Mock PR Campaign Plan

Four RiversCommunica t ions

FRC

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………………………1

Four Rivers Communications ……………………….……………………………………..….2

The Management Team ………………………………………………...……………..3

History …………………………………………………………………………………..……….8

Situation Analysis ……………………………………………………………….…………….10

The Publics ……………………………………………………………......…………………..12

Central Problem Statement ………………………………………………………………….14

The Public Relations Plan ……………………………………………………………………15

News Releases …………………………………………………..……………………16

Pinterest ……………………………………………………………..…………………17

YouTube ………………………………………………………………...……………..18

E-newsletters ………………………………………………………………………….19

Evaluative Measures …………………………………………………………………...…….21

Editorial Calendar ……………………………………………………………………………..22

Supporting Documents …………………………………………….…………………………23

The Industry ………………………………………………………………….………..24

Works Cited ……………………………………………………………………………………27

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Executive Summary

A Good Thing Consignment Home Furnishings is located at the south end of

Murray, Kentucky on Highway 641 (South 12 Street). It serves the quad-state region

with high-end furniture and décor at reasonable prices. The following public relations

campaign has been created to increase awareness of the business among its publics:

local homeowners, Murray State University Students and mass media outlets.

AGT suffers from a reputation management crisis because most consignment

stores in the area are known as “junk sellers.” Four Rivers Communications has crafted

an effective campaign plan that will generate increased awareness among key publics

within the next six months through the following tactics: News Releases, Pinterest,

YouTube and regular E-letters (email marketing).

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About Four Rivers Communications

Four Rivers Communications was founded in Paducah, Kentucky, in the spring of

2012. FRC identified a need among small businesses in the Jackson Purchase Area.

Many smaller companies were overlooked because they struggled to communicate with

the appropriate publics.

IBM was the first to blog. Pepsi and Coca-Cola have found social media gold on

Facebook. There are countless examples of larger corporations communicating on the

cutting edge of today’s digital media. FRC is helping small business become better

business by harnessing many of tools and trends in the modern public relations.

Bringing experience from all around the world, FRC is able to offer its clients a

full range of communication options and plans: social media, press releases, research

and everything in between.

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The Management Team

Brandon T. Orr, President & CEO

As President and CEO of FRC, Orr works directly with cl ients to

implement campaigns; he also oversees all management teams and

ensures optimal account service to all cl ients.

Worth C. Shemwell , Editorial Technician

As Editorial Technician, Shemwell supervises the creation of

intriguing content to provide to all of our cl ients. He works closely with

both the creative and research departments to enhance the overall

campaign.

Luyao Yang, Research Director

As Research Director, Yang gathers information that is vital to the

overall success of the campaign. She works to collect data both from the

publics and the industry.

Dexter Durrante, Creative Director

As Creative Director, Durrante oversees the design process for all

collateral material that a cl ient may need. Using both creative and

tradit ional techniques, Durrante works to enhance the overall campaign.

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Brandon T. Orr

3363 Furches Trail Murray, KY 42071 (270) 227-2565 [email protected]

Objective

To use the education and experience I have gained to gain a career in the Public Relations field.

Professional Experience

A Good Thing Consignment Shop, November 2010 to Present

Arrange furniture to appeal to customers

Manage Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress blog and website content

Perform customer service duties

Handle $15,000 monthly payout to consigners

Hawkins Research, Inc., November 2009 to December of 2010

Make cold calls to prospective customers

Work with customers on software trial to enhance the knowledge of the product

Education

Murray State University– Murray, Kentucky

College of Journalism & Mass Communications, ACEJMC Accredited

Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, December 2013

Minors: Marketing, Chemistry

Activities

Brother of Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity (2011 – Present)

Murray State University Student Ambassador (2010 - Present)

Member of Racer Marching Band (2009 – Present)

Member of Racer Pep Band (2009 – Present)

References available upon request

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Worth C. Shemwell

4536 US Hwy 641 South Hazel, KY, 42049 (270) 293-5176 [email protected]

Objective

To be Christ like and make a difference in lives through the knowledge attained in and outside the classroom.


