12/13/2011

Accept Me Awareness. Tolerance. Acceptance.

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan 2012

Dylan Holbrook Jessica Jankowski

Thomas Kazanowski Nicole Kennedy

Executive Summary

The Accept Me Project is a nonprofit, anti-bullying organization that promotes awareness

of the cause through the art of dance. The main objective of this integrated marketing

communications plan is to expand the general knowledge about the bullying epidemic occurring

in the United States. While creating this understanding we intend to strengthen our brand name

and increase our message across the nation. Through tactics such as Social Media, Web 2.0, and

print advertising, we hope to accomplish these objectives. Partnering with other nonprofit

organizations who share the same values as us will drive traffic to our site and increase

awareness of the cause at hand as well as the Accept Me brand name. By follow a strict calendar

and tight budget, we hope to create the awareness necessary to end the bullying epidemic and

better the lives of those who have been affected by this unfortunate problem.

Table of Contents

I. Background...………………………………………………………………………….1 a. Current Marketing Communication Program …………………………….………2 b. SWOT Analysis…………………………………………...………………………2

II. Objectives……………………………………………………………………………..5 III. Target Audience……….………………………………………………………………6

a. Strategy……………………………………………………………………………7 IV. Tactics…………………………………………………………………………………8

a. Television Advertising in Schools…………...……………………………………8 b. Search Engine Optimization………………………………………………………9 c. Guest Appearances………………………………………..………………………9 d. Performances………………..……………………………………………………11 e. Logo Design……………………………………………...………………………12 f. Website…………..………………………………………………………………14

V. Calendar………………...……………………………………………………………17 VI. Budget……….………………………………………………………………………18 VII. Monitoring and Evaluation..…………………………………………………………20

I. Background

Bullying has become a nation-wide epidemic and has raised a great deal of concern

among government officials, parents, schools, and communities. Recent statistics from the U.S.

Department of Education show that one hundred-sixty thousand children stay home from school

each day due to bullying (Dubreuil & McNiff, 2010). Even more alarming are the stories of

bullying leading to acts of suicide. Shockingly, “suicide rates among ten to fourteen year-olds

have grown more than fifty percent over the last three decades” (Bully facts & statistics, 2009). It

is time for everyone to take action and put an end to these statistics. Rennie Gold is one person

who is working hard to make a difference.

The Accept Me program was founded in the fall of 2010 by Rennie Gold, the owner of

the Gold School in Brockton, Massachusetts. The Gold School is a well-known dance institution

that prides itself on being committed to all ages and all abilities. The Accept Me program was

created by Rennie Gold to continue the school’s commitment to all individuals. The program is a

performance that is centered on bullying, with all the students who perform having experienced

bullying from either side; either being bullied or seeing the effects bullying has on others. The

main objective for this program is to create a world of tolerance and acceptance. Their mission

statement reads “By creating a dialogue with youth affected by bullying, we provide a platform

for them to express their feelings, educate others and affect change.” Rennie Gold was a

performer all his life and was also friends with the athletes during his years in high school. He

understands the stereotypes that lead to bullying and wants to put an end to it (“Accept me

project”, 2011).

The Accept Me idea was inspired by Kevin Epling’s work to end the bullying epidemic.

In 2002, Kevin’s son, Matt Epling, ended his life in the eighth grade after being harassed by

upperclassmen as part of a “Welcome to High School” hazing. Rennie takes stories like Matt’s

and incorporates them into the performances. The program has done numerous performances in

schools in the Brockton area as well as at the Joyce Theater in New York. In addition, four of

their dancers were featured on Dancing with the Stars as the AT&T spotlight performance. In

conclusion, the main objective of AcceptME performances is to place an emphasis on awareness,

since that is the key to ending bullying (“Accept me project, 2011).

