the zone book
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
2011 PLAN BOOK
Allison LandrumKris CantrellPaul SchweibinzLeo Watson
TEAM
KIM
TEAM
KIM
2
CONTENTSBACKGROUND 3
SITUATION 4
RESEARCH 7
OBJECTIVES 9
RECOMMENDATIONS 10
TARGET AUDIENCE 11
CREATIVE BRIEF 12
MEDIA PLAN 14
SCHEDULE 15
BUDGET 16
PROMOS + EVENTS 17
EVALUATION + ANALYSIS 18
CREATIVE + EXECUTION 19
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BACKGROUND
The Break may be on the verge of extinction.
It's struggling to attract students after transformations in the past.
The Break has been tweaked from a bowling alley to an arcade and is now a pool hall. The Break Pool Hall is an entertainment venue which gives students a chance to relax, shoot some pool, watch television, study, or even play ping-pong. The Break also houses the EMU's lost and found items.
It has been a mainstay in the soon-to-be renovated Erb Memorial Union located in the heart of the University of Oregon's campus. The Break's spot in the basement has downsized frequently given its lack of popularity and income.
Unfortunately, The Break has been operating in a deficit in recent years. Student awareness has been a significant problem despite The Break's convenient location near student housing. They've seen success in their billiards courses and by offering free pool during their weekly "happy hour".
Currently, the majority of customers are primarily international students. Most of the current consumers would agree that The Break offers a good product for a good price. Their main issue is that they're an unappealing destination and lack awareness. It's current atmosphere is a bit too quiet, cold, and clinical to encourage consistent student foot traffic.
Team KIM is dedicated to restoring The Break's past luster to ensure success in the newly renovated EMU.
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SITUATION
product
price
place
promo
The Break is a pool hall. It provides entertainment and relaxation to students, faculty, and others. The Break also offers ping-pong tables, board games, study spaces, the lost and found, and a big-screen TV.
Individual: Pool is $4.80 per hour. Ping-pong is $3 per hour. TV, board games, karaoke, and study spaces are free. Groups: Groups can rent the entire space for $50 per hour. Packages: 400 minutes $30600 minutes $40800 minutes $50.It would take $20,000 a year for The Break to "break" even.
The Break is located in the basement of the EMU on the U of O campus in Eugene, Oregon. The Break is next-door to The Buzz, which is a highly popular coffee shop among students and faculty.
The Break's current ad spend consists of one yearly ad for the lost and found in the Oregon Daily Emerald. The Break is also involved in word-of-mouth communication through its billiards classes, freshmen orientation, and "free pool happy hour". The Break's online presence consists of a twitter account with 86 followers and website. The Break doesn't have a presence on the most popular social networking site, facebook.
P4
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SITUTATION
BarsBars offer pool tables as well as alcohol and a more comfortable atmosphere. Campus bars may be favored over The Break due to alcohol.
Examples: Rennie's Landing, Taylor's Bar and Grill, and McMenamin's East 19th Street Cafe.
DIRECTThere aren't any pool halls in Lane County. Direct competitors aren't currently an issue for The Break.
INDIRECT
EntertainmentThis includes movie theaters, bowling, mini golf, laser tag, arcades, and going out to eat. These are more popular options than pool, but are located much further than The Break. Examples: Regal/Cinemark Cinemas, Southtowne Lanes, Putterz, Chuck E. Cheese, Qdoba
On-CampusStudent Recreation Center (The Rec.), dorm events, and other places students spend free time. These may not be as fun as The Break, but may have better awareness or a closer location. Examples: The Rec, Living Learning Center, Knight Library, Hedco Education Building, Lillis.
The Competition
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SITUTATION
strengths
weaknesses
opportunities
threats
Location on UO campus, low overhead expenses, good group space/rates, open to public, low prices compared to other entertainment options, good equipment, and great staff. There is also a lack of student entertainment venues on campus or in the immediate area.
Unable to serve alcohol, low popularity, spotty cell service, bad lighting, cold environment, low awareness, low income, uninviting, limited regulars, limited customers from billiards courses, bars and entertainment venues off campus.