Murray State University Curris Center, August 2008 to Present

Information Personnel

Provide assistance to guests of the University

Education


College of Business, AACSB Accredited

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, May 2012

GPA: 3.5

Honors / Skills

Dean’s List Fall 2008, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, and Fall 2011

Phi Eta Sigma Academic Honor Society for freshman

Kentucky Colonel – The highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Hard-working

Working with others

Using Microsoft Office

Reliable - Perfect Attendance throughout High School


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Luyao Yang 8564 Springer College Murray, KY, 42071 (270) 978-6760 [email protected]

Objective

To assist my colleagues complete better Public Relation plans for our client


Summer Finance Intern, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Jinning, Kunming, Yunnan, China July 2011-August 2011

Assist customers with bank business

Collect customers’ feedback

Education

Beijing Language and Culture University– Beijing, China

College of Business

Bachelor of Finance, June 2013

Exchange student in Murray State University, Murray, KY, U.S.A, Aug 2011- May 2012

Honors / Skills

Fluent in English, written and oral

Financial English Certificate

TEM 4 (Test for English Majors-Band 4) English Certificate

CET 6 (College English Test-Band 6) English certificates.

Using Microsoft Office

Hard-working


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Dexter Durrante 1706 Brooklyn Dr Murray, KY, 42071 (931) 241-0730 [email protected]

Objective

To earn a challenging position in the advertising industry.


Boys and Girls Club, Clarksville, TN (2008-2010)

Advisor to a group and monitored the kids activities

Chaperoned different events

Mentored a boy named Nicholas

Organized meetings in high schools

Education


College of Journalism & Mass Communications, ACEJMC Accredited

Bachelor of Science in Advertising, December 2012

Overall GPA/ Major GPA: 2.7/3.2

Activities

Four Years Letter in High School Football and Basketball

Four Years on Honor Role throughout high school

Four Years Letter on the Murray State University Football Team


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History

In late 1997, sisters Jere Hendrick and Carla Stokes, with the help of Jere’s

husband, Ben opened A Good Thing Consignment Home Furnishings to serve the

western Kentucky area. The business employed family members Angela Adams,

Johnny Hendrick and David Chambers. It grew into a thriving business serving the

quad-state region.

The business was originally a partnership between the two sisters. The original

location was the corner of Glendale Street and 12th Street in Murray. The original

inventory included pieces purchased from yard sales and estate sales. As the

company’s reputation grew so did its consignment inventory. Consignment pieces

began to pour in from northwest Tennessee and southern Illinois, building to nearly one

thousand consigners by the end of 2002.

The year 2002, brought with it a new swell in business and several changes.

Following a buyout, the company was forced to relocate to a second location, losing

nearly half of its floor space. This forced the business to become more selective in the

choices of pieces brought in for consignment.

The business continued to grow through 2010. In November 2010, Billy and

Angela Adams purchased half of the ownership by the Hendrick’s team. They then

purchased the remaining half share of ownership from the Stokes’ family. Ben and Jere

stepped down to work part-time, while the Stokes left the business completely. Johnny

Hendrick and David Chambers left after this change in ownership.

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The company has continued to grow and now employing both Adams’ sons,

Brandon and Zachary Orr. With almost 3,500 consigners today, A Good Thing is one of

the largest family-owned consignment stores in the area.

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Situation Analysis

A Good Thing has many strengths. Its biggest strength is the shop’s appeal to

a broad range of consumers, from college students to senior citizens. The company has

a careful screening process for every item that it takes in for consignment. It only

accepts high quality furnishings. This high quality inventory allows the company to

maintain, loyal repeat customers. Another benefit is the store’s family oriented

reputation. Customers are treated as family. Purchasing furniture at AGT is a simple

process. Four Rivers Communications found that A Good Thing Consignment Home

Furnishings is more than just a furniture consignment store to its customers. Through

research, we learned that more than 75 percent of customers are repeat customers.

AGT currently has a working and up-to-date Facebook page that is used to

communicate with its existing publics.

AGT is located on the south end of Murray in a convenient location, but it isn’t

as well known as it could be. The store’s Facebook page, is used to communicate with

its existing customers and, is the only means of communication currently employed. A

Good Thing is not utilizing all the resources available to communicate with its publics.

