Copper Nickel Integrated Communication Plan

Copper Nickel Literary JournalPublic Relations Plan

By: Samantha SilverApril 2010

Professor Hamilton BeanAdvanced Public Relations

1

Executive SummaryThe public relations plan for Copper Nickel Literary Journal presents an analysis

of the situation, organization, key publics, goals, objectives, strategies, tactics, and the

evaluation. Copper Nickel is a journal that takes pride in its dedicated staff and pure love

of literature. The journal has a unique submission process, which makes it possible for

student to have their works published next to the works of famous authors. This is just

one of the many reasons Copper Nickel has gone from a small campus journal with

almost no staff, to a journal with national recognition and a staff of nearly 25. Copper

Nickel is currently doing many public relations efforts in order to spread the word

throughout Denver. They consistently hold events on and off campus to celebrate the

works of local and national authors, put on a literary contest with a grand prize of $1,000,

are active on Facebook and Twitter, and are currently sponsoring 2010 AWP conference

in April. These efforts are spearheaded by the leader of Copper Nickel: Dr. Jake York,

and all of them align with the journal’s vision to spread the importance of reading and

literature in society. The public relations efforts mapped out in this plan will complement

and strengthen the current efforts in an attempt to achieve the overall goal of selling more

subscriptions.

2

Table of Contents

Section One: Research1.1: Analyzing the Situation……………………...….pg. 4-61.2: Analyzing the Organization……………………..pg. 7-121.3: Analyzing the Publics…………………………...pg. 13-19

Section Two: Recommendations2.1: Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics………pg. 20-262.2: Budget……………………………...……………pg. 27-30

Section Three: Evaluation3.1: Evaluation Plan…………………………………..pg. 31-35

3

1.1: Analyzing the Situation

Situation:

The Copper Nickel literary journal needs to greatly increase its sales. They need

better advertising and promotional efforts. This needs to be an on-going process so that

the journal can continue to produce issues each year and complete its goal of being self-

sustainable. Copper Nickel also struggles with clarifying its brand identity. Along with

generating more awareness, there needs to be clarification of the purpose of the journal.

The overall vision of Copper Nickel needs to be formed and promoted in order to create

brand identity. The basis of this analysis comes from interviews with the organization’s

leader, Dr. York, a comprehensive analysis of the Copper Nickel website, a survey of

existing Copper Nickel fans, an exploratory survey of Auraria campus students, a survey

of local business owners, and a comparative assessment of key competitors.

Background:

The Copper Nickel is a literary journal published by the University of Colorado

Denver. It has been operating for seven years and the staff has grown from six to twenty-

five people. Copper Nickel publishes work by both student and professional authors and

is considered to be more of a national literary journal rather than a campus magazine.

This can be shown by circulation figures. The figures state that the last issue sold 200

copies on campus, 100 copies in Denver, and 500 copies nationally. The quality can also

be demonstrated through awards Copper Nickel has received; however, there needs to be

more recognition of these awards. The reason for integrating professional authors into

the magazine is to benefit the students who publish their work in Copper Nickel. Having

their work alongside professional authors in a publication gives the students more

credibility and publishing credit. The journal is highly selective and publishes about 3%

of submissions. Published work ranges from stories, poems, essays, photographs, art,

lists, letters, and recipes. Copper Nickel publishes two issues per year, one in October

and one in February. Ninety-six percent of the staff is composed of undergraduate

4

students, all on a volunteer basis. The contributors to the journal are compensated with

copies/subscriptions to Copper Nickel.

The overall vision of Copper Nickel is to be seen as a tool for promoting the value

of literature and the value of reading. They see it as their duty to bring new people into

the world of creative writing and reading so to strengthen the world of literature. Their

commitment to improving this situation is strong because one of their main goals is to

have a self-sustaining budget.

The quality of the Copper Nickel has improved over time. From an institutional

standpoint there has be much progress. At the start of the magazine, there was no money,

no support, and almost no staff. Since then, they have gained a bigger staff, developed a

good reputation, and received funding from multiple grants. In the fall of 2007, Copper

Nickel began receiving institutional money; since then, the amount received has more

then doubled. In the past, Copper Nickel has relied on earned media from outlets such as

The Denver Post and Westword.

There are many different public relations efforts in which the journal is currently

involved. First, as a way to build subscribers, any author that is published in the journal

receives a two-year subscription to Copper Nickel. The goal is to promote word of mouth

marketing, and the journal has gone from zero subscribers in October 2008 to over 200

subscribers currently. In the last year, 56 subscriptions were not renewed. Copper Nickel

is also set to sponsor the Associated Writing Program Conference in April. This will give

them an advertisement in the AWP journal, which is estimated Dr. York to receive up to

600,000 impressions. The conference itself will host around 8,000 attendees and, overall,

this effort is estimated to bring in 200 more subscriptions. Another effort the journal is

making is a literary contest that they are holding in April and June. For the price of the

entry fee, participants receive a one-year subscription. This contest is estimated to result

in 600 new subscriptions. Copper Nickel also hosts monthly literary events open to the

public in hopes of expanding public awareness of the journal. Lastly, to encourage new

subscribers, Copper Nickel is making price cuts from January to August with a new, one-

year subscription price of thirteen dollars. These on-going efforts will be complemented

by the ideas presented in this plan.