Student groups lack a go-to spot for events, client shares a wall with The Buzz, client is affiliated with various student services and groups, large on-campus student population (freshmen), a large number of talented students with valuable sets of skills, venue is a blank canvas and has the potential to be molded to match customer demands.
Funding, space loss, pool popularity, sluggish decision making (red tape), alienating current regulars when popularity increases.
SWOT
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SITUTATION
Poll:
We met with 13 college students. 7 freshmen, 1 sophomore, and 5 juniors. The gender was split between 4 girls and 9 guys.
Pool's popularity was ranked 6th of 7 entertainment options:
1.) Seeing a movie 2.) Mini golf3.) Going out to eat4.) Bowling5.) Laser Tag6.) Pool7.) Arcade
Pool seems to be an unpopular entertainment option:
38% never play pool31% play less than once a month 23% play once a month8% play 2-3 times a month0% play once a week0% play 2-3 times a week0% play daily
Other Research Finds:
Students stated that they'd be most likely consider pool in the afternoon to late evening or between classes. 85% of students would be interested in a movie night at The Break. 62% of students would consider participating in a video game/LAN party at The Break. 100% would be more likely to go to The Break if it offered food.
Students voted that they'd be most likely order bar food such as chicken strips, tots, and pizza, if available.
Primary Research
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SITUATIONSecondary Research
Social Media:College students spend more time online or on social media than listening to the radio or watching TV.8 million students spend almost two hours per day on social media.
Two most popular social sites:Facebook 96%YouTube 84%
Other Notable Info:92% of college students have a credit card
The top 3 music genres are rock, hip-hop, and country.
Sources: http://www.creditdonkey.com/student-online-safety.html http://www.unh.edu/news/docs/UNHsocialmedia.pdf http://mashable.com/2011/10/31/cellphones-college-students/ http://www.scribbal.com/2011/10/infographic-how-college-students-use-social-networking/ journals.cluteonline.com/index.php/CTMS/article/download/.../5368 http://www.bitrebels.com/social/facebook-according-to-college-student-likes-infographic/
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OBJECTIVES
Marketing ObjectiveRebrand The Break to “The Zone”.Increase sales by $2,500 in the first year.
Advertising ObjectivesIncrease awareness by 25%. (Currently 20% awareness among freshmen)Position The Zone as the best venue for U of O freshmen to hang out with friends without needing transportation. Increase foot traffic by 25%
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Key InsightPool isn't an activity that students actively pursue as a primary attraction. The average student is more likely to play pool if they're "in the neighborhood" for another attraction. (events/food/etc.)
Change the name of The Break to The Zone to engage core audience (students).
Ensure a more student-friendly environment by improving ambiance.
Meet with UO Art Department to cover blank walls with student-created, duck-themed murals.
Consistently have popular music playing in the background.
Ally with The Buzz to give The Zone the opportunity to offer their customers food and drink.
Increase online presence by using Search Engine Optimization.
Ensure The Zone is on the first page for "things to do in Eugene" "pool halls Eugene" and "entertainment Eugene." This can be accomplished organically by editing the description tags, meta tags and title tags within the source code of website. Our goal is to pick the top five most relevant search terms and increase our visibility to Google’s front page.
Ally with Residence Hall Association to ensure higher freshmen engagement.
Work with RHA on consistent events such as movie nights, video game tournaments, karaoke nights, and other options.
This will increase awareness, income, and billiards popularity.
Increase repeat customers from billiards classes by giving free pool coupons if class attendee brings a friend.
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TARGET AUDIENCE
Our primary target audience is a freshman or sophomore at the University of Oregon. This student will most likely be out-of-state and won't be too familiar with some of the various entertainment options in Eugene. Our target audience may also be limited to foot travel and the confusing LTD bus system. We want to take advantage of The Zone's location that is within walking distance from several student dorms. We'll focus on both genders to attempt to create a social atmosphere that will give students the chance to meet new friends and possibly a cute guy/gal. These students will have disposable income from their parents or part-time work/study on a campus cash card. They may also be tempted to use their credit card if they've spent most of their money buying beer from a friend's older brother. Our secondary target audience will be on-campus groups. The Zone offers a group rental rate of the entire venue for $50 per hour. Most student groups lack awareness of The Zone's reasonable group rental rate. There isn't an entertainment venue in Eugene/Springfield that can offer such a price for an area that could potentially house groups of 50+. This may be The Zone's most effective competitive advantage. It will provide consistent, predictable income for The Zone. Group rental popularity will give The Zone financial stability for years to come.