A. Current Marketing Communication Program

Currently, Accept Me has a limited marketing communication program. Advertisements

for the performances are placed in local newspapers and in the school for which that

performance is going to be taking place. Because the founder of the project does not have an

excessive amount of disposable income to spend marketing this cause, Social Media is put to use

because it is cost efficient and markets the information quickly and abundantly. The program

also has a website which displays YouTube videos of the performances and has links to a

Facebook page and Twitter account. Accept Me uses these tactics, but using them more

strategically would increase awareness of the cause and broaden the effects of the marketing

strategy.

B. SWOT Analysis

Strengths

All of the social media tools are being utilized to create awareness of bullying. Accept

Me posts links to other organizations that are supporting the cause. This demonstrates that the

organization is focused on a good cause and not just promoting themselves. The program is

unique in that they are portraying bullying through the art of dance and communicate that well.

Their differentiated approach to the fight against bullying is Accept Me’s biggest asset. There

are many other organizations that are fighting for the same cause, but the unique approach of

incorporating dance is something that distinguishes the organization from others it may be

compared to.

Kenny Wormald is an important benefit in the Accept Me project as well. Kenny is a

male dancer who has recently starred in the movie, Footloose, that came out in the fall of 2011.

Kenny received his dance training at The Gold School in Brockton and is already affiliated with

this program. His newfound stardom could be used to the organization’s advantage and he could

help influence other celebrities to take part in this cause.

Weaknesses

Accept Me is narrowly focused on performing in the Brockton area, which is limiting the

amount of publicity the program can attain. The project has the tools necessary to use social

media channels, but needs to learn to utilize them more effectively. The dancers associated with

the campaign are students themselves, so the performances must be timed appropriately so they

do not interfere with the dancer’s schedules. Coordinating availability creates a hardship when

planning events.

Accept Me’s target audience is too focused. Because they are a dance program, they

attract mainly those who also take part in dance or theater. Little is promoted to captivate the

attention of students who may not have an understanding of the Arts. Broadening their target

audience would attain more viewers and increase the awareness of the cause.

Opportunities

The opportunities for the Accept Me campaign are endless. The organization has a good

foundation and cause it is supporting. Promoting bullying awareness will increase the knowledge

people have about the issue as well as gaining more supporters along the way. People are always

willing to support a good cause and the program can take full advantage of that. There is the

opportunity to gain sponsors and expand awareness across the United States, not just locally in

Massachusetts. The current marketing program is bare bones and has room to be drastically

improved.

Threats

A threat towards the program is growing too quickly and not having time to react. Although

immense publicity would be such an advantage for the campaign, it could have its downfalls if

the organization is not handled effectively. Because the majority of the performers are still in

school, the number of performances the cause can commit to is limited.

II. Objectives

While abiding by the mission statement of the organization, the main objective of the Accept

Me campaign is to create more awareness about the bullying epidemic currently occurring in the

United States. Getting people to realize how much of an affect bullying has on a person is first

and foremost. Awareness is a top priority because without knowing the logistics of the reality of

the situation, no one can fully comprehend the meaning of the performances put on by the

Accept Me personnel. The goal is to end bullying all together and by raising awareness

throughout the country, it is one step closer to ending the epidemic.

The secondary goal is to make the name Accept Me more well known in areas other than just

Norfolk County. When someone sees the new logo or hears the name “Accept Me”, the

objective is to associate these with the anti-bullying campaign. Name to cause recognition is

essential if the organization truly wants to prosper in the future. Spreading the Accept Me

message across the nation and branching out from the general Brockton area are essential when

organizing a one year plan for the campaign.

Eventually, the plan is to partner with PACERs National Bullying Prevention Center, which

is the most well known and largest anti-bullying campaign in the United States to date. The

proceeds from each of the performances Accept Me puts on are donated to this cause. Becoming

partners with such a widely known campaign would promote the Accept Me name by

association. Partnering with them would mean being featured on their website and creating

alliances with other not for profit organizations across the nation. These alliances will spread the

anti-bullying message with ease.

