Integrated Marketing

Communication Plan for

CubanBurger

 

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Prepared For

Owner and Staff

CubanBurger

April 28, 2014

Prepared by

Aileen Anonas

Paige Guidice

Wade Matthias

Cat Witko

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………………….……………4 SITUATION ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………………….…..5 GOALS…………………………………………………………………………………………..12 AUDIENCE……………………………………………………………………………………...13 POSITIONING & KEY MESSAGES…………………………………………………………...15 STRATEGIES & TACTICS……………………………………………………………………..17 MEASUREMENT & EVALUATION…………………………………………………………..24 ACTION PLAN………………………………………………………………………………….29 TIMELINE……………………………………………………………………………………….31

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Executive Summary

CubanBurger is a locally owned restaurant in Harrisonburg, Virginia, selling Cuban-inspired specialty burgers and sides. It is known for its quality food, fresh ingredient and personable atmosphere. The restaurant and bar has been growing in recognition throughout the community, upgrading itself from its original location tucked behind Wine on Water and expanded into not only Wine on Water’s old location but also into the adjoined space. According to Lisa Oate’s article, Harrisonburg’s CubanBurger Renovated and Re-Opened, people are raving about its “delicious and authentic” food. Its fantastic food, family owned style and local business partners have created an aura about the restaurant and bar that is making it one of the most prominent rising restaurants in Harrisonburg.

Our goal for CubanBurger is to expand the local customer base, help it bring more awareness to its name and location, and to expand to new markets while working with the local businesses is the Harrisonburg community. There are 23 local restaurants and bars in downtown Harrisonburg with a majority having an established name among students, whereas CubanBurger is fairly new and unknown. This is a current disadvantage that can quickly be turned into an advantage. Once we give CubanBurger a cohesive marketing communications strategy, we can implement it so that CubanBurger will be a Harrisonburg household name.

We would like to help CubanBurger use techniques for gaining customers in the student market while doing so at the most efficient cost. We strive to make CubanBurger not only a place for locals but also for students attending James Madison University and the other neighboring college campuses such as Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University and Blue Ridge Community College. By doing so we feel that CubanBurger will flourish. The current strategy of the business relies on word of mouth to gain customers. The restaurant and bar is still young and there have been minimal marketing attempts made to grow its awareness throughout the community. The current goal of CubanBurger is to make the restaurant a destination location by its current loyal customer base, word-of-mouth, and its Facebook page where the special of the day is posted along with the most recent photos or events. We would like to not only help solidify the Facebook following that Cubanburger has, but also help to develop social standing through other means of online social media.

We are looking to build the brand into a solid and recognizable image by using multiple social media platforms, advertisements, and promotional events with key audiences to attract more locals to dine and become a part of the unique culture of CubanBurger. In addition to becoming more involved in a younger audience, we will also plan to reach out to the Harrisonburg community and show that we exist and are a great place to eat.

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Situation Analysis

The situation analysis is a systematic collection and evaluation of past and present economical, political, social and technological data. The goal is to identify internal and external forces that may influence CubanBurger’s performance and choice of strategies, and assessment of the organization’s current and future strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Industry:

An industry analysis allows us to position and evaluate CubanBurger among its

competitors. This will help differentiate CubanBurger from local restaurants and bars in downtown Harrisonburg and the surrounding area. CubanBurger is part of one of the largest growing industries in the world. According to ReportLinker’s article, Restaurant and Food Services Industry: Market Research Reports, Statistics and Analysis, the restaurant and bar industry is currently representing nearly $992 billion.

