Marketing CampaignSydney Hoff

Part 1: Introductory RemarksSituational Analysis. . . . . . . . 2Company Profile & SWOT Anaylsis. . . . . . . . 3Campaign Objectives. . . . . . . . 4Consumer Profile. . . . . . . . 5 - 6Competitor Analysis. . . . . . . . 7 - 8Campaign Strategy. . . . . . . . 9Budget. . . . . . . . 9 - 10Part 2: Developing Objectives Positioning Strategy and Advertising Brief. . . . . . . . 11Timeline. . . . . . . . . 12Large Ads. . . . . . . . . 13Promotions and Social Media. . . . . . . . . 14 - 19Part 3: Implementation and EvaluationCampaign Evaluation. . . . . . . . . 20 Situational Anaylsis

Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a four-year public university located in Moorhead, Minnesota. Quality of education with a low tuition are key strengths of the university. The school is composed of five colleges: College of Arts, Media and Communication, College of Business and Innovation, College of Education and Human Services, College of Humanitites and Social Services, College of Science, Health and the Environment. Bachelor’s degrees are offered in several of these different academic colleges within MSUM. Graduate programs are also available after the undergraduate is complete. MSUM participates in a program called Tri-College University. Since MSUM is within close proximity with both North Dakota State University and Concordia College, the students enrolled at any of the three colleges are able to take advantage of classes that are offered at the other two universities without a seperate enrollment process. The next step is for students to take charge of their education and ignite their futures.

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Company Profile1. MSUM began as The Moorhead Normal School in 1888. 2. First degrees received in 1890 – graduating class of 8 students3. 1921 – School renamed Moorhead State Teachers College.4. 1932 – MacLean Hall was created – Fire breathing dragon symbol was created 5. March 1943 – June 1944 – aircrew men trained at MSTC – afterward enrollment sweeled to 700+ students – school broadened to liberal arts and professional curriculum. 6. 1957 – College name changed to Moorhead State University7. 1990 – MSU enrollment reached a record 9,151 – most popular majors were elementary education, business administration, mass communications and accounting. 8. 2000 – MSU becomes Minnesota State University Moorhead9. 2007 – Dragon Wellness Center groundbreaking10. 2008 – One of the first campuses to go smokefree; Pres. Barden retires & Edna Szymanksi became 10th pres and first woman president of MSUM11. 2014 – Edna retires on June 30. Anne Blackhurst became 11th president of the university on

SWOT Anaylsis

Strengths:• Clean campus

o Go Green o Smoke-free

• Distinguish Alumni• Student-to-teacher ratio

• Low tuitionWeaknesses:

• Issues with retention• Low enrollment

Opportunities:• Pitch the following:

o Professional logo o Broad range of students

• Large group of International Students

o Sustainability team o Four-year graduation goals

• Supporting causes on campus o Suicide Awareness Week o Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• New PresidentThreats:

• F/M Area and other Minnesota competition Schools

• Small school atmosphere – may be unappealing to some

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Campaign ObjectivesObjective 1: Build Brand Awareness in both the F/M Area and throughout Minnesota.Objective 2: Understand the mindset and perceptions of the target market when they are selecting a college.Objective 3: Increase freshman that are recruited to MSUMObjective 4: Increase retention by 20 percent.

Time Frame: August 2014 - August 2015

Target Markets: 1. High School Juniors and Seniors 2. Local F/M Community 3. Alumni 4. Current MSUM Students

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Consumer Profile

Who are they? Where are they from?

MSUM targets young students, specifically high school juniors and seniors, who have begun the search to find the school that best fits their needs.

Psychographics

Going Green, Social Media, Worldlieness, Fitness and Independence are all prominent psychographics amongst MSUM’s target market.

MSUM targets students in and around the Midwest region. Minnesota and North Dakota primarily.

Consumer ProfileThe target market’s awareness of MSUM is fairly low. It is easy to reach them via social media, television, and via

billboards. These will be the primary channels used to market.

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St. Cloud State University, Bemidji State University, Winona State University, and

Minnesota State University Mankato would also be considered competition to MSUM. They are within similar ranges for tuition. They are all Minnesota colleges. Though,

they are less of a threat than other Fargo/Moorhead colleges, MSUM needs to

create brand differentiation so as to not fall into the category of “just another

Minnesota State College”.

Competitor Anaylsis

Division I CollegeLarge Campus

National ChampionshipsLoyal Alumni

Fargo/Moorhead AreaUse of Billboards

Advertisements in large region (beyond Fargo-Moorhead)Higher Tuition than MSUM

Use RecruitersTri-College

Average-sized campusFargo/Moorhead AreaAdvertisements in Fargo/Moorhead Use RecruitersPrivate CollegeExpensive TuitionTri-College

Community and Technical CollegeLow Tuition

Fargo/Moorhead Area2-year Degrees

Small class sizesSatellite colleges in surronding towns

Scholarships

Public College2-year degree only80 academic optionsWahpeton area - Fargo location98% of graduates pursuing other college education

Competitor Analysis

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Budget

MSUM will utilize several different methods to market their brand. By participating in parades, MSUM will be able to show off some of their successful students and alumni and pass out items with their logo printed; this will help with

Brand Awareness. The airport advertisements will be placed at convenient times where there is heavy airport traffic in hopes to grab the target market’s attention when they are most likely to be in the airport. Participating in local events will also help with Brand Awareness, but also with Brand Differentiation. MSUM will set themselves apart by supporting

foundations and healthy living. MSUM will benefit by having several different protional products because the use of those products off-campus will expand MSUM’s brand. There is a large area for Unexpected expenses because of the

growing Fargo/Moorhead community. There may also be new events that MSUM may decide to participate in.

10This campaign will be directly correlated with the research results. This campaign will promote MinnesotaState University Moorhead through local involvement in the community as well as extensive

advertising techniques. There will be three key focuses: Brand Awareness, Community Involvement, and Positive On-Campus Experiences.

Brand Awareness: Brand awareness for MSUM will be build by planning and implementing a year-long campaign with differentelements aimed directly at each of the target markets. MSUM will be involved in several events and with several other businesses or causes. This will prove MSUM’s dedication to the needs of the community and its student body. Advertisements will also be a key element of brand awareness. Advertisements will be placed in several key locations where target markets are most likely to interact.

Community Involvement: MSUM will increase their community involvement. Since the student body is active in the community, it is important that MSUM stays involved as well so that there is a sense of suppport from the school. This campaign will partially revolve around involvement with the community so as to both better community support of MSUM and to enrich the bond between students and their university by sharing support for common causes. This will prove MSUM’s willingness to adapt to changes within the F-M Community.

Positive On-Campus Experiences: MSUM will also improve the on-campus experiences. This will allow current and future students to consider MSUM a “home away from home”. They will do this by planning and implementing modern events on-campus that fit the psychographics of the target markets. Several of the events will also involve the community. This will extend MSUM’s welcoming environment beyond the campus limits.