III. Target Audience

The main audience the organization will be focusing on targeting is high school students.

They already target high schools around the Brockton area, but the intention is to expand further

and get a larger audience. Targeting high school students will be as simple as promoting

ourselves in high school settings using flyers, posters and performances. In addition to

promoting the Accept Me cause, these media vehicles will enable buzz and word of mouth

tactics throughout the high schools. Getting people to talk about the campaign is an essential

aspect of raising awareness of the organization and the cause being fought for. Growing the

audience will be achieved by promoting ourselves outside the local areas. At the moment, only a

few neighboring towns are aware of the Accept Me organization, but the goal is to make it a

commonly known name in households.

The other primary audience is other dance studios across the country who may be interested

in joining the fight against bullying. By showing other studios what the Accept Me project does

and the difference that is trying to be made, the goal is to make these other studios passionate

about the cause and have them wanting to become a part of it as well. By doing so, ideally other

dance studios across the nation will want to choreograph their own performances and use the

Accept Me name when promoting the cause themselves. This will aid in making Accept Me a

recognizable name nationwide and help end the bullying problem.

The secondary audience is other anti bullying organizations. The objective is to create a

relationship with other organizations and form alliances with them so they can promote Accept

Me and vice versa. By creating this close relationship a larger audience is easily reachable.

Even though it is not directly for Accept Me, the name and purpose will be out there for others to

recognize.

Another secondary audience is parents of the high school children being targeted. Parents

obviously play a big role in the upbringing of their children and parents need to be educated to

realize how much of an issue this actually is so they can help in the efforts to stop bullying.

Getting parents to talk with their children about bullying will create an open line of

communication that may not have been there before. This communication could potentially save

lives if the parents are informed about the affects bullying is putting on their children. On

average, only four percent of bullying cases result in adult intervention. This statistic can be

raised drastically by keeping parents informed.

A. Strategy

To gain and enhance awareness of the bullying epidemic in general, while gaining national

notoriety specifically for our program, Accept Me, to be recognized as a vehicle to promote anti

bullying strategies. By implementing new tactics as well as improving upon older ones, we

intend on offering information to our audience on the bullying epidemic and creating a positive

reputation for our cause.

IV. Tactics

Major changes must be made to the existing Accept Me organization’s tactics in order to

achieve the set objectives and to reach the newly targeted audiences. Tactics already in place

will be enhanced and others will be added to accomplish the set of goals put into effect for the

program. Social media, Web 2.0 strategies and traditional print media are a few of the many

approaches that will be taken to execute these objectives.

A. Television Advertising in Schools

School systems and town television channels will play Accept Me videos and ads

promoting the cause and informing the viewer of any upcoming events. By reaching the many

local school systems in the area, the student audience will be the main community exposed to the

anti-bullying ads. School systems use the channel for assemblies, morning and afternoon

announcements, as well as many other reasons that may include simply leaving the television on

in between classes. By using this means to reach vast student bodies, we hope to:

• Get students interested in bullying issues

• Express the art form in which Accept Me brings issues to life

• Encourage students to share their own stories and react to testimonials

• Present information towards interest in the Accept Me website, appearances, and events

Accept Me will also strive to introduce advertising at various other levels. The main goal

of advertising is to raise awareness about the organization and to create buzz which will

ultimately result in website traffic and eventual organizational success. Because the target of

our organization is the younger generation, advertising on things such as Public Access

television and community newspapers will be beneficial to Accept Me. These two strategies

will not only be valuable, but relatively inexpensive as well. The messages will be

constructed in a Public Service Announcement style. Well-organized and carefully planned

advertisements and television advertisements can go a long way into raising the awareness of

bullying.

B. Search Engine Optimization

Google AdWords will be utilized as a key advertising impression for the awareness of

Accept Me’s online traffic. Through a strong selection of anti-bullying and acceptance keywords,

these tags will allow Accept Me to be among the numerous other anti-bullying campaigns in the

country. When people search for powerful non-profits, Accept Me will be amongst the most

recognizable non-profits on the web when searching for causes. Using AdWords allows us to

have full control of the advertising reach as well as knowing how much of the budget is spent at

various times.

