1. An Integrated Marketing Communications Plan
for Upstate Wine Country
Upstate Wine Country
Kaitlin Flor March 2012
2.
3. Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for
Upstate Wine Country
by
Kaitlin Flor
IMC Class of 2012
IMC 830: IMC Campaign Project
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications
in the Graduate School of the
Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication
St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, New York
May 2012
Approved ____________________________________
IMC Program Director: Br. Basil Valente, O.F.M.
Date _________________________________________
4. Executive Summary
Introduction
Product and Service Analysis
Product and Service Life Cycle
Distribution and Current Financial Situation
Historical Advertising
Marketing Analysis
Demographics, Geographics, and Pyschographics
Consumer Trends
Competitive Analysis
Macroenvironment
Research Methodology and Implications of Research
SWOT
Campaign Goals and Marketing Communication Strategy
Target Marketing
Communication Positioning
Marketing Comm Mix and Creative Strategy
Brand Management
Overview of Tactics
Traditional Advertising
Non-Traditional Advertising
Table of Contents
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5. 2
Public Relations
Promotion
Customer Loyalty Programs
Online
Social Media
Twitter
Digital
Mobile Marketing
Future Tactics
Internal Communication and Crisis Communication
Timeline
Timeline Chart
Budget
ROI
Measurement
Evaluation and Conclusion
Appendices
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7. Executive Summary
Tucked in between the beautiful Endless Mountains and the western
Catskill mountains is the rural geographic corner of the world that few
people live and many people visit- Northeastern- Pennsylvania and
New York’s Southern Tier. This is the setting for Upstate Wine Coun-
try.
Upstate Wine Country is a fairly new business and is in the process of
expanding and growing. The company’s main goal is to bring in more
business and make more of a profit at its wine festivals.
Because, recent research has supported the idea that young wine drink-
ers, specifically in the millennial segment, are the next biggest group
of wine drinkers, we want our new marketing plan to target women
between 22-35 years old. We would like these women to think of Upstate
as a casually sophisticated and fun brand.
It’s important for our customers to really engage and be a part of our
brand. We benefit heavily from word-of-mouth advertising and recom-
mendations from friends, family, and co-workers, so customer satisfac-
tion is of upmost importance.
This Integrated Marketing Communications plan will help link all major
objectives while the company continues to grow and expand. There are four
main plan objectives that will be a re-occurring theme.
• Branding
• Customer retention/loyalty
• Linking of all social and digital media tools
• Attracting Millennials
One of Upstate’s assets is its strong Facebook following. This plan will help
use that aspect of social media to spread to other outlets and reach more
people while maintaining a strong Facebook presence.
Last year, Upstate Wine Country really began to take off and generate lots
of business. The IMC plan that I have planned will help facilitate growth
while expanding and continuing to develop the brand by connecting all
aspects of internal and external communications.
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9. Introduction
Upstate Wine Country is a small events- planning business that plans
and puts on a series of top- quality wine festivals in Northeastern
Pennsylvania and New York’s Southern Tier. It is unique because it is
the only small business of its kind in the region. They are also the first
to attempt connecting interested and enthusiastic customers to the best
kept wine, gourmet foods, and original arts and crafts of the region. The
company put on its first two wine festivals in the summer of 2009.
In 2011, the company began to theme its annual events, and it began to
strategically pick better venues for each one. NEPA Wine Country also
worked to build strong relationships with its partnerships, supporters,
and vendors by creating an all-encompassing XPlore guide. This guide
directed customers to all of the local wineries, arts and craft shops, gour-
met eateries, and restaurants in the community. The company also added
beer tasting to one of their festivals, which appealed more to men.
At the end of 2011, the company geared up to make another big change.
It was ready to expand, geographically. Due to the success and high level
of interest from customers, Upstate decided to begin planning new events
in the Southern Tier of New York for 2012. The change also warranted a
name change for the company which is transitioning from NEPA Wine
Country to Upstate Wine Country to incorporate the Southern Tier
counties where the new wine festivals will be held this year.
The company has practically switched from the introduction stage of
the product life cycle to the growth stage overnight. It is exciting to work
with such a dynamic and successful small business like Upstate, where
the possibilities are seemingly endless and imagination and creativity are
always considered and welcomed.
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11. Product and Service Analysis
Words frequently used to describe Upstate Wine Country: well-organized,
casually -classy, different, innovative, fun, memorable, dynamic, adap-
tive, open-minded, exciting, sociable, new, creative, resourceful, growth,
professional.
What is an Upstate Wine Festival like?
Upstate prides itself on its ability to create casually sophisticated, fun,
and memorable wine festivals. These festivals are all part of a series of
annual wine festivals booked at different venues. The festivals are mainly
all outside, taking advantage of the beautiful country in the Endless and
Catskill mountains.
Each festival has its own theme which is enhanced by the chosen vendors,
the wineries, and the venue.
Additional Upstate Wine Country Service
New this year, the company now offers a virtual wine fest shopping ex-
perience, where customers can go onto the website and purchase wine and
similar items they might find at the wine festivals. This was created to
give those who are unable to make it to the wine festivals to indulge in the
experience virtually.
Company Strengths
• First event -planning company to specialize in creating a series of
wine festivals in the local community
• The owners have different and unique skills and qualifications that
help make the company synergistic
• The owners also bring key personality traits
needed for the success of a small business- enthusiasm, optimism,
open-mindedness, strong work ethic
Company Weaknesses
• The business started from scratch which means every step is costly
• The geographic area of the wine festivals is lacking in economic
prosperity
• The attendance at the wine festivals is difficult to predict
Service Features
• Introduces local products and, businesses to customers
• The unique factor: -Upstate is the only events planning service in
the area that produces wine festivals
• Gathers all wine enthusiasts in one social setting
Service Benefits
• This experience links wine enthusiasts to local wineries, gourmet
eateries, and elegant restaurants
• Provides a memorable social experience
• Customers get to be part of a well-organized, casually-sophisticated
event
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13. Product and Service Life Cycle
Recently, Upstate Wine Country has transitioned from the introduction
stage to the growth stage of the product life cycle.
The growth stage of the product life cycle is when a company begins to
grow, and sales increase rapidly. Once the product becomes a success, cus-
tomers are interested in it. This is also the time when the product chang-
es, adapts, and re-creates itself over and over again to meet the customer’s
needs.
Price is adjusted to meet the needs of the customers. Distribution often
becomes more intensive and complicated. Promotion is tailored around
making the product the desired preference among competition.
Implications for Upstate Wine Country
• competition
• influx of customers
• customers’ needs/demands change
• expansion is necessary for success
Primary goals for Upstate during this stage
• gain consumer preference
• increase sales
Pricing
Ticket Pricing for 2011 Season
Time Frame Ticket Type Price
1 month before Early Bird $12
1 day before Advanced $15
Festival Day Full $25
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15. Distribution
There are four major types of distribution for the product/service.
1. Online
a. Make customer account on website
b. Click on third- party ticket purchasing site
similar to ticketmaster.com
c. Buy ticket
d. Print ticket to present at festival
2. Bank System
a. Upstate makes up different packages for
each bank headquarters with groups of
tickets, flyers, and in-store signage
b. Upstate owners delivers these packages to
the headquarters of participating banks
c. Contents go to select branches.
d. Bank tellers sell tickets
3. At-venue physical purchasing
a. Purchase tickets, in advance, at the venue
where the festival will take place
4. Office
a. Purchase tickets for future festivals at the
office
Current Financial Situation
The company currently makes most of its income from ticket sales for each
festival. Although it makes some money from the vendor fees at each festival.
Because the company is still growing, the owners of the company currently do
not take a salary but instead re-invest all of the money into the company for
the following year. Below you will find an outline of the revenue, expenses, and
profit of Upstate Wine Country in 2011.
Revenue
Festival Income 2011:
Ticket Sales: $55,773.74 (70%)
Vendor Fees: $21,077.91 (26%)
Sponsorship Fees: $3,200.00 (4%)
Total Income: $79,961.74
Expenses
Festival Expenses 2011:
Operating Costs: $43,183.18 (78%)
Advertising & Marketing: $12,300.13 (22%)
Total Expenses: $55,483.31
Total Profit
Festival Profit 2011:
Total Income: $79,961.74
MINUS Total Expenses: $55,483.31
EQUALS Total Profit: $24,478.43
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17. Summary and Explanation
The operating costs are very high for this type of business therefore it is
crucial to increase the amount of ticket sales and make a larger profit at
each event.
