IMC Campaign 1

Final Project: IMC Campaign for West Coast Paddle Sports

Kelly Unruh

COM 365: Integrated Marketing Communication

IMC Campaign 2

Final Project: IMC Campaign for West Coast Paddle Sports

West Coast Paddle Sports (WCPS) officially opened their doors in November of 2011,

but the owners are no strangers to the sport. They previously owned a surf shop and have been a

staple in the surf community for over 20 years (Long, 2012, par. 1). Physical limitations, a shift

in the surf industry and stand up paddling becoming more and more popular, the need to

transition from an all around surf shop to a dedicated stand up paddle shop soon emerged. In the

past three years, a majority of the customer base has come from word of mouth contacts and

social media. In able to continue to build the WCPS brand, they will need to develop an effective

integrated marketing campaign that will identify their marketing and communication objectives,

set their strategic plan, and identify and implement the plan.

Marketing Background

Product

West Coast Paddle Sports is a family owned and operated retail store in San Diego, CA

with an emphasis on stand up paddle and outrigger gear. They carry a wide selection of boards,

paddles and accessories to outfit any paddler, from novice to professional. Although the store is

full of various paddle brands, from board and paddle manufactures to clothing and accessories,

the main focus of this IMC plan will be the WCPS brand. The owners take pride in their brand

and take the time to do it right. They stay on top of new innovations to the sport. They also help

promote the sport of paddling to newcomers through specific events. Customers know that they

can visit WCPS to learn more about paddling, its history and even a little about the history of

San Diego. The personal connection the owners of WCPS make with their customers is truly an

asset that is often difficult to replicate at other retail establishments.

Competitive Landscape

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San Diego is known for its rich surf culture and is a hub for surf manufacturers. Its

coastline is dotted with numerous surf retailers. Still a relatively new sport, stand up paddling is

gaining popularity, with over 1.24 million people hitting the ocean, bays, lakes and rivers with a

board and paddle (Wallack, 2012, par. 6). However, still low in numbers, there are about a dozen

key paddle retailers in the San Diego area. For every paddle retail store there is at least one

online retailer, or more. The online retailers will range from being the extension of a physical

retailer to a 100% online merchant. Both types of retailers will carry similar products and

compete for the same customer. This gives the customer the flexibility to shop in either location,

easier access to price compare and a way to test a product before making the purchase.

Competitors

Even though there are a limited number of physical retailers in the competitive landscape,

a few do stand out as the ones to focus on. There are two types of retailers – the high-end

specialty shop and the low-end discounter. YOLO falls into the specialty category. They are a

full service paddle shop, carrying mostly their brand of gear. Transplanted from Florida, they too

also provide a wealth of knowledge of the sport. Of the low-end discount retailers, Costco,

Creed, Isle and Paddle Planet look to sell paddle packages at such a discounted rate that many

first time or novice paddlers will shop there first. What they are getting in return are inferior

products and subpar customer service.

Becoming more and more popular, customers tend to practice ‘showrooming’, the act of

“examin[ing] merchandise in a traditional brick-and-mortar retail store, but make the purchase

online instead” (Swift, 2013, par. 1). No different than trying on a pair of shoes at the department

store then logging onto Amazon.com looking for the best prices. Cited as main reason why

consumers showroom is that they go “to obtain information about a product” due in part of the

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personal engagement they receive in store versus what they receive online (Swift, 2013, par. 6).

Paddle retailers feel the effects of showrooming, watching customers head online to Tower, SUP

ATX, Paddlesurf Warehouse or Craigslist, all major competitors of WCPS.

Marketing Objectives

Having a clearly identified marketing objective will help aid WCPS to achieve their goals

and to stand out amongst their competitors. The marketing objective of WCPS is to bring

awareness to the paddle community of its brand and position itself as having the right gear and

are the most knowledgeable to garner repeat purchases. A concise IMC plan will reinforce the

marketing objectives through all its touchpoints.

Communicating Objectives to Target Audience

Understanding the specifics of the strategic plan will help determine the best solutions to

communicating the marketing objectives to the target audience. Knowing that brand awareness is

a key component of the marketing objective, the communication objectives should be aligned to

deliver on the fact that WCPS is the place to go for “all things sup” (Long, 2012, par. 3).