C. Guest Appearances

Accept me will pursue a high profile athlete to endorse the organization. A professional

athlete with a high Q score and who is considered a role-model will certainly increase the status

of Accept Me as a whole. Preferably, Boston Celtics player Kevin Garnett would be our target

endorser. Garnett is not only respected as an athlete throughout the country, but he also has a

great reputation. Garnett donated $1.2 million to Oprah’s Angel Network to help with Hurricane

Katrina relief efforts. He has long been involved in community service projects, donating

computers to inner city schools and helping local children and women with cancer, in addition to

taking underprivileged kids on holiday shopping trips. He was the 2005-06 J. Walter Kennedy

Citizenship Award recipient, an annual National Basketball Association award given since the

1974–75 NBA season to a player, coach, or trainer who shows "outstanding service and

dedication to the community". Though Garnett would not be involved in any actual

performances, his presence in the advertising aspect will be noteworthy. His main tasks would be

to:

• Be a main driver in the advertisements and act as a spokesperson

• Be visible on the Social Media Site

• Provide a link to Accept Me on his personal site and Facebook page

• Mention Accept Me occasionally on his Facebook and Twitter pages

• Promote an overall belief in the program

• Promote anti-bullying

• Maintain a positive reputation

Though we believe Garnett would be a fantastic ambassador for Accept Me, we believe that

nearly any Boston athlete would be able to help our cause. Boston, and all of New England for

that matter, is somewhat defined by its professional sports and the athletes are looked up to by

our target audience. Athletes with a good reputation and good morals would be the main focus.

Though we have budgeted a fair amount of money for these athletes to take this position, we

believe that nearly all of the types of athletes that we would be targeting would be willing to do it

for less or even for free. By associating themselves with the Accept Me organization, it would

not only help Accept Me gain recognition, it would also strengthen their individual brands.

D. Performances

As of right now, Accept Me only runs programs in which people come to them. However,

they would be well suited to begin running programs that venture out and seek opportunities to

perform at other venues. These venues can include places such as schools and camps. Many

schools host assemblies, in which an entire school views a presentation from an outside company

or organization. Accept Me can achieve a great deal of recognition by taking advantage of this

opportunity. School systems budget money each year to provide assemblies for its students, and

this is certainly a type of program and organization schools are looking for. Assemblies seek to

raise awareness about an issue or to inform about a specific topic, and this is certainly something

most schools would want to be seen by students. The idea of actually going to the school instead

of the school going to the studio would also make school systems more likely to agree to pay for

the service. It eliminates travel fees for them, making it much easier to get the entire student

body to a location within the school than to the actual studio.

This plan would also entail three performances at the Wang Theatre in Boston during the

summer months of June, July, and August. Once a month, Accept Me would invite those living

in the metropolitan area as well as those visiting, to attend their moving performance. In order to

bring a different crowd to the show, as mentioned before, there will be guest appearances from

well-known Boston professional athletes. This will hopefully encourage sports fans to attend,

even if they are not interested in the art of dance. In addition, any tourists that attend will spread

the word of Accept Me to their hometowns. The plan involves those that attend the performances

in Boston to sign the nation-wide petition to end bullying. Once the attendee signs the petition,

the Boston athlete that is present will autograph a piece of memorabilia. Hopefully, these

performances will gain attention from the media for the Accept Me program.

Since Accept Me is partnering with PACER's, it is appropriate for the program to work with

the organization in coordinating the annual Unity Dance Day. This day is in the end of October,

which is bullying prevention month, and involves a nation-wide dance routine to spread the word

about bullying. This is a great opportunity for Accept Me because their whole message is based

around the art of dance and so is Unity Dance Day.