Last year the company spent around $12,000 in advertising and market-
ing and plan to allot $5,000 to the implementation of this IMC plan.
Historical Marketing Results
Because it’s a relatively new business, Upstate Wine Country does not have
a long history of advertising.
Website
Early in 2010, the owners along with some web- designers helped to re-
design the website. They added banner ads, photo galleries, and links to buy
tickets online.
Print
Print advertising was limited to newspaper ads, some local magazine ads,
and the local chamber of commerce’s newsletters.
XPlore Brochure
Also in 2010, the owners used the XPlore brochure which was distributed at
local businesses, visitor centers, wineries, and supporting restaurants. XPlore
was a guide that connected all of the businesses in the geographic area on a
map.
XPlore did not take off like business owners anticipated. Many people liked
the idea but found it inconvenient to drive long distances between stops on
the map.
Facebook
The company’s page has around 2,400 likes. It used Facebook to give infor-
mation on the festivals, free tickets, and to stay up to date with the prog-
ress of the company. The company posts new statuses weekly and asks the
customers to be part of certain decisions.
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19. Billboard
Also new in 2011, Upstate designed and used a billboard to advertise in
local cities such as Scranton and Wilkes-Barre PA. The billboards were
very effective advertising, but they were extremely expensive. In survey
results, many customers said they saw the billboards.
Ticket Giveaways
In the past, Upstate has given away many free tickets on the website
through the online weekly contests. This has also proven to be successful
for customer retention because customers are asked to sign up for tickey
giveaways when they are purchasing tickets online.
Market Analysis
Upstate Wine Country has a niche target market. Although the age
demographic is large, 36-55 years old, the amount of wine drinkers
compared with beer or spirit drinkers is significantly lower in the United
States.
To further segment the niche market, Upstate Wine Country focuses on
women wine drinkers between the ages of 36-55 who are from Northeast-
ern Pennsylvania or New York’s Southern Tier because that is where the
wine festivals are held. Although Upstate does not limit its target market
to this area, it spends most of the advertising and marketing money in
these areas.
All Upstate customers have similar wants and needs. They are seeking a
casually -sophisticated wine-tasting day with their friends and family.
Demographics
Upstate Wine Country has a very active and effective Facebook page
for a small business, and it utilizes the Facebook statistics to make some
business decisions.
Age- 35-55 years old
Gender- men and women
Ethnicity- any
Educational level- high school graduates, some college, college graduates
Income- middle class to upper middle class
County Median Household Income
Lackawanna $43, 715
Wyoming $43, 986
Luzerne $38, 989
Geographics
The PA counties of Lackawanna, Wyoming, and Luzerne are the most
targeted counties in Upstate’s marketing efforts.
Lackawanna County is home to Scranton and Clarks-Summit, which is
where a bulk of Upstate customers live. This county has one of the biggest
populations in the group of target counties, which means it is a logical main
target market.
The second-most targeted county is Wyoming County because it is home to
the physical address of the company and to many of the company’s biggest
supporters. Upstate Wine Country does a lot of advertising and promoting
in its community.
The third -most targeted county is Luzerne County which is home to
Wilkes-Barre and Hazelton. This county has a fairly high population and
many current customers of Upstate.
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21. Psychographics
Tunkhannock, PA 18657
“Blue Highways”
These men and women are ages 45-65 years old, live in rural towns
and have high school diplomas and some college education. This psy-
chographic group enjoys outdoor activities and a laid-back lifestyle.
They enjoy festivals for entertainment.
Scranton, PA 18512
“Middleburg Managers”
This group of men and women are also ages 45-65 years old. They
live in the suburbs of Scranton, have college degrees, and have no kids.
They are middle class residents with solid white collar jobs. They
enjoy gardening, playing instruments, reading, and refinishing furni-
ture.
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18706
“Suburban Pioneers”
These people are a mix of singles, recent divorcees, and single parents
who live in the suburbs of very diverse and eclectic neighborhoods.
These people are under the age of 55 years old. They are whites,
Asians, Hispanics, and African-Americans. They live in aging homes
or garden-style apartments and are of the working -class.
Common Denominator
Although, uniquely different, these three main target market groups
have similarities. These groups vary in incomes, geographics, and
psychographics, yet they are all within the same age-range and enjoy
similar past-times and entertainment.
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23. Consumer Trends
Demodirt.com is a demographic trends online public website for business
professionals. It is also where the following consumer trend articles were
found.
1. “One Big Family Online”
The biggest reason for social media use in this demographis is for
users to stay connected with family.
2. “Greenermore”
Baby boomers are more likely to purchase environmentally
friendly products than any other demographic group.
3. “Staying Foxy over Fifty
In a survey, ninety-seven percent of baby boomers reported to
be in good physical health. Researchers believe it is the group’s
dedication to staying active and fit.
5. “The Mommy Connection”
Online mom-to-mom communication is one of the
most powerful emerging marketing techniques.
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25. Competitive Analysis
Competition
Currently, Upstate Wine Country has no direct competition. It is the
only events-planning company in the region that plans, organizes, and
delivers a series of themed wine festivals throughout the summer and fall
months.
Although Upstate appears to have no competition thus far, it is wise to
anticipate some upcoming competitors, as Upstate continues to expand
and show success in the regions of the Endless Mountains and New
York’s Southern Tier. The company is aware of other annual wine festi-
vals that are put on in the area.
1. Montrose Chocolate and Wine Festival (A local, non-profit orga
nization plans this annual event as a fundraiser)
• Annual festival, $20/ticket at the gate, promoted by sponsors,
and held at Montrose Town Square
Strengths- small-town, community event, little competition for entertain-
ment, non-profit organization plans the event
Weaknesses- poor advertising, conflicting summertime festivals, less pro-
fessional
2. Great Tastes of Pennsylvania Wine and Food Festival (produced
by PA Wine Association)
• Annual two-day festival, advanced tickets are $26, promoted by
Split Rock resort in the Pocono Moun tains, held at Split Rock
Resort
Strengths- festival is in a higher populated area, more money goes into
advertising and promotion, traditionally much bigger turnouts, affiliated
with a well-known resort
Weaknesses- higher priced festival, conflicting events, more competition
for leisure activities nearby
3. Wyalusing Valley Wine Festival (an annual event to promote 15
of Pennsylvania’s finest wineries)
• Annual fall festival/wine tasting festival, $25/ticket
at gate, promoted by sponsors, held at the Wyalusing Valley
Museum
Strengths- traditionally draws large crowds, well-organized and designed
website, many local business supporters
Weaknesses- competition with many other fall festivals in the region, set in
a secluded area
4. Tunkhannock Rotary Club Harvest Wine Fest (non—profit fund
raiser)
• Product- fall festival, $25/ticket at gate, promoted in monthly bul
letin, held in Tunkhannock, PA
Strengths- small-town event, fundraiser, tailored to local communities
Weaknesses- geographically close to the home of Upstate Wine Country, less
funds to plan and organize, location is rural and hard to get to
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27. Macroenvironment
Economic
Surprisingly enough Upstate Wine Country is one of the small businesses
in the region that is not falling victim to the national economic crisis.
In fact, Upstate Wine Country has been thriving in this economically
unstable time due to their dedication to producing a relatively low-cost,
local, summer and fall activity for customers.
The owners strategically position their business to be a vacation alterna-
tive for its customers. They position their series of wine tasting festivals
as a kind of “staycation” which has un-intentionally caught on very well
in the region.
According to the surveymonkey general interest survey that I conducted
in the beginning of 2011, the second biggest reason for whether to attend
a wine festival or not attend was current financial situation. In order to
combat this consumer worry, Upstate provides various purchasing op-
tions for customers.
Cultural and Demographics
Since the current largest demographic for Upstate Wine Country is the
baby boomers, the company works hard to tailor their service to this large
group of consumers.
In order to make money at this business, Upstate has begun to also tar-
get the upper middle class who respectively have more money and can be
frequent wine festival attendees.
Legal
Up until this year, Upstate hasn’t had to deal with a lot of legal is-
sues. However, when they added beer tasting to one of their festivals they
needed to get permission from the LCB of PA. They are currently work-
ing out an agreement with the LCB of NY so that they can have some of
their wine festivals in NYS.
Technology
Upstate has advertised a lot online in the past few years. They have a
fully engaging website and Facebook page where they spend a lot of time
and effort.
The company has recently added a comment section on their website where
current customers of Upstate can write a paragraph about their experiences
at the festivals.
Insurance and Liability
The company does carry insurance and liability licenses for their events
to help protect them especially with the high consumption of alcohol at all
of their events. Upstate is also very careful to rope off their event before the
day begins in order to ensure that they can card the customers before they
enter into the wine festival. The company also hires a police officer to check
I.D.s at the gate and to maintain security during the events.
Weather
Since most of Upstate Wine Country’s events are outdoor festivals, the
weather plays a major role in the success of the event. Although, each event
is set up to run “rain or shine,” attendance is definitely affected by the days
forecast.
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29. Research Methodology
Primary Research
Early in the development and planning of this project I constructed my
own general survey to distribute among the existing customers. My sur-
vey was created and distributed through Surveymonkey from January-
March of 2011 and yielded a few insightful results.
Survey Results Summary
My survey yielded about 150 responses. These questions helped to develop
the direction of the campaign.
Gender
Female- 81%
Male-19%
Age (largest to smallest)
1. 36-45 year olds
2. 46-55 year olds
3. 22-35 year olds
Guest customer brings to festival
58% friend(s)
37% spouse/date
34% family member
My personal experience as an intern at this organization from May
2010-Aug. 2011 is the basis for my on-site observations. Through my
internship experience I was able to better understand:
• The way the company operates
• The roles that each of the three owners take
• The extensive planning process that goes into each festival
• The current and future plans of the company
• The marketing tactics that are currently in place
I conducted some secondary research through the Bureau of Labor
Statistics to find out the populations and median income levels in specific
geographical areas. I also conducted some psychographic research to find
out more about the lifestyles and interests of our current target market.
Implications of Research
I was satisfied with much of my research results and felt that we could use
the data to focus this IMC campaign.
The data showed that the current target market is women ages 36-55 years
old. It also showed that the second largest demographic was women ages 22-
35. Since, Upstate is already doing a great job targeting their market efforts
to the 36-55 year old demographic, I want to target women between the ages
of 22-35 years old.
Another important piece of this data is that customers overwhelmingly
answered that their top choice of people to bring with them to a wine tasting
festival is a friend. That is important to the marketing strategy.
I was interested to find out that many of the customers are not rookies to
wine tasting festivals. In fact, many have been to nearly eight wine tasting
festivals already.
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31. SWOT
Strengths- A strength is a resource or capacity that an
organization can use to its benefit.
• The owners are very well-organized and professional.
• They have a decent size population of loyal customers that at
tend each festival in the series.
• The service offering is unique because it integrates local products.
Weaknesses- A weakness is a limitation, fault, or defect in the organiza-
tion that can get in the way of the company achieving their objectives.
• Upstate is a small business and has limited finances since it is a
fairly new company.
• Festivals are set in rural areas with low population and poor
economies.
• There are currently only three owners that operate the business.
• The business is a seasonal business which means budgeting is
strict.
Opportunities- An opportunity is any favorable situation in the com-
pany’s environment. It’s usually a trend or change that overlooks a need
that must be met.
• Millenials are increasingly interested in wine.
• Because there is no competition, the company has the ability to
market to all wine drinkers in the region.
• As the company continues to theme each event in its series, there
will be more opportunity to expand the product offering
and demand a higher ticket price.
• While the company expands geographically, they can draw in
groups of people at each wine festival to ensure advanced
ticket sales.
Threats- A threat is any unfavorable situation in a company’s environ-
ment that is potentially damaging to its strategy.
• The weather continues to be one of the biggest determining fac
tors in attendance at festivals.
• The poor economy will remain an issue in this business as customers
are forced to face various economic challenges.
• Another company that forms with a similar product offering in the
same region will create direct competition for business.
• The company’s continually expanding use of the internet for promo
tion can put them in a vulnerable spot for criticism.
Vital Company Issues and SWOT Action Plan
Vital Strength- The company’s vital strength is its very unique product of-
fering. It is the only events planning company in the region that plans and
hosts a series of differently-themed wine festivals for an affordable price.
• Action- Upstate Wine Country needs to take advantage of this
strength by working to advertise specifically to new target markets
and continuing to make their events dynamic. They also need to
continue to create a strong sense of their brand at all events and
with their marketing efforts.
Vital Opportunity- The company has a huge opportunity to appeal and
market to the next fastest growing demographic of wine drinkers, the millen-
nials, and cultivate their interest in wine.
• Action- It would be in the company’s best interest to begin targeting
a younger crowd of wine drinkers since the millenial generation will
be the next generation of wine drinkers and has the largest buying
power in the nation.
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33. Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
Overall Campaign Goal
This IMC campaign will help Upstate Wine Country as it transitions
from the introduction stage to the growth stage in the summer of 2012.
The campaign will help to engage the millennial target market and moti-
vate them to visit the website to purchase festival tickets.
Marketing Objectives
1. To increase the number of new customers by 50%
2. To increase visibility and memorability of the brand by 50%
3. To increase the percentage of customers who are returning cus
tomers by 50%
4. To increase interest within new target market by 50%
Financial Objectives
1. To increase profit by 50%
2. To allocate a marketing budget of $5,000 and generate a positive
ROI
3. To increase rate of growth by 150%
Marketing Communications Strategy
The goal of this campaign is to integrate all mediums of communication in
order to engage and develop relationships with the new target market and
increase website traffic and increase ticket sales.
• Attract millennials through social media and digital efforts and
utilize the company’s advantage of excellent customer reviews to
generate more business.
• Marketing a social yet classy brand image that is appealing to the
millennial generation.
• Continue to engage with current target market and maintain a
high level of customer satisfaction.
• Aide customer retention by offering bonus savings and convenience
benefits to frequent customers.
Critical Issues
With the increase of social media and digital media tools to help aide in the
successful transition from the introduction stage to the growth stage, the
company will eventually need to hire additional professionals to maintain
these new ventures.
The company will also need to dedicate more time using, updating, review-
ing, and analyzing social and digital mediums.
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35. Target Marketing
Several research studies suggest that the millennial generation (persons
born in the 1980s and 1990s), is the most promising of the new wine
consumer segments. Currently, there are 76 million millennials in the
United States. “This group is known to be the largest consumer group
in history of the U.S. in terms of their buying power and represents the
future market for many consumer goods” (E. Thach).
An interesting study was done in 2011 at Sonoma University in Califor-
nia to better understand why this generation is drinking wine. The study
found some key lifestyle themes that were found in all U.S. wine drinkers.
These themes were: relaxed lifestyle, dining ambience, fun and entertain-
ment, social aspiration, and travel lifestyle.
This generation has five common traits which are internet proficient, di-
versity conscious, positive and practical, belief in fun and responsibility,
and environmentally and socially aware. These traits are key to under-
standing this
generation and figuring out how to best market to them.
The study was comprised of one hundred ten face-to-face interviews.
Out of that sample, 66% of the interviewees drank wine. The national
percentage is 26%. Some of the top reasons these millennials drank wine
were, liked the taste, goes well with food, and makes them feel relaxed.
Along with this study, my personal observations at nearly a dozen Up-
state wine tasting festivals over the past year and a half, suggest that the
new target market for marketing and advertising efforts for this IMC
plan should be millennials. Within the millennial generation, we want to
specifically target young women between the ages of 22-35 years old.
The reasoning behind this specific age group is that we are targeting
those who are of drinking age and have a decent income. The primary
target market for Upstate Wine Country shares the same characteristics.
Demographics
Age- 22-35 years old
Gender- Female
Ethnicity- Any
Education Level- college degree or higher
Income- upper middle class
Geographics
For this IMC plan we want to target women in the surrounding areas
where the festivals are produced in northeastern Pennsylvania and the
southern tier of New York.
The specific counties that this plan will focus on will be the three counties
with the highest populations.
Luzerne- 320,918; Lackawanna- 214,437; Broome- 200,600
Psychographics
Mobility Blues- “young singles, rent an apartment, busy with careers,
under 35 years old, active social life, enjoy low-key activities like going to the
movies and shooting pool”
City Startups- “under 35 years old, live in urban or suburban areas, work-
ing at entry level jobs, promising middle class aspirers, live in ethnically di-
verse neighborhoods, frequent cafes, clubs, bars that cater to younger crowd”
New Homesteaders- “25-35 years old, new homeowners, newly married, have
little children, live a child-centered lifestyle, dual couple incomes, usually
live in a town”
Young Influentials- “middle class yuppies, concerned with balancing work
and social lives, live in apartment complexes, frequent health clubs, casual
dining, are college grads”
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37. Communication Positioning
The best way to position wine-tasting festivals is through emotional ap-
peal. Since this service industry is an extra for many young, working,
millennials, there is little to back a rational or logical argument for why
a person needs to purchase festival tickets. However, if we understand the
wants, needs, and desires of our target market, our emotional approach
will be more effective.
Ken Orwig, of Orwig Marketing Strategies, suggests that in any major
marketing positioning it is best to find the right balance between rational
and emotional. He calls this choosing the “dominant mood” of the cam-
paign. The dominant mood describes where the product’s most important
appeal falls in between the rational and emotional scale. Once this is
determined, Orwig says that the campaign will have a consistent message
through all of the marketing efforts.
Position- Upstate Wine Country will position their service as a casually-
sophisticated, fun, and social activity to do with your friends.
This communication will persuade the audience with the right balance of
rational and emotional appeal to buy tickets for an Upstate wine tasting
festival.
The main goal- The communication strategy’s main goal is to convince
our target audience to choose an Upstate wine festival experience over
other recreational activities.
The rational side of the message:
“With our strategically picked venues, vendors, and themed events, you and
your friends will be convinced that the $15 you spent on your advanced
admission ticket was one of the best decisions you made all summer.”
The emotional side of the message:
“With our careful consideration and planning for each event, dedication
to customer service, and desire to produce a unique new festival each time,
you and your friends will indulge in the best kept secrets of the region while
creating memories that will last for a lifetime.”
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39. Marketing Communications Mix
Product- Each of Upstate’s wine tasting festivals is unique. The venue
is chosen specifically for the theme of the event, the vendors are chosen
to support the theme of the event, and the entertainment is chosen to
represent the theme of the event. It is the company’s goal to continue to
support the local wineries, gourmet food businesses, and artists by keeping
them the main feature at the wine festivals.
Price- Upstate continually strives to make their casually-sophisticated
wine tasting events affordable for the local demographic. Upstate offers a
range of ticket prices for its customers.
•Up until a month before event $12/ticket
•Up until two days before event $15/ticket
•Event day $25/ticket
Placement- At this time the most effective tactics for marketing Upstate
Wine Country are through out-of-home advertising and digital and
social media, and print advertisements in magazines.
Promotion- According to survey results, most of the current customer
base
uses Facebook, Internet, and TV to find out about recreational activities
in the region. However, this plan is targeting millennials specifically and
the best way to market to them is through social media, mobile market-
ing, and out-of-home marketing.
Creative Strategy
Why are we advertising?
• Introduce Upstate Wine Country festivals to millennials
• Increase the amount of young people buying festival tickets
To whom are we speaking?
• Women ages 22-35 years old
• Young professionals, college-educated, middle class
• Living in the northeastern Pennsylvania or Southern Tier Bing
hamton regions
• Single or married with active, busy lifestyles, socially active
• Enjoy dinner out, wine tasting, going to the movies, shopping, care
about quality services, aware of environmental issues, good coffee,
vacationing with friends
What do they currently think?
• for middle aged people, too expensive, stuffy crowds, too ritzy, inter
ested to learn about wine, intimidated by lack of knowledge about
wine
What would we like them to think?
• Upstate wine festivals are a great alternative recreational activity
• Wine tasting festivals are a fun way to bond with your girlfriends
• Wine tasting festivals are relaxing and fun
• Each wine festival is unique and offers a different experience
36
41. What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey?
• Tasting wine with your girlfriends is a relaxing fun way to
spend a saturday afternoon.
Why should they believe it?
• Tasting new wines all day with your friends is just fun.
Are there any creative mandatories or guidelines?
• Upstate logo must appear in all advertisements
What is the tone of voice?
• Enthusiastic, fun, and casually-sophisticated
Brand Management
Upstate Branding Words
Classy, organized, fun, relaxing, memorable, laid-back, social, summer, fall,
outdoors, friends, wine, sophisticated, mountains, landscape, artistic, gour-
met
“Effective brand management involves the discovery, creation, and constant
revision of stories,” (Calkins).
One of the more challenging aspects of Upstate Wine Country’s expansion is
maintaining the brand identity. Upstate was smart to only change the logo
slightly so as to not confuse their customers.
Brand Management Suggestions:
In order for a brand to be deeply embedded into the
brains of consumers, it is crucial to find the emotional connect between
brand and audience. The company is running a video campaign tour in
February and March of 2012 to help customers make the transition from
one name to the next. Customers will get the opportunity to talk about their
experiences at Upstate wine festivals on camera.
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43. Tactics
Overview of Immediate Tactics
• Integrate customer feedback section on website
• Create a welcome video on the website showing each of the owners
inviting people to festivals.
• Create and place a strategic, genuine mission statement from the
owners to the customers on the main page of the website.
• Attract millennials by engaging with them in social media and
digital media
• Host a low-budget networking event for current and future ven
dors before the season begins.
• Develop group rate package
• Create targeted billboard ads for millennials
• Design a branded T-shirt for the 2012 season
Overview of Future Tactics
• Use a company car and use it for branding
Design a map decal that shows where the festivals are held and
road maps on the car.
• Create aerial advertising in nearby cities such as Philadelphia,
and Atlantic City as well as Scranton, Binghamton, and
Wilkes-Barre.
• Host an annual event at the Radisson in Scranton and use it as
an information session to invite big businesses in the area.
• Purchase advertising space at the PNC field (home to the Scran
ton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees) in the summer time.
• Create a short television commercial to broadcast just after the
evening news on channel 16 (central PA).
40
45. Advertising Strategy
The advertising for this IMC plan will be crafted to attract the attention
of millennials and persuade them to buy tickets to an Upstate wine-tast-
ing festival in the summer of 2012.
Traditional Advertising
Print
Millennials are not heavy consumers of print advertising, however the
company traditionally publishes some
advertisements in local travel magazines and in the visitor bureaus bro-
chures. In order to keep with the same theme of this plan, I have provided
suggestions for print designs.
Flyers
A big consideration for print advertising with millennials is finding out
where they congregate. One idea for where to distribute print advertise-
men is on car windshields at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees baseball
games and Binghamton Mets games.
Upstate Wine Country would need to get it approved by the stadiums
first but then could leave flyers on thousands of cars while people are at
ball games.
Design for Magazine Ads
Although, Upstate will continue to do much of their traditional print
advertising in travel magazines, entertainment magazines, local newspa-
pers separate of this IMC plan, in order to align with my strategy, I will
provide the design for the print advertising in color magazines that will
match the billboard advertising.
TV
Researchers conclude that millennials are one of the demographics that do
not spend a lot of time watching TV. Instead this generation spends their
time online and on their smartphones.
Radio
Since millennials are also one of the largest demographics listening to radio,
it would be beneficial to produce a thirty second radio advertisement. The
radio voice would be the owner’s voice for branding purposes.
The advertisement could run on the biggest popular music playing stations
and the top country stations in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area and also in
the Binghamton NY area.
Examples: Star 105.7, 98.5 KRZ, Rock 104.1, 101.3 the WAAHL, and 98.1.
42
47. Out of Home
Billboard advertising
Survey results yielded very positive responses to billboard advertising in
2011 and therefore a portion of the budget for this plan will be for a stra-
tegically placed billboard in either Scranton, PA or Dickson City, PA.
New billboard design
• Add giant QR codes to push traffic back to website
• Create and design an ad showing millennial women in a group
drinking wine in a beautiful landscape
• Also, add a few billboards near the Johnson City, NY mall and
in the Vestal plaza where many young people congregate.
Non-Traditional advertisements
Giant Floor Decals
Since the target market often frequents the mall, Upstate should design
and produce their own oversized floor decals to place in the centers of the
local malls.
These decals would be a general invitation to come to Upstate Wine festi-
vals and there would also be a QR code to find out specific information.
The Decal would be about 15ft X 15ft and have the Upstate Wine Coun-
try name along with an elegant picture of a wine glass on it along with a
tagline.
These Decals can be ordered on websites such as Dezignwithaz.com for
around $50 each.
The Decals would be placed in each of these malls in the region
1. Viewmont mall in Dickson City, PA
2. Steamtown mall in Scranton, PA
3. Wyoming Valley mall in Wilkes-Barre, PA
4. Oakdale mall in Johnson city, NY
44
49. Public Relations
Public Relations and Promotion Strategy
The PR and Promotion strategy for this IMC campaign is designed to
enhance the relationship between current customers and the company
while building brand equity and to promote the company to future cus-
tomers, the media, and potential vendors.
However, the company should strive to be more proactive about seeking
news stations and popular radio stations to come to the site of the event
and televise it.
Press Releases
Press releases are a great way to inform different media outlets about the
wine tasting festivals.
The press release should clearly state the benefits that the company gives
to the community and to potential customers. It is different from an
advertisement because it has the ability to generate publicity.
Who should the press releases be sent to?
• Radio stations targeting Millennials
105.7, 104.1, 98.5, 98.1, 101.3
• Local news stations
WBNG, Channel 16
Media Kit
A media kit is a good thing to assist a press release to many of these media
outlets. A media kit will help the news stations and the radio stations know
a little about your organization and be more likely to talk about it on live
TV.
Contents:
• Press release
• Fact sheet
• Company background
• Company owners summary
• Quote sheet of testimonials by customers
• Social media sheet
Interviews
In order to do online video, TV, or radio, pick a trusted, millennial, spokes-
person to represent your company in a publicized interview (perhaps a past,
current, or future intern).
Put together a strategic plan of what you want to be mentioned and how to
answer some anticipated questions. Practice with this person to make sure
he/she is fully prepared to promote the business.
Send formal letters with the press kits, stating the company’s availability to
do interviews if needed.
46
51. Promotion
Event Marketing and Networking
Another great idea to promote the business through public relations is
to do event marketing. Since Upstate Wine Country doesn’t have a lot of
money to host additional events, they can set up a booth at local events.
Booths
Some local events/places to set up booths:
• County fairs
• Trade shows
• Walk for breast cancer
• Scranton marathon
• Concerts at Montage Mountain
• Annual bridal show exhibit in Wilkes-Barre
• Waterparks
• Amusement parks
Dinner Parties at Partner Restaurants
Upstate will set-up a series of complementary wine parties at select
restaurants. Upstate will ask each local winery to sponsor the event at a
different restaurant. These dinner parties will be held during the week
nights during happy hour. Each local winery will be asked to donate a
box of wine for the complementary tasting.
Customers will then enjoy a complementary glass of wine with their
dinner. On the tables, there will be tent cards with QR codes directing
customers to website to buy advanced tickets for the season of festivals.
Networking Ideas
Networking is extremely important to Upstate Wine Country and its
success. Upstate Wine Country already does a great job networking with
the local chamber of commerce and small businesses around the area but
it is imperative that some bigger avenues for networking are researched.
Hosting Company Parties
t would be smart to develop a general group package for some of the large
businesses in the area in hopes of meeting with them and offering a group
rate for an employee outing or employee appreciation day at one of the festi-
vals. Add in a section on the website for group rates/group packages.
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53. Customer Loyalty Programs
Refer a Friend!
Upstate will run a referral campaign to reward their loyal customers and
to advertise by word-of-mouth right from their website. Upstate Wine
Country can use Sitewrench.com to get customers to refer their friends to
the company’s website.
Refer Sitewrench will send an email invitation to new customers asking
them to check out the company’s website.
Loyalty Buttons
Gold buttons will be a reward for customers who have attended 10+ of our
festivals beginning in 2011.
This button allows customers to utilize a quicker express line for entrance
into the festival and also gives them discounts at each of the vendors who
choose to participate in rewarding our loyal customers.
The button will have a gold background and announce the VIP status of
the customer.
Customers will be alerted if they are eligible for a button at the time of
their online ticket purchase and be instructed to use the express line at
the gate of the next festival to exchange their admission ticket for a gold
button.
These buttons are re-usable and can be used for discounts and conve-
nience benefits at the festivals.
T-Shirts with Upstate name
New T-Shirts will be designed for the 2012 festival season and sold at
the ticket counter for $20 each. Shirts will have the same QR code on the
front of them that directs people to the website. This shirt design will
have a quirky, fun saying printed on it. 50
55. Online
Digital and Social Media strategy statement:
This digital and social media portion of the IMC plan will connect Up-
state Wine Country with Millennials and it will create a series of inter-
connected communication mediums in which the target market can start
socializing about the company.
Company Website
Upstate Wine Country’s main marketing asset is their well-designed web-
site. The website for this company is crucial because it is the main source
of information for all customers and it is the Point of Sale.
The future goal of the website is to make it more personable and interac-
tive so that customers enjoy staying on the website for more than a couple
minutes and become generally interested in the brand.
1. Personalize
Create a short two-four minute YouTube video on the homepage welcom-
ing guests to the website and inviting them to learn more about the com-
pany. This video should be brief but it should show all three owners of the
company talking, smiling, and showing enthusiasm toward the upcoming
wine tasting festival season.
2. Increase interactivity
Link all of the social media to the website through icons in a visible spot
where customers are apt to notice them and click on them. Also, link to
relevant websites and blogs that talk about wine making, wine around the
world, etc.
Company Online Navigation
1. Google Places
Upstate Wine Country would benefit greatly from claiming their place on
Google places. This will show customers who are searching for key words
where exactly your business is located and direct them to your homepage.
This is great for scouting new business.
This is also a helpful tool for future partnerships and vendors to search
your company, details, ratings, and reviews.
This service is free and only takes a few minutes to set up online.
2. Search Engine Optimization
Learning how to utilize SEO is tedious task and often very costly. However,
when SEO is implemented into a business strategy for a small company like
Upstate, the benefits succeed the initial cost.
SEO is determined by keywords that an SEO specialist creates for your
business. The company pays the SEO specialist according to how many
words they want/can afford to link their business to online.
An estimated cost per word is usually anywhere from $25/word to $50/
word. It is recommended to start out with an initial consultation with SEO
specialist which would cost around $350- $400/hr via telephone.
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57. Social Media
Using social media in the most effective way is detrimental to marketing
to the millennials. The millennials have grown up on social media and
consider it to be a big part of their everyday life. Social media should not
be mistaken as a medium that replaces social interaction for millennials
but rather assists in social interactions.
Upstate Wine Country has done a good job utilizing their Facebook page
to stay in touch with their customers. In January of 2012, Upstate’s
company Facebook page had over 2,400 likes.
However, in order to really be in the lives of the new target market and
actively engage with them, Upstate will need to look at joining a few
other social media platforms.
Facebook
Facebook has and continues to be Upstate Wine Country’s number one
social media outlet for the company to engage with its current customers.
The owners regularly post news and updates for their customers on their
Facebook page.
Although the first level of social engagement for companies on Facebook
is to produce useful and informative information to customers, the second
level is to ask questions and participate in a two-way communication
system.
Ask Questions
Questions ask customers to engage with you in a non-abrupt way.
Researchers of social media suggest that brands should not limit their
conversations with customers to their specific topic or area of interest.
Instead, successful brands reach out to customers and start a conversa-
tion with them.
Please note that when taking this risk, it is essential that you make your-
self available to answer comments and feedback.
Upstate Wine Country currently does a great job monitoring their social
media progress on Facebook analytics by checking it often and working to
make adjustments to improve and improvise where needed.
Check In
Checking In- Upstate should begin “checking-in” on Facebook when they get
to the particular venues of the wine festivals so that anticipation builds for
customers.
The company can also encourage all of their guests to check-in at their
events via Facebook and then their names would be thrown into a drawing
for complimentary group packages to the next wine tasting festival.
Customer Picture Sharing
On the day of each festival, Upstate will host a picture sharing contest on
their
Facebook page. The first photo shared on their page in 24 hours of the
beginning of the event that holds the most likes will win a group package of
festival tickets for them and a group of friends.
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59. Social Media Continued
Twitter
Upstate Wine Country does not currently have a company account set
up. An active Twitter account for a small events planning company
would do wonders for the level of engagement with customers in the Mil-
lennial target market.
Twitter vs. Facebook
Twitter’s main purpose is to assist Facebook in the branding of your com-
pany. Millennials are the largest demographic using Twitter right now to
communicate with like-minded friends and virtual friends with similar
interests. Creating a Twitter page and keeping it active will definitely cre-
ate a buzz for the company in this target market.
Begin with personalizing your brand by introducing owners by first
names and starting conversations about wine in general.
For example, In UnMarketing by Scott Stratton, he stresses the impor-
tance of speaking “with” your audience instead of “at” them. He also talks
about the huge successes big name brands have had by starting out with
meaningful conversations and building a huge following in which the
company can then begin to advertise their own brand to its followers.
Give more, Take less
First the company must build l trust among customers by speaking with
them instead of at them. Once that is established, the company can pro-
mote more.
Twitter Parties
One way for generating buzz amongst Millennials on Twitter is for
Upstate to host a Twitter party at each of its festivals. This party would
be live and active during the event. The company would Tweet about
everything that is currently going on at the festival. When particular
contests are running, when different vendors show up, what song the band
is playing, etc.
56
An appropriate hashtag for the company would be #upstatewinecountry.
61. Digital
Living Social
Living social is a website for people to go to and find ideas and deals on
activities and services in their local area. Businesses promote and adver-
tise on this site and Living Social tailors each new visitor’s search to their
specific interests and needs.
The subscription for the business is free for an upfront cost however; Liv-
ing Social is allowed to take a percentage of the profit from the sales as
people buy their tickets online. Living Social also has control over adjust-
ing prices or putting a cap on sales if the customer interest is overwhelm-
ing the site.
Yelp
Yelp is the number one online site for reviews of businesses used by
customers. A company can sign up for free and allow customers to share
their experiences. It is also a great source for connecting people with their
interests.
Upstate Wine Country can set up a free Yelp account and post photos,
company information, and contact information for their customers. This
tool also allows the reviews to pop up on the company’s Facebook page as
well which helps link all the mediums of communication.
Review rating system on Yelp
The majority of users who write reviews on Yelp, use it to write about
their good experiences with a particular business. This is shown on the
website information page where it states that 38% of the reviews are rated
with 5 stars and 29% of reviews are rated with 4 stars.
Since millennials are online all the time, they love to talk about their experi-
ences at different places and tend to be a very vocal generation. This is a
perfect tool to further engage that target market while also continuing to
brand the company.
Warning
With any review site there is the possibility of negative reviews along with
all the positive ones. Successful companies handle negative reviews with an
immediate action or response. If Upstate gets a negative review, it needs to
respond in some way to the review and attempt to fix the problem if it is
significant.
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63. Mobile Marketing
Foursquare
Foursquare is a location-based service that is for mobile devices that al-
lows users to socially share where they are with their friends. This is used
more frequently in urban areas where there are many restaurants, stores,
and businesses that people like to share with each other. It is also a great
way for a small business to get subtly recommended from customer to
customer.
Foursquare is also a game. Users get to accumulate points and earn titles
by how often they visit a particular place. Users play this game with a
virtual community of other users.
For Upstate Wine Country, this tool would be used best if the company’s
wine festivals were put in a “general” category and users won points for
attending multiple festivals in a season.
An example of a check-in might look like this: “I’m at an Upstate Wine
Festival in Wilkes-Barre, PA – with Cara Johnson.”
This mobile marketing tool is easy to use and convenient for this target
market because millennials are the largest group of people using smart-
phones.
How Foursquare will be used to drive customers back to website and en-
courage them to use the application:
Customers will be automatically entered into a drawing for a group pack-
age for them and their friends if they check-in to a wine festival with 4 or
more friends.
Quick Response Codes
QR codes are one of the fastest growing mobile marketing tools because
they are easy to use and direct a customer to information very quickly.
Upstate should utilize QR codes on their advertising in print and out of
home advertising to get customers to go back to the website and read more
about the festivals.
How a QR code works
First, a business needs to generate a QR code on “QR code generator” online.
This will create a unique QR code for a URL, email, or SMS message.
The customer then must first have a QR decoder embedded in his phone
or he can download an app that has that feature. After, he has that app,
he can take a picture of the QR code from his phone and then he will be
directed to the company’s website where he can browse and find additional
information.
The best thing about QR codes when used by small businesses for promotion
is that they are free!
All advertising efforts will be designed to encourage customers to scan the
QR code for a chance to win a group package for them and four friends to a
wine tasting festival.
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65. Future Tactics
Local movie theater advertising
Since many of Millennials go out to the movies regularly with their
friends, local movie theater advertising is a good way to reach this group.
The short ads would flash before the previews began and would only ap-
pear at local theaters in the Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Binghamton, and
Vestal areas.
If these ads showed a very quick slideshow of young people having fun at
an Upstate Wine Tasting festival and then a carefully tailored message
at the end supported by a call to action, the ads would be very effective.
Sponsoring the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees minor league baseball
team in Moosic is also another great goal to strive towards. Thousands of
Millennial fans sit in the stadium absorbed by the advertisements of all
the sponsors located on the fences surrounding the ball field.
The cost of a sponsorship is probably very steep but the advertising ben-
efits would be overwhelming.
Oversize Cork
An oversize cork with Upstate Wine Country on it placed in the center
of Scranton or Binghamton during the summer months. This is a really
creative approach to guerilla advertising that would definitely capture the
attention of big audiences and help differentiate Upstate Wine Country
from other similar businesses.
Aerial Advertising
Aerial Advertising is an exciting way to advertise because it really wow’s
audiences and gets people’s attention.
The message in an aerial advertisement might be, “Mark your calendars for
next Saturday’s Annual Wine Tasting festival at Sno-Cove. This advertise-
ment might be shown at SnoCove waterpark in the summer or at a concert
on Montage Mountain.
Online advertising
There is currently not a lot of extra money in the budget for online adver-
tising. These suggestions are for the future.
Suggestions on placement
• Local movie theater sites
• Local restaurant sites
• Local minor league sports teams sites
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67. Internal Communications
Upstate Wine Country has three main employees who help to run the
business. Each of the employees has a different role in keeping the busi-
ness successful and growing.
The employees will hold an informal hour-long meeting each Monday
morning to discuss progress of the business and re-establish goals for the
week.
Vendor Communication
Without the support and cooperation of the vendors there would be no
wine tasting festivals. Producing local wine tasting festivals is a business
that strongly depends on its vendors.
The wineries are the key and upmost important to maintain a good
working relationship with. The owners spent a great deal of time build-
ing those relationships in the early stages of the business in order to
produce quality wine festivals that benefitted the company, the vendors,
and the customers.
Semi-Annual Newsletters
Upstate Wine Country will produce a semi-annual newsletter for all of
their vendors twice a year. This will be beneficial to the vendors because it
will make them aware of the changes in the company before the customers
are notified. Sending out newsletters to vendors is a great way of produc-
ing a good working relationship between Upstate and its vendors.
Crisis Communication Plan
Weather Considerations:
Since Upstate wine festivals are generally held outdoors, it may be wise
to have a weather emergency plan in place. Although it is not likely that
the region experience tornadoes, hale storms, or even really severe thunder-
storms, it is a possibility and should be prepared for.
Tornado Warnings and Emergencies
In the event that the local weather service issues the geographical region of
the festival a tornado warning, Upstate Wine Country will notify its guests
on their website, Facebook page, and via Twitter the morning before the
event if they plan to cancel.
In the unlikely event that a tornado moves toward the region of the festival
on the day of the event, Upstate will immediately notify everyone at the
festival by making an announcement on the music stage and everyone will
be asked to leave or take shelter in their cars. At each event, there will be a
building designated to be a safe shelter in an event of a weather emergency.
Poor Reviews on Google Places or Yelp:
One of the consequences of allowing the company to become more interactive
and social is the risk of being vulnerable to poor reviews or negative com-
ments online. However, the company can monitor these sites where they have
a presence and respond quickly and efficiently to any negative comments
about the company.
Easy and effective ways to manage negative comments towards he company:
1. Gather all of the facts
2. Acknowledge the feedback politely
3. Suggest how Upstate can do things better next time
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69. Campaign Timeline
May 2012
• Produce YouTube welcome video
• Design T-Shirt logo, order T-shirts for season
• Launch new social/digital media tactics including Twitter,
Google Places, Yelp, Foursquare, and Sitewrench.
• Send out first semi-annual vendor newsletter
• Develop press kits for local media
• Create QR code logo for advertising
• Hire SEO consultant
• Order large floor decals for malls
• Add QR code to all print advertising
• Create group packages and rates
• Pick designated “millennial” spokesperson
June 2012
• Send out press kits to local media
• link all social media and digital media to website
• Schedule first Twitter party at June 2nd festival
• Encourage check-ins on Facebook
• Distribute flyers at baseball games and concerts
• Use large floor decals at malls
• Schedule dinner parties at local restaurants
• Buy three words through SEO consultant
• Advertise group packages on website
• Train spokesperson to speak with media
July 2012
• Order and set-up billboard in Scranton
• Schedule booths at local fairs and festivals
• Distribute flyers at baseball games, concerts
• Distribute vendor feedback forms via email
• Distribute logo designed T-shirts at festivals
• Promote Yelp and Sitewrench on Facebook page
• Evaluate effectiveness of SEO campaign
• Begin distributing loyalty buttons
• Evaluate overall IMC campaign, revise
August 2012
• Begin picture contests on Facebook
• Evaluate billboard advertising and document
• Begin distributing loyalty buttons
• Measure site traffic from QR code advertising
• Schedule more dinner parties
• Evaluate Sitewrench and Yelp accounts
• Evaluate Twitter party response
• Continue Facebook and Twitter conversations
• Follow up with media sources on press kits
September 2012
• Set up booths at fairs with brochures and advanced tickets.
• Analyze results of Foursquare, continue if successful
• Analyze results of Youtube welcome video on website, produce a
follow-up if necessary
• Analyze flyer distribution at concerts, big movie theaters, and
malls, baseball games
• Create next semi-annual newsletter for vendors
• Monitor and respond to reviews on Yelp and Google Places
• Evaluate effectiveness of decals in malls
• Evaluate picture contests on Facebook
• Implement Sitewrench referral rewards
October 2012
• Schedule 3 more dinner parties at partnering restaurants
• Distribute the 2nd semi-annual vendor newsletter
• Evaluate overall IMC campaign, revise
• Evaluate vendor feedback forms and make adjustments
66
71. 74
Upstate Wine Country Summer and Fall 2012
May June July August September October
YouTube video Create and post to website Evaluate views and clicks Evaluate effectiveness, revise
Facebook Promote check-ins
Begin picture contests
Evaluate picture contests
Twitter Create Schedule first Twitter party Schedule more Twitter
parties
Evaluate Twitter parties
Foursquare Create Implement Promote on Facebook page Evaluate effectiveness Continue if successful
Yelp Create Implement Promote on Facebook page Evaluate effectiveness Respond to, manage reviews
Google Places Create Implement Evaluate effectiveness
Sitewrench Create Implement Promote on Facebook Evalute effectiveness Implement referral rewards
SEO Hire Purchase 3 keywords Evaluate effectiveness
QR code Create Implement Use in
advertising/promotion
Measure site traffic
Website Link all social/digital to
website
Creative print design Implement in all print adv
Flyers Design Distribute Evalute effectiveness Continue distribution if
effective
Dinner parties Plan Schedule 3 for June Schedule 3 for Aug Schedule 3 for Oct
Decals Design and order Place in malls Evaluate effectiveness
Billboard Order for July In use Evaluate effectiveness
.30 radio spots Buy for Aug In use evaluate
Group packages Create packages Advertise through
promotions
Booths Schedule booths Travel to events
T-shirts Design and order Sell at festivals Sell at festivals
Press kits Create, send out Follow-up with sources
Press releases Create, send out Follow-up with sources
Millennial
spokesperson
Pick one Train Use in media interviews Use in media interviews
Loyalty buttons Design and order distribute
Vendor feedback forms Email to vendors Evaluate, revise
Newsletters Create, send out Create, send out
Overall IMC campaign Evaluate, make revisions
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72. Budget and ROI
BUDGET (6 months)
Category Description Cost
Printing Flyers, press kit materials $200
Radio .15 spots $400
Billboard 1/Scranton/1 month $2,700
Large Floor Decals Custom designed (4) $200
Booths at Events Gas, booth materials $100
Loyalty Buttons 300 buttons custom designed $100
T-shirts 100 $450
YouTube welcome video Have camera, owners produce $0
Google Places Add company $0
SEO Consultation 1 hr/phone consultation $350
SEO- 3 words 3 search words $75
Facebook Picture contest, likes $0
Twitter Engagement, twitter parties $0
Yelp List company, monitor reiviews $0
Foursquare Set up account, check-in at
festivals
$0
QR codes Creation online $0
Semi-annual vendor newsletters Printing, distribution $150
Living social No initial start-up costs $0
Total $4,723
73. ROI of IMC Plan
The historical rate of growth is 100% over the past 3 years. The objective
is to increase the rate of growth by 150%.
The natural rate would be $49,000. The Enhanced rate would yield
$61,250.
The plan would yield $12,250.
$12,250-$5,000
$5,000 = 1.5 = 1:1.15 ROI
70
75. Measurement
1. Increase number of new customers by 50%
This objective can be measured by reviewing the brief question
naire filled out by customers each time they purchase
tickets online. This can be tracked by amount of Facebook likes
added in a month.
2. Increase visibility and memorability of brand by 50%
This objective can be measured by Twitter conversations and
SEO search analytics. Website traffic can also be measured by
Google analytics after each month of the campaign. Another way
to track the traffic to the website is through the QR code scans.
3. Increase returning customers by 50%
This will be largely measured by the distribution and implemen
tation of the loyalty buttons. Also, monitoring and keeping record
of all referrals on sitewrench can measure this objective.
5. To sell enough tickets to increase gross profit from 2011 by 50%
This can be measured from the financial records kept for the year
6. Utilize marketing strategy to generate positive ROI
with $5,000 marketing budget
This objective can be easily measured through budgetting at the
end of the year
7. Increase rate of growth by 150%
This objective can be evaluated by recalculating the ROI at the
end of 2012.
1. Tactics to be measured and evaluated on a weekly basis:
• Facebook likes
• Website visits
• Facebook check-ins
• Twitter conversations
• Keywords and SEO
• Google place page
• Foursquare activity
• Yelp review
• Sitewrench referrals
2. Upstate Wine Country will measure and evaluate on a monthly
basis
• Flyers
• Magazine ads
• QR code advertising
• Decals
• Dinner parties
• Booth marketing
• Billboard
3. The company will measure and evaluate on a bi-monthly basis:
• Press kits
• Press releases
• Vendor newsletters
• Welcome video on website
72
77. Evaluation
After October of 2012, the company will need to look at the entire cam-
paign and decide if it achieved the goal to gain more customers in the
Millennial generation throughout the 6 months that it will run. Also,
the evaluation will look at how much the campaign was able to increase
website traffic and tickets sales. If the campaign evaluation shows that
Conclusion
When integrated into the company’s current business strategy plan, this
IMC campaign will help to attract the newest emerging generation of wine
tasting customers for Upstate Wine Country. With high emphasis on the
digital and social media tactics and some creative out-of-home advertis-
ing techniques, this plan should place Upstate Wine Country in the target
market’s radar.
The tactics are designed to help bring attention to and also engage with the
millennial target market as a brand. The strategy is to “socialize the brand”
for the very social millennial generation. This plan will help achieve the goal
of doubling the gross profit from last year in the six month time span that
the campaign will run.
The welcome video created on YouTube and posted on the website will help
personalize the company and should build trust with the millennial custom-
ers. The concept of using word-of-mouth promotion in many of the tactics
should also work well with this generation as their friends, family, and
acquaintances are their most trusted sources.
