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Christmas in July 5k
Stephanie Kaczor - Brendan Brown - Natasha Brower - Jacob Mann - Ashley Kirby
Public Relations Proposal for Rachel Travers
Brought to you by Pulse PR,
April 2014
“Spreading the word and revamping the event”
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Table of Content:Contact Information.........................................................................................................................3Executive Summary..........................................................................................................................4Current Situation..............................................................................................................................5Past Media Coverage........................................................................................................................5Research Methods............................................................................................................................6Future Research...............................................................................................................................7Competitors.....................................................................................................................................8SWOT Analysis.................................................................................................................................9Target Audiences..............................................................................................................................10-11 Primary..........................................................................................................................................................................10 Secondary.......................................................................................................................................................................11Target Media Outlets........................................................................................................................12-13Objectives........................................................................................................................................14 1. Ojective, Strategy, Tactics.............................................................................................................................................15-17 2. Ojective, Strategy, Tactics.............................................................................................................................................18-19 3. Ojective, Strategy, Tactics.............................................................................................................................................20-21 4. Ojective, Strategy, Tactics.............................................................................................................................................22-23Measurement and Evaluation...........................................................................................................24Timetable.........................................................................................................................................25Budget.............................................................................................................................................26-27Meet The Team.................................................................................................................................28-33Appendix.........................................................................................................................................33-35
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Contact Information:Stephanie Kaczor -
Brendan Brown - [email protected]
845-313-8665
Natasha Brower - [email protected]
607-373-9363
Jacob Mann - [email protected]
914-406-9699
Ashley Kirby [email protected]
203-455-4120
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Executive Summary:On June 21, 2007, Rachel Travers loss her athletic father after a long battle with cancer. In honor of her father’s active lifestyle Rachel created the Christmas in July 5k in 2012. The race starts at White Gate Christmas Tree Farm in West Newbury, MA, which is owned and run by cancer survivor Pat Kelly and next to where the Travers family grew up. This race welcomes competitive runners, proud cancer survivors, and local community members who want to support a good cause.
This race is unique because the mission of Christmas in July 5k is giving. All proceeds will go towards the Jimmy Fund and its parent company, Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Both organizations are dedicated to providing world-class cancer treatment to patients, as well as researching the disease and spreading awareness.
Pulse Public Relations firm has been given the opportunity to work with the Christmas in July 5K of West Newbury, Massachusetts. Our mission is to improve this fundraising event by reaching out to more race participants and more corporate sponsors. In order to obtain more participants and corporate sponsors, communication with target audiences and the general public is vital.
We will do this by improving all social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Also, getting the word out around the community through local newspapers and radio. This will create a bigger conversation about the event around the community and the Boston area.
By increasing the amount of race participants and corporate sponsors that will increase fundraising efforts for the Jimmy Fund and its parent company, Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
We would like to thank Rachel Travers, for meeting with us and answering all our questions!
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Current Situation:
The Christmas in July 5k road race was started by Rachael Travers after her beloved father passed away from cancer. For the last two years, the road race has taken place in West Newbury, Massachusetts. All money that has been raised has been donated to the Dana Farber Institute to help further cancer research. This money comes from runner’s registration fees ($25/adult runner, $5/child), and other donations.
In the past, Rachael and her sister have been able to gather a number of sponsors who have made generous donations that help to make the race even more successful. Some of these sponsors include Market Basket who donated a $1000 check and fruit for the runners after the race, Pawtucket Savings, and the Greater Boston Running Company who has donated all the apparel (shirts) for the past events. In 2012, the race was also featured in the Newburyport, Massachusetts daily news. This is a race that will only continue to grow with the help of more activate participates and additional community sponsors.
Past Media Coverage:
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Research Methods:A survey was constructed using survey monkey and was distributed to potential respondents using Facebook. The overall goal behind constructing the survey was to find out additional information that could potentially help the client in the future. 79% of the people who took the survey stated that they have never heard of the Christmas in July 5k road race. This was to be expected considering that most of the respondents were Ithaca College students who are not from the Boston area.
The survey also helped to solidify preexisting information: Nearly half of the respondents would only be willing to travel 20 miles or less for a 5k road race; 48% would be willing to pay between fifteen to twenty-five dollars for a registration fee. This is useful information because it shows that the current registration fee of twenty-five dollars is not too expensive for most runners.
Another aspect of the survey that Pulse PR felt would be useful for the client were based on questions related to advertising. Nearly 40% of the respondents stated that they train for a 5k road race weeks in advance, suggesting that all advertising methods should be constructed ahead of time in order to ensure that all potential target audience members are reached. The results also showed that 52% of the respondents found social media ads and television commercials to be the most compelling in nature. Print ads and direct mail were also popular among survey respondents.