Campaign Strategies9

Budget1. Fargo/Moorhead Billboards - $23,400. There will be a digital billboard that displays an ad for MSUM every other month for a year, approximately 2,500 per month. There will aslo be two seperate billboards (one in Fargo and one in Moorhead) that will display for 6 months each, approximately $8,400 total. 2. Airport Advertisements - $14,000. MSUM advertisements will be displayed in both the Fargo Airport and the MSP Airport for two months in the year, $3,500 each per month. They will be displayed in December and March in hopes to catch the eye of travelers during the holidays and during spring break.3. Movie Premiere Ad - $3,280. 2 month long movie previews during the months of November 2014 and May 2015 during the movies, Pitch Perfect 2 and The Hunger Games, Mockingjay Part 1. These will be in “Century 10” and “West Acres” theaters.4. Direct Mail - $1,494.98. 3,000 Holiday postcards including postage, to select alumni.5. Fargo Marathon Mile Marker - $1,5006. West Fest Parade - $500. Logo on all print advertising, tag line announcement from stage during the parade, logo on event web page, logo on banner at the even, 2 tickets to the Firefighter’s Ball, 1 Free Entry in the Parade ($100 Value, reserved section), Thank you in our local newspaper7. NDSU Homecoming Parade - $50. MSUM will participate in the NDSU Homecoming Parade to show support for the Tri-College Program. There is a $50 charge to partiticipate in the parade. 8. Parade Candy - $200. Candy will be seperated and used at both parades. 9. Giving Hearts Day - $4,000. MSUM will match any faculty, student or community member donation up to $4,000 for this online give-a-thon.10. Hotel Donaldson Night Stay -$200. Like and Share our Facebook page for a chance to win a stay 1 night stay at The Hotel Donaldson. 11. Gift Cards - $600. 2 $10 giftcards to a store of their choice given to a potential student each month for a year. Sign up during Fire Up Fridays.12. Draw-String Bags - $880.00. 1,000 bags to give away at events. 13. Pens - $4,000. 550 stylus pens and 720 standard ballpoint pens to give away at events.14. Water Bottles - $1,000. 570 water bottles to give away at events.15. T-Shirts - $4,790. 1000 shirts to give away at events.16. Stickers - $191.40. 3 rolls of customer stickers for 3,000 stickers17. Social Media - $1,200. Boost one major post per month for the entire campaign. 18. Agency Compensation - $15,000 or 15% of the costs will be the agency compensation. 19. Unexpected Expenses -$21,873.60. There is a large amount leftover for MSUM. This will allow them to evaluate the campaign proress and add new expenses where necessary.

Positioning StrategyTo position Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) as a suitable and affordable college that is evolving constantly to

the wants and needs of students and the community.

Advertising Brief

MSUM’s advertising will inform and invite future students to brighten their education on a campus fit

for their everchanging needs. It will provide proof that MSUM welcomes and encourages students to get the

best education possible and to utilize the services provided by the school. Lastly, the advertising will display the ways MSUM supports the community by

participating in local F-M events.They will do this by using both the themes:“You-niversity” and “Ignite Your Future”.

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Timeline of EventsMinnesota State Univeristy Moorhead

Where you go to find your own education

“Not only do I believe in the value of a University degree, but I believe

in our students. We have great students who really care about their education. I want to help keep them

here.”

Allen SheetsMSUM Professor

“MSUM has provided me with opportunities that I never though were

possible. I truly feel like my school wants me to succeed as much as I do.”

Megan WognumMSUM Student

Examples of Large Ads

This chart breaks down the timeline of the full campaign by promotion. There is typically no more than 4 things happening in any given month so that there is the opportunity to build awrareness for MSUM but the

promotions will not be overwhelming. In addition to monthly promotions, MSUM will randomly give away five $10 local

business gift cards and an MSUM T-shirt to future students who participate in tours at MSUM and register their name into a drawing. The following pages will show examples and break

down each promotion.

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College PromotionsDragon Days (September) - MSUM will have two booths of their own set up at the Sidewalk Cafe during their Homecoming. They will provide students with information on their sustainability program and information about how to get involved on campus. MSUM will give away pens and T-Shirts to students. NDSU Homecoming (October) - MSUM will participate in the NDSU Homecoming Parade to promote themselves to potential college-age customers. Choice Financial will hand out T-Shirts and mobile screen cleaners to parade goers.Fire-Up Fridays - MSUM hosts Fire-Up Fridays for potential incoming students to tour. Now, during Fire-Up Fridays MSUM will allow these guest to put their name in a drawing for a 1 of 5 monthly $10 giftcards to the store of their choice. Day in the life of Students (April) - During the month of April, MSUM will allow high school students to pair with an MSUM student for 24 hours to experience college life at MSUM.MSUM Fitness Month (January) - MSUM will host a kick off event for Fitness Month. There will be promotional giveaways such as draw-string bags and water bottles. MSUM will also test the dorms to see which dorm is “most fit”. Students will sign their name and their dorm everytime they leave the Wellness Center and the most participants wins T-shirts. There will also be a drawing with all that entered the Wellness Center for a one night stay for two at the Hotel Donaldson. They also will allow non-college students to have an open gym night at the Wellness Center on Friday evenings. Local Promotions