People who have heard about the store may not know where it is located. Through

research we also found that approximately 90 percent of those surveyed were unaware

of the business location.

AGT is a consignment shop. The general public associates the word

consignment with “thrift”, and the word thrift with “cheap.” Associating consignment

stores with thrift shops is a problem within certain publics. Most people don’t want to

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associate themselves with cheap furniture because cheap furniture doesn’t last long

and causes problems.

These minor weaknesses can be readily addressed in the minds of consumers

through a well-planned PR campaign. AGT has many opportunities to become more

easily identifiable to its publics. Through a variety of PR tactics, the company can reach

and motivate several untapped publics.

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Targeted Publics

A Good Thing serves Murray and Calloway County. The business started in 1997,

and maintains stable annual revenue.

The publics A Good Thing need to communicate with fit into three categories: the

primary public, a secondary public and the media.

Local Homeowners

AGT’s primary public is the people who work and/or live in Murray. More

specifically, they are families and most own a home, which generate the need to shop

for home furnishings. According to an informal poll conducted by the agency,

respondents aged 44-55+ were familiar with A Good Thing and most have visited the

store or made a purchase in the past. Building and managing relationships with existing

customers and mature homeowners and local resident families is significant.

Murray State Students

The secondary public is the Murray State student population. According to our poll,

90 percent of students under 25 are not aware of AGT. Although many college students

do not yet have a need for home furnishings, they are potential customers and students

account more than half of Murray population. AGT must build relationships with college

students and generate greater awareness in order to ensure future business.

The Media

The final public targeted in this campaign plan is the Media. The business has a

website and a Facebook page, making it searchable online. Agency research indicates

that 19 percent of the primary and secondary publics targeted use newspapers as a

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mainstay for news; 59 percent use the Internet, 7 percent listen to radio and 7 percent

use other media including television (WPSD Local 6).

The media outlets selected for the ensuring plan include; The Murray State News,

The Murray Ledger & Times, The Paducah Sun, WKYQ (Bristol Broadcasting), Froggy

(FM 103.7), Murray Life magazine, Roundabout Murray (WXEL), WKMS (an NPR

station) and PR newswire (an online dissemination network).

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Central Problem Statement

A Good Thing attracts customers in the region but it lacks a formal plan for

communication with its publics. The business faces a reputation management challenge

because consignment shops are perceived locally as “junk sellers.” AGT is unique in

its marketplace as the only upscale high-quality outlet for “gently-used” merchandise.

Delivering executed persuasive messages to the right publics can easily solve this

problem.

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The Public Relations Plan

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Tactic: News Release

Targeted Public: Homeowners age 45+.

Rationale: Targeted news releases are an ideal tactic for reaching this primary public,

based on agency research. This public responded to a survey telling our team that it

receives most of its news and information from traditional media outlets, including: The

Murray State News, The Murray Ledger & Times, The Paducah Sun, WKYQ (Bristol

Broadcasting), Froggy (FM 103.7), Murray Life Magazine, Roundabout Murray (WXEL),

WKMS (NPR) and PR newswire (online wire service).

Description: The campaign plan calls for a minimum for of seven news releases

disseminated on the third Wednesday of each month until Dec 31. The agency will

disseminate information through the media outlets listed above. The news releases will

have a several different human-interest focuses including:

o AGT’s continuous donations to local charity, Angels Attic

o History of the “unique antique”

o Two-year anniversary announcement

o Featured consigner biography

o Three generations of the Hendrick family, working together for 15 years

o Feature on Angela Adam’s design work for the city and well-known clientele

o 15-year anniversary in Murray – celebrating small business

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Tactic: Pinterest

Targeted Public: Primary public of 44-55+ homeowners in Murray and Calloway

County.

Rationale: Pinterest is a newest, fastest-growing social media network today. Within its

popular virtual pinboards, users organize and share all the beautiful things they find

online. At the same time, they can browse other’s pinboards. The site's popularity has

exploded in recent months, making it one of the fastest-growing websites in history.

