance companies because there is only about 1% increase in new customers entering the market each year. In order for insurance companies to acquire substantial customer growth, they must be price competitive. The customer tends to be younger, lower-income and has fewer insurance needs – which allows the companies to focus efforts on lowest-price offers to acquire a larger customer base (Whelan, D., & O’Neil, S. 2014). The most important decision criteria for the consumer are affordability/lowest price and accessibility/ease-of-use.
Competition

The automobile insurance industry is a competitive market. Progressive is ranked one of the highest in the game, but State Farm precedes them and is rated number one. State Farm has been established since 1922. It was founded by insurance salesman George Jacob Mecherle who also happened to be a retired farmer. State Farm is in the top 50 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies and currently holds 18.48% of the market share. (2015 Market) State Farm compares themselves to a good neighbor promising that they will “be there”. The target market for State Farm is the average American family. They use their ads to show how they protect your family, the strategy here is to feel as if they will be protecting you and your family from bad things that can happen. State Farm is most likely rated higher because they insure homes, provide life insurance and plenty of other options, so the customer has the option to bundle. Current advertising for State Farm is familiar with commercials starring the Coneheads and of course, “Jake, from State Farm”. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. holds 10.24% market share in the auto insurance industry. (2015 Market) Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is more commonly known for the companies it owns: GEICO, Wells Fargo, Fruit of the Loom, and Coca Cola Company to name a few. GEICO was established in 1936 and has been a trusted insurance carrier since. Current advertising for GEICO is a gecko who is pretty much living a normal life. He has an accent, and occasionally his wife appears. The GEICO gecko has also been around for quite some time. Nevertheless, the consumer likes him. GEICO’s target market is adults ages 24 to 49 with an average annual income of $30,000; the tech savvy generation who are “more likely to accept the direct approach to auto insurance” (Gold Winner) GEICO is top ranking, and for good reason. They keep up with technology and include nice discounts for their customers. Their revenue for the year of 2014 was over $32 billion dollars. (GEICO)
Allstate Insurance Company holds 9.93% of the market share of the auto insurance industry (2015 Market). You will be in “good hands” with Allstate. Allstate raked in $35.2 billion in revenue last year and is also ranked highest in automotive insurance (Our Story). Allstate objective is to make the consumer feel as if they are in good care and won’t have to panic when bad things happen because they can fix it. Their current ads include a woman in a tight black suit sneaking behind a couple of burglars and replacing that they take and the popular “mayhem” commercials. Allstate’s target market is young working adults and their objective is to be the go to for all kinds of insurance and be a trusted provider who the consumer can rely on. Allstate implements a safe driving discount agreement, and the consumer jumped on it. Their cutting edge technology is keeping their customers satisfied.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
• Effective leadership by management
• Efficient workforce
• Strong liquidity and financial base
• High responsiveness to clients’ needs and preferences
• Established and reliable relationship with retailers
• Strong brand recognition
Opportunities
• Comparatively higher competitive advantage
• Maintenance of an effective marketing strategy with the use of relevant marketing tools.
• Grow and strengthen the loyal client base
• Growth in their other product line offerings
Weaknesses
• Focus on a limited geographical scope
• High cost of operations
• Inability to scale to compete with other significant players
Threats
• Stiff competition
• Rapidly changing consumer tastes and preferences
• Prevalent economic crises and natural disasters
• Constant consumer need of a lower price
Strengths: Progressive Insurance adopts a relatively aggressive and client-oriented marketing strategy. The firm launched its website in 1995 to complement its traditional promotional strategy. Since then, its digital infrastructure has become very interactive by incorporating new technologies like mobile transaction that create more possibilities,
scale-up its value chain, and elevate its competition position (Heatherman, Swanepoel &
O’Rourke, 2015).
Weaknesses: High operation costs compromise the company’s profit margin. Also, stiff
competition coupled with constant changes in customer expectations and preferences
strain the firm’s performance (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015). For example,
other major players with stronger and long established brands such 21st
Century Holding Company, GEICO, and Allstate Corporation (Heatherman, Swanepoel
& O’Rourke, 2015). This situation limits Progressive’s market excellence.
Opportunities: The firm invests heavily on its insurance agents to optimize service delivery that adds value to the customer; positioning in a competitive edge over its competitors. It entered a gold partnership in the IIAAs National Communications Program, demonstrating its commitment to employee development and motivation. This has led to the company retaining loyal customers who are committed to their products.
There is a trend in consumer preference for insurance: one-stop shopping. Progressive has the capability of offering its diverse supply of product offerings to the consumer in one transaction.
Threats: Increased financial crises, natural disasters, and fraudulent insurance claims stretch the company’s claim settlement capacity and increase its claim losses.
Younger generations have a high understanding of newer technologies (phone apps, social media) and consider these technologies a basic requirement for companies. Keeping ahead of competition when it comes to technology is a constant and costly race.

Promotion Analysis
Promotion
Progressive is currently running a series of ads that feature different “tools” to save money. The “name your price tool” ads show customers telling Flo what they want to pay, and she uses a tool to build a plan to fit in their budget. The “bundle machine” shows customers how much they can save if they combine services with Progressive. The campaign focuses on tactics that cater to their price-sensitive market. Progressive has a history of being ahead of its competition; it was the first company to sell auto insurance online in 1997. It was also the company to popularize installment payment plans for insurance premiums, and pay as you drive insurance (Progressive.com, 2015).
Current/Past Promotion Programs
In 2008, the company introduced MyRate (now known as Snapshot). This is a device that consumers plug into their car. Data is collected and analyzed to give eligible customers a discount based on driving characteristics, such as: speed, mileage, and breaking habits. According to the 2015 Customer Loyalty Engagement Survey, Progressive ranked #1 in how well companies fulfilled consumer expectations regarding safe driving premium discounts (Passikoff, R. 2015). This program also caused some drivers to receive an increase in their premium based on their driving habits.
In 2008, Flo was introduced as their spokesperson. Progressive used Flo as a means to raise their brand awareness and set themselves apart from the strong competition in the industry. Her quirky personality gave life to the brand by giving the consumers someone to relate to. Flo resonated with their target market; people felt connected to her. Flo was used throughout a variety of advertisements that have worked well to build a brand consumers can identify with today. After nearly 8 years, the company is facing a strong weakness in this campaign – its lifespan. The threat of wearout is a real possibility for the company in the near future, and it will lose effectiveness in reaching the consumer. This is not surprising since Progressive has expanded the number of product/services they offer and promote, and have continued to use Flo as the spokesperson for all of these additions. Progressive must stay ahead of this issue to prevent loss of consumer interest in the brand.
According to USA today, the humorous ads that insurance companies have been using are not generating significant profitable growth (Strauss, 2012). The large insurance companies in the industry are competing with each other to have the funniest ad in order to raise their own brand awareness. In this race to have the most memorable ad, insurance companies’ ad spending has increased by 60% since 2007 (Straus, 2012). Continuing to sink money into an ad campaign competition is a slippery slope, and will only make it more difficult for the company to stay price competitive. Progressive has a rare opportunity to do something different from the rest of the industry, which could make them more memorable to the consumer who is currently being bombarded with humorous insurance ads.
References
2015 Market Research Report on Insurance Industry. (2015, September 2).

Danise, A. (2014, November 21). Largest auto insurance companies by market share.

GEICO’s Financial Strength. (n.d.).

Gold Level Winner Geico – DMA Marketing Award – Award Winner Geico | Marketing EDGE. (2015).

Mayhem is Everywhere, Are you Prepared? (n.d.).

Our Story at Allstate | Bringing Good to Life. (2015).

Passikoff, R. (2015, March 31). Progressive Adds ‘Bad Driver’ Surveillance To Snapshot Telematics. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com

Patriquin, Alex. (2009, July, 2009). Progressive Insurance Gets Flo Going With Women Followers. Retrieved from https://blog.compete.com/2009/07/23/progressive-flo-msn-ad-effectiveness/

Progressive Auto Insurance – A History. (n.d.). Web.

Progressive Auto Insurance – An Introduction. (n.d.). Web.

State Farm Companies – State Farm®. (n.d.).

State Farm® Commercial – State of Unrest (Jake).mp4. (2013).

Strauss, Gary. (2012, July 26). Except for discounters, insurers’ funny ads not paying off. USA Today.com Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com

Whelan, D., & O’Neil, S. (2014, June 18). Customer loyalty in P&C insurance: US edition 2014. Retrieved from http://www.bain.com *****

IMC PLAN
-An integrated marketing communications (IMC) plan provides the framework for developing, implementing and controlling an organizations IMC program. IMC involves coordinating promotional elements such as advertising, sales promotions, and social media.

The main quality that distinguishes an IMC plan from a collection of ideas and ads is CONTINUITY/UNITY.

Executive Summary??I. Situational Analysis
A. A brief industry Analysis (one to two paragraphs)
B. A brief description of the company background (one to two ? paragraphs)
C. A brief competitor analysis (two or three paragraphs)
D. A brief description of customers and prospects (two or three ? paragraphs)
E. Brand/product description (sales, how it got started, ? customer loyalty – two or three paragraphs)
F. SWOT and discussion (approximately ½ page table and ½ ? page discussion)

Current Promotional Strategy Analysis
What is being done with the promotional mix? ? (advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, ? publicity, direct marketing, and interactive ? marketing)
III. Creative Strategy
A. What are your objectives
B. What’s the Big or Iconic Idea?
C. What types of appeals will be used?
D. How will your brand/products be positioned?