5

Assessment of Situation:

The significance of this situation is considerable. The Copper Nickel is hoping to

clearly identify themselves with the public through this process. They are looking to

broaden their markets locally and increase their sales in order to become a self-sustaining

publication. In the next three years, Copper Nickel itself is looking to grow. They are in

the process of creating podcasts, videocasts, and making changes to their website so that

it includes a PDF version of the journal, as well as interviews with the authors. Their

goal is to have 1,200 paying and renewing subscribers by the fall of 2013. This is the

level at which the journal can become self-sustainable. As for a strategic business plan,

Copper Nickel has a ground sense of what they are doing, and continually adapt and

mirror what seems to be working for others. There is an internal plan in place and

external plan is in the making. In order to properly assess the situation, it will be crucial

to implement benchmarking techniques to measure not only against competitors but also

as a measure of Copper Nickel’s own success.

This situation is an opportunity for both Copper Nickel, as well as the community

of Denver. It will give them the chance to:

Promote the importance of literature and reading locally in and around

Denver.

Gain the attention of students around Denver and create an amount of

pride in UCD.

Create a more diverse market for Copper Nickel and for the local

businesses interested in helping to promote the journal.

There are also many issues involved with this situation, including:

Budget and time constraints.

Gaining not only the awareness, but also the support of students.

Breaking through the myth that the Copper Nickel is not just for students

with a creative writing background.

6

1.2: Analysis of Organization

SWOT Analysis:

Strengths:

Copper Nickel is known on a national level, with most of their sales coming from

outside of Colorado. The journal is versatile in what they publish; this makes it easier to

appeal to more people. The staff is dedicated to their work. Copper Nickel has a

professional and up-to-date website with information about upcoming events, articles,

submissions, etc.

Weaknesses:

Not many people are aware of the journal. There are only two issues per year,

which greatly prohibits the number of possible sales. College students are usually poor

and need incentives to buy things. Copper Nickel has a relatively small budget for PR

efforts. There are time constraints to deal with because it is purely volunteer work by

undergraduate students, many do not have the time to do much advertising/promotional

work.

Opportunities:

There are opportunities to get the word out about the journal, which will be

beneficial for both the staff as well as contributors. It can benefit the University of

Colorado Denver by creating a name for itself as home to a prestigious literary journal,

which could catch the eyes of perspective students, investors, and important literary

figures (national and local). Copper Nickel is holding a literary contest with high

incentives ($1,000), this can be an opportunity to get students/contributors interested and

involved. Copper Nickel is also sponsoring the Associated Writing Program conference

in April 2010, which will boost their awareness level.

Threats:

There are other magazines and newspapers that are more popular among students.

Copper Nickel must find a way to keep readers interested and eliminate the threat of one-

time buyers. There are only two issues are printed each year; this means the organization

7

needs to focus on subscriptions so that readers don’t forget about the journal. There is

also a threat that readers won’t see the value, given the relatively high subscription price

of $13 per year.

Internal Environment:

Information in this section is based on research including interviews with the

organizational leader, Dr. York, an informal, exploratory focus group composed of

students within my network, an analysis of the Guide to Profitable Marketing Results,

and a comprehensive analysis of the Copper Nickel website, as well as their social media

websites and those of their competitors. The structure of the Copper Nickel is based on

producing a quality journal, which is evaluated by circulation numbers, awards received,

and number of submissions. About 50% of the work published in the Copper Nickel is

from professional writers, 25% is from emerging writers, and 25% is from students. I

believe that the organization is supportive of public relations efforts and is doing its best

to incorporate efforts into their business plans. I will go into more detail of the internal

environment by looking at the performance, structure, and internal impediments of this

organization.

Performance:

The Copper Nickel provides a bi-yearly literary magazine sold at a price of around

$5 per issue. Criteria for determining quality comes from circulation numbers and

comparison with other literary journals. The comparison is found by web 2.0 research

and looking at other journal’s circulation numbers. Dr. York is satisfied with this quality

but believes it is now important to concentrate on creating more awareness. This product

offers a benefit of knowledge and entertainment for anyone interested in creative writing.

Some problems with this product include the low budget and time constraints when it

comes to promotion. Some changes that should be made to fix these problems include

better advertising and promotional activity, as well as expanding the target market.

8

Using strategies from the Guide to Profitable Marketing Results will greatly help Copper

Nickel’s success in selling subscriptions. A few ideas from the book include:

Create some type of cost versus value comparison (Examples include breaking

down the price by number of articles per issue and relating the cost to other

literary purchases)

o For $13 a year you could read one bestselling author, or buy a subscription

and read from hundreds of authors.

Testimonials and third party endorsements.

Do not use generalities to describe why your journal is best, use a many specifics

as possible.

I believe the organizational leaders of the Copper Nickel are ready and willing to make

these changes particularly because one of their main goals is to become a self-sustaining

organization.

Structure:

The purpose of the Copper Nickel is to produce a quality magazine and promote it

to their target publics, which include literary students, professors of literature, and local

businesses in Denver. The internal environment is very supportive for public relations

activities. Current resources the journal has to put towards public relations efforts

include staff volunteers, money (about $2,000), and good relationships with groups such

as the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, Lighthouse Writers, Colorado Council of the

Arts, the Denver Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Hopefully, within

the next three years these resources will increase as awareness and sales grow. As for a

strategic business plan, Copper Nickel has a sense of what they are doing, and continually

adapts and mirrors what seems to be working for others.

Internal Impediments:

Impediments that come from within the organization include: limited time, lack of

PR staff, and lack of money. Overcoming these impediments will require creative

advertising strategies, time management skills, and budgeting techniques.

Public Perception:

9

At the moment the Copper Nickel literary journal is not very well known. Dr.

York believes they have a strong reputation of producing a quality journal above college

standards, however this is not apparent to the public. I want to affect this reputation by

expanding their audience and market so they are known throughout Denver as a premium

literary journal. I believe that this can be determined through third party endorsements,

circulation numbers, and reader feedback.

Reputation

At this moment Copper Nickel seems to be only semi-visible to the market. This

product is not widely used by consumers as it only comes out twice a year and

subscription numbers are low. However, the product is widely visible to people

submitting their work to the publication (up to 3,000 entries every subscription). The

product seems to be perceived as a quality literary journal produced above college

standards. This comes from the amount of professional work published within the

magazine and the fact that the national circulation numbers are higher than local

numbers. The organization is perceived as small but dedicated. I believe the public

perception is correct, but once again there does not seem to be much knowledge of the

organization. Communication that has already been done includes release parties,

advertising in the student union, and inviting guest speakers to appear during parties.

Within the last three years, the organization’s reputation has improved based only upon

the growing awareness of the product. I believe that the organizational leadership is very

satisfied with this reputation. To see what feedback readers had to offer, an image survey

was sent out to the fans on the Copper Nickel Facebook page. Fifty-five fans completed

the survey. (See Appendix B.)

External Environment:

When looking at the external environment, we focus on competition, opposition,

and external impediments. The major competition with the Copper Nickel are other

literary journals. There does not seem to be any significant opposition, and the only

resistance that might be involved comes from students in opposition to the cost.

Competition

10

The competition of the external environment does not seem too strong and is

limited to other publications of the same genre. Other literary journals in competition on

a local level include: Matter (Fort Collins), Denver Quarterly (DU), and Sobito Press

(CU Boulder). On a national level the competition includes Gulf Coast (University of

Huston) and the Ninth Letter (University of Illinois). The performance levels range from

college publications to local publications. The reputations of the competition seem to

have the same reputation as Copper Nickel except for Matter, which seems to have more

of an independent cult following. Through web 2.0 research I was able to compare the

competition’s external awareness levels.

Table 1: Competitive Environment Web 2.0

Literary Journal Facebook Fans Twitter Followers

Copper Nickel 277 fans 80 followers, 225 tweets

Denver Quarterly N/A N/A

Matter 407 fans 367 followers, 120 tweets

Subito Press 43 fans N/A

Gulf Coast 541 fans 444 followers, 53 tweets

Ninth Letter 312 fans 201 followers, 85 tweets

As is shown, Copper Nickel has a strong amount of awareness on Facebook and Twitter

both locally and nationally. Within the next three years the competition will probably

increase, just as Copper Nickel is trying to better its organization, so are other literary

journals.

External Impediments

Copper Nickel operates both locally and nationally. On a national level, the

environment is growing. Including both subscriptions and single copy sales, circulation

rates show that there are more national sales than local (300 copies sold locally, 500

copies sold nationally). On a local level, the environment is stable. Dr. York believes

that on a local level awareness is high but the value of the journal is low, especially when

dealing with students. Information gathered from an exploratory focus group comprised

of eight UCD students (different majors) showed that none of the students had heard of

11

Copper Nickel. Impediments dealing with customers include cost and unawareness of

product. Impediments dealing with regulators, which would be the University of

Colorado Denver, include budget and time constraints. Impediments that originate in

society at large include the idea that this literary journal is not exciting, worth spending

money on, and that there is not a lot interest in creative writing in our society.

Additional Research:

In order to get a better grasp on the organization it would be ideal to collect more

information about the public perception and reputation of the Copper Nickel. Further

research including a formal survey to both subscribers and potential subscribers would be

very beneficial. More research pertaining to the quality of the journal would also be

helpful. It is my belief that we must gain as much evidence as possible to show to the

public that Copper Nickel is indeed a high quality magazine. Evidence of this would

include awards received.

12

1.3: Analysis of Publics

Publics:

Information in this section was gained through research methods that include

interviews with the organizational leader Dr. York, a comprehensive analysis of the

Copper Nickel website as well as its competitors, an analysis of the Copper Nickel

website traffic provided by quantcast.com, an informal and exploratory focus group

composed of eight students within my network, and an informal survey given to seven

local businesses in the downtown Denver area.

Customers

Primary customers for the Copper Nickel include literary-oriented college

students in and around Denver and professors of literature, both locally and nationally.

Secondary customers include local businesses and the people who shop there. These

businesses include bookstores, coffee shops, music stores, and boutiques. Based on

research from quantcast.com, I was able to examine the main demographic who visit the

Copper Nickel website. The findings indicated that:

65% of visitors were male

65% of visitors are between the ages of 18-34

85% of visitors are Caucasian

88% of visitors do not have kids

65% of visitors make $30,000 or less

56% of visitors are college graduates

Customers have not necessary changed in the last three years as much as they

have grown. National growth has taken place and continues to expand on the national

level with circulation reaching to 500 copies sold out of state. Within the next three years

there should not be much change in the customers except potential growth and expansion

both locally and nationally. Currently, Dr. York reports that only 10% of subscribers are

on campus. Ideal customers are interested in literature, music, and art. They earn a

13

median income and enjoy spending money on cultural activities. Ideal customers are

adults of any age; most are in college or have graduated with a degree.

Producers

The staff of Copper Nickel and the writers who submit materials to the journal are

the main producers of the content. The main organization that provides Copper Nickel

with materials and money is the University of Colorado Denver, which provides a yearly

budget of $15,000. Other sources of money include sales, donations, grants, and

fundraising. Currently, single-issue sales total $4,000 annually. Copper Nickel has three

ways to become a donor: if you make a donation for $100, you become a “Friend” of

Copper Nickel. For a donation of $250, you become a “Sponsor” of Copper Nickel, and

if you donate $500, or more, you are become a “Patron” of Copper Nickel. All of these

supporters receive a one-year subscription to the journal and are recognized on the

website as well as in the pages of Copper Nickel. All supporters also receive an annual

report as a way to keep them informed about the organization. The ways to donate are

spelled out on the Copper Nickel website, as is the list of current donors. Currently, there

is one patron, one sponsor, and six friends. Overall, Dr. York estimates that Copper

Nickel has received around $1,000 in direct donations. The producers have not changed

within the last three years and are not likely to in the future. The only expected change is

growth within the donors as awareness increases.

Enablers

The opinion leaders among customers include professors, local literary figures,

owners of galleries and community groups around town. Colleagues of the Copper

Nickel include the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, the Lighthouse Writers, Colorado

Council of the Arts, the Denver Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Regulators include the University of Colorado Denver and their fiscal agreements and

structure. The Copper Nickel must stay within University policies; however, there is no

editorial regulation. As a result of these regulations, sometimes the applications for

grants do not meet with success. In past years, the University of Colorado Denver has

helped Copper Nickel by providing funding, showing leniency with no editorial

14

regulations, and providing two advisory boards to back the organization. The media

available to the journal includes all local outlets including newspapers, news stations,

radio, and the Internet. Copper Nickel has already had mentions in local papers over the

years, which has helped to gain exposure on a local level. The enablers are not likely to

change within the next three years.

Limiters

Copper Nickel has three main local competitors. The first is the University of

Denver’s literary journal: Denver Quarterly. This journal has been running for 40 years

and is part of the graduate program at DU; however, there is no art in this journal. The

second competitor is Matter, an independent literary journal published in Fort Collins

that appeals to a younger, “hip” demographic. The third is Subito Press at University of

Colorado Boulder. This is a main competitor because they hold events in Denver, which

creates competition for attendees. On the national level, the journal has two main

competitors; however, Copper Nickel would like to be see them as peers. These

organizations are the Gulf Coast at the University of Houston and the Ninth Letter at the

University of Illinois. Through research, I was able to compare the competition’s

external awareness levels, which can be seen on page eight. It is also necessary to point

out that some of the competitors have displayed their awards for the public to see on

websites such as Wikipedia. This should be taken into consideration when looking at

Copper Nickel’s lack of visible awards.

Copper Nickel does not have any actual opponents; however, if there are people

who believe the journal should not get that much money from the school, they could

become potential opponents to the organization. The biggest threat to the journal would

be a “budget meltdown.” This could happen for two reasons. One, the University could

decide that there is no longer room in the budget for Copper Nickel, or two, because the

budget comes from the activity fee via enrollment. If enrollment dropped so would

Copper Nickel’s budget.

Intercessory Public and Opinion Leaders

Publics that are in a position to influence key publics include professors,

community group leaders, and locally known literary figures. Depending on the

15

situation, almost all of the leaders would speak in behalf of Copper Nickel. Formal

opinion leaders for this audience include local government officials. I do not believe

formal opinion leaders would speak about Copper Nickel because it lacks governmental

importance; however, there is a chance it could be tied to education and the importance of

reading. Informal opinion leaders include literary bloggers and literary columnists both

online and in print. (See Appendix B).

Research findings:

After researching the different publics for the Copper Nickel, I have found that the

journal contains many publics. The major publics include literary students, local

businesses that focus on art and literature, professors of literature, donors, and the

University of Colorado Denver. From this I am able to determine that the three key

publics for this campaign are literary college students nationally, professors of literature

nationally, and local businesses that focus on art and literature. The major opinion

leaders/intercessory publics include professors and deans, community group leaders,

literary bloggers and columnists, and locally known literary figures.

Key Publics

College Students

This is both an apathetic and latent public; some students know what Copper

Nickel is; however they do not care to show interest in the product. Other students are

not even aware that Copper Nickel exists. Through an informal and exploratory focus

group composed of eight non-literary students within my network, I was able to gain

information pertaining to the psychographics of this public. (See Appendix B). Ideally,

larger research would be needed to create a more scientific and accurate conclusion.

Therefore I am using this information for speculation purposes only. From this informal

information I can assume that:

There is a lack of awareness about the Copper Nickel

Students would rather spend their money on things other then a book

Most students do not find it important to read for pleasure

Students are influenced by their friends

If students were to go looking for the Copper Nickel, the first place they

16

would check is a bookstore.

Copper Nickel should focus only on literary-oriented students. I can also

determine that the type of media used for this public should include eye-catching posters

and visual media that contain bold headlines and clever taglines. The demographics for

this public are as follows:

Age Income Gender Race Socio-Economic

Status

Geographic Location

Major

18-34 $0-$30,000 Male and Female

All Ethnicities Middle-Upper class

Auraria Campus

Literature, English,

Communications, Arts, Music

WIN Analysis:

Wants: When purchasing something, literary college students tend

to want convenience, stimulating material, incentives for buying,

and something they can actually benefit from having.

Interests: Literary college students are interested in their school,

cultural activities, opportunities to publish their work, and

expanding their knowledge about literature.

Needs: These individuals need to be reminded about the product,

opportunities to share their interest in literature with others, have

peers recommend it to them, and be assured that it is worth the

price.

Benefit Statement:

Copper Nickel can provide literary students with a journal that not

only contains material written for and by students, but also with a

product that encourages literary growth.

Professors of English

Professors of English would be classified as an aware public. Most are aware that

the Copper Nickel exists, they just do not have time and are not organized enough to help.

Media for this public should include print advertising that includes messages based on

17

facts, logic, and originality. The demographic for this public has a wide range and there

is no particular significance in demographics besides having a college education.

WIN Analysis:

Wants: Professors want things that are worth their money,

products that are useful and stimulating, and things that can be

used for many different purposes (personal use, teaching material,

etc).

Interests: Professors are interested in materials that are both

enlightening and resourceful. They are interested in their school

and furthering their knowledge in different ways.

Needs: Professors need things to be cheap, resourceful, easy to

obtain, organized, and professional.

Benefit Statement:

The Copper Nickel provides professors of English with a

professional journal full of exciting work that one will benefit from

not only personally but in the classroom as well.

Local business focusing on art and literature

This would be classified as a mainly latent public. Many local businesses are not yet

aware of the Copper Nickel literary journal and what it has to offer. Examples of these

businesses include: the Denver Public Library, Tattered Cover, Denver Art Museum, the

Art District on Santa Fe, Capitol Hill Books, West Side Books, Stella’s Coffee Haus,

Paris on the Platte, The Market, and Leela's European café. From a survey conducted

with these groups, I have found that the coffee shops (Stella’s Coffee Haus, Paris on the

Platte, The Market, and Leela's European café) only stock free publications. This

problem can be overcome by setting up drawings in the store where the winner can

receive a subscription to Copper Nickel. When surveying the bookstores, I found that

some of them already stock Copper Nickel, and the ones that do not have stopped due to

lack of sales. This indicates that we need to focus on boosting sales in these areas in

order to keep the journal on shelves.

18

WIN Analysis:

Wants: These businesses want to be involved with the local sector

and be identified with their love of art, music, and literature.

Interests: They are interested in attracting customers, adding to

their repertoire, and making a name for themselves.

Needs: Businesses need things to be organized and easily

obtainable. They need it to benefit them and not be responsible for

any backlash that might ever occur.

Benefit Statement:

The Copper Nickel is a quality literary journal that will add

distinction and recognition to any business involved, all while

being produced right here in downtown Denver.

19

Section 2.1: Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics

Position:

Copper Nickel wants to be known as a quality literary journal dedicated to promoting the

value of literature and reading in our society.

Goals:

1. Reinforce Copper Nickel’s image and reputation as a quality literary

journal within target marketso Objective: Provide the press with news and information about Copper

Nickel’s authors, awards, and events to gain more local exposure. (80%

increase of press by Spring 2011). Baseline: Currently there has been little

press about Copper Nickel. The 100% increase will be measured by the

amount of news Copper Nickel sends to the press and the amount that is then

published.

Strategy: Use verbal communication to convey the message that the

Copper Nickel is a quality literary journal. (See Appendix B for a

complete list of media outlets)

Tactic: News release about upcoming events and awards (low

cost, high visibility)

o Denver Post key publics: professors and local businesses

o Westword key publics: literary students, professors, and

local businesses

o The Advocate key publics: literary students and professors

o The Metropolitan key publics: literary students and

professors

Tactic: Photo and caption (low cost, high visibility, potential to

gain support and donors through emotional appeal)

20



local businesses

o Auraria campus newspapers key publics: literary students

and professors

Strategy: Messages will rely on facts, documentation, and personal

testimonies. (Verbal Communication)

Tactic: Pitch to bloggers (third party endorsement, low cost)

o Key publics: Literary students and professors

Tactic: Event listing for upcoming events on the website

(moderate cost, high visibility)

o Key publics: Literary students and professors

2. Increase awareness of the Copper Nickel literary journal within target

marketso Objective: To have an effect on the awareness of key publics, specifically to

generate attention towards Copper Nickel and its Facebook and Twitter

websites (50% increase of fans within six months; 138 fans for Facebook and

40 followers on Twitter). Baseline: Currently 277 Facebook fans and 80

followers on Twitter. 50% increase based on number of fans of Copper

Nickel’s competition: Matter (this number will match the competition’s

number of fans: 407).

Strategy: Messages will be enhanced with the concept of “creative

unity” (Copper Nickel is produced for and by students) throughout the

campus (Nonverbal Communication)

Tactic: Chalk messages on campus- See Appendix A (low cost,

moderate visibility)

o Key publics: literary students and professors

Tactic: Engage in Facebook/Twitter dialogue (low cost,

interaction, moderate impact)

21

o Key public: Literary students

Tactic: Booth/Stage at CamJam Festival, April 27th, 2010

produced by UCD student council and UCD Concert Promotions

and Venue Management class. (low cost, news value, high

visibility)


o Objective: To have an effect on the action of college students, specifically to

obtain submissions for the Spring 2011 Copper Nickel literary contest (600

submissions by closing date May 15th). Baseline: Currently have zero

submissions. 600 submissions based on the number Dr. York would like to

have.

Strategy: a value proposition stating that Copper Nickel is a quality

journal that will add distinction and recognition to writers involved

Tactic: Invitations to literary students from campuses along the

front range to submit their work/subscribe to Copper Nickel (low

costs, moderate impact)


Tactic: Personal success stories (low cost, high impact)


Tactic: Flyers, Posters, Chalk messages on campuses (medium

cost, moderate visibility)

o Key publics: literary students

3. Attract new customers within key publics o Objective: To have an effect on the action of professors, specifically to

increase the addition of Copper Nickel to their syllabi. (30% by Spring 2011).

Baseline: Currently Copper Nickel has 24 campus subscriptions. Ideally, this

would be measured by a promotional code, which would be sent to professors

across the country along with a letter about Copper Nickel. It would then be

22

assessed by looking at the number of times the promotional code was used

within the year.

Strategy: A value proposition stating that this journal is beneficial to

students in literature classes and can be used as a valuable resource to

expand literary knowledge (Rational Appeal)

Tactic: Create a Copper Nickel Wiki to increase credibility

(moderate impact, low cost)

o Key Publics: Literary professors

Strategy: Messages will include power words such as “beneficial to

curriculum”, “connects academia to the real world”, and “stimulates

student creativity”.

Tactic: Letter to literary professors across the country explaining

why they should add Copper Nickel to their syllabus (low cost,

high visibility)

o Key public: Literary professors

o Objective: To have an effect on the action of local businesses, specifically to

increase the number of local businesses that would participate in some sort of

advertising for the Copper Nickel (50 advertisements within six months).

Baseline: Currently there are zero advertisements up in local businesses. The

number 50 is based on the number of students working at Copper Nickel,

which is around 25. Each student will be in charge of placing two

advertisements in local businesses. (This will directly impact the awareness of

the latent local resident public who shop at these businesses)

Strategy: A conjecture proposition that states that Copper Nickel is a

quality literary journal that will add distinction and recognition to the

businesses involved.

Tactic: Flyers and posters- See Appendix A. (Moderate cost, high

visibility)

o Key public: Local businesses

23

Tactic: Copper Nickel fishbowl placed in local businesses- put in

your business card for a chance to win a subscription (low cost,

high visibility)

o Key publics: local businesses and latent local public

Tactic: Use Copper Nickel as the faux magazines high-end

boutiques place on their coffee tables as decoration.

o Key publics: local businesses and latent local public

Tactic: Partner with College Business Committee of the Arts to

help promote Copper Nickel to local businesses

o Key publics: local businesses

4. Sell Subscriptionso Objective: To have an effect on the action of key publics, specifically to

increase sales of Copper Nickel subscriptions (80% increase the first year and

then 50% increase each subsequent year until Fall 2013). Baseline: Currently

have 204 active subscribers, ultimate goal is to gain 1,200 subscriptions by

Fall 2013 at which point Copper Nickel will have a self sustaining budget.

This is based on the historical trends of this journal as they went from having

zero subscribers in Fall 2008 to having 204 subscribers in Spring 2010.

(Note: This objective also aligns with goal number 3)

Strategy: Messages will be enhanced with a consistent brand image of

the Copper Nickel symbol and excerpts from the journal

Tactic: Promotional bookmarks, coasters, and pens hand

delivered to dorms, student union, literary classrooms, professor’s

offices, and local businesses (moderate costs, high visibility)

o Key publics: Literary students, professors, local businesses

Strategy: The use of humor to create a buzz and excitement around the

journal and to spark interest in the audience (Emotional Appeal)

24

Tactic: Posters (high visual impact, High visibility, moderate

costs)

o Key publics: Literary students, professors, local businesses

Tactic: Display ad in local and campus newspapers

(Moderate/high costs, high visibility)



local businesses

o Auraria campus newspapers key publics: literary students

and professors

Strategy: Spokespersons will be well known literary figures. (Nonverbal

Communication) –see Appendix B: Message Sources

Tactic: Letter to former subscribers (low costs, high impact)


Strategy: The virtues of improvement through enhancing one’s literary

knowledge. (Emotional Appeal)

Tactic: Poetry/Creative writing workshop open to the public.

(hands on, low cost, news value, interaction and feedback)

o Key publics: literary students, professors, and local

businesses

Tactic: Podcast (low costs, moderate visibility)


Tactic: Dial-a-Message: daily poems (moderate impact, moderate

cost, interactive, direct to website)

o Key publics: literary students, professors, latent local

public

Strategy: Appeals to negative emotions such as a level of guilt for

spending more time watching TV than reading. (Emotional Appeal)

Tactic: Flyers (low costs, moderate impact, high visibility)

o Key publics: literary students, professors, local businesses

Tactic: Radio commercial (high cost, high visibility)

25

o Key publics: literary students, professors, local businesses

Strategy: Creative and literary settings will be featured such as galleries,

bookstores, bookstores, art rooms, local venues, etc. (Nonverbal

Communication)

Tactic: Existing social events (moderate cost, moderate visibility,

interaction and feedback


Tactic: Poetry reading on Auraria campus stage (moderate cost,

moderate visibility, interaction)


26

Section 2.3: Budget

Overview

The budget for the Copper Nickel public relations plan relies on three

components. The first is student volunteers. These are students who are a part of the

Copper Nickel staff and who want to further their help by contributing to the promotional

aspect of the journal. The second component is the project manager, Dr. York. He is in

charge of the overall plan and implementation of the tactics. The need for student

volunteers will be decided upon his discretion. The last component is the rough PR

budget that Dr. York estimated. He felt that there would be around $2,000 to spend on

public relations each year. The tactics have been divided into four categories: Media,

Advertising, Mail, Online/Phone, and Events. To create optimal accuracy, I have

calculated both time and money into the budget and created a calendar to map out what

tasks need to be done and how long they will take to complete. At the end of the budget

there is the overall project costs and hours spent, as well as the break-even point.

MEDIA TACTICS

Tactic Frequency Administrative/Research Costs (Per occasion)

Setup/Formation Costs (Per occasion)

Production Costs(Per occasion)

Distribution Costs(Per occasion)

Total (Cost and Hours)

News Release 3 times a year

$0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 6

$0 $0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 8

Pitch to Bloggers

3 times a year

$0Hours: 3

$0Hours: 1

$0 $0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 5

Event Listings (online)

Monthly $0 $0Hours: 1

$0 $0Hours: .5

$0Hours: 1.5

Partner with Colorado Business Committee of the Arts

Once $0 Membership: $150Hours: 5.5

$0 $0 $150Hours: 5.5

MEDIA TACTICS TOTAL…………………… Costs: $150

Hours: 20

27

ADVERTISING TACTICS

Tactic Frequency Administrative/Research Costs(Per occasion)

Setup/FormationCosts(Per occasion)



Total (Costs and Hours)

Chalk Messages on Campus

4 times a year $0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 2

Chalk: $10Hours: .5

$0Hours: 5

$10Hours: 8.5

Posters (Quoted Kinko’s)

3 times a year $0 $0Hours: 1

x10: $310Hours: 2

$0Hours: 2

$310Hours: 5

Fishbowl in Businesses Monthly $0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 1

x10: $50Hours: .5

$0Hours: 1.5

$50Hours: 4

Copper Nickel Faux magazines

Once $0Hours: 2

$0 $0 $0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 3

Advertisement in Westword (Quoted)

Bi-yearly $0 $0Hours: 2

$160.00 per week

$0 $160Hours: 2

Promotional flyers Bi-yearly $0 $0Hours: 4

x500: $55Hours:1

$0Hours: 3

$55Hours: 8

Promotional bookmarks Yearly $0 $0Hours: 4

x500: $185 $0Hours: see flyers

$185Hours:See flyers

Promotional pens Yearly $0 $0Hours: 4


$250Hours:See flyers

Promotional coasters Yearly $0 $0Hours: 4


$145Hours: see flyers

ADVERTISING TACTICS TOTAL……………………Costs: $1,165 Hours: 30.5

MAIL TACTICS

Tactic Frequency Administrative/Research Costs**(Per occasion)


Production Costs *(Per occasion)

Distribution Costs *(Per occasion)


Invitation letter to literary students

Yearly $0Hours: 3

$0Hours: 2

x100: $25Hours: .5

x100: $40Hours: .5

$65Hours: 6

Letter to literary professors

Bi-yearly $0Hours: 3

$0Hours: 2

x100: $25Hours: .5

x100: $40Hours: .5

$65Hours: 6

Letter to former subscribers

Yearly $0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 2

x60: $15Hours: .5

x60: $24Hours: .5

$39Hours: 4

28

MAIL TACTICS TOTAL…………………… Costs: $169

Hours: 16*Costs include price of paper, envelopes, ink, and stamps** List development time includedONLINE/PHONE TACTICS






Facebook and Twitter dialogue

Monthly $0 $0Hours: 1

$0 N/A $0Hours: 1

Copper Nickel Wiki

Once $0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 2

$0 N/A $0Hours: 3

Podcast Monthly $0Hours: 2

$0Hours: 3

$0Hours: 2

N/A $0Hours: 7

Dial-A-Message weekly poem

Weekly $0Hours: .5

$0Hours: 1

Setup: $20Monthly fee: $10 ($120 a year)Hours: .5

N/A $140Hours: 2.

ONLINE TACTICS TOTAL…………………… Costs: $140

Hours: 13

EVENT TACTICS






Booth at CamJam 2010

Yearly $0Hours: 1

$0Hours: 1

$100 per table $0Hours: 5 (length of festival)

$100Hours: 7

Poetry/Creative writing workshop

Yearly $0Hours: 2

$0 (Volunteer based)Hours: 3

Flyers: $50Snacks: $30Various materials: $50Hours: 5

N/A $130Hours: 10

Poetry reading on Auraria Campus Stage

Bi-Yearly $0Hours: 3

$0Hours: 4

Stage rental: $50Equipment rental: $50Hours: 3

N/A $100Hours: 10

29

ONLINE TACTICS TOTAL…………………… Costs: $330

Hours: 27

OVERALL TACTICS TOTAL……………………Costs: $1,954 Hours: 106.5

Break-Even Point

In order to see if this project and budget is reasonable Copper Nickel must look at

the break-even point.

Break-Even Point: BEP= c/v

Total Project Cost (c): $1,954Outcome Value (v): $13 (one year subscription)

BEP: 1,954/13= 151.

This means that in order for this project to pay itself off, Copper Nickel must secure an

additional 151 one-year subscribers. In this case, benefits outweigh costs because

Copper Nickel will be promoting their journal and selling more subscriptions, which will

help to achieve the journal’s ultimate goal of having a self-sustaining budget. If needed,

there are many ways to cut costs. Printing less flyers, as well as cutting down the

number of promotional materials made will help to cut costs in a major way. Also, by

using the campus’s available resources Copper Nickel might be able to cut some of the

out-of-house work such as the posters and turn it into an in-house project, which would

save money.

30

3.1: Evaluation

Overview

Within the Copper Nickel public relations plan there are six main objectives. In order

to properly evaluate the public relations efforts an evaluation will take place for each

objective. This evaluation will include methodologies used, evaluation categories, and a

proposed evaluation schedule.

1. Copper Nickel will evaluate its objective of increased press and media exposure in the

following plan:

Measurement of message exposure, in which Copper Nickel will count not only

how many press releases are sent out, but also how many releases are then

published.

Measurement of message content, in which Copper Nickel will focus on whether

or not the messages were perceived as positive and whether or not they related to

the main goal of reinforcing Copper Nickel’s image and reputation as a quality

literary journal within target markets. This can be measured in volunteer focus

groups where people are asked their opinion of Copper Nickel before reading the

any articles and then asked the same question again after reading the articles.

The proposed schedule for these evaluations will include an implementation report, a

progress report, and a final evaluation. The implementation report will take place the

week the press releases are sent off the press. It will track how many were actually

completed and sent, who was in charge of sending them, and how much money was spent

in doing so. The progress report will take place about a month after the first set of press

releases has been sent out. This will track how many releases were published and will

offer feedback on what the press releases should include for next time. The final report

for this objective will gauge how well the tactics achieved their purpose. This will

include an overall summary of how many press releases were sent out over the course of

one year and how many turned into actual news stories. This report will took at the total

amount of money spent on these tactics and gauge overall success.

31

2. Copper Nickel will evaluate its objective of increased Facebook exposure in the

following plan:

Measurement of message exposure, in which Copper Nickel will evaluate the

amount of increase in Facebook fans after public relations efforts have begun.

There will be a benchmark set in place with the current number of Facebook fans

Copper Nickel has, as well as the number their competition Matter currently has.