Lastly, Pulse PR wanted to see how individuals felt about running as a team. 40% of the responses indicated that individuals prefer to run as a team with other people beside them. In addition, 56% of the responses showed that individuals partake in 5k road races for the social aspects, and that 80% of individuals would be willing to fundraise prior to the actual event.
In the future, it may be helpful to administer a similar survey within the Boston North Shore area. This would allow the client to see if the same results are found from the people living within the area where the actual race takes place. By administering a survey in the future, the client would also be able to see how times have changed, and would be able to adjust their current strategies to meet the new needs of the target audience members.
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Future Research:Research Methods:
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Competitors:There are multiple races that take place over the course of a year in or around Newbury Massachusetts. Green Stride is a half-marathon race in mid-October that could be considered a competitor, but, we could use all of the races towards our advantage. Because runners love to run, we could market at the successful half-marathon our race which is in July. Green Stride has been going on for four successful years and charges up to $65 dollars a runner. They have many sponsors but do not have as important of a cause than Christmas in July.
Our closest competitor as well as our ally is the Yankee Homecoming 10 mile or 5k. This race takes place right around ours, July 29th, but could be used to our advantage. If people are running in the 10 mile race, runners can practice before the Yankee Homecoming race by taking part in the Christmas in July 5k. The race receives more than 1000 participants and is a very well known in and around Newbury.
Lastly, the Newbury River Run takes place before Christmas in July. It offers a half-marathon and a 5k taking place in June. Once again, although this can seam like a competitor, we can use it as an advantage if we advertise at the race.
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SWOT Analysis:
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities T hreats
-Strong, visual website with useful information-Capability to expand participation (enough park-ing to accommodate 400 runners total)-Good sponsor participation-Raised money going to a credible/well-known institute
-Low awareness-Unknown to areas outside of Boston, Massachu-setts-Timing (families go away during the summer months)-Limited amount of social media participation-Low budget (limits ability to advertise)
-Large city with many people (opportunity to reach many more participants)-Greater emphasis within society on volunteering/supporting a cause-Desire to be fit/active-Potential to advertise at many other local events
-Many races within the surrounding area-Inconsistency in volunteer/runner participation presence -Lack of donations-Lost corporate sponsorship
Competitors:
Primary Audience
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Target Audiences:
The primary audience chosen for this campaign was men and women, between the ages of 25 and 55. The individuals from this target audience live in the Boston, Massachusetts North Shore area. The decision to target this particular audience was based off of prior Christmas in July 5k races that were deemed successful. Prior races showed that the bulk of participates who ran in the race were a part of this demographic, and by targeting this specific demographic, we hope to increase the number of participates who partake in the 2015 race. In hopes that the 2015 race will be a big return, targeting this audience could also potentially increase the number of volunteers who can help make the race even more successful than it has been in the past. Individuals who fall into this category are fairly young, active, and enjoy volunteering and supporting a good cause.
Meet Brian. Brian is 29 years old and a lawyer living in West Newbury, Massachusetts. When he is not busy practicing law, Brian loves to volunteer and help out local organizations. In addition, he is also a very active run. In past years, he has participated in the Boston Marathon and now Brian is in search of local races that he can partake in to help a good cause.
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The secondary audience for this campaign was parents of small children between the ages of 30 and 50. These individuals also live in the Boston North Shore area. We decided to target this audience primarily because they are parents and we wanted to get more children active in the race. Our goal was to start planning a children’s race prior to the adult 5k in hopes that we could increase the number of participates and also raise more money. By targeting this demographic, we could inform parents who we hope would share the information with their child. If the parent is interested and excited about the race, chances are they will share that energy with their kids and get them excited and eager to partake in the race as well.
Meet Jessica. Jessica is 42 years old and lives with her family in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a stay at home mom and recently she just had her third child. Jessica’s two older children, Zachary and Allison, are extremely active. Zachary just celebrated his 10th birthday and Allison will be turning 8 this coming summer.
Jessica is always looking for something that her family can do together, especially during the summer months when the kids are home from school. She also enjoys volunteering and supporting her local community and she feels that there is no better way to accomplish both than participating in a community road race. Oh, and also, Jessica would really like to shed some baby weight from her recent pregnancy!
Secondary Audience
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Target Media Outlets:Pulse PR will use a variety of media vehicles to reach our desired target audiences. Much of our efforts will be directed towards local media primarily because our target audiences all live within the Boston North Shore area.