As of July 2012, Harrisonburg had a population of almost 51,000 and has continued to grow, with now over 20,000 of that population being JMU students (see figure 3). Other colleges in the area such as Bridgewater, with approximately 1,850 students, and Eastern Mennonite University, with over 1,500 students, make up a small portion of the 51,000 residents (see figures 4 and 5). Being in downtown Harrisonburg, CubanBurger competes directly with 23 eating establishments providing a wide array of culinary culture. While having 23 competitors, CubanBurger has great potential for capturing customers in this industry because it offers a unique, Cuban influence that differentiates it from other dining options. Positioning:

CubanBurger’s current positioning places them as Cuban food with an American twist as

well as being a destination location where word of mouth is the key way to attract new customers. CubanBurger’s mission is to enrich the lives of our guests, employees and owners through superior quality food and beverages, legendary customer service, sales growth, cost controls, and treating employees like family. CubanBurger believes that their employees are one of their most important resources and their success depends upon creating and retaining a staff capable of delivering an exceptional dining experience to every customer, every time. After interviewing a JMU student, it was evident that CubanBurger offers high quality but is too “off-the-grid.” She thought the food was better than Jack Brown’s and the burgers were much bigger. The side options are tailored to the Cuban culture with items such as black beans or plantains. While this may be true, students are much more familiar with Jack Brown’s because of effective positioning and advertising among the Harrisonburg youth. We want to bring CubanBurger into the evoked set of students by positioning this restaurant and bar as higher quality, extremely affordable, fresh and local unique cuisine. Competitors:

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While there are more than 23 different restaurants and bars downtown, only two of these restaurants are worth noting as being CubanBurger’s main competitors along with indirect competitors such as fast food chains. Jack Brown’s and Capital Ale House will pose the most competition to your restaurant because these restaurants offer the same line of products. We also see indirect competitors such as Burger King and McDonald’s as a quick alternative to customers.

Jack Brown’s will be the largest competitor because they are also a specialty burger restaurant in close vicinity to CubanBurger. Brown’s has 22 different burger options, with 13 specialty burgers that correspond with different days of the week. They position themselves as being the crazy burger place with menu options such as the Showalter where the bun is switched out with a glazed doughnut. This allows Jack Brown’s to reach and attract their audience of experiencers, college students looking to try something new.

Capital Ale House falls in between the most direct competitor, Jack Brown’s, and the indirect competitors offering fast food burgers. Capital Ale House serves 9 different burgers on their menu making them a strong potential competitor for consumers looking for a burger but they don’t position themselves as a burger restaurant. Capital Ale House conveys itself to customers as being the authority on craft beers with over 80 options to choose from. This targets the audience of consumers looking to get drinks rather than specifically just for the food.

McDonalds and Burger King are indirect competitors of CubanBurger. They both offer burgers but lack the unique, specialty factor offered by CubanBurger and Jack Brown’s. Low quality, cheap menu options are associated with the two and will not pose a direct threat to CubanBurger. Mass media is used by the fast food chains to target all consumers CubanBurger’s Strengths and Opportunities:

There are future possibilities for the expansion of CubanBurger. There is a promising future to expand to new markets, such as other college campuses, because they are brand new and have a fresh reputation. With such a large surrounding student presence, social media has great opportunity to create awareness and inform through Facebook, twitter, etc. According to Genius recruiter, social media statistics show us that social networking accounts for 19% of all time spent online. Even more, 82% of internet users are on social networking sites. Because CubanBurger is personally owned, it allows flexibility and a more direct and consistent message.

The location in downtown Harrisonburg is a huge strength because there is potential to attract foot traffic in the area. With CubanBurger’s location not too far from the highway, Cubanburger has to chance to not only catch the attention of the locals, but the hungry travelers that frequently pass through the area. With a parking garage located directly across from the entrance hungry customers have a short distance from their cars to the table. With major Universities located up and down I-81, such as Virginia Tech, Radford, and more, the potential customer base is large. The downtown location of CubanBurger will help attract students because of the proximity to other popular bars. Their location also allows for a huge opportunity to grow with the addition of delivery as a service. Delivery trucks and stands will

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also help CubanBurger grow and branch out to multiple locations, allowing easier access for potential customers.

