Monday, July 30, 2012

SEO Research Story

Intro - SEO Good afternoon judges, faculty, members of the 7th District. I am David Ford….I’m Carla Fulwider, I’m Alex DeJarnette, and I’m Andrew Stearns…. and we are Ellipsis. This year our client, JCPenney, has offered one of the most comprehensive and direct case studies the National Student Advertising Competition has ever seen. It comes as no surprise that JCPenney understands its customers, as they have been a leader in the retail industry for over a hundred years. Not only did this case offer a great deal of information but raised the bar and delivered a challenge to acquire an even greater understanding of the women in our target. It has built a very strong platform and demanded a very strong campaign in return. Objectives - Alex ETSU has created a campaign for JCPenney that is uniquely built on four fully integrated objectives that are key components to increasing market share and building lasting relationships among our target audience. It is important for JCPenney to emotionally connect with our target audience by building a relationship founded on meaningful experiences, constant communication, and delivering promises that we can keep. Through this campaign we will acquire females ages 25-34, regain female customers, increase shopping frequency and grow share of wallet among their current female customers. We have created a fourth objective that we feel is imperative for JCPenney to execute and that is to regain lost relationships with our target audience. SEO Research – Carla We analyzed the case study but we still wanted more! So we listened to these women. We knew the information wasn’t going to come to us, so we went to them. We found them (cue the gradual fade in of audio quotes) on SEOs, we read their tweets, and Facebook posts. We sifted through thousands of reviews. There are so many women out there, with so many of their own opinions, and we wanted to listen to every one of them. What they love, what they hate, how they feel. (audio loud enough to interrupt Carla and then fades out abruptly) What Women Want/Expect – (during this summary pages 2 & 3 will be shown) - Carla So what did we get from this? Women don’t miss a thing! They want to be heard and more importantly understood. They want their retail experience to mean something…..to adapt to their ever changing needs. They want to love something and tell each other all about it. They don’t want to waste any time. Each moment is different and they know what a difference one moment can make. Lifestyle Segments – David/Carla JCPenney presented the women of this audience to us through four lifestyle segments: Traditional, Classical, Trendy, and Modern. One of the most important things we learned about these women is that they don’t fit into any specific categories because they are constantly changing, even throughout the hours of their day. They embrace their unique identity and expect retailers to offer them fashions to fit their individuality. Instead of labels, we segmented women by lifestyle. We have independent women and women with families. They value different things and have different shopping habits. But they also have a lot in common. Our campaign focuses on the similarities. Both groups of women are relationship focused and look for the greatest value at the most affordable price. Our campaign seeks to form connections and cater to their shopping habits. By appealing to these women on a personal level and avoiding labels, JCP will rise above competitors (Show them visually) SWOT/Competition - Alex In order for us to understand what JCPenney could do better we had to understand what everyone else was doing right. And as quoted in the case study “the competitive environment for department stores has become fierce over the last several years as consumers desire more value, style, and quality.” During our research we spent hours listening as women vented their frustrations and talked about the brands they love. Learning about our competition gave us great insight into potential opportunities for growth and improvement for JCP. It also helped us to recognize threats within the marketplace. These are some of the key points we pulled from what they had to say. Target is well known for strong brand meaning among the younger women in our market. They are a key leader in brand choice, commitment, momentum, and leadership, as well as word of mouth. When it comes to style, quality and price perception Macy’s and Kohl’s are ahead of the game. Beyond price positioning, Kohl’s is also a leader when it comes to loyalty programs, promotions and buying incentives. While JCPenney has long been known to have one of the most successful online retail positions, department stores and mass discounters like Target and Walmart have recently been showing a strong web presence. All of these points are threats for JCP. In addition to these well known department store competitors our audience values the experiences associated with boutique style shops. These shops offer women intimate and individual-focused retail experiences, an offering that JCPenney must consider in attracting these women. Some of the benefits of the boutique experience include unique and exclusive brands, a sense of belonging to the lifestyles represented, and comfort in knowing you will find exactly what you are looking for. We really hit something here-- we saw that this boutique feel was a great opportunity for JCP. BRSM Everything we have learned from our research supports the necessity of building long lasting, meaningful relationships with these women. They value all of the relationships in their lives. That includes not only human relationships with others but the emotional ties they have to their belongings. As we considered our communication strategy we realized we had to incorporate and foster human relationship concepts. We looked through countless relationship models outlined in psychology and sociology, comparing and contrasting models to see how we could apply them in a branding context. The key point being the foundation of any great relationship is effective communication. Our research led to the development of our unique communication strategy, the Brand Relationship Strategy Model. It combines sociology and psychology models with elements of integrated marketing concepts. But really its as simple as A,B,C, and D. Attraction - Women This is the critical first impression...experiencing those first physical attractions...its that stage where the thought of him lingers and his smile flashes in your mind. You replay those first moments where your heart flutters and you have a yearning to know more. Attraction - Retail JCPenney has to create the same first impression. It begins with getting noticed. If the audience takes notice and begins to like the brand, continued attention may lead to the next stage. But be cautious, acquaintances can be pulled quickly into the dreaded “friend zone.” They like your brand, but that's as far as they’ve come. Creating a sense of appeal or seduction is paramount in becoming interesting enough for them to want more. Building - Women Now you like each other, the excitement has begun. You’re infatuated. You begin to let your guard down and start to include him in your life. He meets your friends and you begin to wonder how you got so lucky. Now we’re a couple. Building - Retail These women actually want your brand to be a part of their lives. This stage is all about learning more and finding ways to be mutually beneficial in each others’ lives. These women begin to see where JCPenney fits in. This lays a firm foundation for a long lasting relationship. Continuation - Women Now you’re comfortable. Your high settles and you’re able to just