Here you will find examples of different kinds of media that can be used to help raise awareness for the Christmas in July 5k road race. Please keep in mind that this is only a partial list of media and that there are more options available if needed.
Local Newspapers: Local Magazines:
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-WEEI 93.7 FM (Lawrence, MA) -WSAK 102.1 (Hampton, NH)-WODS 103.3 (Boston, MA)-WNBP 106.1 (Newburyport, MA)
-Liberty Athletic Club (West Newbury, MA)-Nec Track Club (West Newbury, MA)
-WHDH-TV (Boston, MA)-WCVBDT (ABC Affiliate – NewsCenter 5 at 5)-WMTWDT2 (News 8 Now)-WBZDT (CBS – WBZ News)-WCSHDT (NBC Affiliate – WCSH News Center)
Local Clubs:
Local Radio Stations:Local Television Stations:
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Objectives:
The public relations plan for the Christmas in July 5k is designed to achieve the following objectives:
Increase the amount of race participants from 150 to 200.
Increase social network activity gaining more followers, likes, retweets, etc.
Acquire 3 new corporate sponsors, while retaining the old ones.
To increase fundraising efforts from $6,800 to $8,000.
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Objective #1: Increase the amount of race participants from 150 to 200.
Strategy #1: To use advertising methods to increase awareness of the event.
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Tactic 1:
Scoreboard message Have a message posted on the center field scoreboard for everyone to see at Fenway Park home of the Boston Red Sox. Because demand is so high, you have to place your request at least two days before the game you’ll be attending. There’s also a $50 fee, but it’s a tax-deductible donation that goes to The Red Sox Foundation. To order a scoreboard message, leave a message at 617-226-6377.
Town banner Create a banner to be hung in the center of West Newbury, Massachusetts a month before the actual race to get the community excited and those who may just be passing through the town.
Face Painting Since we are trying to increase the amount of participants for children’s race there will be face painting by talented volunteers. Children will be allowed to get their face painted before or after their race.
Santa Clause racing with the kids To continue with the Christmas theme, Santa Clause will be making a special appearance. He will be there to run with the children during their race, photos, and an exclusive chance for the children to let him know their Christmas list!
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Fliers Create a 4.25 x 5.5 inch (half a sheet of paper) flyer with information about the race including time, location, and activities surrounding the run. These fliers will be printed in bulk, at a very low cost, and will be given to the principal of the Pentucket Regional Middle School. If the principal agrees, the fliers will be given to teachers in each classroom so that the teacher can distribute the fliers to the children to take home to their parents. This will help to increase the participation of young runners for the children’s race. In addition, 200 fliers (100 copies total – 2 copies per page) will be needed to place in the plant fitness gym. This will really help to target the primary audience members who are fit and active individuals. These fliers can be placed on the gym counter next to a registration sheet where gym members can sign up to participate in the race.
Direct MailIn order to ensure that runners from the previous years return to run in the race, a poster card should be sent out to remind runners that the event is still happening. The postcard should include a “thank you” statement for their participation in the previous year’s race, and also the date, time and location of the upcoming race that we hope to see them at again. This is important because in order for the event to grow, the client will have to maintain past participation and expand from there.
Promotional advertisements on local radio stations Create a promotional advertisement to be announced on local radio stations. These stations will include WSAK 102.1, WODS 103.3, WNBP 106.1, and WEEI 93.7. Also, place an advertisement on WEEI 93.7 FM’s website on the community events page. On this page there is a list of events that will be taking place in the community. To make a request to post a charitable event or fundraiser visit the page and fill out the form at the bottom of the page with all the event information.
Objective #2: Increase social network activity gaining more followers, likes, retweets, etc.
Strategy #2: To use all relevant social media outlets to create engagement with both primary and secondary audience members.
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In order to increase participation in the Christmas In July 5K it is imperative to revamp and enhance our social media platforms. We currently have Twitter and Facebook.
Tactic 2:
On Facebook there are 8 photos posted and 137 people who have liked our page. We plan to increase the amount of posts on the page by updating statuses on a daily basis. This will aid in explaining the event more thoroughly, and ultimately more people will be inclined to go. Additionally, more photos of the actual event must be added. Visuals are an invaluable resource as it allows for our target audience to see the event so they can better understand the true essence of the race.
On Twitter the @xmasinjuly5k has tweeted a total of 39 times to 24 followers. We must include the #christmasinjuly5k more frequently in order to create a larger buzz about the event. To incentivize using the hashtag we will run a contest. Whoever has the most retweets using the #christmasinjuly5k will receive a free t-shirt on that day of the race. Also, we will contact the social media director at The Jimmy Fund to try to get mentioned more frequently in the days leading up to the race.
