The Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign Planning Project allowed me to bring together all the knowledge gained during my MA in Marketing Communications. This practice-based project is an assessment of a brand's current situation and future potential in relation to its marketing, brand and marketing communications strategies. My IMC project provides an in-depth, comprehensive integrated marketing communications six months plan for the most famous entertainment company worldwide, The Disney Company and its UK Disney Stores.
To overcome the brands’ issue, the strategic decision – accurately evaluated through the use of a SWOT analysis – of reducing the amount of licences introducing a higher percentage of adult Disney Consumer Products across the 50 UK Disney stores will aim to the marketing objective of a 12% increase of sales by the end of the year 2015. This will be followed by the implementation of an Integrated Marketing Communication campaign which will aim to attract 14 500 new customers in 6 months and to achieve the following marketing communication objectives: To create awareness of the new products available at the Disney Store; To drive brand switch amongst those adult consumers that currently buy Disney Consumer Products in other (offline and online) retailers; To attract potential Disney fanatics to the store; To engage with existing adult customers.
The target audience, identified with a deep secondary research and consumer insight analysis, has been divided in three key profiles: Disney Fans, Families and collectors. Moreover, an appealing message will follow the lines of the movie Peter Pan “Never Grow Up” theme and will be divided in three specific messages to be delivered using different and compelling communication tools for the three targets. Other target that has also been taken into account throughout the campaign is the internal audience of the Disney Store, the employees AKA Cast members. Communication with these will take place in every moment during the IMC campaign since they are an extremely important asset for the brand. The communications will inform them of any news concerning the campaign, the objectives to be reached and a mystery shopper will help guarantee the quality of the service delivered.
With the help of frameworks, such as AIMIRITE and the De Palsmecker et al. Mixed Media Criteria, communication tools have been evaluated resulting in either their rejection or approval based on the appropriateness of the tools in the context. The end decision results in the use of a mix of advertising, direct marketing, digital marketing, sponsorship, PR (internal and external communications), shopper marketing and promotional marketing techniques. All the channels used have been targeted and personalized, where possible, to guarantee maximum levels of target reach.
Lastly, the final budget helps understand the potential RoI of the campaign which results in £3 gained every £1 spent and sets extremely positive campaign expectations, both in terms of finance and objectives achieved. To prove if the campaign outcomes will or will not be as positive as expected, an evaluation plan has also been prepared. Through the use of pre, during and post-campaign evaluation techniques, the tools will all be evaluated in order to guarantee a full understanding of the campaign outcomes.