enjoy the relationship. This bond matters to you and you want it to work. Things are going well, but maybe they are a little complacent. This is where he must continue to show his appreciation by surprising her with continued affection. Continuation - Retail JCPenney must continue showing these women they can rely on their brand promises. They must continue to surprise her with incentives and special benefits that no one else will offer her. While this is a relatively long stable stage of the relationship, JCPenney must work harder than ever to stay relevant or they will lose her. Deterioration - Women This doesn't always happen but we have all been there. You start to have those unwelcome thoughts of “maybe it’s not right.” You feel taken for granted. You get bored, resentful, and you need some TLC. This is where he has to listen and respond. Deterioration - Retail In addition to JCPenney’s primary objectives for this campaign, we know that lost customers are not lost forever. JCPenney can reach out and regain those once loyal customers. These women left because they lost their trust in the brand. JCPenney will regain that trust. Our Big Move After this model was created, everything clicked. We built our strategy on the concepts of the BRSM and on what women value. Our fully integrated campaign will acquire, retain, increase share of wallet, and regain female shoppers ages 25-34 by establishing a meaningful relationship between these women and the JCPenney brand. To accomplish this, we will change the target audience’s perception of the JCPenney brand, making it relevant to her life by specifically addressing her needs and desires. Relevancy will be built on communication, trust, respect, and a mutually empathetic understanding. Ultimately, our campaign will show these women how JCPenney will empower them throughout their everyday lives. We know that our target audience values quality, price, convenience, and real relationships. We also understand that the motivating factor behind these values is something very simple--- time. Women are always looking for ways to save time and make every minute, every hour, and every day count. Not that they’re rushing though, they still need that intimate and trusting relationship to rely on. JCPenney can give these women ease and organization in their shopping experience by providing lasting products at reasonable prices all in an environment that is convenient and pleasing to them. Creating a relationship based on these concepts will make these women feel that JCP understands how to make their time worthwhile. Time--- valued above all else is of significance to each and every woman. Our big idea will focus on being empathetic to the lifestyles of our target audience. We will emphasize the importance of each hour of her day with the slogan “ITS YOUR 24” This slogan emphasizes the individuality of each woman. As any woman knows, the timeline of their day is not set in stone. Women take on many roles throughout each hour of their day. It’s your 24 recognizes the moments that shape the experiences of every day. Through each of those moments and through every transition a woman goes through, they can know that JCP just gets it. (Our “big idea” is based on time. We will focus on the various feelings, thoughts, accomplishments, and roles taken on by women throughout the day. Our campaign is empathetic and is lifestyle-oriented. We will emphasize the importance of each hour of her day with our slogan: “It’s Your 24.” The campaign will focus on our different lifestyle segments of women and how their relationships influence them. The women in our target audience are experiencing many important transitions in their lives: getting married, having children, graduating school, and beginning their careers. “It’s Your 24” will show women what they want, expect, and deserve from a retail experience while being empathetic to who they are throughout their busy day. Ultimately, we are paying homage to the fact that each woman is more than just her day job, or her night life. We will depict and recognize these women as the diverse, ever-changing, versatile individuals that each of them are while showing how JCPenney fits into each moment.) “It’s Your 24” will have two communication platforms: Lifestyle Branding This is our overall branding campaign focused on matching audience experiences and lifestyles with JCPenney. This is the central theme of our entire “It’s Your 24” campaign. We will always communicate an empathetic understanding of today’s women while connecting JCPenney with style. Lifestyle branding will not only focus on the lifestyle segments our research provided but will also address why JCPenney’s is the perfect choice when needing a registry. Research indicated to us how important registries are to our target and JCPenney offers expert advice and planning tools for the important transitions in these women’s lives. Becoming a part of these life-changing moments offers JCPenney another chance to create a lasting relationship with our target audience. Amazing Women Promotion This is a communication campaign designed to highlight the roles of women in our society adding authenticity. The general audience will have a chance to nominate women who accomplish amazing things in their own “24” hour day. JCPenney will sponsor the promotion of this endeavor through content creation, media partnerships and public relations. Our campaign tactics are based on two platforms. All tactics tie into one or both these platforms and seamlessly cater to what these women want and value. The first platform is lifestyle branding. Now that we understand these women, we know that to them, each moment matters. Print Tactic Our print ads will make a connection between our target audience focusing on the relationship between unique and busy women and JCPenney. Magazine demographics and communication platforms will determine the focus of each ad, and ultimately direct the audience to connect with JCPenney via mobile apps, internet, and in-store. A few media vehicle examples include Cosmopolitan, Glamour, In Style, People, Elle, and more as you can see behind me (image of magazine covers). -Sheila Commercial Tactic We will also establish a commercial campaign evolving from the same premise for our print campaign emphasizing ambitious women and their various roles throughout the twenty-four hours of their day while connecting them with JCPenney. These commercial spots will be shown on television and will also be included in rich media online advertising. Amazing Women Promotion (in tactics) You all are well aware that women do amazing things. They face many extraordinary challenges and solve problems every day. But in busy and stressful times, it is easy for a woman to forget just how special she is. We have created a program to remind these women of how amazing they are. This campaign will showcase that JCP knows the significance of what one woman can accomplish. It is the perfect combination of recognition, pride, and sense of community. People will be invited to participate in this promotion by submitting stories of admiration for the women in their lives. JCP will then produce videos and initiate SEO conversations to give the audience a glimpse into the extraordinary lives of everyday women. This will go viral. To increase interaction, people will be able to vote, like and comment on their favorite and most admirable stories. From this, the top picks will have the opportunity to tell their story on national television. OR___ There will be testimonials, videos, SEOs, branded media partnerships, and community driven events to support the recognition of the amazing things these women do.

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