IV. Promotional Mix and Creative Tactics
A. What promotional mix elements will you use in your ? campaign? (advertising, sales promotion, personal ? selling, publicity, direct marketing, and interactive ? marketing)
B. Include examples of all creative components in your ? campaign. This is an IMC course. It is expected that ? you will have multiple examples in your campaign.
V. Campaign Evaluation
A. What techniques do you suggest using to test your ? promotional mix elements while you are working ? on the campaign and after the campaign?

** REQUIRED LENGTHS FOR EACH TOPIC VERY IMPORTANT! **

Introduction
The purpose of the assignment is to complete an Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign Plan (Advertising Plan – the terms are used interchangeably) of an existing product (not a company). A campaign plan outlines the creative process to achieve the “big idea” or goal of the campaign. A key to a good campaign is to maintain continuity throughout the promotional mix when executing a campaign. Deciding upon your message, what media to use and your specific tactics are all part of your campaign plan.
When choosing a brand – it is essential that a team spends adequate time researching a brand to ensure that the brand needs a new campaign. Part of this research will require a SWOT analysis. It is much easier to do an IMC plan on a product than on a retailer. It is much easier to do a plan on a public than a private brand for finding information. The first two sections of the plan require research to understand where the current state of the product, the customer, the market place and the market. The last three sections of the plan are creative based on the research. The IMC plan is not a marketing plan. It is similar in that you do a SWOT, but your SWOT focuses on promotions.
All plans begin with a situation analysis including a SWOT to determine where your company, product/brand is in terms of positioning. You next analyze your current promotional mix activities and then determine what you want to change. Your focus should then be on developing the creative component which means determining what your message will be and what type of appeals you will use. Next, choose the media will you use, where will you place your ads, the interactive media you will use, and if will you use radio, TV, etc. You need to include examples of print ads you will create, or promotional pieces you will use. This is not a graphic arts class, but you can get images off the web to support the types of ideas you want to appear in your promotional campaign.
Each ad agency develops campaign plans slightly differently. Each text or book lays out the specific criteria a little bit differently. You have a detailed outline below. The big picture for you campaign plan is this:
Situation analysis
marketing and promotional strategy
creative strategy
media selection
evaluation.
Formation of Teams and Ideas
You should form your own teams. Each team is to assume the role of a full-service agency charged with the responsibility of preparing a complete IMC plan for a designated client. In each case, your instructor acts in the role of the client. Each agency should adopt a formal name.

You need to work in teams of three to four people and you will be graded as a group on the written portion of your project for your final presentation. You must choose an existing brand because you need to conduct a SWOT and an analysis of the current campaign, and this can only occur for products that currently exist (not prototypes). You must have your brand approved by the professor. It is easier to find information on brands and companies that are public.
Sample IMC Plans
Several examples of IMC campaign plans are provided in the content area.
Do not limit yourself just to the ideas in the outline. This outline provides the minimum requirements. You should also look at in chapter 10 at Figure 10-2 in your text for more information on campaign plans. The main focus of your project should be on analyzing the current IMC strategy (the marketing mix) of your brand, on developing the creative strategy for your brand and determining the most effective allocation of the promotional mix and which media to use.

Examples of creative elements should be directly inserted into your IMC plan. All examples of Promotions should be included in the paper (section IV). Appendices are used for supplementary material. All page lenghts refer to writing. Graphics may increase the overall all page length, but writing of sections I-V should be kept to a maximum of 25 double spaced pages (excluding cover page, executive summary, and references).
Campaign Plan Outline
Title Page:
The title page should include:

Name of client and product Course Number and Title
Name of your team University Name
Name of your team members Professor’s Name
Executive Summary
A summary (maximum: two pages) of exactly what your IMC plan involves. Among the items to include are:
Major target audiences
Campaign objectives
Campaign theme/slogan
Summary of media used
Rationale for each major element and each medium
Evaluation program
The Executive Summary may be arranged in any fashion, but it has to pack a wallop. Remember, the basic purpose of the Executive Summary is to inform top officials at the client organization exactly what you are proposing — in one or two pages. Be precise. Be complete. Organizing the Executive Summary (as well as other sections of the promotion campaign plan) in a bullet-type format is one effective way to present your material.
I. Situation Analysis
The following sections are included in the situation analysis: industry analysis, company background, product/brand information, customer analysis and a SWOT analysis.
Industry Analysis (approximately 2-3 paragraphs, 1/2 – 1 page)
The industry analysis should include the following information:
Growth
Current Trends/Developments Affecting the Promotion Program
Macroenvironment Factors and Issues (e.g., demographic, economic, technological, political, legal, social, cultural, environmental)
Company Background (approximatly 1-2 paragraphs, 1/2 page)
The company background should include the following information:
Mission, Business Philosophy
Resources
Sales History & Market Share
Product/Brand Information (approximately 2 paragraphs of writing, 1/2 page)
This section provides information on the product/service that constitutes the focus of the campaign. Do not list out all the products or product lines.
Key Benefits
Current Brand Image & Positioning
Customer/Buyer Analysis (approximately approximately, 2-3 paragraphs of writing, 1/2 page to 1 page)
Describe the current target market(s) for the product and their characteristics.
Target Markets
User Profile (demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioristic factors)
Who Buys the Product and influences the purchase decision
What Decision Criteria are used
Competition (2-3 paragraphs, 1/2 – 1 page)
Who are the top 2 or 3 main competitors for the product?
Key Competitors (each considered separately)
Market Shares, Sales, Growth
Target Markets, Positioning, Marketing Objectives & Strategies
Current Advertising, Sales Promotion, Public Relations, and Direct Marketing Programs
SWOT Table and Discussion (Table 1/2 page – 1 page, discussion 1-2 pages)
SWOT Table – Provide a Table of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The table must be on one page only.
Discuss Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and provide sources that back up your analysis.
II. Promotional Program Situational Analysis
Need to identify previous and current promotional mix.
Current/Past Promotion Programs (approximately 1 1/2 – 2 pages)
What is being done with the promotional mix? (advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, publicity, direct marketing, and interactive marketing). Provide a detailed review on previous and current promotion programs, message and media strategies. Assess strengths and weaknesses of the current campaign as this provides the basis for why you need a new campaign! Failure to include this analysis of strengths and weaknesses will result in a 5 point deduction.
Sections 1 and 2 should have a maximum of 8 double spaced pages not incuding the title page or references. You need 10 references for sections I and II.
III. Creative Strategy
Positioning and the Big Idea (Campaign Theme) (1-2 pages of writing)

The Campaign Theme or the Big Idea is the image you want your product to have in the minds of the target market; how you want your product perceived relative to the competition; it is the basis for all your communications. What is the new idea for the campaign.
Positioning Strategy
(e.g., by product difference, by key attribute or benefit, by usage, against a specific competitor(s), by users of the product)
Positioning Statement -discusses what is unique about your brand and relates it to your target market.
Campaign Theme – Big Idea (i.e., the slogan)
Creative Brief/Copy Platform (approximately 2 pages)
Advertising and Communication Objectives (what the advertising is supposed to do)
Example: To increase awareness …
Example: To persuade the target audience that …
Example: To create Interest
Example: To stimulate demand…
Example: To reinforce the brand…
Helpful Link Sales Promotion Objectives
Objective Example: To achieve a 80 reach and a frequency level of 3 with the proposed commercial.
Target Audience (if this has changed from the current campaign – explain why. Explain how campaign theme meets the needs of the target audience)
Advertising Strategy
(what the advertising is attempting to communicate; i.e., the benefit, problem solution or other advantage that is the value of the product — physical or psychological)
Example: Use of this product will allow you to recover more quickly after strenuous exercise.
Advertising Appeals
(how the advertising stimulates interest and influences feelings)
Example: emotional including fear, humor, pleasure; informational/rationale; transformational; reminder; teaser; demonstration; comparative…
Execution Format –
(What techniques/tactics will be used to implement the IMC plan)
Example: this is just a brief overview of the section IV indicating what parts of the promotional mix will be be executed (implemented). A few sentences to state out of the promotional mix which ones fit the brand and target market.
Make sure the Rationale for Creative Recommendations is discussed
IV. Promotional Mix (approximately 6-8 pages of writing, examples of ads, social media, sales promotions etc should be included but are not part of the writing limit. This discussion is on the teams’s Big Idea, do not repeat information from section II). To receive an A on this paper the team must include multiple examples of the promotional mix.
Begin with an introduction to your promotional mix and creative section. You need to include examples of your promotional mix for you new campaign theme. For instance, will you have print ads? Your slogan needs to be the same on your print ad, on your coupon and on your direct mail piece as this is an Integrated Marketing Campaign. If you choose not to use one of the promotional mix elements, that is fine if it does not fit your product. This is a marketing class, not a graphic arts class. You will notice in the example papers that there are graphics that are quite good because typically one person in a group has good graphic skills. With that noted, please do not overly concern yourself with graphics. You may hand draw your images. If you want to hand draw a billboard, an ad, a coupon, it is fine. Make sure to include some examples.
Advertising Media
This section can incorporate broadcast, radio and print.
Broadcast
The storyboard, if it is consistent with the rest of the IMC plan, can be incorporated into this section. What are the objectives and
rationale for using broadcast. Will advertising be run on cable, network or both? Which of the major cable networks are most
appropriate for your target audience? Are the advertisements spot, national spots, or local? Explain objectives and strategies for
broadcast. Provide a storyboard.
Objective Example: To achieve a 80 reach and a frequency level of 3 with the proposed commercial.
Radio
What are the objectives and rationale for using radio? What radio format best meets the needs of the target audience? (Can use the Arbitron table in the text). Provide a brief script if using.
Objective Example: Increase radio advertising by 5.0% for audience aged 25-34 who
listen to adult contemporary music.
Print
Will magazines and newspapers be used? What are the objectives and rationale? Be specific on the types of magazines or
Newspapers that will be used. (Business Week, People, Minnesota Business, Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis Star Tribune).
Provide examples of ads. .
Support and Outdoor Media
Any type of support or nontraditional media can be discussed here with examples. Product placements, product integration, transit advertising, mobile billboards, outdoor media and others can be used here. Provide objectives and rationale. Provide examples.
Sales Promotion – Consumer
What consumer sales promotions would be appropriate for your product and target audience. Discuss objectives, rationale and provide examples.
Sales Promotions – Trade
What trade sales promotions would be appropriate for your product and target audience. Discuss objectives, rationale and provide examples.
Direct Marketing
What combination of direct marketing will be used? Direct mail, electronic, print media, telemarketing, catalog, kiosk, face-to-face selling? Use as many methods as needed to fit your objectives, provide a rationale and examples.
Internet/Interactive
Every company needs some type of Internet presence. What specific objectives will your company have on the Internet. Will your company engage in social media? What are your objectives, strategies and rationale? Provide examples.
Public Relations
This includes press releases, press conferences, special events, and cause-related efforts. Provide your objectives, a rationale and examples. Provide examples.
Personal Selling
Is personal selling appropriate for your product. What type of training will be used? What objectives will be used? Discuss rationale.
V. Campaign Evaluation (approximately 2 pages)
Measurem