West Fest Parade (September) - MSUM will participate in the West Fargo West Fest parade to expand their brand awareness. They will hand out candy and other small promotions during the parade.Billboards - MSUM will have several different types of Billboards. From October to March they will have a medium-sized billboard displayed in both Fargo and Moorhead. They will also have a digital display billboard slot every other month for the extent of the campaign starting in August. Finally, MSUM will have a billboard display in the Twin Cities for an entire year. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 1 (November) - MSUM will have promotional give-aways for the attendents of The Hunger Games Premiere. There will also be an ad-vertisement played prior to the show. Holiday Card (December) - MSUM will send out a holiday card to select alumni to show that they appreciate the support they have. MSUM will display some highlights from their calendar year, such as the new president, Anne Blackhurst, and also wish them a happy holiday season.Airport Advertisements (December and March) - MSUM will have advertisements in both the MSP and Fargo airport. These are heavy travel times for many students so they will be able to reach a larger target audience.

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Local Promotions

Social Media

MSUM will use HootSuite to manage multiple social media accounts. They will also be able to schedule posts and interact with their followers more easily.

TWITTERIn order to reach the target market, MSUM will increase their Twitter

presence. They can use simple hashtags such as #MSUM, #Youniversity or #IgniteYourFuture to promote themselves. They will also give away

promotions for individuals who follow and retweet their content.

FACEBOOKMSUM will continue to promote the college on Facebook as well.

Facebook will become the hub of all events and happenings of MSUM. Any give-a-ways will also include the followers on Facebook. MSUM will also

purchase Facebook advertisements for promoting the college and specifc statuses.

Giving Hearts Day (February) - MSUM will participate in Giving Hearts Day hosted by Dakota Medical Foundation. MSUM will match donations from student body, faculty or community supporters of both Giving Hearts and MSUM to DMF up to $4,000 for the full 24 hours of the event. MSUM will promote the Giving Hearts Day through Facebook and Twitter by asking followers to share the event details and using #MSUMGives.Pitch Perfect 2 (May) - MSUM will have promotional give-aways at the Pitch Perfect 2 Premiere. MSUM advertisements will also play before the movie begins. This will connect MSUM to several potential and current students.Fargo Marathon (May) - MSUM will sponsor a mile in the Fargo Marathon where they can prominately display their logo on a mile marker. MSUM will give away water bottles with their logo during and after the race. FM Pride (August) - MSUM will get involved with the FM Pride Festival to show their support for LGBT community both attending MSUM and living in and around the F-M area. They can use the hashtag #MSUMPride.Current Involvement - MSUM will continue any involvement in local events like Relay for Life, and Suicide Awareness week. MSUM will be able to include these events in their campaign by using their branded hashtags like #MSUM.

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Small Promotional Advertising

Campaign Evaluation

The effectiveness of this campaign is measured by involvement on campus, students enrolled for the upcoming year and by satisfaction rates. MSUM used several different methods to create brand awareness. By using media (social

media, billboards, promotional items) that directly reaches their target demographic they were able to impact them in a positive way. MSUM also used the students, that had already picked MSUM as the school of their

choice, to influence the potential incoming freshmen. By hosting tours and providing mentors for highschoolers they were able to inform the students without bombarding them with information that is seemingly irrelevant to

them. MSUM was also able to participate in events that created both brand awareness and brand differentiation. Giving Hearts Day, FM Pride and the Fargo Marathon were opportunities to prove MSUM’s empathetic attitude toward worthwhile causes and their involvement in the community. Finally,

MSUM created fun events on-campus to encourage the students to get involved. MSUM Fitness Month, for example, was an exciting event that al-lowed students to have fun while making healthy choices. It also was a way for the campus to get the attention and support of the community. Overall,

MSUM successfully recruited and retained incoming freshman with their focused marketing plan.

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