Strategic Planning Process

Target Audience

The target audience of WCPS will be identified and defined as those paddlers who are

looking for a place where they can view, touch, learn and demo the various paddleboards and

equipment. This is an experience that one cannot get from an online retailer. There is not one

clear set of demographics to focus on, as all ages, men and women, in any location that is near a

body of water, enjoy paddling. The amount of disposable income the target audience has will be

a key psychographic trait. In building the brand awareness for WCPS, the target audience will

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also include “those loyal to other brands (OBL) or non-categories users (NCU)” as well as brand

switchers (FBS) and brand loyalists (BL) (Percy, 2008, p. 268).

Purchase Decisions

The next step is to understand how the target audience makes their purchase decisions.

They may be heavily influenced by other paddlers in their recommendation of which retailer to

shop based on their own preference and experiences. This influence from other sources will be a

big driver in the target audience’s brand loyalty. The paddle community is very close knit and

will share both their positive and negative experiences of a brand. As a mom and pop

establishment, WCPS makes every effort to know their customers and help them become better

paddlers. By exemplifying these traits, they can make the target audience feel at ease and want to

come back again and again, thus providing the positive experience that WCPS is looking for.

While influencers weigh heavily in the target audience’s purchase decisions, it is also

important to understand how or why the need to make a purchase came about, where and when is

the best place and time to connect with the target audience with messaging and what the

emotional state of the target audience is at each step. These are questions that need to be

continually being asked as the IMC plan is being developed.

Marketing Messages

Effective marketing communication needs to have a focus, narrowing in on one or two

key benefits of the product. For WCPS, the key brand benefits will be based on the target

audience’s need of having a retailer who can help them find the best paddle gear for their ability.

These benefits are the traits that help WCPS stand out and be centrally positioned among their

competition. WCPS relies on their wealth of knowledge to help educate and inform the target

audience on both the sport and the gear. Additionally, by stocking a wide assortment of products

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at various price points, every paddler who shops at WCPS will be able to find something to

satisfy their needs. Understanding their motivation to visit WCPS will aid in what message will

be told and how it will be delivered.

The consumer will move through four stages when processing the marketing message.

The message needs to gain their attention at some level. Once their attention is held, the

consumer must learn something about the brand, at minimum “the brand name and the key

benefit” (Percy, 2008, p. 175). The consumer will then take what they may already know about

WCPS and combine that knowledge with what they have learned through the marketing message

and accept it. This will help build and reinforce a positive brand attitude with the consumers. The

consumer’s emotions will influence how they process the marketing message at the attention,

learning and acceptance stage.

Communication Objectives

Understanding that the marketing objectives focus on brand awareness and positioning,

the communication objective should as well. To do so, the communication will build the

consumer’s “ability to recognize or recall” WCPS through brand awareness (Percy, 2008, p.

225). Based on previous experiences the consumer may have encountered with WCPS, the

communication will also build the positive brand attitude to satisfy their motivation for visiting

the store. The right mix of exposure, processing and communication effect will lead the target

audience to take action; to be able to recall that WCPS has extensive knowledge in paddle sports

and that they are the place to go for their entire paddle needs. Once at the store, their positive

experience will enable them to continue to make the repeat trips and purchases.

It is important that all of the components of the IMC campaign work together to follow

the communication response sequence for the desired outcome. To begin with, careful

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consideration into the location and frequency of the advertisements and promotions will be used

to avoid message fatigue. This drills down to the placement of the print ads, the frequency of the

emails and direct mailers to the database and the time of day for the on air surf reports. Having

the right balance of exposure of the marketing message will better aid the consumer in their

processing of the message.

Media Options

To deliver the brand message, an integrated marketing communication approach of

traditional and new media will be used. A 1993 study showed that local retail advertisers make

“media decisions [that] are primarily driven by a desire to effectively reach and stimulate a

specific target audience” (Cameron, Krugman, & Nowak, 1993, p. 46). Thus, these same “local

retail advertisers are bypassing ‘traditional’ advertising vehicles in favor of ‘new’ media and

direct-marketing techniques” (Cameron, Krugman, & Nowak, 1993, p. 39). With that said, for

WCPS, an ideal mix will include traditional advertising and promotion, new and other media and

direct mail. Through a partnership with board manufacturers, WCPS will place print ads in the

national paddle magazines as well as participate in the annual shop guides. Banner ads will run

on online paddle sites. On a local level, WCPS will sponsor the surf report on various morning

radio shows. A grassroots approach will be crafted by participating at different paddle events

along the west coast. This will include setting up a booth with banners, flyers and collateral to

build the brand awareness. Lastly, WCPS will leverage brand loyalty and word-of-mouth

programs through leveraging brand ambassadors to write blogs and mingle within the paddle

community.