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Objective #3: Acquire 3 new corporate sponsors, while retaining the old ones.
Strategy #3: In quire four new sponsors, while maintaining the original sponsor relationships.
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This is a perfect opportunity for local and corporate businesses around the Boston area to sponsor and show support for the community and a great cause.
We hope to gain and partner with these four corporate sponsors, Planet Fitness, Dunkin Donuts, Haverhill Bank, and a local radio station. In order to gain these sponsors we will reach out to them by sending them the sponsorship guide that has already been created and a Christmas tree ornament with the logo on it.
Tactic 3:
Following the race we will send each of our sponsors a hand written letter thanking them for their business.
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Objective #4: To increase fundraising efforts from $6,800 to $8,000.
Strategy #4: Increase fundraising efforts prior to the event.
One way in which this objective can be met is by increasing the amount of awareness for the Christmas in July 5k. It will be important to raise awareness about the event prior to when the race takes place in July 2015. Through our research, Pulse PR found that many survey responders enjoy running as a team with other people around them. One way in which the client could increase participation is by allowing, or constructing a team sign-up page. This would be very similar to what relay for life does. Individuals would pre-register as a group, and could form group names.
The research also showed that many people would be willing to fundraise prior to the event in which they are partaking in. The teams could ask for donations outside of the race, and this would help to increase fundraising efforts before the race even begins. As an incentive to get team members to fundraise more, a prize could be given to the team that raises the most money at the conclusion of the race.
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Tactic 4:
Relay For Life Team Sign up on Website
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Measurement and Evaluation:
In order to evaluate the success of the campaign, Pulse PR will track the tactics to fulfill the main objectives.
-Social Media
-Pulse PR will track the Christmas in July 5K’s Facebook, by watching the number of likes and people expressing interest about the page. In the beginning of our research there were on 137 likes on the Facebook page.
-Twitter traffic will be evaluated by the amount of retweets, followers, and tweets about the Christmas in July 5K. In the beginning of our research there were only 24 followers, 11 following, and only 39 tweets were tweeted.
-Support From Corporate Sponsors
-This will be tracked by the number of sponsors we maintain who have already shown support throughout the years and also acquiring new sponsors who want to support this cause.
Promotional Advertisements
-Pulse PR will assess all of the print ads in newspapers, magazines, and radio segments that are released. We will also collect the articles and media pieces produced by the third parties about the Christmas in July 5k.
T i metable:
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Letters to Sponsors Made by Staples Printing- 120 pages (20 letters-6 pages each) X $0.09(per page) Envelopes- Walmart, Quality Park Reveal-N-Seal Business Envelope (40 count)- $3.69 (pick-up in store)Stamps- $0.49 X 20= $9.80Total- $24.29
Postcards Made by StaplesPick-up in store Color Backside- 250 postcards=$42.48Stamps-157 X $0.49=$76.93Total- $119.41
GRAND TOTAL: $614.22
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Budget:Christmas Tree Ornaments Made by Howe House http://www.howehouse.com/customornaments.htmItem: Custom Acrylic Ornaments Unit Price: $2.25 Setup cost: $20.00Shipping: $25.00Total: $157.50
Town Banner Made by Staples Extra Large Banner (8’ X 2.5’)Pick-up in store(Assuming Town Clerk will hang for free!) Total- $34.99
Red Sox Scoreboard Promotion 1 promotion per game $50.00 (3x)Total- $150.00
Fliers Made by Staples Pick-up in store1,829 total flyer copies-For school district: 3,457 students total/2 (fit two posters on 1 page)= 1,728.5 or 1,729 total copies -1,729 total copies X $0.070 per copy= $121.03-For Planet Fitness: 100 total copies that will be passed out at Planet Fitness X $0.070 per copy=$7.00 Total-$128.03
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Meet The Team:
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Natasha Brower is a sophomore Communications Management and Design major with a minor in Integrated Marketing Communications at Ithaca College. In the summer of 2013 Natasha had an internship at the National Forum on Higher Education and the Public Good in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She worked on its communications team. Her duties included creating infographics, sending newsletters, doing research, and designing informational booklets. Natasha plans to attend the Fall 2015 Los Angeles program. After graduation Natasha plans on working as a graphic designer in Los Angeles.
Natasha is currently the advertising chair for IC After Dark and Ballroom. However, she was just elected to be the Vice President for Ballroom for the Fall of 2014. She is also a member of Students Today Alumni Tomorrow and Sophomore Class Council. She was just elected to be the Director of Communications on Junior Class Council for the Fall of 2014. Aside from organizations, Natasha is a residents assistant in West Tower and will be a residents assistant in Emerson for the Fall of 2014. For community service Natasha participates in Service Saturdays, Alternative Spring Break, and Martin Luther King Day of Service.