Meet Brandon
Brandon is a freshman student at the University of Oregon. He's an 18-year-old, out-of-state, undecided, new kid on the block. He used to play pool in high school and enjoys spending his free time with friends. College leaves him with a lot of that free time, but he struggles to find things to do outside of the dorms. His options seem to be limited because he left his car in California. Every month he gets some campus cash from his parents that contributes to his disposable income. Brandon has met a ton of new friends at his dorm, but they complain about the amount of time they spend in their cramped dorm room. Brandon would really like to check out a place to relax, grab a bite to eat, and pass the time with friends that's within walking distance. He'd really this place to reflect his personality as a student at the U of O.
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CREATIVE BRIEFObjectiveTo re-brand The Break as “The Zone”, an entertainment venue option for student recreation, specifically freshman students to increase foot traffic while building customer loyalty.
BackgroundThe Break (The Zone) has transformed its image over the past decade, but its location in the EMU has remained the same. Located on the base floor, the student recreational room now serves as a pool hall primarily for student use. Every year it has reduced its size and struggles to break-even on sales ($-5,000 annually). The most popular service the space currently provides is billiards class for University of Oregon students.
CompetitionOther entertainment venues (mini golf, cinemas, laser tag)Residence hall eventsRennie’s Landing and other campus bars with pool tables
ProblemsLack of location awarenessLow customer loyaltyLow entertainment qualityPoor brand identityAtmosphere - lack of personality and identity
Desired ThoughtThe Zone is a fun, low-cost venue for underclassmen to go for a nighttime activity without needing transportation besides their own two legs. It’s easy to get to from the dorms and open to anybody else in the public, too. The food and drink that will be offered there make The Zone just as enjoyable as a movie theater or bowling alley.
Most Important Thought
Going to The Zone is the easiest way for young students on
campus to relax, have fun and socialize with friends.
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KIM
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MEDIA PLANA Day in the Life
Brandon (our target customer) is a freshman student at the University of Oregon. Every weekday morning he wakes up at 7 AM to be to class at 8 AM. Once he wakes up, Brandon checks his email, facebook, and twitter account. He’s also been known to listen to the radio in the shower. During his walk to class, Brandon is bombarded by several forms of outdoor advertising throughout campus. These include fliers, banners, and signs.
While in class, Brandon will browse a few websites and interact on the social media scene. At lunch Brandon will grab some lunch at Qdoba Mexican Grill where he’ll walk by a large amount of signs and people attempting to plead their case for Jesus, Greenpeace, and ASUO.
After lunch, Brandon will return to class and continue browsing the Internet, text friends, and take notes simultaneously. After his last class, Brandon walks home and sees another barrage of outdoor advertising. He’s even lucky enough to run into the LTD guy, who explains that “LTD can lick his sweaty, unshaven...” Well, you know.
Once he arrives back at the dorms Brandon grabs a bite to
eat and reads a few of the fliers and posters placed in the dorm hallways.
After dinner, Brandon studies a bit and relaxes with friends while ESPN plays in the background. At about 11 PM Brandon is finished with his studies, but isn’t yet tired. To pass the time he surfs the web and plays a video game. At about midnight, Brandon goes to sleep, yearning for a venue he can call his own and that will provide extraordinary entertainment options for a reasonable price.
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MEDIA PLANMedia Mix
social media
direct mail
guerrilla
How: We want to interact with students on facebook, twitter, and foursquare.
Why: Our research showed that students spend about 2 hours per day on social media. It’s also inexpensive.
How: We will be strategically placing flyers, leave behinds, signs, and butcher paper near our target audience’s location.
Why: Print can be easily targeted depending on location and is inexpensive.
How: We’re going to target on-campus groups with “sexy” direct mail that will draw their attention.
Why: Direct mail gives us the opportunity to reach a very narrow audience for a low cost.
How: We’re going to place “Magic” 8-balls around campus that reward students with a free hour of pool.
Why: To generate buzz and build awareness in a unique way at a low cost.
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January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
SEO
DIRECT M
AIL
CROSS
GUERRILLA
EVENTS
SOCIA
L MED
IA
Seasonal campaigns allow a more flexible approach and can adapt to student habits.
FallFootball focus
WinterBad weather campaign (off in December during Winter Break)
SpringMarch Madness, group events
SummerNo advertising
SCHEDULE
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BUDGET
20 magic 8-balls to hide around campus- $1401000 Coffee sleeve stickers- $5050 Posters- $1801000 business cards for staff- $25500 custom envelopes- $170500 Postcard-sized leave behinds- $125400 billiards class coupons- $75Entrance banner- $351000 loyalty punch cards- $100Paid staff for evaluation- $100
Budget total: $1000
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PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS
coffee sleeves
gameday watch parties
We want to work with The Buzz to place “free pool” 8-ball stickers on their coffee sleeves. This should help increase foot traffic at The Zone and could also help sell coffee at The Buzz.
We want to position The Zone as the premier location for freshmen to enjoy televised Duck football, basketball and baseball. This will help increase foot traffic and give The Zone more potential pool-playing customers.
haircuts
weekly events
We want to give freshmen the ability to get a good haircut for a good price in a good location. Freshmen don’t always have time to walk all the way across town for a classy cut. We’ll accomplish this by providing a licensed professional to the students at a designated time each week.
Monday: night movie night.One new-release movie per week shown. (Marketed with RHA)Wednesday: night pool tournament. (Bi-weekly to prevent burnout). This is already an ongoing event, but we’d like to increase consistency.Friday night: game-day giveaways. For students that missed out on student tickets. (Work with UO Athletics.)Sunday night: LAN party gaming. Our target audience is interested in gaming and this should be popular.Saturday night: game-day watch parties.
billiards class couponsWe want to increase repeat customers from billiards class students to recreational Zone pool players. We’ll accomplish this by giving students in the billiards class coupons for free pool if the student brings a friend outside of class.
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EVALUATION + ANALYSIS
Once implemented, the plan can be assessed at the end of each term based on pool game sales data. This can be acquired from the front desk in The Zone.Social media involvement can be gauged at the end of the each month through analysis of new connections, followers, mentions and engagement. This is a simple method for collective statistical data on awareness. In addition to this, a questionnaire circulated to freshmen after three months could be compared to data already collected on that target audience.Search engine optimization could be measure simply based on the search rank of the official Zone website.
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CREATIVE + EXECUTION
20promo flyers
21
decor concept
entrance sign
coffee sleeve
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promo flyer pickup
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loyalty punchcard
promo coupon
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facebooktwitter
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foursquare
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Z N ET H E
1228 University of OregonLower Level, EMUEugene, OR [email protected]
Hello friends, We know it might be rough finding a spot to house a group of your size for events. We also know your group isn’t rolling in cash. How do we know? We’re students, just like you. We’ve eaten top ramen, carpooled, and had to borrow money from our parents to pay our rent. We’re writing you because we want you to know that we’re available to provide your group with a luxurious, chill space for a few sheckles. It’s something like two bucks a person if you have a group of around twenty. Our space is right on-campus, in the basement of the EMU. (You might remember us as The Break) We have about ten pool tables, two ping-pong tables, a big TV, and some other stuff that might benefit your next group get together, event, gathering, ho-down, social, shindig, meet n’ greet, study sesh, hee-haw, or whatever else you’re planning. Give us a call and we’ll toss in a free hour for your group’s first reservation. Come by, check out our new digs, and play a game of pool. And remember, we’re student owned and operated, so we’re not part of the 1% or whatever. We’re just a few students trying to pay the bills and provide a cool spot for students to hang out in and call their own.
See you on campus,
Raymond, Manager @ The [email protected]
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Maggie DieringerMarketing Associate
1228 University of Oregon EMU, lower level
Eugene, OR 97403
Z N ET H E
GOOD FOR ONE FREE POOL GAME
Phi Kappa Psi729 East 11th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97408
Z N ET H E
1228 University of OregonEMU, lower level
Eugene, OR 97403541-346-3711
business card front
business card back
direct mail envelope