Traditional Advertising

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Within the IMC strategy, advertising, “build[s] brand awareness and contribute[s] to a

positive feeling for the brand” (Percy, 2008, p. 82). Advertising contains the communication

message in a way that resonates and is memorable with the target audience. Advertising not only

reinforces the brand awareness and brand recognition but also aids in the brand recall. The

message delivered through the advertising needs to be impactful enough to keep WCPS top of

mind when the customer is looking to purchase a paddle related item. The copy, typeface, colors

and images used all work together to reinforce the positive brand altitude. Of the four different

types of advertising, WCPS will utilize retail advertising to promote the store and the products

and services offered.

Traditional Promotions

Traditional promotions are used to incentivize the “short-term sales or brand usage”

(Percy, 2008, p. 103). This can include coupons, sampling, loyalty programs, premiums and

sweepstakes. Using a retailer promotion, where the retailer funds the promotion and not the

brand, the offers are generally geared towards an overall purchase. The WCPS loyalty program

will look at offering promotions that are more customer-centric. An effective loyalty program

will “align [the] loyalty strategy with what matters most to the target customers, recognize that

price only buys volume but service earns continued loyalty [and] use [the] loyalty strategy as

both a defensive and an offensive weapon” to ward off brand deflection (Hoffman & Lowitt,

2008, p. 44). Much like traditional advertising, the same care and thought process in regards to

messaging and creative will be critical. Extending the continuity from advertising to promotions

will help strengthen the brand awareness and brand attitudes.

New Media and Other Options

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In additional to traditional advertising and promotions, new media, or digital messages,

and other options also impact the IMC process. This messaging and creative needs to also

support the marketing objective and work in conjunction with the advertising and promotions.

WCPS will focus on online banner ads, classified listings and social media.

Direct Marketing

The last area to consider in the IMC process is direct marketing; a highly targeted tactic

that asks for a response (Percy, 2008, p. 153). A key component of direct marketing is a

comprehensive database of customers. Direct marketing can individualize the message to drive

the brand purchase intention.

Finalizing and Implementing the IMC Campaign

Creative Considerations

Once the IMC campaign strategy is put into place, the marketing message defined, and

the communication response sequence thought through, the creative execution puts it all together

in an impactful way. Consistency across all the IMC campaign touch points is carefully

considered. What may work for print may not work for radio. Imagery used on the print and

banner ads, coupons and direct mailers should all feature the paddle product being used

appropriately and in a way that the consumer can relate to. The layout will consist of four-color

lifestyle photos, a headline and a few lines of body copy. Orange and blue, the key colors of

WCPS, will help tie together all the pieces of the IMC campaign. A simple yet memorable tag

line will be created to link together the print executions with the radio spot, which will also

reinforce the brand benefits. Items like the loyalty member coupon and Craigslist posting will

feature products rather than the lifestyle shots. When talking about WCPS through social media,

word-of-mouth or even with the in store customer service, carefully crafted talking points used

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will help reinforce the brand awareness, attitude and key benefits of having the right gear and are

most knowledgeable.

Brand Awareness

The key to brand recognition through the IMC campaign will be the distinctive WCPS

logo used on each piece. Although the logo is a typeface with specific colors, how they work

together will trigger the association to WCPS and not to another brand. In radio, the

repetitiveness of saying WCPS and the tag line will help with brand recognition. Eventually the

consumer will begin to recognize the brand outside of the paid advertisements, through stickers

on cars, the t-shirts others are wearing and the banners at various events. When it is time for the

consumer to need a new board or paddle, all the marketing messages that they have seen in the

past will jog their memory and they will recall that WCPS is the place that they will need to go.

Brand Attitude Strategy

The creative needs to evoke a positive emotion from the consumer to be effective. The

message needs to be authentic to generate that personal feeling. Through the high-involvement

transformational tactic, the creative and message must play to the consumer’s wants and desires.

The images should instantly take the consumer off on a daydream trip paddling down an exotic

river. Upon seeing the advertisement, the consumer should feel a sense of joy and excitement at

what their next paddle purchase will be.

Touch Points

Print. Retailers typically have limited budgets to spend on advertising and promotions.