Natasha [email protected]
Meet The Team:
Jacob Mann, a junior at Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications, is an integrated marketing communications major with a minor in politics. This summer, Jacob will be interning in New York City at Michael Moore’s Casting Agency where he will assist in casting directors, set designers, and casting directors to films, television shows, and plays. His past experience in advertising and public relations is interning at Nickelodeon two summers ago where he helped create advertisements for Paramount and Nickelodeon films. Over the years, Jacob has taken part in many community service programs such as traveling to Africa and Costa Rica. Both trips were community service based where Jacob would execute such tasks like building houses, painting classrooms, and playing with the local children of Tanzania and Costa Rica. Jacob has also worked for South East Consortium where he was a counselor for special needs children. In High School, Jacob was the president of both the Rye Youth Players Club and Adopt a Grandfriend Club. As president of Rye Youth Players, Jacob and other Rye High students would perform education skits for elementary and middle school kids. The skits where based on any particular issue the school had, for example bullying or dress codes. In Adopt a Gradfriend, he would visit with other Rye High Students to an old age home once a month where they would converse and play games with the elderly.
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Jacob [email protected]
Stephanie Kaczor, a junior at Ithaca College, is an Applied Psychology major who is minoring in Integrated Marketing Communications and Business Administration. The past four semesters Stephanie has earned a place on the dean’s list and just this past March, she was initiated into the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. After graduation, Stephanie hopes to continue her education in law school.
As president of the Ithaca College Red Cross club, Stephanie has organized numerous blood drives and fundraisers with local organizations in efforts to help raise money for the Tompkins County Red Cross Chapter. In addition, she is also an activate member of a research team on the Ithaca College campus. The research team will be presenting their study on counterfactual communication and disease-related information at the Science for Behavioral medicine conference in Philadelphia at the end of April.
Over the past two years, Stephanie has worked as a teacher’s assistant for statistics. While working as a TA, she has helped students understand written homework assignments and statistical concepts in preparation for exams. This summer, she hopes to intern at a law firm near her home in Syracuse, N.Y.
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Stephanie [email protected]
Ashley Kirby, a junior at Ithaca College is a Sport Media major who is minoring in Communications Management and Design. The past two semesters Ashley has earned a place on the dean’s list. After graduation, Ashley plans on having a career in Sport Event Management.
Currently, Ashley is highly involved in the Sport Event & Networking Club. This year the Sport Event & Networking Club put on Ithaca’s first Glow Run. Participants could either run in a 3K or 5K but, this was not a run, it was a fun run, and therefore participants were not timed. Runners ran along the scenic Cayuga Water Front Trail at night sporting glow-in-the-dark and black light reactive gear like t-shirts, bracelets, necklaces, body paint, and more. Along the trail there was lively music and black lights to make the participants shine.
When participants reregistered they received a glow-in-the-dark t-shirt and a glow-in-the-dark bag. This race benefited the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and support of all of their great programs. In total there were 2,400 runners who participated in either the 3K or 5K and we raised a little over $30,000!
For this upcoming summer Ashley will be a Marketing and Communications intern for Major League Lacrosse in Boston, MA. Some of her responsibilities as an intern include producing pre-game notes for specific Major League Lacrosse teams, recaps results of weekly games immediately following the event, and implement the League’s marketing and social media strategy.
Ashley [email protected]
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Brendan Brown, a freshman at Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications, is an integrated marketing and communications major. In his first semester of classes Brendan achieved an impressive 3.6 GPA. In the spring of 2015, Brendan intends to attend classes Ithaca College’s Los Angeles program, and hopes to intern with a reputable advertising firm. After Graduation, he hopes to land a job in either and advertising or marketing firm in the New York Metropolitan Area.
Helping others is something Brendan strives to do, as he is an active volunteer in the community. On the first Saturday of each month he volunteers at a local food pantry and helps distribute food to the less fortunate. Next year he hopes to join either the American Marketing Association, or the American Advertising Federation. Additionally, he had a prominent role in the Ithaca College football teams “Be The Match” bone marrow drive, where he recruited countless people to sign up and register into a data base so that they would have the potential to save someone’s life one day.
Brendan also belongs to the Ithaca College Football team, which is one of the most winningest programs in all of Division III Football. Last year was no different, as the Bomber’s earned 9-2 record and was ranked 16th in the nation at one point in the season.
Brendan [email protected]
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Appendix:
