9: Answering my own question #2: Understanding strategic planning

1. John Armato, author of Think inside the box, taught us about the relationship between a public relations strategic plan and an advertising strategic plan. Since branding has meshed the two occupations together. What is your strategic plan for your dream account using John Armato’s model of a strategic plan?

Account: Speedo before the upcoming 2012 Olympics

Goal: For Speedo to encompass and connect people to the swimming experience.

• Objective 1:  Increase swim team participation by 10% in the 6 months following the 2012 Olympics.
  • Point of View: We believe that Speedo has the opportunity to embody and promote the culture of swimming through a strong branding campaign.
    • Strategy 1.1: Use a “day in the life” of a swimmer approach to teach consumers the feelings one gets when swimming and spark a swimming memory.
      • Tactic 1.1: Send creative team to join a swim team to build understanding.
      • Tactic 1.2: Interview competitive and non-competitive swimmers about their experiences and connections to swimming.
      • Tactic 1.3: Create a three minute multimedia video using research.
    • Strategy 1.2: Use a variety professional swimmers, amateur swimmers, and recreational swimmers to connect non-competitive swimmers to Olympic athletes.
      • Tactic 1.4: Advertise slogan around school pools and swimming venues in order to promote swimming and create brand recognition.

Creative Platform 1: In order to complete this objective we need to think about and understand swimming on a variety of categories or levels. In the multimedia video, we will use three recreational swimmers, three amateur competitive swimmers, and three Olympic swimmers. Its goal will be to connect each viewer to a person in the video and spark memories of past positive swimming experiences.  In order to encompass and connect people to the swimming experience, we will show each swimmer’s journey from putting on the swimsuit to walking away from the pool. I want to show that each category of swimmer has a unique journey but, no matter the journey, all three levels are bound together as swimmers.

Objective 2: Increase awareness of the campaign by 25% more views on social media sites during the time period of the Olympics.

• Point of View: We believe that swimming is a special experience that is not recognized by the media.
  • Strategy 2.1: Using media to gain awareness about Speedo and swimming.
    • Tactic 2.1: Create a 3 minute multimedia video and put it on YouTube.
    • Tactic 2.2: Broadcast shorter versions of this video on television.
    • Tactic 2.3: Advertise brand and slogan on popular swimming websites.
    • Strategy 2.2: Bring together all competitive swimmers on to one website.
      • Tactic 2.4: Create a website that streams live events and post results of Olympic swimming events.
      • Tactic 2.5: Create Facebook and Twitter accounts linking people to the website, videos and posting results.
      • Tactic 2.6: Create a Twitter feed on this website with tweets from all sponsored Olympic athletes and coaches.
      • Tactic 2.7: Create a visual program on the website showing the physical health benefits of swimming.
      • Tactic 2.8: Create an online database storing all current youth USA Swimming race times. (All competitive swimmers are registered with USA Swimming.)
      • Tactic 2.9: Create an online system to compare youth USA Swimming race times to Olympic athletes in any event using yard-meter conversion system.

Creative Platform 2: In order to complete this objective, I will create an all-encompassing website that ties the creative platform of the video to social and online media. This website will be easy to use and will promote swimming in all three categories. Recreational swimmers will be able to learn about the health benefits and enjoyment that comes from swimming. The health benefits section will be interactive and visually interesting. Users will also be able to learn about competitive swimming and get to know the Olympic athletes. Amateur competitive swimmers (if registered with USA Swimming) can see how their race times rank among the nation. All amateur competitive swimmers will be able to enter their times to compare them against Olympic athlete’s times. Since most amateur swimmers times are in yards, I will develop a conversion system to meters, and vice versa, to see how fast the Olympic athletes really are compared to the website users’ race times. Everything on the website will be interactive and visually interesting, and will relate to the brand image created by the multimedia video.

• Objective 3: Increase viewership of 2012 Olympic swimming events by 15%.
  • Point of View: We believe we can create a bond between professional swimmers and youth swimmers.
    • Strategy 3: Begin the campaign two months prior to start of the Olympics to get viewers excited for the swimming events.
      • Tactic 3.1: Host Olympic promotional events (pep rallies) in major metropolitan areas’ swimming pools and on college campuses before Olympics.
      • Tactic 3.2: Hire Olympic athletes to attend these events to build excitement and publicity.

Creative Platform 3: In order to complete this objective, I will create excitement in the swimming and sports communities about the upcoming Olympic swimming events. I will create excitement by holding events across the United States bringing together sports fans and swimmers with a “pep rally” atmosphere. I want each event to be focused around USA pride. The goal of these events will be to bring traditional sports fans and swimming fans together at pools to build excitement and meet Olympic athletes. If a sports fan or swimming fan meets a particular athlete, I think that it will create a bond that will increase the viewership of that particular athlete’s races in the Olympics.