Integrated
Marketing






Communications
Plan


 

Student
Scholars’
Expo



MRKT
337:
Advertising

Brittany
Dean

8/12/2009


 









1 Executive
Overview

The
Student
Scholars’
Expo
is
a
day
dedicated
to
highlighting
the
scholarly
work
of

students
at
Messiah
College.
Unfortunately,
the
Expo
has
not
been
widely
known
in
the
past,

neither
has
it
been
understood
as
an
important
and
exciting
event.
However
through

strategic
marketing
and
creative
advertising,
students
can
view
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo

in
a
new
and
exciting
light
as
they
understand
the
implications,
benefits,
and
brilliant
work

that
is
associated
with
the
day.






1.1 Scope
of
this
Integrated
Marketing
Communications
Plan

This
plan
outlines
the
communications
objectives,
strategies,
and
tactics
required
for
a

successful
execution
of
integrated
marketing.
Additionally,
this
plan
provides
the

framework
for
the
launch
of
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo’s
communications
activities.


2 Target
Audiences

Our
target
audiences
are

1. Students
attending
Messiah
College

2. Friends,
family
and
potential
employers
in
the
local
community




3 Stages

3.1 Stage
1:
September
through
December

Stage
1
of
the
advertising
and
marketing
process
of
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
will

consist
of
the
following
activities:

• Introduction
to
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo

• Introduction
to
projects
by
the
professors
in
the
classrooms

• Informing
professors
and
students
of
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
and
the
process
of

choosing
projects
to
be
presented
in
the
Expo

• Stress:
Benefits,
participation
of
students
and
professors,
teamwork,
and
inspiration

for
projects

• Potential
tag
lines
and
themes:


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Marketing
Communications
Plan
 Dean







o “Fearlessly
Create”

o “Endless
Possibilities”


3.2 Stage
2:
January
through
May

At
this
point,
students
have
already
been
chosen
who
will
present
in
the
Expo.
Stage
2
of

the
advertising
and
marketing
process
of
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
will
consist
of
the

following
activities:

• Inform
students,
professors,
and
surrounding
community
of
the
date
and
time
of
the

event.


• Grab
the
attention
of
the
students
and
generate
excitement
about
the
day
through

creative
marketing
communications.


• Potential
tag
lines
and
themes:

o “Recognizing
Brilliance”

o “Support
your
Friends”

o Key
words‐
Support,
Learn,
and
Inspire.







4 Branding
and
Messaging

My
idea
in
branding
for
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
is
to
create
a
theme
that
ties
into
the

tag
line
and
use
it
consistently
in
a
variety
of
advertising
techniques
throughout
the
school

year.
Repetition
will
be
a
key
tactic
in
the
marketing
development.
Additionally,
a

combination
of
advertising
and
marketing
techniques
can
be
used
in
the
development
of
the

theme.



4.1 Themes


4.1.1 “Recognizing
Brilliance”

One
of
my
ideas
for
a
theme
would
be
using
the
tag
line
“Recognizing
Brilliance”
as
a

way
to
describe
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo’s
mission
and
tying
in
a
symbol
such
as
a
light

bulb
to
reflect
the
word
brilliance.
However,
my
idea
is
to
not
use
a
standard
light
bulb,
but

instead
to
relate
towards
a
sustainability
mindset.
We
will
use
an
energy
saving
halogen

light
bulb
as
the
“Recognizing
Brilliance”
symbol.





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Marketing
Communications
Plan
 Dean







4.1.2 “Fearlessly
Create”

Another
theme
for
Stage
1
of
the
advertising
process
for
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo,

would
be
to
use
the
tag
line
“Fearlessly
Create”.
The
idea
behind
the
tag
line
is
to
encourage

students
to
not
be
hindered
by
what
other
people
think
while
developing
projects.
They

should
not
be
afraid,
but
instead
take
risks,
use
their
God‐given
talents
and
create

something
amazing.





4.1.3 “Building
Blocks
for
your
future”

Another
theme
can
be
to
focus
on
the
benefits
of
participating
in
the
Student
Scholars’

Expo
from
the
student’s
point
of
view.
The
expo
creates
an
opportunity
to
gain
experience

for
the
future
as
well
as
the
opportunity
to
change
lives
(depending
on
the
project).

Consequently,
a
suitable
tag
line
would
be
“Building
blocks
for
your
future”.