Evaluation can also be done with a survey geared towards target publics in which

they are asked before any public relations efforts where they would go to find out

more information about Copper Nickel, and then again after the tactics have been

implemented.

Measurement of message content, in which Copper Nickel will evaluate how well

their messages have been received. This evaluation can include feedback from

current Facebook fans on whether or not the tactic of engaging in a dialogue on

the page was successful. This can also be measured simply by looking at how

many people respond to the questions being posed.


progress report, and a final evaluation. The implementation report will take place a week

after the first messages have been chalked on campus and the after the first question on

Facebook has been posed in hope of creating a dialogue. The report will include how

many messages were chalked on campus and what the posed question was. It will also

include the amount of time and money that what used. The progress report will take

place three months after the implementation report. It will track how many new

Facebook fans have since joined and look at the trends associated with the questions

being posed on Facebook in order to find out what types of questions are fostering the

most responses. The final report will take place sixth months from the initial startup. It

will look at the number of fans Copper Nickel has on their Facebook page and compare it

to the original benchmarks that were set. It will also look at the total amount of money

that was spent.

3. Copper Nickel will evaluate its objective of recruitment for literary contest

submissions in the following plan:

32

Measurement of message exposure, in which Copper Nickel will evaluate how

many submissions are obtained through benchmarking. The journal will look at

the amount of submissions and the rate at which they are obtained prior to sending

out letters to literary students. They will then benchmark that against the amount

and rate at which submissions are being obtained after the letters are sent.


progress report, and a final evaluation. The implementation report will take place the

week the letters are sent out. It will look at how many letters were actually sent and what

the content in the letter looked like. The progress report will take place three months

after the initial letters are sent out. It will look at the amount of submissions obtained and

whether or not specific students who received letters submitted work. It will include

feedback and possible changes to the content if necessary. The final report will take place

the deadline of the contest. It will look at the overall amount of submissions and

compare that amount to last year’s numbers. It was also look at the total amount of

money spent on this project.

4. Copper Nickel will evaluate its objective to have professors add the journal to their

syllabi in the following plan:

Ideally this would be measured by a promotional code, which would be sent to

professors across the country along with a letter about Copper Nickel. It would

then be assessed by looking at the number of times the promotional code was used

within the year.

Feedback can also be gained by including an online survey web address in the

letter in which the professors can comment on the idea and why they chose to

include or not include Copper Nickel in their syllabi.


progress report, and a final evaluation. The implementation report will take place when

the letters are sent out to the professors before the start of the semester. It will include

the number of letters sent out and the content of the letter. The progress report will take

place during winter break. It will look at how many professors used the promotional

33

code and the feedback from the survey. It will offer changes to the letter based on the

feedback received. The final report will occur in the summer after the end of second

semester. It will look at the spring semester’s numbers and see how many professors

used the promotional code and took the survey. The report will also include the total

amount of money spent on the project and produce a Break-Even Point. This will help to

decide if it is worth it to continue the letters.

5. Copper Nickel will evaluate its objective to have local businesses participate in

advertising in the following plan:

Surveys to the local latent public who shop at these businesses. This can gauge

the public’s awareness of Copper Nickel after advertising efforts.

Employee feedback will also be helpful in the form of informal interviews. The

employees who work at these businesses will be able to provide insight on

customers reactions, questions, and comments about the advertisements.

Direct observation in the form of counting the number of business cards that

people put into the Copper Nickel fishbowl each month.


progress report, and a final evaluation. The implementation report will take place a

month after the advertisements are put up in the businesses. It will include interviews

with the employees and any feedback the have. It will also include the number of

business cards that people put into the Copper Nickel fishbowl. The progress report will

take place four months after the initial placement of the advertisements. It will include

interviews with employees, before and after surveys from the latent local public and any

feedback they have to give. The report will also include the average amount of business

cards that are in the fishbowl each month. At this time the report will offer any

suggestions and changes that may be needed to the plan. It will also include the amount

of money that has been spent on the project so far. The final report will be six months

after the initial startup. It will include the same components as the progress report with

the addition of a judgment assessment on whether or not to continue the advertisements

based on cost and overall effectiveness

34

6. Copper Nickel will evaluate its objective to increase subscription sales in the

following plan:

Benchmarking of overall subscription sales. How many subscriptions did Copper

Nickel have before any public relations efforts compared to how many they have

gained since the public relations plan has been in effect. Also benchmarking

against their main competitor’s subscription rates.

Online survey to former subscribers sent with the letter to gain feedback on why

they did not re-subscribe.

Direct observation though counting the number of attendees to the poetry/creative

writing workshop and poetry reading on Auraria campus stage. Included with this

is the direct observation of how many copies/subscriptions are sold on those days.


progress report, and a final evaluation. The implementation report will take place once

every tactic has been initiated at least once. This should be around three months time. At

this time the report will look at the actual numbers of tactics that were fully completed.

This includes the number of postcards sent out, the number of advertisements in

newspapers, the number of promotional materials produced, and the number of podcasts

produced. This report will also include the amount of money spent so far on these

efforts. The progress report will take place six months after the tactics have been

implemented. This report will look at the effectiveness of each tactic based on various

evaluation techniques listed above. At this time the report will offer feedback and

necessary changes to certain tactics as needed. The final report will take place one year

after the initial tactics have been implemented. It will provide an overview of which

tactics seem to be successful and which are not gaining attention. This evaluation of

these tactics will come from judgment assessments and other methods listed above. This

report will also contain the amount of money spent on these tactics and the Break-Even

Point. At this time Copper Nickel will be able to see if their amount of subscription sales

has either matched the Break-Even Point, or gone below or above it.

35

Date post:	26-Mar-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	samantha-silver
View:	219 times
Download:	1 times

Copper Nickel Integrated Communication Plan

Documents