E. Logo Design

The current Accept Me logo is not effective by any means. The ads like the ones above

do not display any logo or even do anything to refer a viewer back to the Accept Me brand.

When one visits the current website, the logo is not clearly defined. One could only guess what

the organization actually considers their logo as being, or if they even have an established logo at

all. The creation of a new logo that is both creative and innovative is a perfect way to better

grasp the target market. A logo is an extremely important part to any brand, and it definitely

needs to be better established by Accept Me. This new logo is one that is distinguishable among

other brands and will be associated with the organization whenever it is seen. The

implementation of this new logo in advertisements, Web 2.0 and other places is a pivotal step in

repositioning Accept Me.

The new logo uses a high contrast of black to white to really stand out to the viewers. The

gold color works as a great complimentary color and can be tied back to The Gold School, “the

Golden rule”, which is to treat others the way you would like to be treated, and other thematic

implications. The font is very eye catching and uses shapes reminiscent to a play button to

psychologically motivate user involvement in creating media. The sketch-like strokes of the

hands are inviting and smooth, bringing off imaginative vibes. The two hands shaking

symbolizes the acceptance of others, on top of the incentive to “lend a hand” to someone. The

handshake is a familiar image that is recognizable as well as memorable due to its simplistic yet

effective nature.

F. Website

The Accept Me website will be completely redone and organized to fit the Web 2.0 needs

of our audiences. The new launched website will be under the domain name “AcceptMe.com”

separating from being a subsection on “thegoldschool.com”. Segments of the website users can

click on include events, blog, press releases, achievements, contact us, and a “what we’re all

about” section. The clean up of clutter such as excess links, media, and unappealing spacing will

drive simpler interactivity for the user as well as more dynamic involvement in the content. A

search bar will be built into the website to provide quick user interface of key words. Subtle

animation of dancer silhouettes will transition the user’s clicks throughout their time spent

exploring the website. The linked sections will have their own unique applications while

collaborating with the theme and functionality of the website as a whole.

• Events: This section will arrange the dates of all past, present, and future events in an

easy to read manner for the user. Brief descriptions will provide insight of what the event

entails. Links will be provided for easy access to tickets and possible other collaborating

groups involved. With each event listed will be a Google Maps emblem to give users

instant access to directions of the event location.

• Blog: The incorporation of the blog on AcceptMe.com will present a meeting place for

all engaging users of the website. Through this interactive blog is where testimonials,

pictures, and other media can be posted by people to be displayed amongst fellow peers

wanting to share their own personal stories, visions, performances, etc. The simple, clean

layout will provide easy encouragement to become involved and receive feedback.

Facebook Connect will be used to skip over username and account creation and allow for

instant involvement in posting content.

• Press Releases: The Press Release tab will give users a “newsroom” feel to all of the

interesting and exciting news in Accept Me. Announcements of future guest appearances,

television appearances, radio appearances, and more will be exhibited for informational

and publicity purposes.

• Achievements: This section will not only proudly view the progress of Accept Me, such

as with a number of followers achievement or Dancing With The Stars appearance for

instance, but also view individual accomplishments from our fans. Many possibilities

include a student’s involvement in anti-bullying activities, a powerful fan-made video, or

a profound personal story. The section is integrated in the constant drive of user’s

association of becoming involved in the community of content and gives further incentive

to be involved with the website and organization.

• Contact Us: The Contact Us tab will provide all contact information including telephone

numbers, e-mail addresses, and headquarters locations for users in an uncomplicated

manner.

• What We’re All About: This section operates as a summarization of what the

organization is about, the mission statement/goals, and briefly how people can help and

be involved. Newer users as well as experienced followers of the organization can access

this as a simple guideline in the organization’s transparent principles.

The website will utilize effective color palate, design, layout, and integrate our Web 2.0

strategies. Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube icons will be embedded at the bottom for quick

access at any time. Our alliances with other nonprofit organizations will be linked to our website

and will help drive traffic to the new site.