This holds true for WCPS. The types of advertising that will be considered include print ads in

national and local publications as well as local radio and TV spots. The sport of stand up

paddling has three main national print publications. WCPS will partner with a board or clothing

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manufacturer for a co-op ad in which the manufacturer will place the insertion, produce the

creative and include a call to action directing the customer to visit WCPS. Special features, like a

shop guide, are common in these types of publications. It would greatly benefit WCPS to be

included and advertise in these special features. Local publications, typically community

newspapers, also help to build brand awareness.

Radio. Many of the local radio and television stations offer a surf report as part of their

weather broadcast. Oftentimes local businesses will sponsor these reports. Sponsoring the surf

report in the local market will be a benefit for WCPS. Not only will they receive name and brand

recognition, but will also be looked at as an expert within the community. Through a few lines of

copy spoken by the on air announcer, the brand benefits are effectively communicated.

Retailer Sponsored Coupons. Introductory coupons that offer a 10% discount off the first

purchase will appeal to those in the target audience who may be new to the sport or to WCPS.

These coupons will be handed out at various events or as an online code to be used at check out.

Specific coupons to the current target audience will also help increase the repeat.

Loyalty. Through a loyalty program, repeat customers will receive customized coupon

offers and premiums on subsequent purchases. The loyalty program will capture the customer’s

personal info, including the type of boards they ride, paddles they use or size of clothing they

wear. Having this detailed information helps customize the offers and identify who the strong

brand loyalists are.

Premiums. WCPS may also decide to include a free gift with purchase. Typical

premiums are a free paddle cover with any paddle purchase or free rail tape and spray on traction

with any board purchase. These additional premium items are not only a nice to have but shows

that WCPS is taking the extra step to make the experience of the customer that much better.

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Online. With an online store presence, WCPS will leverage banner ads to create brand

awareness and direct the customer back to their website. Specific search terms will be purchased

and strategic ad placement will be considered. Postings on local Craigslist boards will inform

customers of current promotions to drive the traffic in store.

Social Media. Through Facebook, the current social media tool used by WCPS, postings

to its company page and special interest group pages will communicate events and promotions

instantly. These pages are a great way to increase customer interaction and participation with the

brand in a positive way. If an issue were to arise, then WCPS would be able to quickly resolve it,

thus keeping the positive brand attitude.

Grassroots Events. The best way for a retailer to create brand awareness and show that

they are knowledgeable would be to frequent events related to the products they carry. WCPS

makes a point to sponsor or participate in as many local stand-up paddle events possible. They

will also frequent Orange County and other nearby locales. Not only does this get the WCPS

name out there but also builds the relationship with the customer.

Word-of-Mouth. Through the loyalty program and social media, organic word of mouth

will begin to take shape. WCPS will identify and leverage a few key loyalty members to become

the unofficial spokespeople for the brand, contributing to the blog and talking to other paddlers

out on the water. For their outreach, WCPS provides additional perks through promotions and

premiums.

Personal Selling. Once in the store, personal selling will help reinforce the knowledge of

the staff and strengthen the relationship with the customer. This is where the customer will have

a positive experience with the brand.

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Direct Marketing. A key component of direct marketing is a comprehensive database of

customers. Much of the direct marketing used by WCPS will stem from the loyalty program. The

database will be built using customers who opt in via the website, making past purchases in the

store or requesting to be added to the mailing list. The database can then be sorted and

categorized on any number of metrics, from first time customers to repeat purchasers. Depending

on the focus of specific mailers, from welcoming back a lapsed customer to celebrating a

customer’s milestone, the message can be highly personalized. The mailers can be sent according

to purchase cycles or seasons, or to announce new product in store. Direct marketing will also

reinforce the brand awareness and positive brand attitude with the customer.

Conclusion

Creating an effective integrated marketing communication strategy for the retail

establishment West Coast Paddle Sports includes a planning process that identified and defined

the target audience, marketing objectives and the communication methods used. Utilizing a

mixture of traditional and new media will focus on building the brand awareness within the

paddle community. To support the marketing objective, specific advertising and promotional

messaging and tactics were identified. These tactics will bring new customers in through trial,

reward the current customers, make the brand visible in the virtual setting and strengthen the

relationships through community events. Understanding how the target audience consumes,

accepts and processes the marketing message will aid in the frequency and timing of the

placement of the advertising. Once the strategy is complete, how the message is executed

through all the IMC touch points is critical. The message needs to be consistent with simple yet

impactful images and copy. The advertisements need to yield to the consumer’s emotional wants,

enticing them to take the next step towards the purchase.

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IMC Planning Worksheet

Touch Points for

Decision Stages

Communication Tasks

Media Options Target Audience

Communication

Objectives

Need to find retailer that

carries a wide

assortment of paddle

gear

Current paddlers as

initiators and influencers

New paddlers as

initiators

Create awareness of

product selection at

WCPS

Build brand awareness

and positive brand

attitude

National co-op print ads

Local print ads

Online banner ads

Craigslist posting

WOM

Need to find retailer that

is knowledgeable in all

aspects of paddling

Current paddlers as

initiators and influencers

New paddlers as

initiators

Create awareness of the

wealth knowledge held

by WCPS staff

National print shop

guides

Local radio surf report

sponsorship

Social Media/WOM

Consideration of local

retailers

Current paddlers as

initiators and influencers

New paddlers as

initiators

Strengthen brand

awareness

Build positive brand

attitude through

identifying the

differences between

paddle retailers

National co-op print ads

Local print ads

Local radio surf report

sponsorship

Geo-targeted online

banner ads

Local grassroots/events

Social Media/WOM

Visiting retailer to

purchase paddle gear

Current paddlers as

initiators and influencers

New paddlers as

initiators

Reinforce positive brand

attitude while in store

Trial

Incentivize purchases

Customer service

Premiums/gift with

purchase

Social Media/WOM

Repeat visits to retailer Current paddlers as

initiators and influencers

New paddlers as

initiators

Create purchase

intention

Cultivate personal

relationships

Reward loyal customers

Loyalty program

Direct mail

Coupons

Social Media/WOM

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Creative Brief

Product: West Coast Paddle Sports Job: IMC Date: 2.24.14

Task Definition Key Market Observations Current and new paddlers need a place to shop a wide variety of product and gain insightful knowledge on the sport Source of Business Current paddlers and new paddlers Consumer Insight The paddle community is close knit and relies heavily on word of mouth and personal experiences. The brand needs to be trustworthy. Target Market Paddlers of all ages and skills looking to improve on their own ability and become a part of the paddle community Objectives and Strategy

Communication Objectives and Tasks Build brand awareness and positive brand attitude that WCPS is the best retailer to visit for all paddle purchases and knowledge Brand Attitude Strategy High-involvement transformational brand strategy that reinforces the positive brand attitude

Benefit Claim and Support WCPS has all the paddle gear needed and is the most knowledgeable in all things paddle. Support: owners have been in the industry for almost 20 years

Desired Consumer Response Accept that WCPS has everything that they are looking for in a paddle retailer and will make it a point to visit the store Executional Elements Creative Guidelines Evoke the feelings of being off on an exotic paddle trip, knowing that the gear and advice comes from a trusted source Requirements/Mandatory Content Images: -logo -product being used correctly -exciting images Copy: -contact info (address, phone, email, website, Facebook, blog) -RTB explained -Catchy headline

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Media Budget Allocation

Communication Tasks

Build category

and brand awareness

Create category need and

initial brand

attitude

Provide incentive to

consider

Seek positive brand

purchase intention

Act as intention

Reinforce decision

Primary medium: National print advertising

Secondary media: National print shop guide

Local print

Local radio Direct Mail

Online banner ads

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References

Cameron, G. T., Krugman, D. M., & Nowak, G. J. (1993). How local advertisers choose and use

advertising media. Journal of Advertising Research. 33(6), 39. Retrieved from Gale

Cengage Learning Academic OneFile Infotrac database.

Hoffman, J.L. and Lowitt, E.M. (2008). A better way to design loyalty programs. Strategy &

Leadership. 36(4), 44-47.

Infoshelter. (2009, June 20). Marketing message definition. Inside Business. Retrieved from

http://www.insidebusiness360.com/index.php/marketing-message-definition-18841/

Long, B. (2012). About us. West Coast Paddle Sports. Retrieved from

http://westcoastpaddlesports.com/about-us/

Percy, L. (2008). Strategic integrated marketing communications: theory and practice. Oxford,

UK: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Swift, A. (2013, November 22). “Showrooming” affecting U.S. retail sales. Gallup. Retrieved

from http://www.gallup.com/poll/165989/showrooming-affecting-retail-sales.aspx

Wallack, R. (2012, July 208). A rising tide for stand-up paddle boarding. LA Times. Retrieved

from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/28/health/la-he-paddleboard-popular-20120728

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Appendix A

Full-page print ad – national publication

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Promotion – Loyalty Direct Mailer