4.2 Positioning
Statement

Potential
tag
lines
for
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo:

• Opportunities
to
leave
your
mark

• Building
blocks
for
your
future

• Brilliance
begins
with
God
and
materializes
when
you
take
action.
Be
fearless.


• Fearlessly
Create.


• Recognizing
Brilliance.


• Support
your
Friends.

Come
to
Student
Scholars’
Expo

• Discover
what
your
friends
have
been
up
to

• Learn
Something
New


4.3 Logo


5 Objectives
and
Strategies

5.1 To
excite
and
motivate
students
to
design
projects
in
hopes
of
being

chosen
for
Student
Scholars’
Expo.



The
above
mentioned
objective
will
take
place
during
stage
one.
The
idea
is
to
assign

projects
in
class
where
professors
will
later
select
those
projects
that
will
be
presented
in
the

Expo.
Projects
should
be
well
thought
out,
creative,
geared
towards
sustainability,
and
follow

the
project
guidelines
which
have
been
outlined
by
the
professor.
Our
goal,
at
this
stage,
is
to


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Marketing
Communications
Plan
 Dean







encourage
students
to
take
their
projects
seriously,
to
urge
them
to
work
hard
and
to
inspire

them
to
think
creatively.



STRATEGIES

• Encourage
professors
to
assign
creative
projects
in
class
that
could
be

presented
during
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo.


• Create
competition

o Professors
will
choose
the
best
one
or
two
projects
created
during
the
Fall

semester
to
be
presented
in
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
in
May

• Urge

students
to
focus
on
sustainability
as
they
create
their
projects

• Network
throughout
classes
and
promote
teamwork

o Take
advantage
of
students’
talents
on
Messiah
campus
and
integrate
a

variety
of
talents
into
one
project

o Have
students
from
different
fields
of
study
add
their
individual
talents
to
a

larger
project

o For
example:
Encourage
or
create
a
project
where
two
separate
classes
will

have
to
work
together
on
one
project.
Combining
(with
the
help
of
two

professors)
two
classes—such
as
a
graphic
design
and
an
advertising
class—
to
form
one
project

• Create
jobs
or
competition
across
campus

o Select
students
on
a
volunteer
basis
to
create
the
advertising
media
needed

for
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo

o The
creation
of
jobs
or
competitions
to
advertise
an
event
on
campus
will

allow
the
opportunity
to
add
much
needed
experience
to
a
student’s
resume

o The
more
people
that
become
involved
in
the
making
and
bringing
together

of
the
Expo,
the
more
people
will
become
excited
about
the
event
and
desire

to
see
the
end
result


5.2 To
inform
students
of
the
implications,
benefits,
and
mission
of
the

Student
Scholars’
Expo.



The
strategies
to
accomplish
this
objective
will
take
place
during
Stage
two
of
the

advertising
development.
Our
objective
is
to
be
certain
that
the
students
of
Messiah
College

are
clearly
informed
concerning
the
mission,
goals,
implications
or
benefits
of
the
Student

Scholars’
Expo.




STRATEGIES

• Expand
on
the
description
of
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo.



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Marketing
Communications
Plan
 Dean







o Instead
of
“to
highlight
the
scholarly
work
of
students”,
perhaps
“to

recognize
the
excellence,
creativity
and
brilliance
in
the
work
of
Messiah

students”.


• Hand
out
flyers
in
class

• Relay
information
regarding
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
during
class
time.


• Award
extra
credit/points

o Reward
students
with
extra
points
for
their
class
by
attending
the
event

o Encourage
students
to
research
a
project
being
presented
at
the
Expo

beforehand
and
plan
to
attend
for
class
credit

• Link
or
partner
with
the
theme
of
“Going
Green”

o Combine
the
idea
of
sustainability
and
“Recognizing
Brilliance”
while
using

an
energy
saving
light
bulb
as
a
theme
symbol

o Handout
energy
saving
light
bulbs
at
a
booth
advertising
for
the
Student

Scholars’
Expo

• Advertise
on
Bottled
Water

o Use
pictures
from
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
along
with
stories
or
facts

regarding
the
Expo
alongside
the
photo.

o Put
facts
concerning
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
on
the
inside
of
the
caps
of

Messiah
College’s
bottled
water

• Advertise
on
Coffee
Cups

o Place
facts,
stories
or
inspiring
words
sponsored
by
the
Student
Scholars’

Expo
on
the
sides
of
coffee
cups

• Formulate
a
consistent

theme
and
idea
for
the
event






5.3 To
attract
family,
friends,
and
potential
employers
from
the
local

community
as
well
as
students
attending
Messiah
College
to
recognize

students’
work



The
objective
will
be
reached
during
Stage
two
of
the
marketing
process.
The
idea
is
to

draw
a
broader
audience
to
the
Expo.
While
the
other
objectives
will
focus
on
the

advertisements
directed
towards
Messiah
students,
this
objective
focuses
on
the
additional

target
market
of
family,
friends
and
potential
employers.