According to Ignite Social Media, nearly 80 percent of Pinterest users are female; most

are using Pinterest to get ideas on decorating and crafting. Pinterest allows users to

post links pictures in order to emphasize visual effects and enhance the viral nature of

the site. A Good Thing can communicate more effectively through pictures than words.

Description: The agency will establish a Pinterest page for AGT, and then create

several pinboards to highlight each area of the home. Pinboards will include the

following categories: living room, dining room, bedroom, kitchen, office, outdoor,

bathroom and “accessories.” Pictures of inventory items will be posted in the

appropriate categories. Browsers will be able to re-pin photos to their own boards, thus

enhancing our viral and social messaging.

We plan to feature specific pinboards for older inventory and customer designs. This

will allow us the opportunity to feature numerous consignors to convey a deeper sense

of all that A Good Thing offers to the community. Content will be updated starting

Friday June 8th and every other Friday afterwards.

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Tactic: YouTube

Targeted Public: Murray State University students.

Rationale: YouTube videos receive more than 2 billion daily views. The agency

selected it as an ideal tactic because it is highly viewed by 18-24 year olds, the

secondary public of A Good Thing. Last year, 120.3 million U.S. citizens viewed

YouTube each month. That’s more than a third of the U.S. population. With such

staggering numbers, we know that the combination of compelling video and the

distribution via other social media networks, including Facebook, we can enhance the

effectiveness of the overall communications effort.

Description: The agency will create a series of “testimonial” videos to be uploaded to

YouTube over the seven months of this campaign beginning in June 2012. We plan to

film onsite interviews and edit videos that demonstrate AGT’s worth to its customers,

consigners and the community. AGT is more than just a consignment store. It has

helped many Murray residents to furnish beautiful homes. It has helped community

members who have lost everything in tragic circumstances. It is the first furniture outlet

that many residents purchased furnishings from for their first homes away from home.

Special pieces of furniture carry sentimental value for the customers. We plan to share

both meaning and emption in the stories filmed and uploaded on this powerful social

media network.

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Tactic: E-newsletters

Targeted Public: Existing and potential new customers.

Rationale: Electronic newsletters (or e-letters) remain a popular tool in modern

business communications. They are especially helpful to brands that wish to remain

relevant with existing customer bases through ongoing relationship marketing.

According to research from the Nielsen Norman Group, over the last four years, email

user inboxes have grown by 300% in terms of new messaging. This important finding

emphasizes the importance of e-letters in the current business environment. The

usability of e-letters has been greatly improved over the last decade as digital

technology has expanded. By reaching out to existing customers via a well-crafted

email publication, top-of-mind awareness can be maintained and relationships

maximized.

Description: Before we can design and generate content for A Good Thing’s email

campaign, the first step will be to build a mailing list by requesting/obtaining e-mail

addresses from existing customers and on-site shoppers. We can do this by asking

customers and consignors for their e-mail addresses at checkout. Once the email list is

constructed, we plan to send an inaugural issue of A Good Thing Insider on June 1.

Subsequent issues will be scheduled for the first of each month. An editorial calendar is

included in this campaign plan. Each issue of the e-newsletter will present information

about special pieces for sales, and a special deal of the month which relates to the

season. For example, in June, the listing will feature outdoor furniture while November’s

special may focus on dining room tables and the Thanksgiving holiday. Each month,

one section will be devoted to consignors and feature a “Consignor of the Month.” The

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agency’s top writers will craft compelling stories about real people and engage readers

with photos and visual as well as written content. Each issue will also feature a

biographical profile of one AGT employee, consisting of a photo and short article.

Ideally, the December 2012 edition will be devoted entirely to the holiday season and

related sales, thus boosting store visits at the end of the calendar year. This tactic will

allow our team to develop a regularly recurring communications channel specifically

designed to reach an important public and ensure higher levels of repeat business. The

corresponding communications objective is to increase interest and repeat business by

at least 25% over the next six months.

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Evaluative Measures

To measure the effectiveness of this campaign plan, we will repeat the survey

research done prior to campaign implementation after six months. The results of the

March survey will be compared the results of the new survey. This will provide an

accurate portrayal of our campaign results.