Cuban Burger has the opportunity for the company to extend business hours. Keeping the restaurant open later on weekends will greatly increase the amount student traffic that comes through the restaurant. Another opportunity that has a potential profit within it is expanding into specialty lines. The CubanBurger is known as a restaurant specializing in Cuban-American cuisine, but looking into the menu, it all appeals to the more Cuban side.

CubanBurger’s quality of food is a great strength to build on. Customer reviews

highlight that customers visiting the restaurant love the food and view the price as a fair deal. Building off that reputation of the great quality will allow any new menu items to gain popularity among customers as having quality and fairly priced.

Promotional events will provide a great opportunity for CubanBurger to reach new

customers. The Rocktown Beer and Music Festival, Valleyfest, Love on Tap, and the Rockingham county fair are just a few possible venues to expose locals and students to the restaurant. This will help build brand image and reputation because of the involvement in the community. CubanBurger’s Weaknesses and Threats: While there are positive opportunities, we also identified weaknesses and threats. CubanBurger is one of 23 local restaurants and bars in downtown Harrisonburg. Customers have options for dining out such as Cookout, Jack Brown’s, Billy Jack’s, and more. CubanBurger has little reputation among the James Madison University campus and other local colleges. CubanBurger’s size is a weakness due to its limited capacity and limited potential expansion. Because CubanBurger is fairly new and small, it may not have the funds to afford expanding to multiple locations.

College students flock downtown on weekend nights to drink and eat at the local bars. One of the biggest weaknesses with CubanBurger is that it is closed during these peak business hours. CubanBurger’s small size may hinder its ability to partner and collaborate with bigger businesses.

Online presence is key for business to create awareness, inform, and differentiate themselves from competitors. The lack of CubanBurger’s presence online keeps new potential customers from finding out about what the business has to offer. The only social media platform used at CubanBurger is Facebook. Any other information can only be found through a few customer reviews online such as at yelp.com. Given the opportunity, we could give CubanBurger a platform through Twitter as a way to keep followers consistently updated on new beers on tap or menu changes. This would give them a way to reach out particularly to the young adult and college student audiences.

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Breakdown of Harrisonburg Area: (retrieved from U.S. Census Bureau, Virginia State

Data Center)

Population: 50,981 (as of 2012)

Ethnic Breakdown (2012):

Figure 1:

Figure 2:

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Figure 3: JMU demographics Figure 4: Bridgewater demographics

Figure 5: Eastern Mennonite University demographics

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Opportunity/Threat   Strength/  Weakness   Action  

New  Markets/  Existing  Restaurants  

Fresh  Reputation/  Little  Reputation                

Ø Web Page Ø Sponsorship of Local College

Sports Ø Participate in Sporting Events Ø Coupons Ø Flyers Ø Local Ad Ø Themed Nights

Social  Media/  Competitors  Also  Present  

Personally  Owned/Size   Ø Create twitter account Ø Tumbler Ø Get involved on the JMU

facebook page Ø Blogs that customers can

comment on Ø Web page where customers

can post their photos and comments

    Ø

Delivery/  Cost  and  Capacity   Location/Store  hours   Ø Online ordering Ø Coupons for Next delivery Ø Extended delivery hours Ø Magnets/merchandise to

remember phone number

Multiple  Locations/cost   Strong  Customer  loyalty/  Equity  

Ø Expanding to delivery stands Ø Expanding to franchise Ø Expanding onto local college

campus

Strategic SWOT

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Times/  Existing  Restaurants   Personally  Owned/  Store  Hours  

   

Ø Extend  business  hours    

Ø Ad  menu  items  

Ø Hire  additional  workers  

Local  opportunity/  other  bars   Local/Size   Ø Partner  local  businesses    

                           -­‐Brewery                                -­‐Farms/local  produce  

Ø Expansion  onto  local  college  campus  

Ø Recruit  local  talent    

                 -­‐Local  bands                                                -­‐Local  art    

Ø Get  involved  in  Harrisonburg  community  activities      

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Goals and Audience

After looking over your current situation within your market, we have come to the conclusion that there are ways to improve the position that you are currently in as well as new means in which to put your company more in the public eye. Our overall goal for your company is to push it into your potential customers’ consideration set when trying to decide where to eat. A consideration set is a consumer’s mental subset of brands that they consider when deciding on what specific brand to buy from to satisfy a want or need. We realize that you are a start-up company with a lot of potential to reach other markets that are currently untapped, so our plan will give your target market more awareness and knowledge of CubanBurger.