STRATEGIES

• Mail
Flyers
and
Postcards

o Have
a
student
design
the
flyer
or
postcard

o The
design
should
be
eye‐catching
to
the
point
that
the
receiver
will
want
to

keep
the
advertisement
instead
of
immediately
throwing
it
away.



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Marketing
Communications
Plan
 Dean







• Distribute
Ribbon
Stickers

o Create
“Support
your
Friends”
stickers
instead
of

“Support
your
Troops”
as

a
way
to
advertise
to
friends
of
students
presenting
in
the
Expo

o Design
stickers
using
the
ribbon
symbol
that
is
closely
associated
with
the

“Support
your
Troops”
slogan.
The
well
recognized
symbol
is
the
perfect

way
to
advertise
the
supporting
of
friends.

• Publish
an
article
in
a
local
newspaper
advertising
the
event
in
hopes
to
reach

the
local
community
as
well
as
potential
employers
for
Messiah
students




5.4 To
excite
Messiah
College
students
concerning
the
importance
of
the

Student
Scholars’
Expo.



The
objective
will
be
achieved
throughout
Stage
two
of
the
marketing
process.
The
idea

is
to
promote
the
importance
and
prestige
of
the
day.
The
Student
Scholars’
Expo
will
be
viewed

as
a
meaningful
day
to
learn
about
and
to
recognize
the
hard
work
of
Messiah’s
students.






STRATEGIES

• Stress
to
the
presenting
students
that
potential
employers
will
be
attending

and
that
the
opportunity
to
present
is
an
added
bonus
to
a
resume

• Create
a
Campus
Countdown

o Example:
Creatively
place
the
numbers
of
the
countdown
around
campus
as

the
event
draws
closer

o Example:
Place
a
simple
countdown
calendar
in
Frey
Academic
Building
or

in
Eisenhower

• Organize
a
picture
Display

o String
lights
either
outside
or
inside
a
building
along
a
populated
hallway.

Attach
pictures
and
inspiring
quotes
to
the
string
of
lights,
then
have
a

Student
Scholars’
Expo
sign
at
the
end
with
a
tag
line.


• Set
up
an
Advertising
Booth
in
front
of
Frey
or
Lottie

o Hand
out
free
items
advertising
the
Expo
such
as
pens
or
Frisbees

o Students
will
always
take
free
items
and
therefore,
handing
out
free
items

reaches
a
broader
audience

• Persuade
Messiah
College’s
Dining

Services
to

cater
the
Scholars’
Expo

o Set
up
tables
of
sandwiches,
fruit,
snacks
and
drinks
for
those
attending
the

Expo;
after
all,
a
long
day
of
continuous
presentations
deserves

refreshments

o Promote
the
refreshments’
table
as
a
place
to
socialize
and
discuss
the

projects
presented
during
the
Expo




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Marketing
Communications
Plan
 Dean







5.5 To
display
clear,
available
information
regarding
the
date,
time
and

highlighted
projects
of
the
Expo



Students
should
have
a
good
idea
of
what
goes
on
at
the
Expo
as
well
as
the
date
and

time
of
the
event.
Our
goal
is
to
inform
them
of
a
few
interesting
projects
that
will
presented

on
that
day
in
order
to
increase
interest
and
intrigue
in
our
target
market.
Additionally,
we

want
to
inform
students
of
the
date
and
time
of
the
event.