V. Calendar

The chart below is what our one year plan would look like. The plan is split up into two

month intervals beginning implementation in January 2012 and ending at the end of December

2012.

Jan-Feb March-April May-June July-Aug Sept-Oct Nov-Dec

1.Research/Find company to organize website

2. Implement Logo

3 Arrange a deal with Kevin Garnett and other Boston athletes

4. Contact schools and organizations about possible partnerships

1. Launch Website

2. Begin integrating social media

3. Advertise for summer performances

1.Organize PSA and advertising campaigns

2. Launch these by end of June

3. Performances in Boston begin

1 Mid-year evaluation

2. All programs both on site and off site should begin

1 Continue running programs

2 Adjust website and social media if needed

3. Twitter promotion

4. Unity Dance Day

1. Review progress thus far

2.Evaluate and begin planning for next year

VI. Budget

Guest Appearances $200,000 Promotional Advertising $600,000 Website/Logo Designer $60,000 Creative director $100,000 Account Coordinator $40,000 Total $1,000,000

Out-of-pocket expenses:

• Guest appearances: $200,000

This number includes any expenses in advertising for guest appearances as well as

travel expenses for the guests. At these appearances, there will be a petition signing to

pledge to put an end to the bullying epidemic. The monetary allotment will also be used

to purchase items for the athletes to autograph for those who sign the aforementioned

petition. It is our hope that the athletes are willing to appear for either no cost or a

minimum fee since it is for a good cause, but a financial allowance was still incorporated

for them into the budget.

• Promotional Advertising: $600,000

Every advertising aspect the Accept Me program chooses to take part in over the

next year will be allotted a maximum of $600,000. The advertising options include but

are not limited to flyers, posters, print ads in newspapers and promotional video

expenses.

The campaign plans on spending $120,000 on a Twitter promotion. During this

promotion, we will pay Twitter this money to be featured on their ‘trending page’. Our

tagline will be #WillYouAcceptMeIf and followers will be encouraged to complete the

sentence and tweet it in order to create buzz about our cause.

Staff Salaries:

• Website/logo designer: $60,000

Our plan focuses heavily on redesigning the website and logo of the Accept Me

project and therefore it is necessary to hire a website designer for a short period of time.

The designer will implement the website and will be in charge of integrating the new

logo into every advertising aspect we utilize.

• Creative director: $100,000

This staff member will be hired as the head designer of all advertising and

promotions involving the AcceptMe program. They will work closely with our Logo

Designer to accommodate the new logo and will design creative and persuasive

advertisements for the cause.

• Account coordinator: $40,000

This person will take full responsibility for managing social media and

coordinating all advertising for the performances. They will work with our other two

staff members to effectively integrate their ideas and create a nearly flawless promotional

campaign for the Accept Me project.

VII. Monitoring and Evaluation

Evaluations of the effectiveness of the new Integrated Marketing Communications

system being put in affect for the Accept Me program will be given semi annually. In July and

December we will analyze specific and measureable goals and examine the performance of these

marketing tactics. Followers and Likes on our Facebook and Twitter pages will be counted to

monitor the changes due to new tactic execution. Website traffic and media activity within the

new website will be evaluated as well.

Another way of evaluating our progress will be noticing an increase in the amount of

people in attendance at the Accept Me performances both in schools and in theaters such as the

Wang Theater in Boston. If our audience count generally increases, we can be certain that our

efforts and strategies are having a positive effect on the brand name. After evaluation, we hope to

prove our tactics to have impacted our organization for the better and we look forward to

growing the Accept Me project to a more nationally known cause.

Bibliography Accept me project. (2011). Retrieved from http://thegoldschool.com/accept ME.html Bully facts & statistics. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org/facts_new.html Dubreuil, J., & McNiff, E. (2010, October 15). Bullied to death in america. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/2020/TheLaw/school-bullying-epidemic-turning-deadly/story?id=11880841