We have five main goals that we want to successfully complete for you in order to give you a much larger potential market than ever before. Due to how new your company is, it naturally suffers from a lack of brand awareness,. We want to stress how we will accomplish our goal of making your brand well-known by incorporating different goals that will end up feeding off of each other’s’ profitability. Our ultimate goal is to build up your company in your customers’ minds as a restaurant of delicious, quality food in a friendly atmosphere.

Goals

● Create position ● Increase brand Awareness among college students ● Establish brand online ● Expand and increase customer base ● Improve customer loyalty ● Increase sales by 7% (about $2,450) over the next year

The following section deals with the audience that we believe is crucial to your company’s success. By tapping into these three subsets of consumers, CubanBurger will be able to push itself into the minds of its consumers. These following groups of audiences are what we believe will react the most profitably to our goals, and our strategies and tactics, which are discusses further on in the plan.

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Audience:

We have chosen three segments of the Harrisonburg population that we believe would be wise for your company to focus on: Experiencers, Harrisonburg Residents/Boomtown Singles, and Tourists. The following is a description of each as well as an explanation of why we chose it.

Experiencers:

People in this group are in the young adult college student age range, motivated by self-expression, and are often impulsive consumers. Experiencers become enthusiastic about new opportunities but are equally quick to dislike other opportunities as well. They will dine at CubanBurger because it is a new, unique cuisine restaurant that will match the consumers’ need to experience a unique possibility. Because this group is mostly made up of college students, they will tell their peers using word of mouth about the quality of CubanBurger. This will be the growing majority of your customers, both current and new.

Demographics: Ages 20-24. They are either current college students or the recently graduated well-educated in an urban setting. They are in the middle class with an expendable midscale income. According to the US Census Bureau data from 2012, this was the largest age group in the Harrisonburg area, accounting for a total of 28.1% of the total local population.

Psychographics: These are avid consumers seeking variety and excitement, savoring the new and the risky. Experiencers spend a comparatively high proportion of their income on fashion, entertainment, and socializing.

CubanBurger will provide an exciting new opportunity for experiencers to branch out and try something new. The location allows these consumers to be in a fast pace environment surrounded by other busy businesses. Because experiencers spend a large amount of income on social activities, your restaurant has great potential by allowing consumers to express themselves in a new social environment.

Harrisonburg Resident/ Boomtown Singles

With CubanBurger’s great downtown location and potential community outreach, we feel that it will be beneficial to tap into the local market. The second largest age group in the Harrisonburg community is 25-29, according to the 2012 US Census Bureau, followed by the 30-34 age range and then by the 35-39 year-olds. These are established individuals in the area and we feel that by tapping into the this market that has generally been overlooked in downtown restaurant campaigns, we will be able to help you generate a large profit. We feel that specifically targeting the local Boomtown Singles will be very beneficial. According to Nielsen these individuals average income is around $39,423 vs the same age group of Downscale Middle Age Family Mix that make around $31,476. These residents do not have children and

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will be able and willing to spend more money on eating out and luxury drinks at the attached bar. Not only does this desired target have a decent influx of income but they will be able to become regulars and help spread awareness about CubanBurger throughout the local Harrisonburg community.

Demographics: Age Range >50, singles without kids. These individuals are in the moderate range for the amount of disposable income they have.

Psychographics: These individuals are singles in the working-class. They pursue an active lifestyle and enjoy social scene like bars.

Tourists:

We believe that tourism is a huge and potentially profitable segment that has yet to be leveraged as an audience. The Harrisonburg Tourism Center has identified that the city currently has roughly 45,000 visitors quarterly, which is a drop from a high of 60,000 visitors quarterly in previous years. The positive to this situation is that the visitor numbers is currently on the rise. Harrisonburg is a prominent city located on a major highway (I-81), making itself a large attraction for travelers to stop for rest and food. I-81 is Virginia’s longest interstate with 90 interchanges. An additional aspect that creates a overflow into the city for tourism is the Shenandoah National Park. The Harrisonburg Tourism Center estimated that millions of people visit that park quarterly, and those visitors tend to trickle into neighboring communities for food and lodging.

The demographics within this segment are varied, their ages can range from mid-teens through the elderly. In regards to the psychographics, we took a particular look at their spending habits. Travelers are tired and ready to eat when they stop. They’re looking for food that is inexpensive and fairly quick. At the same time, if they are coming into Downtown Harrisonburg, they are looking for a high-quality, fairly priced place to sit down and have a bite to eat. They are not seeking for a fast food restaurant, nor a five star restaurant with a six course meal. If we are successful in attracting and appealing to tourists and travelers, that will help us through another means of marketing- Word of Mouth (WOM). It can also stem from the use of Experiencers, but in this case, instead of being confined to the relatively small group of college students within the area, this WOM will be much more widespread all through I-81. We cannot control customers’ opinions of your company, but we can be successful in bringing them to your restaurant and give them phenomenal service. From that they will be able to spread the word to those that they know, and from that we can assume that their loved ones will come in and stop by if they are ever in Harrisonburg.

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These three identified segments will help generate a healthy steady income. All three groups are reasonable targets and will help you to achieve some of the goals listed previously by CubanBurger.

Positioning & Key Messages:

This section, the Positioning, goes into detail of how specifically we want to promote CubanBurger and how we want our customers to view the restaurant and the company. Based on the situation analysis and objectives previously discussed, we have developed the following positioning statement and the key messages that we will be communicating to your target audiences.

Positioning Statement:

CubanBurger is a unique, local restaurant that enhances the downtown Harrisonburg dining experience by offering Cuban food and beverages while providing a convenient location and personable experience.

Taking a more in-depth look at what we’ve created as your positioning statement, we’ve identified five key messages that we want to help you convey to your audience.

Key Messages:

● Unique ● Cuban ● Convenience (downtown) ● Personable (owner is there/ get to know the wait staff/ friendly atmosphere) ● Local (not a chain) only jack brown is a competitor with burger/ interaction/ familiarity 1. Unique

CubanBurger is the only restaurant in the downtown Harrisonburg area that serves Cuban style cuisine. It is also the only Cuban oriented restaurant in general. Your restaurant offers a Cuban twist on not only the food but the atmosphere as well. From the music to the photos on the wall, CubanBurger radiates the fun loving Cuban culture that no other restaurant in the Harrisonburg area offers. Your restaurant also utilizes this unique blend of spices and flavor to create an enjoyable dining experience like the use of the famous Cuban frita, smoked pork, mojo and other traditional Cuban techniques and flavors that no other restaurant in the downtown Harrisonburg area offers.

2. Cuban

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Throughout Harrisonburg, CubanBurger is the only Cuban themed restaurant. The logo provides a clear representation as to what the restaurant has to offer. Even inside the location there is a clear tie to Cuba. There is a painting of Cuba on the wall, the music has a Spanish/Cuban theme, and the restaurant has a stained glass Cuban flag over one of the entrance lights.

3. Convenience

CubanBurger is located in heart of downtown Harrisonburg, which is the first example of how we can use convenience as a key message. An additional example is that it is just a few miles from I-81. A third key message example is that it is in walking distance of James Madison University’s campus and surrounding residential communities. It is also a short drive from surrounding colleges such as Eastern Mennonite University and Bridgewater College. The last two examples begin with CubanBurger having a conveniently placed parking garage directly across the street allowing for easier access for those driving to the restaurant. Being directly located off of main street, CubanBurger will be a convenient stop for professionals returning home from work downtown as well as students and families passing through, which is the last example.