While the campaign is underway, we plan to employ all the tracking tools

available via social media - Insights and Analytics. On Pinterest, the agency can track

the number of repins, views and comments. Google Analytics also offers hit counts as

does YouTube. These measures will provide the agency and client a full range of

important information about the effectiveness of each channel.

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Editorial Calendar

June:

-‐ Outdoor furniture e-letter

-‐ Pinterest pinboard with a focus on outdoor spaces

-‐ Customer testimonial video

-‐ Feature of Angela Adams’ design portfolio for the city and well-known clients

July: -‐ Patriotic e-letter

-‐ Pinterest pinboard with a focus on previous items

-‐ Tutorial video on changing a entertainment center to a wardrobe

-‐ Feature on the history of a unique antique

August: -‐ Back-to-school/decorating children’s spaces e-letter

-‐ Pinterest page with a focus on decorating in small spaces

-‐ Consigner biography video

-‐ Feature on the 15 year anniversary of the small business

September:

-‐ Fall decorating e-Letter

-‐ Pinterest pinboard with a focus on fall decorating

-‐ Tutorial video on changing decorating with things found in nature

-‐ Feature article covering a biography of an interesting consigner

October: -‐ Halloween e-Letter

-‐ Pinterest pinboard with a focus on Halloween decorations

-‐ Designer testimonial video

-‐ Feature of three family generations working together at AGT

November: -‐ Dining Room/Thanksgiving e-Letter

-‐ Pinterest pinboard with a focus on china/flatware/dishware

-‐ Feature video about the Hendricks family/history of the business

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-‐ Feature covering the two-anniversary of new management

December: -‐ Holiday e-Letter

-‐ Pinterest pinboard with a focus on holiday decorating

-‐ Holiday greetings video

-‐ Feature focusing on AGT’s donations to Angels Attic

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Supporting Documents

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The Industry

A Good Thing is in the consignment industry. According to Industry

Statistics (2012), as a whole, the consignment industry has grown at a rate of 7 percent

in each of the past two years. Even with the current economic downturn the United

States is facing, the consignment industry continues to grow. According to Industry

Statistics (2012), 12 – 15 percent of Americans shop at consignment stores. These

statistics provide evidence that the number of customers seeking better deals is

growing. Customers are watching their money very closely compared to years ago

which benefits consignment stores because they are able to sell goods at a price lower

than retail. The consignment process is also earth-friendly because consumers reuse

the items, which helps keep the world greener.

Since the consignment industry is growing, competition among consignment

stores is also growing because of the need. A Good Thing competes with other

consignment/second-hand stores in Murray, Kentucky. Murray’s Peddler’s Mall is

located at 928 South 12th Street inside a strip mall located within the south side of

Murray, Kentucky. At Murray’s Peddler’s Mall, an individual can rent a booth and put a

variety of items from packaged food, antiques, and used furniture. Trends ‘N Treasures

Merchants Mall is also located in the south side of Murray, Kentucky, at 1306 South

12th Street. Trends ‘N Treasures Merchant Mall is a flea market which allows people

the ability to rent booths and has a broad variety of items for sale including furniture,

and antiques. These two competitors are within a one mile radius of A Good Thing.

Another store in Murray, Kentucky, is Angel’s Attic Thrift Shop, which is a non-profit

store which supports the Calloway County Community Clinic. Although Angel’s Attic

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Thrift Shop sells second hand items, A Good Thing has an ongoing relationship in

which it donates items to Angel’s Attic Thrift Shop that were not sold in a given time.

Since these businesses have a symbiotic relationship, Angel’s Attic Thrift Shop is not a

competitor.

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Works Cited Guth, D., & Marsh, C. (2012). Public relations: a values-driven approach (5th ed.).

Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Ledbetter, E. (2012, January 24). www.ignitesocialmedia.com. Retrieved from

http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/social-networks/pinterest-demographic-data/

Nielsen, J. (2010). E-Mail Newsletters: Increasing Usability. Retrieved from

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/newsletters.html

What is pinterest?. (2011). Retrieved from http://pinterest.com/about/

Wilcox, D. L. (2010). Think Public Relations. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.