Progressive IMC Marketing Plan

Order Description
PLEASE USE ACTUAL ” ” WHEN QUOTING! I NEED TO SEE THE QUOTES.

MY NAME IS AMBER, THE PARTS WITH MY NAME NEXT TO IT ARE THE PARTS I NEED WRITTEN OUT.

III. Positioning and Campaign Theme/Big Idea
Creative Strategy- Amber, Megan, Alyssa
Copy Platform- Amber, Megan, Alyssa
We will all share ideas through our group discussion area, but Alyssa will compile and write it up.
iV. Promotional Mix – Amber, Megan, Alyssa
Advertising Media –Amber
Internet/Interactive – Amber
Public Relations – Amber
Creative Brief- Amber 2 pages
Conclusion – Alyssa, Amber, Megan

BELOW IS THE GRADED ASSIGNMENT FOR THE FIRST HALF FOR YOUR REFERENCE:

**** Progressive Insurance
IMC Plan
Alyssa Roman, Amber Steimer & Megan McCauley
Marketing 343 – 50 Integrated Marketing Solutions
Metropolitan State University
Katryna Johnson, Ph. D
Situational Analysis
Industry Analysis

Progressive has steadily risen over the years and has landed among the top insurance providers in the United States. Progressive revolutionized insurance when they offered a “compare” option for the shopper to compare Progressive’s prices with a competitor. Progressive allows customers to access insurance information 24/7. They have evolved with technology and came out better and more successful for it.
Current trends are to be user friendly and convenient. The consumer wants a good price, but appreciates Progressive’s “Name your price” option. Progressive gives the consumer a customized plan and the consumer appreciates that. the consumer now has the option to access their insurance information on their smartphone. This has contributed greatly to Progressive’s success .They have also caught up with the “bundling” trend. Progressive offers insurance for just about anything that needs to be insured: Homes, boats, motorhomes, etc. even though only a handful of locations offer life insurance.
There are many key factors that impact the automobile insurance industry. The economy plays a major roll. Without a working economy, consumers don’t have the money to purchase a car. Without a car, there is no need to pay for automobile insurance. When people are put to work, and the economy is thriving, and there is more money to spend. Technology has helped Progressive advance above competition with new options for users and available help 24/7. The weather is another factor for Progressive. Most accidents happen when the weather is bad; especially in the winter where it snows.
Company Background

It was in March of 1937 when a couple of lawyers decided that investing in an insurance company sounded like a smart idea. Joseph Lewis and Jack Green wanted to give drivers good automobile insurance at a good price. Progressive’s philosophy and vision was to “Reduce the human trauma and economic costs associated with automobile accidents. We do this by providing our customers with services designed to help them get their lives back in order again as quickly as possible. Governing our vision, decisions and behavior are our Core Values — pragmatic statements of what works best for us in the real world” (Progressive Web). Since 1937, the company has succeeded in doing just that: giving the consumer not only what they need, but what they want.
In 1987, the company grew market share by surpassing $1 billion in insurance premiums and acquired a net worth of over $14 billion. Gaining speed and popularity, Progressive grew into the one of the largest insurance groups in the United States. Progressive was the first insurance company to show the quotes of a competitor on their own website. As of last November, Progressive held 8.45% of the market. Today, Progressive is worth over $18 million in premiums. Progressive offers home insurance in select locations.
Product/Brand Information

Progressive Insurance dedicates its personal and auto insurance services to
meeting the expectations of its diverse, cost-conscious consumer base and is increasingly savvy about the auto coverage they provide to their excellent service clients (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015).Progressive features an outstanding market brand – Flo – that has appeared in over 100 advertisements. Since 2008, the company has been known for its use of their spokesperson Flo. Flo has a personality and style that makes her instantly recognized and associated with the brand.
Flo has become a reputable brand mascot in the insurance industry. She has evolved from humble roots as a cashier to a love interest, reality star, and insurance pusher; maintaining relevance in the numerous commercials she features. Progressive rolled out a new campaign in November 2014 featuring Flo trying to discuss her impressive insurance alternatives over dinner with her family. The firm designed the advertisement to establish a strong link with clients, tap into a relatable timeframe, and showcase the range of its campaign that often involves improvisation and supporting characters (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015).
Customer Analysis

The insurance industry tends to have a broad target market since customers of all ages require it, but the bulk of their campaign efforts have been aimed towards young to middle-aged adults and couples (millennial generation) due to their buying power in the market today. Since the instatement of Flo as Progressive’s spokesperson, the target market tends to be: female, age 25 – 44, with an income of $30 – $60k (Patriquin, 2009).
Acquiring new customers is harder than ever for insurance companies because there is only about 1% increase in new customers entering the market each year. In order for insurance companies to acquire substantial customer growth, they must be price competitive. The customer tends to be younger, lower-income and has fewer insurance needs – which allows the companies to focus efforts on lowest-price offers to acquire a larger customer base (Whelan, D., & O’Neil, S. 2014). The most important decision criteria for the consumer are affordability/lowest price and accessibility/ease-of-use.
Competition

The automobile insurance industry is a competitive market. Progressive is ranked one of the highest in the game, but State Farm precedes them and is rated number one. State Farm has been established since 1922. It was founded by insurance salesman George Jacob Mecherle who also happened to be a retired farmer. State Farm is in the top 50 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies and currently holds 18.48% of the market share. (2015 Market) State Farm compares themselves to a good neighbor promising that they will “be there”. The target market for State Farm is the average American family. They use their ads to show how they protect your family, the strategy here is to feel as if they will be protecting you and your family from bad things that can happen. State Farm is most likely rated higher because they insure homes, provide life insurance and plenty of other options, so the customer has the option to bundle. Current advertising for State Farm is familiar with commercials starring the Coneheads and of course, “Jake, from State Farm”. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. holds 10.24% market share in the auto insurance industry. (2015 Market) Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is more commonly known for the companies it owns: GEICO, Wells Fargo, Fruit of the Loom, and Coca Cola Company to name a few. GEICO was established in 1936 and has been a trusted insurance carrier since. Current advertising for GEICO is a gecko who is pretty much living a normal life. He has an accent, and occasionally his wife appears. The GEICO gecko has also been around for quite some time. Nevertheless, the consumer likes him. GEICO’s target market is adults ages 24 to 49 with an average annual income of $30,000; the tech savvy generation who are “more likely to accept the direct approach to auto insurance” (Gold Winner) GEICO is top ranking, and for good reason. They keep up with technology and include nice discounts for their customers. Their revenue for the year of 2014 was over $32 billion dollars. (GEICO)
Allstate Insurance Company holds 9.93% of the market share of the auto insurance industry (2015 Market). You will be in “good hands” with Allstate. Allstate raked in $35.2 billion in revenue last year and is also ranked highest in automotive insurance (Our Story). Allstate objective is to make the consumer feel as if they are in good care and won’t have to panic when bad things happen because they can fix it. Their current ads include a woman in a tight black suit sneaking behind a couple of burglars and replacing that they take and the popular “mayhem” commercials. Allstate’s target market is young working adults and their objective is to be the go to for all kinds of insurance and be a trusted provider who the consumer can rely on. Allstate implements a safe driving discount agreement, and the consumer jumped on it. Their cutting edge technology is keeping their customers satisfied.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
• Effective leadership by management
• Efficient workforce
• Strong liquidity and financial base
• High responsiveness to clients’ needs and preferences
• Established and reliable relationship with retailers
• Strong brand recognition
Opportunities
• Comparatively higher competitive advantage
• Maintenance of an effective marketing strategy with the use of relevant marketing tools.
• Grow and strengthen the loyal client base
• Growth in their other product line offerings
Weaknesses
• Focus on a limited geographical scope
• High cost of operations
• Inability to scale to compete with other significant players
Threats
• Stiff competition
• Rapidly changing consumer tastes and preferences
• Prevalent economic crises and natural disasters
• Constant consumer need of a lower price
Strengths: Progressive Insurance adopts a relatively aggressive and client-oriented marketing strategy. The firm launched its website in 1995 to complement its traditional promotional strategy. Since then, its digital infrastructure has become very interactive by incorporating new technologies like mobile transaction that create more possibilities,
scale-up its value chain, and elevate its competition position (Heatherman, Swanepoel &
O’Rourke, 2015).
Weaknesses: High operation costs compromise the company’s profit margin. Also, stiff
competition coupled with constant changes in customer expectations and preferences
strain the firm’s performance (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015). For example,
other major players with stronger and long established brands such 21st
Century Holding Company, GEICO, and Allstate Corporation (Heatherman, Swanepoel
& O’Rourke, 2015). This situation limits Progressive’s market excellence.
Opportunities: The firm invests heavily on its insurance agents to optimize service delivery that adds value to the customer; positioning in a competitive edge over its competitors. It entered a gold partnership in the IIAAs National Communications Program, demonstrating its commitment to employee development and motivation. This has led to the company retaining loyal customers who are committed to their products.
There is a trend in consumer preference for insurance: one-stop shopping. Progressive has the capability of offering its diverse supply of product offerings to the consumer in one transaction.
Threats: Increased financial crises, natural disasters, and fraudulent insurance claims stretch the company’s claim settlement capacity and increase its claim losses.
Younger generations have a high understanding of newer technologies (phone apps, social media) and consider these technologies a basic requirement for companies. Keeping ahead of competition when it comes to technology is a constant and costly race.