STRATEGIES

• Present
short
movie
clips
at
the
beginning
of
chapel.


o The
short
movie
clip
will
do
the
following:

 Inspire
students
to
expand
their
mind
while
working
on
class

projects

 Motivate
students
to
learn
more
by
coming
to
the
event

o The
short
movie
clip
is
best
shown
at
the
beginning
of
chapel
because

 Chapel
reaches
a
wide
audience

 A
movie
shown
at
the
beginning
of
chapel
will
reach
a
more
alert

audience

• Display
a
large
sign
outside
of
Frey
on
the
actual
day
of
the
Expo

• Create
informative,
yet
not
overwhelming,
Brochures

o Give
the
schedule
of
presentations
as
a
handout
rather
than
the
inside
of
the

brochure

o Keep
the
brochure
simple
yet
interesting
as
well
as
informative
but
not

information
overload

• Construct
a
bulletin
board
display
outside
of
Lottie

o The
overall
look
should
be
professional
as
the
day
it
advertises
recognizes

scholarly
work

• Fashion
posters
to
be
displayed
around
campus

o Use
white
space
creatively
in
the
production
of
the
poster

o Utilize
sheets
of
paper
that
are
larger
than
the
average
8
½
x
11
in.
poster
on

Messiah
campus

• Design
a
Student
Scholars’
Expo
Website

o Communicate

and
advertise
the
following
information:

 The
schedule
of
presentations

 The
highlighted
projects

 A
short
paragraph
regarding
what
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
can
do

for
you


 A
short
paragraph
regarding
what
you
can
do
for
the
Student

Scholars’
Expo


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Marketing
Communications
Plan
 Dean







6 Tactical
Calendar






COMMUNICATIONS
VEHICLES
TACTICAL
CALENDAR

Vehicle
 Owner
 Stage
1
 Stage
2

Word
of
Mouth
 Professors
 Inform
students
about
 

upcoming
projects
and

Student
Scholars’
Expo


Recruit
Students

 Messiah
 Recruit
Students
to
join
 


committee
and
aid
in
work

of
marketing


Designing
of
 Students
 Select
students
to
design
 


Marketing
Media
 marketing
media
for
Expo


Design
Website
 Students/Messiah
 Select
and
work
with
 


students
to
design
an

informative
website


Select
Presenting
 Professors
 Select
students
and
projects
 


Students
 that
will
be
presenting
in
the

Expo


Mail
Flyers,
Flyers,
&
 Messiah
 
 Distribute
in
selected


Postcards
 areas
throughout
campus


Movie
Clip
 Messiah
 
 Show
movie
clip
at


beginning
of
chapel.
Let

students
know
about

movie
ahead
of
time
to

increase
excitement


Picture
Display
 Messiah
 
 Display
on
campus
for
4‐8


weeks


Advertising
Booth

 Messiah/
Students
 
 Set
up
a
month
or
less


before
the
Expo


Bulletin
Board/
 Messiah/Students
 
 Set
up
2‐4
weeks
before


Countdown
 the
Expo


Brochures/Large
Sign
 Messiah/Students
 
 Displayed
and
handed
out


on
the
day
of
the
Student

Scholars’
Expo


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 Integrated
Marketing
Communications
Plan
 Dean







7 Additional
Suggestions

7.1 More
Days
or
Fewer
Projects

In
the
past,
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
has
been
a
day
filled
with
constant

presentations
from
around
eight
in
the
morning
until
three
or
four
in
the
afternoon.
Usually

three
or
more
presentations
are
occurring
at
the
same
time.
I
know
after
looking
at
the

schedule
this
past
year,
I
was
so
overwhelmed;
I
just
closed
the
brochure
and
simply
went

to
the
presentations
where
I
had
connections.



My
suggestion
would
be
to
scale
down
the
amount
of
presentations
in
the
day
or
to

expand
the
number
of
days
for
the
students
to
present.
I
believe
the
small
change
will
make

all
the
difference.
The
atmosphere
will
be
less
rushed,
presenters
will
be
more
at
ease,
those

attending
will
not
be
overwhelmed
by
the
schedule
and
they
will
not
have
to
worry
about

wanting
to
attend
two
overlapping
presentations.



8 Conclusion

Through
the
integration
of
the
marketing
communications
plan,
the
Student

Scholars’
Expo
is
established
as
an
exciting
day
where
students
and
locals
can
learn,
observe

and
experience
the
brilliant
and
scholarly
work
of
students.
Yet
the
objectives
and

strategies
mentioned
above
are
simply
a
springboard
for
greater
ideas
to
come.
As
we

continue
to
research,
think
outside
the
box
and
allow
ourselves
to
be
inspired,
the
greater

ideas
are
yet
to
be
developed.
Therefore,
we
should
continue
to
be
inspired
and
nurture
the

vision
of
the
Student
Scholars’
Expo
as
we
move
forward
in
the
marketing
development
of

this
exciting
event.

































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 Dean














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