This IMC campaign will work well for attracting the millennial generation
and continuing to build relationships with the current customers because all
of the tactics are interconnected with one another and are all mediums that
millennials use frequently.
By attaining this new market, Upstate Wine Country should be able
to double their gross profit for the 2012 wine tasting festival season and
continue to expand their business in appropriate regions and increase their
product offerings in the future.
74
80. 30 second spot on Star 105.7 or 98.5 The Hawk
Hey Scranton ladies! Do you love wine and fun things to
do with your girlfriends? Are you tired of dinner at the
same restaurants and drinks at the same bars? Then you
need to grab all of your friends and head to the next Up-
state wine tasting festival! Upstate wine festivals are a lot of
fun and introduce you to an array of new local wineries and
talented craftsmen. Advanced tickets can be bought online
and will save you and your friends lots of money. So, buy
your tickets now at www.upstatewinecountry.com.
PLACE CARD RADIO SPOT
83. Example of a Twitter party newsfeed
Upstate Wine Country: Thank you so much for joining us for our first Twitter party! We had so much fun
and hope you enjoy your prizes! #upstatewineandwings 2:30pm
Upstate Wine Country: @giantsfan2 you won a case of Mid-September wine from Silver Springs Winery!
2:28pm
Giantsfan2: @upstatewinecountry Montrose town square 2:27pm
Artistkacie: @upstatewinecountry Lackawanna fairgrounds? 2:26pm
Dantheman: @upstatewinecountry sno cove? 2:25pm
Upstate Wine Country: One last question guys. Where was the first Upstate wine festival held?
#upstatewineandwings 2:25pm
Upstate Wine Country: @runnercalichic We didn’t think anyone knew this one! Awesome job! You won
2 T-shirts! #upstatewineandwings 2:23pm
Upstate Wine Country: Which winery at our festivals is owned by two couples? #upstatewineandwings
2:20pm
Upstate Wine Country: @lisamarie you won a case of Alpine Spice wine! #upstatewineandwings
2:15pm
Kenrogersguy: @upstatewinecountry bartolei winery! 2:13pm
Lisamarie: @upstatewinecountry winterland winery! 2:12pm
Upstate Wine Country: Which winery at our festivals sells Alpine Spice? #upstatewineandwings
2:12pm
Upstate Wine Country: We are impressed! Way to go @ginaclark @sheishthequeen @carriegirl 2:10pm
Carriegirl: @upstatewinecountry #weloveupstate 2:06pm
Sheisthequeen: @upstatewinecountry #weloveupstate 2:05pm
Ginaclark: @upstatewinecountry #weloveupstate 2:05pm
Upstate Wine Country: The first three people to tweet using the #weloveupstate hashtag wins a set of
festival tickets on us! #upstatewineandwings 2:05pm
Upstate Wine Country: Welcome to our Twitter party fellow wine lovers! We hope you pay attention for
this half hour and win win win! #upstatewineandwings 2:00pm
Upstate Wine Country: Professional tweet skills wanted in ten minutes! #upstatewineandwings 1:51pm
TWITTER
80
84. Upstate Wine Country
Got Plans?!
Scanthecodeforournextfestival
andtobuyticketsforyouandyour
friends!
LOYALTY BUTTON PRINT FLYER
VIP Guest
2012
Professional Wine Taster
85. SPRING INTO SUMMER WINE TASTING! Issue 1
Spring into
Summer
Wine
Tasting!
May 1st
2012
UPSTATE WINE COUNTRY NEWS
Hello Everyone! We hope you had a cozy
winter and enjoyed the holidays with your
friends and family. We missed you all!
We just wanted to write to keep you in the
loop with some of our new projects and
product expansions.
As most of you are aware of, we expanded
our service to New York State now. We have
planned some festivals in the southern tier
of New York to accommodate the customer
requests. With that extension, we decided to
change our name slightly. We are now
Upstate Wine Country.
If you haven’t already, check out our new
virtual wine festival that we have linked to
our festival page. This is a brand new
addition to our service for all of our
customers and encompasses all of you as
well.
NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
Upstate Wine Country will be implementing
a new marketing campaign during this
summer’s festivals in hopes to gain a new
demographic of wine tasters!
PAGE 2
What’s new?
by Kaitlin Flor
VENDOR NEWSLETTER
82
86. ~ MORE ~
UPSTATE WINE COUNTRY
123 State Stree Ste 3
Tunkhannock, PA 18657
Phone 1(888) 474-8637
PressRelease
Contact: Kaitlin Flor
Phone: (570) 212-4198
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9 A.M. EDT, April 15, 2012
UPSTATE WINE COUNTRY KICKS OFF ANOTHER WINE TASTING SEASON
SCRANTON, PA, APRIL 15, 2012: Upstate Wine Country is kicking off another wine tasting
festival season on May 5
th
from 11am to 5pm in Tunkhannock, PA at the Whipple Performing
Arts Studio.
Upstate Wine Country is an events management company that produces a series of local wine
tasting festivals in the regions of northeastern Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York
State. Each of the wine festivals is set at different, unique venues around the region and has a
different theme.
The events typically have around twelve local wineries present and a wide variety of local
gourmet specialty products, artists, and beautiful gift ideas. Traditionally, the festivals have live
entertainment and many different kinds of foods available. There are plenty of picnic areas to
take in the beautiful scenery and to enjoy the day with friends.
Upstate Wine Country Fact Sheet for Media Kit
The company’s first wine tasting season began in 2009 and was established by Dan Thompkins.
This year the company will put on 11 wine festivals in their series
Upstate Wine Country has around 2400 “likes” on their Facebook page
Upstate has recently extended its product line into New York State
There are three owners/employees who run Upstate Wine Country
The company is based out of Tunkhannock, PA
The company strives to bring together all local wineries, wine enthusiasts, artists, gourmet
cooks, and other artistic craftsman at the festivals.
Over 80% of Upstate Wine Country’s admission tickets are bought in advance
The company typically schedules around 35-45 vendors at each festival.
Quote Sheet
“I was skeptical about the event. I was afraid there would only be a few stands and we would only be
there 15 minutes. We were pleasantly surprised. We spent over 2 hours walking around. It was an
enjoyable afternoon.”-J
“The event was a great time. I would really love to attend this again with my friends that came along with
me! Everyone that we met and conversed with was friendly and knowledgeable! I would love to be a part
of planning an event like this, if possible.”-Stephen
“I commend NEPA for their ability to organize, advertize, and stage an event. I was impressed with the
staff courtesy. An order of wine was missing at the end of the event; Linda coordinated the replacement
of the wine and communicated the progress. I was able to pick up my order from Ferrone Family Winery
the following weekend at another wine fest.”-BJ Rollie
“I went to my first PA wine festival last year, in Wayne County, and from that moment on, I was hooked.
Although I've done wine tastings before, I've never been to one of the many fabulous wine festivals our
area has to offer. Recently, I won passes to the Back Mountain Wine Festival, and I could not be more
excited, not only for the wine, but for the overall experience. These wine fests have been well organized,
and have offered a great value. I cannot wait to attend this Saturday's event at Sno Cove, and am greatly
looking forward to my first FREE wine tasting. Thank you, NEPA Wine Country, for organizing and
maintaining such great events. I only wish they were more often throughout the year!!”-Jeanne Aber
PRESS KIT MATERIALS
87. We love our friends just like you!!
Girls Day Out Special (May 1-July1 2012):
It’s been a boring and mild winter but the sun is coming out just in time for you to dig
out your favorite sun dress and call up your girls for a well-deserved wine-tasting
day of fun! If you get 25 or more friends to commit to a festival, we’ll give you the
tickets for $10 each! Now that’s something to gossip about!
Happy Couples Therapy Special (July-Aug):
Grab your neighbors, co-workers, and friends who are coupled up and plan a group
outing to one of our premier wine tasting summer festivals. Call us now to book your
party of atleast 12 couples and pay just $25/couple. It pays to find a date!
The golden treatment party (Aug-Oct):
Are you sick of planning the annual dinner party or employee picnic for your
employee appreciation day? Try something new this summer and book an insider
employee party at one of our premier festivals. Up to 50 people for $450!
GROUP PACKAGES FOR WEBSITE
84