Promotion Analysis
Promotion
Progressive is currently running a series of ads that feature different “tools” to save money. The “name your price tool” ads show customers telling Flo what they want to pay, and she uses a tool to build a plan to fit in their budget. The “bundle machine” shows customers how much they can save if they combine services with Progressive. The campaign focuses on tactics that cater to their price-sensitive market. Progressive has a history of being ahead of its competition; it was the first company to sell auto insurance online in 1997. It was also the company to popularize installment payment plans for insurance premiums, and pay as you drive insurance (Progressive.com, 2015).
Current/Past Promotion Programs
In 2008, the company introduced MyRate (now known as Snapshot). This is a device that consumers plug into their car. Data is collected and analyzed to give eligible customers a discount based on driving characteristics, such as: speed, mileage, and breaking habits. According to the 2015 Customer Loyalty Engagement Survey, Progressive ranked #1 in how well companies fulfilled consumer expectations regarding safe driving premium discounts (Passikoff, R. 2015). This program also caused some drivers to receive an increase in their premium based on their driving habits.
In 2008, Flo was introduced as their spokesperson. Progressive used Flo as a means to raise their brand awareness and set themselves apart from the strong competition in the industry. Her quirky personality gave life to the brand by giving the consumers someone to relate to. Flo resonated with their target market; people felt connected to her. Flo was used throughout a variety of advertisements that have worked well to build a brand consumers can identify with today. After nearly 8 years, the company is facing a strong weakness in this campaign – its lifespan. The threat of wearout is a real possibility for the company in the near future, and it will lose effectiveness in reaching the consumer. This is not surprising since Progressive has expanded the number of product/services they offer and promote, and have continued to use Flo as the spokesperson for all of these additions. Progressive must stay ahead of this issue to prevent loss of consumer interest in the brand.
According to USA today, the humorous ads that insurance companies have been using are not generating significant profitable growth (Strauss, 2012). The large insurance companies in the industry are competing with each other to have the funniest ad in order to raise their own brand awareness. In this race to have the most memorable ad, insurance companies’ ad spending has increased by 60% since 2007 (Straus, 2012). Continuing to sink money into an ad campaign competition is a slippery slope, and will only make it more difficult for the company to stay price competitive. Progressive has a rare opportunity to do something different from the rest of the industry, which could make them more memorable to the consumer who is currently being bombarded with humorous insurance ads.
References
2015 Market Research Report on Insurance Industry. (2015, September 2).

Danise, A. (2014, November 21). Largest auto insurance companies by market share.

GEICO’s Financial Strength. (n.d.).

Gold Level Winner Geico – DMA Marketing Award – Award Winner Geico | Marketing EDGE. (2015).

Mayhem is Everywhere, Are you Prepared? (n.d.).

Our Story at Allstate | Bringing Good to Life. (2015).

Passikoff, R. (2015, March 31). Progressive Adds ‘Bad Driver’ Surveillance To Snapshot Telematics. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com

Patriquin, Alex. (2009, July, 2009). Progressive Insurance Gets Flo Going With Women Followers. Retrieved from https://blog.compete.com/2009/07/23/progressive-flo-msn-ad-effectiveness/

Progressive Auto Insurance – A History. (n.d.). Web.

Progressive Auto Insurance – An Introduction. (n.d.). Web.

State Farm Companies – State Farm®. (n.d.).

State Farm® Commercial – State of Unrest (Jake).mp4. (2013).

Strauss, Gary. (2012, July 26). Except for discounters, insurers’ funny ads not paying off. USA Today.com Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com

Whelan, D., & O’Neil, S. (2014, June 18). Customer loyalty in P&C insurance: US edition 2014. Retrieved from http://www.bain.com *****

IMC PLAN
-An integrated marketing communications (IMC) plan provides the framework for developing, implementing and controlling an organizations IMC program. IMC involves coordinating promotional elements such as advertising, sales promotions, and social media.

The main quality that distinguishes an IMC plan from a collection of ideas and ads is CONTINUITY/UNITY.

Executive SummaryI. Situational Analysis
A. A brief industry Analysis (one to two paragraphs)
B. A brief description of the company background (one to two  paragraphs)
C. A brief competitor analysis (two or three paragraphs)
D. A brief description of customers and prospects (two or three  paragraphs)
E. Brand/product description (sales, how it got started,  customer loyalty – two or three paragraphs)
F. SWOT and discussion (approximately ½ page table and ½  page discussion)

Current Promotional Strategy Analysis
What is being done with the promotional mix?  (advertising, sales promotion, personal selling,  publicity, direct marketing, and interactive  marketing)
III. Creative Strategy
A. What are your objectives
B. What’s the Big or Iconic Idea?
C. What types of appeals will be used?
D. How will your brand/products be positioned?

IV. Promotional Mix and Creative Tactics
A. What promotional mix elements will you use in your  campaign? (advertising, sales promotion, personal  selling, publicity, direct marketing, and interactive  marketing)
B. Include examples of all creative components in your  campaign. This is an IMC course. It is expected that  you will have multiple examples in your campaign.
V. Campaign Evaluation
A. What techniques do you suggest using to test your  promotional mix elements while you are working  on the campaign and after the campaign?

** REQUIRED LENGTHS FOR EACH TOPIC VERY IMPORTANT! **

Introduction
The purpose of the assignment is to complete an Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign Plan (Advertising Plan – the terms are used interchangeably) of an existing product (not a company). A campaign plan outlines the creative process to achieve the “big idea” or goal of the campaign. A key to a good campaign is to maintain continuity throughout the promotional mix when executing a campaign. Deciding upon your message, what media to use and your specific tactics are all part of your campaign plan.
When choosing a brand – it is essential that a team spends adequate time researching a brand to ensure that the brand needs a new campaign. Part of this research will require a SWOT analysis. It is much easier to do an IMC plan on a product than on a retailer. It is much easier to do a plan on a public than a private brand for finding information. The first two sections of the plan require research to understand where the current state of the product, the customer, the market place and the market. The last three sections of the plan are creative based on the research. The IMC plan is not a marketing plan. It is similar in that you do a SWOT, but your SWOT focuses on promotions.
All plans begin with a situation analysis including a SWOT to determine where your company, product/brand is in terms of positioning. You next analyze your current promotional mix activities and then determine what you want to change. Your focus should then be on developing the creative component which means determining what your message will be and what type of appeals you will use. Next, choose the media will you use, where will you place your ads, the interactive media you will use, and if will you use radio, TV, etc. You need to include examples of print ads you will create, or promotional pieces you will use. This is not a graphic arts class, but you can get images off the web to support the types of ideas you want to appear in your promotional campaign.
Each ad agency develops campaign plans slightly differently. Each text or book lays out the specific criteria a little bit differently. You have a detailed outline below. The big picture for you campaign plan is this:
Situation analysis
marketing and promotional strategy
creative strategy
media selection
evaluation.
Formation of Teams and Ideas
You should form your own teams. Each team is to assume the role of a full-service agency charged with the responsibility of preparing a complete IMC plan for a designated client. In each case, your instructor acts in the role of the client. Each agency should adopt a formal name.

You need to work in teams of three to four people and you will be graded as a group on the written portion of your project for your final presentation. You must choose an existing brand because you need to conduct a SWOT and an analysis of the current campaign, and this can only occur for products that currently exist (not prototypes). You must have your brand approved by the professor. It is easier to find information on brands and companies that are public.
Sample IMC Plans
Several examples of IMC campaign plans are provided in the content area.
Do not limit yourself just to the ideas in the outline. This outline provides the minimum requirements. You should also look at in chapter 10 at Figure 10-2 in your text for more information on campaign plans. The main focus of your project should be on analyzing the current IMC strategy (the marketing mix) of your brand, on developing the creative strategy for your brand and determining the most effective allocation of the promotional mix and which media to use.

Examples of creative elements should be directly inserted into your IMC plan. All examples of Promotions should be included in the paper (section IV). Appendices are used for supplementary material. All page lenghts refer to writing. Graphics may increase the overall all page length, but writing of sections I-V should be kept to a maximum of 25 double spaced pages (excluding cover page, executive summary, and references).
Campaign Plan Outline
Title Page:
The title page should include:

Name of client and product Course Number and Title
Name of your team University Name
Name of your team members Professor’s Name
Executive Summary
A summary (maximum: two pages) of exactly what your IMC plan involves. Among the items to include are:
Major target audiences
Campaign objectives
Campaign theme/slogan
Summary of media used
Rationale for each major element and each medium
Evaluation program
The Executive Summary may be arranged in any fashion, but it has to pack a wallop. Remember, the basic purpose of the Executive Summary is to inform top officials at the client organization exactly what you are proposing — in one or two pages. Be precise. Be complete. Organizing the Executive Summary (as well as other sections of the promotion campaign plan) in a bullet-type format is one effective way to present your material.
I. Situation Analysis
The following sections are included in the situation analysis: industry analysis, company background, product/brand information, customer analysis and a SWOT analysis.
Industry Analysis (approximately 2-3 paragraphs, 1/2 – 1 page)
The industry analysis should include the following information:
Growth
Current Trends/Developments Affecting the Promotion Program
Macroenvironment Factors and Issues (e.g., demographic, economic, technological, political, legal, social, cultural, environmental)
Company Background (approximatly 1-2 paragraphs, 1/2 page)
The company background should include the following information:
Mission, Business Philosophy
Resources
Sales History & Market Share
Product/Brand Information (approximately 2 paragraphs of writing, 1/2 page)
This section provides information on the product/service that constitutes the focus of the campaign. Do not list out all the products or product lines.
Key Benefits
Current Brand Image & Positioning
Customer/Buyer Analysis (approximately approximately, 2-3 paragraphs of writing, 1/2 page to 1 page)
Describe the current target market(s) for the product and their characteristics.
Target Markets
User Profile (demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioristic factors)
Who Buys the Product and influences the purchase decision
What Decision Criteria are used
Competition (2-3 paragraphs, 1/2 – 1 page)
Who are the top 2 or 3 main competitors for the product?
Key Competitors (each considered separately)
Market Shares, Sales, Growth
Target Markets, Positioning, Marketing Objectives & Strategies
Current Advertising, Sales Promotion, Public Relations, and Direct Marketing Programs
SWOT Table and Discussion (Table 1/2 page – 1 page, discussion 1-2 pages)
SWOT Table – Provide a Table of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The table must be on one page only.
Discuss Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and provide sources that back up your analysis.
II. Promotional Program Situational Analysis
Need to identify previous and current promotional mix.
Current/Past Promotion Programs (approximately 1 1/2 – 2 pages)
What is being done with the promotional mix? (advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, publicity, direct marketing, and interactive marketing). Provide a detailed review on previous and current promotion programs, message and media strategies. Assess strengths and weaknesses of the current campaign as this provides the basis for why you need a new campaign! Failure to include this analysis of strengths and weaknesses will result in a 5 point deduction.
Sections 1 and 2 should have a maximum of 8 double spaced pages not incuding the title page or references. You need 10 references for sections I and II.
III. Creative Strategy
Positioning and the Big Idea (Campaign Theme) (1-2 pages of writing)

The Campaign Theme or the Big Idea is the image you want your product to have in the minds of the target market; how you want your product perceived relative to the competition; it is the basis for all your communications. What is the new idea for the campaign.
Positioning Strategy
(e.g., by product difference, by key attribute or benefit, by usage, against a specific competitor(s), by users of the product)
Positioning Statement -discusses what is unique about your brand and relates it to your target market.
Campaign Theme – Big Idea (i.e., the slogan)
Creative Brief/Copy Platform (approximately 2 pages)
Advertising and Communication Objectives (what the advertising is supposed to do)
Example: To increase awareness …
Example: To persuade the target audience that …
Example: To create Interest
Example: To stimulate demand…
Example: To reinforce the brand…
Helpful Link Sales Promotion Objectives
Objective Example: To achieve a 80 reach and a frequency level of 3 with the proposed commercial.
Target Audience (if this has changed from the current campaign – explain why. Explain how campaign theme meets the needs of the target audience)
Advertising Strategy
(what the advertising is attempting to communicate; i.e., the benefit, problem solution or other advantage that is the value of the product — physical or psychological)
Example: Use of this product will allow you to recover more quickly after strenuous exercise.
Advertising Appeals
(how the advertising stimulates interest and influences feelings)
Example: emotional including fear, humor, pleasure; informational/rationale; transformational; reminder; teaser; demonstration; comparative…
Execution Format –
(What techniques/tactics will be used to implement the IMC plan)
Example: this is just a brief overview of the section IV indicating what parts of the promotional mix will be be executed (implemented). A few sentences to state out of the promotional mix which ones fit the brand and target market.
Make sure the Rationale for Creative Recommendations is discussed
IV. Promotional Mix (approximately 6-8 pages of writing, examples of ads, social media, sales promotions etc should be included but are not part of the writing limit. This discussion is on the teams’s Big Idea, do not repeat information from section II). To receive an A on this paper the team must include multiple examples of the promotional mix.
Begin with an introduction to your promotional mix and creative section. You need to include examples of your promotional mix for you new campaign theme. For instance, will you have print ads? Your slogan needs to be the same on your print ad, on your coupon and on your direct mail piece as this is an Integrated Marketing Campaign. If you choose not to use one of the promotional mix elements, that is fine if it does not fit your product. This is a marketing class, not a graphic arts class. You will notice in the example papers that there are graphics that are quite good because typically one person in a group has good graphic skills. With that noted, please do not overly concern yourself with graphics. You may hand draw your images. If you want to hand draw a billboard, an ad, a coupon, it is fine. Make sure to include some examples.
Advertising Media
This section can incorporate broadcast, radio and print.
Broadcast
The storyboard, if it is consistent with the rest of the IMC plan, can be incorporated into this section. What are the objectives and
rationale for using broadcast. Will advertising be run on cable, network or both? Which of the major cable networks are most
appropriate for your target audience? Are the advertisements spot, national spots, or local? Explain objectives and strategies for
broadcast. Provide a storyboard.
Objective Example: To achieve a 80 reach and a frequency level of 3 with the proposed commercial.
Radio
What are the objectives and rationale for using radio? What radio format best meets the needs of the target audience? (Can use the Arbitron table in the text). Provide a brief script if using.
Objective Example: Increase radio advertising by 5.0% for audience aged 25-34 who
listen to adult contemporary music.
Print
Will magazines and newspapers be used? What are the objectives and rationale? Be specific on the types of magazines or
Newspapers that will be used. (Business Week, People, Minnesota Business, Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis Star Tribune).
Provide examples of ads. .
Support and Outdoor Media
Any type of support or nontraditional media can be discussed here with examples. Product placements, product integration, transit advertising, mobile billboards, outdoor media and others can be used here. Provide objectives and rationale. Provide examples.
Sales Promotion – Consumer
What consumer sales promotions would be appropriate for your product and target audience. Discuss objectives, rationale and provide examples.
Sales Promotions – Trade
What trade sales promotions would be appropriate for your product and target audience. Discuss objectives, rationale and provide examples.
Direct Marketing
What combination of direct marketing will be used? Direct mail, electronic, print media, telemarketing, catalog, kiosk, face-to-face selling? Use as many methods as needed to fit your objectives, provide a rationale and examples.
Internet/Interactive
Every company needs some type of Internet presence. What specific objectives will your company have on the Internet. Will your company engage in social media? What are your objectives, strategies and rationale? Provide examples.
Public Relations
This includes press releases, press conferences, special events, and cause-related efforts. Provide your objectives, a rationale and examples. Provide examples.
Personal Selling
Is personal selling appropriate for your product. What type of training will be used? What objectives will be used? Discuss rationale.
V. Campaign Evaluation (approximately 2 pages)
Measurement and evaluation activities occur during the course of the campaign, as well as at the end. This section of the proposal should contain a description of those activities and the specific methods that will be used to appraise the individual components of the campaign, as well as for measuring the overall effectiveness of the campaign.
Conclusion (approximately 1-2 paragraphs)
A very brief review of your plan and how well it meets the needs of the client. A few paragraphs should be sufficient to summarize the factors that make your plan the one that will best get the job done for the client. Include recommendations for the future.
Sections 3-5 & the Conclusion should be no more than 13 pages.
References
Should be in A.P.A. format. You will find it helpful to buy the Sixth Edition of the A.P.A. Publication Manual for making citations throughout your paper and for your references. You may also want to use son of citation machine online. Make sure you choose APA 6th edition which and input all of the information from your source correctly. Be careful to check references against the A.P.A. manual. Be sure to have a minimum of 10 sources in Sections 1 and 2. 5 of the 10 sources should be from university databases.
Appendices
In most cases, this is a very important section of the plan. It will include information and material which have potential value to your client and which have not been fully presented in the text of your plan. Examples: industry data, market data, questionnaires, competitors’ advertisements. This section can be a valuable resource for your client.
Format
When working with each other you should work in Word 2010 or 2013(.doc) or Rich Text File (.rtf) format. No other format will be accepted (no pdf files). APA format is Times New Roman 12 pt font and 1 inch margins. However, you may use Arial or Courier if you believe it makes your IMC plan look more realistic. The plan should be approximately approximately 20-25 pages. Do not exceed page limit! All relevant images should be incorporated directly into the body of your paper with only supplementary information being included in an appendix. The paper must be submitted in one file.
Submission
All written assignments should be submitted to the appropriate Dropbox.
Evaluation
Papers will be evaluated based on content, style and organization, grammar, punctuation, spelling and A.P.A. format for the reference page and for citations. See the Writing Rubric on D2L for details. This paper is a combination of academic and real world application. Therefore, some liberties may be taken with headings and including images to make the IMC plan realistic. Upon completion of the campaign plan, team members will be asked to submit a performance evaluation of each team member, including one’s own self-appraisal. The evaluation form is available on the course site. The purpose of the evaluation is to provide feedback to other members, as well as the instructor, regarding their inputs, co-operation, participation, etc. This evaluation will be considered an important part of your final grade.***

Progressive IMC Marketing Plan

Order Description
PLEASE USE ACTUAL ” ” WHEN QUOTING! I NEED TO SEE THE QUOTES.

MY NAME IS AMBER, THE PARTS WITH MY NAME NEXT TO IT ARE THE PARTS I NEED WRITTEN OUT.

III. Positioning and Campaign Theme/Big Idea
Creative Strategy- Amber, Megan, Alyssa
Copy Platform- Amber, Megan, Alyssa
We will all share ideas through our group discussion area, but Alyssa will compile and write it up.
iV. Promotional Mix – Amber, Megan, Alyssa
Advertising Media –Amber
Internet/Interactive – Amber
Public Relations – Amber
Creative Brief- Amber 2 pages
Conclusion – Alyssa, Amber, Megan

BELOW IS THE GRADED ASSIGNMENT FOR THE FIRST HALF FOR YOUR REFERENCE:

**** Progressive Insurance
IMC Plan
Alyssa Roman, Amber Steimer & Megan McCauley
Marketing 343 – 50 Integrated Marketing Solutions
Metropolitan State University
Katryna Johnson, Ph. D
Situational Analysis
Industry Analysis

Progressive has steadily risen over the years and has landed among the top insurance providers in the United States. Progressive revolutionized insurance when they offered a “compare” option for the shopper to compare Progressive’s prices with a competitor. Progressive allows customers to access insurance information 24/7. They have evolved with technology and came out better and more successful for it.
Current trends are to be user friendly and convenient. The consumer wants a good price, but appreciates Progressive’s “Name your price” option. Progressive gives the consumer a customized plan and the consumer appreciates that. the consumer now has the option to access their insurance information on their smartphone. This has contributed greatly to Progressive’s success .They have also caught up with the “bundling” trend. Progressive offers insurance for just about anything that needs to be insured: Homes, boats, motorhomes, etc. even though only a handful of locations offer life insurance.
There are many key factors that impact the automobile insurance industry. The economy plays a major roll. Without a working economy, consumers don’t have the money to purchase a car. Without a car, there is no need to pay for automobile insurance. When people are put to work, and the economy is thriving, and there is more money to spend. Technology has helped Progressive advance above competition with new options for users and available help 24/7. The weather is another factor for Progressive. Most accidents happen when the weather is bad; especially in the winter where it snows.
Company Background

It was in March of 1937 when a couple of lawyers decided that investing in an insurance company sounded like a smart idea. Joseph Lewis and Jack Green wanted to give drivers good automobile insurance at a good price. Progressive’s philosophy and vision was to “Reduce the human trauma and economic costs associated with automobile accidents. We do this by providing our customers with services designed to help them get their lives back in order again as quickly as possible. Governing our vision, decisions and behavior are our Core Values — pragmatic statements of what works best for us in the real world” (Progressive Web). Since 1937, the company has succeeded in doing just that: giving the consumer not only what they need, but what they want.
In 1987, the company grew market share by surpassing $1 billion in insurance premiums and acquired a net worth of over $14 billion. Gaining speed and popularity, Progressive grew into the one of the largest insurance groups in the United States. Progressive was the first insurance company to show the quotes of a competitor on their own website. As of last November, Progressive held 8.45% of the market. Today, Progressive is worth over $18 million in premiums. Progressive offers home insurance in select locations.
Product/Brand Information

Progressive Insurance dedicates its personal and auto insurance services to
meeting the expectations of its diverse, cost-conscious consumer base and is increasingly savvy about the auto coverage they provide to their excellent service clients (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015).Progressive features an outstanding market brand – Flo – that has appeared in over 100 advertisements. Since 2008, the company has been known for its use of their spokesperson Flo. Flo has a personality and style that makes her instantly recognized and associated with the brand.
Flo has become a reputable brand mascot in the insurance industry. She has evolved from humble roots as a cashier to a love interest, reality star, and insurance pusher; maintaining relevance in the numerous commercials she features. Progressive rolled out a new campaign in November 2014 featuring Flo trying to discuss her impressive insurance alternatives over dinner with her family. The firm designed the advertisement to establish a strong link with clients, tap into a relatable timeframe, and showcase the range of its campaign that often involves improvisation and supporting characters (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015).
Customer Analysis

The insurance industry tends to have a broad target market since customers of all ages require it, but the bulk of their campaign efforts have been aimed towards young to middle-aged adults and couples (millennial generation) due to their buying power in the market today. Since the instatement of Flo as Progressive’s spokesperson, the target market tends to be: female, age 25 – 44, with an income of $30 – $60k (Patriquin, 2009).
Acquiring new customers is harder than ever for insurance companies because there is only about 1% increase in new customers entering the market each year. In order for insurance companies to acquire substantial customer growth, they must be price competitive. The customer tends to be younger, lower-income and has fewer insurance needs – which allows the companies to focus efforts on lowest-price offers to acquire a larger customer base (Whelan, D., & O’Neil, S. 2014). The most important decision criteria for the consumer are affordability/lowest price and accessibility/ease-of-use.
Competition

The automobile insurance industry is a competitive market. Progressive is ranked one of the highest in the game, but State Farm precedes them and is rated number one. State Farm has been established since 1922. It was founded by insurance salesman George Jacob Mecherle who also happened to be a retired farmer. State Farm is in the top 50 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest companies and currently holds 18.48% of the market share. (2015 Market) State Farm compares themselves to a good neighbor promising that they will “be there”. The target market for State Farm is the average American family. They use their ads to show how they protect your family, the strategy here is to feel as if they will be protecting you and your family from bad things that can happen. State Farm is most likely rated higher because they insure homes, provide life insurance and plenty of other options, so the customer has the option to bundle. Current advertising for State Farm is familiar with commercials starring the Coneheads and of course, “Jake, from State Farm”. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. holds 10.24% market share in the auto insurance industry. (2015 Market) Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is more commonly known for the companies it owns: GEICO, Wells Fargo, Fruit of the Loom, and Coca Cola Company to name a few. GEICO was established in 1936 and has been a trusted insurance carrier since. Current advertising for GEICO is a gecko who is pretty much living a normal life. He has an accent, and occasionally his wife appears. The GEICO gecko has also been around for quite some time. Nevertheless, the consumer likes him. GEICO’s target market is adults ages 24 to 49 with an average annual income of $30,000; the tech savvy generation who are “more likely to accept the direct approach to auto insurance” (Gold Winner) GEICO is top ranking, and for good reason. They keep up with technology and include nice discounts for their customers. Their revenue for the year of 2014 was over $32 billion dollars. (GEICO)
Allstate Insurance Company holds 9.93% of the market share of the auto insurance industry (2015 Market). You will be in “good hands” with Allstate. Allstate raked in $35.2 billion in revenue last year and is also ranked highest in automotive insurance (Our Story). Allstate objective is to make the consumer feel as if they are in good care and won’t have to panic when bad things happen because they can fix it. Their current ads include a woman in a tight black suit sneaking behind a couple of burglars and replacing that they take and the popular “mayhem” commercials. Allstate’s target market is young working adults and their objective is to be the go to for all kinds of insurance and be a trusted provider who the consumer can rely on. Allstate implements a safe driving discount agreement, and the consumer jumped on it. Their cutting edge technology is keeping their customers satisfied.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
• Effective leadership by management
• Efficient workforce
• Strong liquidity and financial base
• High responsiveness to clients’ needs and preferences
• Established and reliable relationship with retailers
• Strong brand recognition
Opportunities
• Comparatively higher competitive advantage
• Maintenance of an effective marketing strategy with the use of relevant marketing tools.
• Grow and strengthen the loyal client base
• Growth in their other product line offerings
Weaknesses
• Focus on a limited geographical scope
• High cost of operations
• Inability to scale to compete with other significant players
Threats
• Stiff competition
• Rapidly changing consumer tastes and preferences
• Prevalent economic crises and natural disasters
• Constant consumer need of a lower price
Strengths: Progressive Insurance adopts a relatively aggressive and client-oriented marketing strategy. The firm launched its website in 1995 to complement its traditional promotional strategy. Since then, its digital infrastructure has become very interactive by incorporating new technologies like mobile transaction that create more possibilities,
scale-up its value chain, and elevate its competition position (Heatherman, Swanepoel &
O’Rourke, 2015).
Weaknesses: High operation costs compromise the company’s profit margin. Also, stiff
competition coupled with constant changes in customer expectations and preferences
strain the firm’s performance (Heatherman, Swanepoel & O’Rourke, 2015). For example,
other major players with stronger and long established brands such 21st
Century Holding Company, GEICO, and Allstate Corporation (Heatherman, Swanepoel
& O’Rourke, 2015). This situation limits Progressive’s market excellence.
Opportunities: The firm invests heavily on its insurance agents to optimize service delivery that adds value to the customer; positioning in a competitive edge over its competitors. It entered a gold partnership in the IIAAs National Communications Program, demonstrating its commitment to employee development and motivation. This has led to the company retaining loyal customers who are committed to their products.
There is a trend in consumer preference for insurance: one-stop shopping. Progressive has the capability of offering its diverse supply of product offerings to the consumer in one transaction.
Threats: Increased financial crises, natural disasters, and fraudulent insurance claims stretch the company’s claim settlement capacity and increase its claim losses.
Younger generations have a high understanding of newer technologies (phone apps, social media) and consider these technologies a basic requirement for companies. Keeping ahead of competition when it comes to technology is a constant and costly race.

Promotion Analysis
Promotion
Progressive is currently running a series of ads that feature different “tools” to save money. The “name your price tool” ads show customers telling Flo what they want to pay, and she uses a tool to build a plan to fit in their budget. The “bundle machine” shows customers how much they can save if they combine services with Progressive. The campaign focuses on tactics that cater to their price-sensitive market. Progressive has a history of being ahead of its competition; it was the first company to sell auto insurance online in 1997. It was also the company to popularize installment payment plans for insurance premiums, and pay as you drive insurance (Progressive.com, 2015).
Current/Past Promotion Programs
In 2008, the company introduced MyRate (now known as Snapshot). This is a device that consumers plug into their car. Data is collected and analyzed to give eligible customers a discount based on driving characteristics, such as: speed, mileage, and breaking habits. According to the 2015 Customer Loyalty Engagement Survey, Progressive ranked #1 in how well companies fulfilled consumer expectations regarding safe driving premium discounts (Passikoff, R. 2015). This program also caused some drivers to receive an increase in their premium based on their driving habits.
In 2008, Flo was introduced as their spokesperson. Progressive used Flo as a means to raise their brand awareness and set themselves apart from the strong competition in the industry. Her quirky personality gave life to the brand by giving the consumers someone to relate to. Flo resonated with their target market; people felt connected to her. Flo was used throughout a variety of advertisements that have worked well to build a brand consumers can identify with today. After nearly 8 years, the company is facing a strong weakness in this campaign – its lifespan. The threat of wearout is a real possibility for the company in the near future, and it will lose effectiveness in reaching the consumer. This is not surprising since Progressive has expanded the number of product/services they offer and promote, and have continued to use Flo as the spokesperson for all of these additions. Progressive must stay ahead of this issue to prevent loss of consumer interest in the brand.
According to USA today, the humorous ads that insurance companies have been using are not generating significant profitable growth (Strauss, 2012). The large insurance companies in the industry are competing with each other to have the funniest ad in order to raise their own brand awareness. In this race to have the most memorable ad, insurance companies’ ad spending has increased by 60% since 2007 (Straus, 2012). Continuing to sink money into an ad campaign competition is a slippery slope, and will only make it more difficult for the company to stay price competitive. Progressive has a rare opportunity to do something different from the rest of the industry, which could make them more memorable to the consumer who is currently being bombarded with humorous insurance ads.
References
2015 Market Research Report on Insurance Industry. (2015, September 2).

Danise, A. (2014, November 21). Largest auto insurance companies by market share.

GEICO’s Financial Strength. (n.d.).

Gold Level Winner Geico – DMA Marketing Award – Award Winner Geico | Marketing EDGE. (2015).

Mayhem is Everywhere, Are you Prepared? (n.d.).

Our Story at Allstate | Bringing Good to Life. (2015).

Passikoff, R. (2015, March 31). Progressive Adds ‘Bad Driver’ Surveillance To Snapshot Telematics. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com

Patriquin, Alex. (2009, July, 2009). Progressive Insurance Gets Flo Going With Women Followers. Retrieved from https://blog.compete.com/2009/07/23/progressive-flo-msn-ad-effectiveness/

Progressive Auto Insurance – A History. (n.d.). Web.

Progressive Auto Insurance – An Introduction. (n.d.). Web.

State Farm Companies – State Farm®. (n.d.).

State Farm® Commercial – State of Unrest (Jake).mp4. (2013).

Strauss, Gary. (2012, July 26). Except for discounters, insurers’ funny ads not paying off. USA Today.com Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com

Whelan, D., & O’Neil, S. (2014, June 18). Customer loyalty in P&C insurance: US edition 2014. Retrieved from http://www.bain.com *****

IMC PLAN
-An integrated marketing communications (IMC) plan provides the framework for developing, implementing and controlling an organizations IMC program. IMC involves coordinating promotional elements such as advertising, sales promotions, and social media.

The main quality that distinguishes an IMC plan from a collection of ideas and ads is CONTINUITY/UNITY.

Executive SummaryI. Situational Analysis
A. A brief industry Analysis (one to two paragraphs)
B. A brief description of the company background (one to two  paragraphs)
C. A brief competitor analysis (two or three paragraphs)
D. A brief description of customers and prospects (two or three  paragraphs)
E. Brand/product description (sales, how it got started,  customer loyalty – two or three paragraphs)
F. SWOT and discussion (approximately ½ page table and ½  page discussion)

Current Promotional Strategy Analysis
What is being done with the promotional mix?  (advertising, sales promotion, personal selling,  publicity, direct marketing, and interactive  marketing)
III. Creative Strategy
A. What are your objectives
B. What’s the Big or Iconic Idea?
C. What types of appeals will be used?
D. How will your brand/products be positioned?

IV. Promotional Mix and Creative Tactics
A. What promotional mix elements will you use in your  campaign? (advertising, sales promotion, personal  selling, publicity, direct marketing, and interactive  marketing)
B. Include examples of all creative components in your  campaign. This is an IMC course. It is expected that  you will have multiple examples in your campaign.
V. Campaign Evaluation
A. What techniques do you suggest using to test your  promotional mix elements while you are working  on the campaign and after the campaign?

** REQUIRED LENGTHS FOR EACH TOPIC VERY IMPORTANT! **

Introduction
The purpose of the assignment is to complete an Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign Plan (Advertising Plan – the terms are used interchangeably) of an existing product (not a company). A campaign plan outlines the creative process to achieve the “big idea” or goal of the campaign. A key to a good campaign is to maintain continuity throughout the promotional mix when executing a campaign. Deciding upon your message, what media to use and your specific tactics are all part of your campaign plan.
When choosing a brand – it is essential that a team spends adequate time researching a brand to ensure that the brand needs a new campaign. Part of this research will require a SWOT analysis. It is much easier to do an IMC plan on a product than on a retailer. It is much easier to do a plan on a public than a private brand for finding information. The first two sections of the plan require research to understand where the current state of the product, the customer, the market place and the market. The last three sections of the plan are creative based on the research. The IMC plan is not a marketing plan. It is similar in that you do a SWOT, but your SWOT focuses on promotions.
All plans begin with a situation analysis including a SWOT to determine where your company, product/brand is in terms of positioning. You next analyze your current promotional mix activities and then determine what you want to change. Your focus should then be on developing the creative component which means determining what your message will be and what type of appeals you will use. Next, choose the media will you use, where will you place your ads, the interactive media you will use, and if will you use radio, TV, etc. You need to include examples of print ads you will create, or promotional pieces you will use. This is not a graphic arts class, but you can get images off the web to support the types of ideas you want to appear in your promotional campaign.
Each ad agency develops campaign plans slightly differently. Each text or book lays out the specific criteria a little bit differently. You have a detailed outline below. The big picture for you campaign plan is this:
Situation analysis
marketing and promotional strategy
creative strategy
media selection
evaluation.
Formation of Teams and Ideas
You should form your own teams. Each team is to assume the role of a full-service agency charged with the responsibility of preparing a complete IMC plan for a designated client. In each case, your instructor acts in the role of the client. Each agency should adopt a formal name.

You need to work in teams of three to four people and you will be graded as a group on the written portion of your project for your final presentation. You must choose an existing brand because you need to conduct a SWOT and an analysis of the current campaign, and this can only occur for products that currently exist (not prototypes). You must have your brand approved by the professor. It is easier to find information on brands and companies that are public.
Sample IMC Plans
Several examples of IMC campaign plans are provided in the content area.
Do not limit yourself just to the ideas in the outline. This outline provides the minimum requirements. You should also look at in chapter 10 at Figure 10-2 in your text for more information on campaign plans. The main focus of your project should be on analyzing the current IMC strategy (the marketing mix) of your brand, on developing the creative strategy for your brand and determining the most effective allocation of the promotional mix and which media to use.

Examples of creative elements should be directly inserted into your IMC plan. All examples of Promotions should be included in the paper (section IV). Appendices are used for supplementary material. All page lenghts refer to writing. Graphics may increase the overall all page length, but writing of sections I-V should be kept to a maximum of 25 double spaced pages (excluding cover page, executive summary, and references).
Campaign Plan Outline
Title Page:
The title page should include:

Name of client and product Course Number and Title
Name of your team University Name
Name of your team members Professor’s Name
Executive Summary
A summary (maximum: two pages) of exactly what your IMC plan involves. Among the items to include are:
Major target audiences
Campaign objectives
Campaign theme/slogan
Summary of media used
Rationale for each major element and each medium
Evaluation program
The Executive Summary may be arranged in any fashion, but it has to pack a wallop. Remember, the basic purpose of the Executive Summary is to inform top officials at the client organization exactly what you are proposing — in one or two pages. Be precise. Be complete. Organizing the Executive Summary (as well as other sections of the promotion campaign plan) in a bullet-type format is one effective way to present your material.
I. Situation Analysis
The following sections are included in the situation analysis: industry analysis, company background, product/brand information, customer analysis and a SWOT analysis.
Industry Analysis (approximately 2-3 paragraphs, 1/2 – 1 page)
The industry analysis should include the following information:
Growth
Current Trends/Developments Affecting the Promotion Program
Macroenvironment Factors and Issues (e.g., demographic, economic, technological, political, legal, social, cultural, environmental)
Company Background (approximatly 1-2 paragraphs, 1/2 page)
The company background should include the following information:
Mission, Business Philosophy
Resources
Sales History & Market Share
Product/Brand Information (approximately 2 paragraphs of writing, 1/2 page)
This section provides information on the product/service that constitutes the focus of the campaign. Do not list out all the products or product lines.
Key Benefits
Current Brand Image & Positioning
Customer/Buyer Analysis (approximately approximately, 2-3 paragraphs of writing, 1/2 page to 1 page)
Describe the current target market(s) for the product and their characteristics.
Target Markets
User Profile (demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioristic factors)
Who Buys the Product and influences the purchase decision
What Decision Criteria are used
Competition (2-3 paragraphs, 1/2 – 1 page)
Who are the top 2 or 3 main competitors for the product?
Key Competitors (each considered separately)
Market Shares, Sales, Growth
Target Markets, Positioning, Marketing Objectives & Strategies
Current Advertising, Sales Promotion, Public Relations, and Direct Marketing Programs
SWOT Table and Discussion (Table 1/2 page – 1 page, discussion 1-2 pages)
SWOT Table – Provide a Table of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The table must be on one page only.
Discuss Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and provide sources that back up your analysis.
II. Promotional Program Situational Analysis
Need to identify previous and current promotional mix.
Current/Past Promotion Programs (approximately 1 1/2 – 2 pages)
What is being done with the promotional mix? (advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, publicity, direct marketing, and interactive marketing). Provide a detailed review on previous and current promotion programs, message and media strategies. Assess strengths and weaknesses of the current campaign as this provides the basis for why you need a new campaign! Failure to include this analysis of strengths and weaknesses will result in a 5 point deduction.
Sections 1 and 2 should have a maximum of 8 double spaced pages not incuding the title page or references. You need 10 references for sections I and II.
III. Creative Strategy
Positioning and the Big Idea (Campaign Theme) (1-2 pages of writing)

The Campaign Theme or the Big Idea is the image you want your product to have in the minds of the target market; how you want your product perceived relative to the competition; it is the basis for all your communications. What is the new idea for the campaign.
Positioning Strategy
(e.g., by product difference, by key attribute or benefit, by usage, against a specific competitor(s), by users of the product)
Positioning Statement -discusses what is unique about your brand and relates it to your target market.
Campaign Theme – Big Idea (i.e., the slogan)
Creative Brief/Copy Platform (approximately 2 pages)
Advertising and Communication Objectives (what the advertising is supposed to do)
Example: To increase awareness …
Example: To persuade the target audience that …
Example: To create Interest
Example: To stimulate demand…
Example: To reinforce the brand…
Helpful Link Sales Promotion Objectives
Objective Example: To achieve a 80 reach and a frequency level of 3 with the proposed commercial.
Target Audience (if this has changed from the current campaign – explain why. Explain how campaign theme meets the needs of the target audience)
Advertising Strategy
(what the advertising is attempting to communicate; i.e., the benefit, problem solution or other advantage that is the value of the product — physical or psychological)
Example: Use of this product will allow you to recover more quickly after strenuous exercise.
Advertising Appeals
(how the advertising stimulates interest and influences feelings)
Example: emotional including fear, humor, pleasure; informational/rationale; transformational; reminder; teaser; demonstration; comparative…
Execution Format –
(What techniques/tactics will be used to implement the IMC plan)
Example: this is just a brief overview of the section IV indicating what parts of the promotional mix will be be executed (implemented). A few sentences to state out of the promotional mix which ones fit the brand and target market.
Make sure the Rationale for Creative Recommendations is discussed
IV. Promotional Mix (approximately 6-8 pages of writing, examples of ads, social media, sales promotions etc should be included but are not part of the writing limit. This discussion is on the teams’s Big Idea, do not repeat information from section II). To receive an A on this paper the team must include multiple examples of the promotional mix.
Begin with an introduction to your promotional mix and creative section. You need to include examples of your promotional mix for you new campaign theme. For instance, will you have print ads? Your slogan needs to be the same on your print ad, on your coupon and on your direct mail piece as this is an Integrated Marketing Campaign. If you choose not to use one of the promotional mix elements, that is fine if it does not fit your product. This is a marketing class, not a graphic arts class. You will notice in the example papers that there are graphics that are quite good because typically one person in a group has good graphic skills. With that noted, please do not overly concern yourself with graphics. You may hand draw your images. If you want to hand draw a billboard, an ad, a coupon, it is fine. Make sure to include some examples.
Advertising Media
This section can incorporate broadcast, radio and print.
Broadcast
The storyboard, if it is consistent with the rest of the IMC plan, can be incorporated into this section. What are the objectives and
rationale for using broadcast. Will advertising be run on cable, network or both? Which of the major cable networks are most
appropriate for your target audience? Are the advertisements spot, national spots, or local? Explain objectives and strategies for
broadcast. Provide a storyboard.
Objective Example: To achieve a 80 reach and a frequency level of 3 with the proposed commercial.
Radio
What are the objectives and rationale for using radio? What radio format best meets the needs of the target audience? (Can use the Arbitron table in the text). Provide a brief script if using.
Objective Example: Increase radio advertising by 5.0% for audience aged 25-34 who
listen to adult contemporary music.
Print
Will magazines and newspapers be used? What are the objectives and rationale? Be specific on the types of magazines or
Newspapers that will be used. (Business Week, People, Minnesota Business, Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis Star Tribune).
Provide examples of ads. .
Support and Outdoor Media
Any type of support or nontraditional media can be discussed here with examples. Product placements, product integration, transit advertising, mobile billboards, outdoor media and others can be used here. Provide objectives and rationale. Provide examples.
Sales Promotion – Consumer
What consumer sales promotions would be appropriate for your product and target audience. Discuss objectives, rationale and provide examples.
Sales Promotions – Trade
What trade sales promotions would be appropriate for your product and target audience. Discuss objectives, rationale and provide examples.
Direct Marketing
What combination of direct marketing will be used? Direct mail, electronic, print media, telemarketing, catalog, kiosk, face-to-face selling? Use as many methods as needed to fit your objectives, provide a rationale and examples.
Internet/Interactive
Every company needs some type of Internet presence. What specific objectives will your company have on the Internet. Will your company engage in social media? What are your objectives, strategies and rationale? Provide examples.
Public Relations
This includes press releases, press conferences, special events, and cause-related efforts. Provide your objectives, a rationale and examples. Provide examples.
Personal Selling
Is personal selling appropriate for your product. What type of training will be used? What objectives will be used? Discuss rationale.
V. Campaign Evaluation (approximately 2 pages)
Measurement and evaluation activities occur during the course of the campaign, as well as at the end. This section of the proposal should contain a description of those activities and the specific methods that will be used to appraise the individual components of the campaign, as well as for measuring the overall effectiveness of the campaign.
Conclusion (approximately 1-2 paragraphs)
A very brief review of your plan and how well it meets the needs of the client. A few paragraphs should be sufficient to summarize the factors that make your plan the one that will best get the job done for the client. Include recommendations for the future.
Sections 3-5 & the Conclusion should be no more than 13 pages.
References
Should be in A.P.A. format. You will find it helpful to buy the Sixth Edition of the A.P.A. Publication Manual for making citations throughout your paper and for your references. You may also want to use son of citation machine online. Make sure you choose APA 6th edition which and input all of the information from your source correctly. Be careful to check references against the A.P.A. manual. Be sure to have a minimum of 10 sources in Sections 1 and 2. 5 of the 10 sources should be from university databases.
Appendices
In most cases, this is a very important section of the plan. It will include information and material which have potential value to your client and which have not been fully presented in the text of your plan. Examples: industry data, market data, questionnaires, competitors’ advertisements. This section can be a valuable resource for your client.
Format
When working with each other you should work in Word 2010 or 2013(.doc) or Rich Text File (.rtf) format. No other format will be accepted (no pdf files). APA format is Times New Roman 12 pt font and 1 inch margins. However, you may use Arial or Courier if you believe it makes your IMC plan look more realistic. The plan should be approximately approximately 20-25 pages. Do not exceed page limit! All relevant images should be incorporated directly into the body of your paper with only supplementary information being included in an appendix. The paper must be submitted in one file.
Submission
All written assignments should be submitted to the appropriate Dropbox.
Evaluation
Papers will be evaluated based on content, style and organization, grammar, punctuation, spelling and A.P.A. format for the reference page and for citations. See the Writing Rubric on D2L for details. This paper is a combination of academic and real world application. Therefore, some liberties may be taken with headings and including images to make the IMC plan realistic. Upon completion of the campaign plan, team members will be asked to submit a performance evaluation of each team member, including one’s own self-appraisal. The evaluation form is available on the course site. The purpose of the evaluation is to provide feedback to other members, as well as the instructor, regarding their inputs, co-operation, participation, etc. This evaluation will be considered an important part of your final grade.***