4. Personable

The size of CubanBurger is a strength that we want to play on in this key message. The restaurant's layout allows for flexibility and gives the owner to the space to easily move about and interact with customers and employees. In addition to the beneficial layout, the owner’s constant presence and involvement in the restaurant allows for not only the customers to get to know CubanBurger better, but also for the restaurant itself to build a close relationship with its customers. The size of the staff allows for a more personable atmosphere as well. With your full staff being around 14 individuals, it is much easier for the customers to interact and get to know those behind the business within your restaurant that larger businesses cannot.

5. Local

Currently CubanBurger is one of the only personally owned burger joints in the Harrisonburg area. Your closest competitor is Jack Browns, which is also located in the downtown Harrisonburg dining area. Restaurants like Billy Jacks, Clementines, etc. do not offer the same menu items as you and therefore you have an optimal position.

Overall Positioning

Our goal is to position CubanBurger as a unique restaurant that adds a Cuban style twist on American favorites. We plan to communicate the convenience of CubanBurger through its easily accessible location, being walking distance from a large university and with a large

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parking garage directly across the street. The intimate staff size and the fact that you are directly involved with the kitchen and customers really emphasizes the key message of being personable.

Taking all of these implementations into account, they will be discussed further in the next section, Strategies and Tactics.

Strategies and Tactics

The strategies and tactics section of our IMC plan elaborates on our business goals as well as our marketing communication goals that were recommended for CubanBurger. This section addresses some of the best ways we feel we will be able to accomplish the goals we recommended in the previous section.

Goal 1: Create Position

Strategy: Leverage a positioning statement and Key Message geared toward target audience

Tactic 1: Create Positioning Statement

By creating a positioning statement for your company you will be able to differentiate yourself from competitors and provide yourself with core values that will help guide your company. A suggested positioning statement has been provided in the previous section.

Tactic 2: Create Key Messages

By creating key messages for your company you are able to list what differentiates yourself from your competitors. A set of suggested key messages are provided in the previous section.

Strategy: Comparison Campaign

Tactic 1: Print Comparison

In doing a print comparison ad such as flyers you will be able to directly compare your restaurant between some of your local competitors such as Jack Browns. You can talk about the use of techniques in preparation of your food, easy of parking due to the parking garage across from your location, the atmosphere, and unique Cuban twist and culture.

Tactic 2: Web Comparison

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Through the use of your website, personalized emails, etc., you can do a similar campaign to the print comparison listed above. You can also provide links to some of your breweries and food distributors, like your use of the century old bakery in Ybor .

Goal 2: Increase Awareness among College Students

Strategy: Student Education Campaign

Tactic 1: Online Media

Through the use of online media such as a Facebook, Twitter, the webpage, blog, review you will be able reach a large portion of one of your target markets. Online Media allows for easy access and can be shared as a digital word of mouth.

Tactic 2: College Publications

Advertising to the student base in Harrisonburg through their school publications such as newsletters, coupon booklets, agendas, newspapers, etc. provides access to a larger number of potential customers. These customers have the potential of becoming long-term/ loyal customers. Due to these customers larger influence it is important to directly reach them

Tactic 3: University Events

Promoting CubanBurger through the local university events will allow a large outreach to potential customers. You will be able to reach not only the current students but alumni and even future students. This will put you in good standing with the community and allow yourself to directly interact with your customers and potential customers.

Tactic 4: Alternative Media

The use of unique media such as tee-shirts, stickers, pins, etc. will allow you to not only encourage and excite potential customers, but it will also provide additional advertising among the students community. You can also use the local Harrisonburg transit to advertising among the community and throughout the campuses. The student body that utilizes the transit system to travel the campus and city will be exposed to the ad and any potential information you choose to provide.

Goal 3: Establish Brand Online

Strategy: Leverage all online campaigns to communicate new position

Tactic 1: Use social media

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Create multiple social media platforms for CubanBurger such as Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. to allow yourself to communicate to customers through multiple means. This will allow you to make announcements and updates quickly and in a timely manner. The registration of your restaurant to these sites is free and allows for some flexibility to tailor these webpages to your needs. Tactic 2: Website

Create a company website that includes the menu, upcoming events, reviews and a blog. Through the use of an easy convenient web builder, such as BuildYourSite.com, CubanBurger will be able to create an inexpensive website that allows for flexibility and the use of pre-made template. The monthly cost is $9.95 to maintain the webpage and hold a consistent domain name without breaking budget. By creating your own webpage you will be able to stay informed about customer’s wants and needs and possibly any concerns they may have so that adjustments can be made in a timely manner.

Tactic 3: Blog

As previously suggested, a blog will be a part of the company website. This blog can highlight menu items and any specials or promotions. This will provide another avenue for customer comments and questions and also more customer interactions with CubanBurger.

Goal 4: Expand and Increase Customer Base

Strategy: Target Experiencers (College Students)

Tactic 1: Social Media

By being present online on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, we will reach the audience of college students. These accounts can be used to update followers of events, specials, menu changes, etc. and also interact with them. Using social media is youthful, free, and quick to update. This allows CubanBurger to keep its customers up to date on any events or promotions that the restaurant is having on a whim.

Tactic 2: Student Publications

Advertise to the student base in the Harrisonburg area through ads in the schools agenda, coupon booklets, and school papers. This is important because it gets the word out to the youth in Harrisonburg. These consumers have the potential of becoming long-term/loyal customers. Because of this it is important to advertise through medians that directly reach them.

Tactic 3: University Events

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Doing promotion at various university events is a great opportunity for reaching the students. The more events you are present at, the better CubanBurger will be recalled when students are trying to decide where to go eat.

Tactic 4: Harrisonburg Transportation (Bus Ads)

Use the advertising space on the sides of the Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation (HDPT) busses. The buses currently run over 40 routes throughout the Harrisonburg area and operate from 6:34am-2:15am the following day. The current routes outreach to an estimated population of 52,000 individuals while covering 17 square miles. Ads pricing depends on the desired month use which can be 1, 3, 6 or 12 months and depend on size. The lowest ad space is $20 with the most expensive being $2,200.

Strategy: Target Harrisonburg Resident/Boomtown Singles

Tactic 1: Harrisonburg Transportation (Bus Ads)

Advertise using Harrisonburg Transit buses. People who travel using the buses will value the convenient downtown location of the restaurant. There are currently over 40 routes that go throughout the Harrisonburg area that services about 52,000 individuals while covering 17 square miles.

Tactic 2: Newsletter

Have a monthly newsletter printed out and placed at every table for the customer to enjoy and take home if they care to. It could have information about whatever local businesses that CubanBurger is currently buying from, as well as a small letter from the owner to the reader. It could include upcoming local events, which would be a great way to show your communal involvement if you were to advocate the coming events.

Tactic 3: Flyers

Place flyers downtown to create awareness to shoppers in the downtown area. By strategically placing these flyers, CubanBurger will be able to attract possible foot traffic from the nearby shops. This gives you the chance to catch the eye of individuals who may not know about your restaurant and are looking for a convenient place to eat from where they are shopping.

Tactic 4: Radio

Implement radio advertising at peak evening times. When people are driving around in the evening, hearing an ad on the radio can remind consumers of the option of grabbing food at CubanBurger. A few examples of radio stations that play in the area would be WXJM, which mainly JMU students listen to, or Q101 or iHeartRadio which have a wider audience reach.

Strategy: Target Tourists/Travelers

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Tactic 1: Promote on Social Media

By promoting on social media, we can reach potential customers who don’t reside in the Harrisonburg area, but may come by the area as they travel. When people are already aware and knowledgeable about CubanBurger, they can plan to stop by when deciding where to eat as they make their travel plans.

Tactic 2: Maintain relationship with Harrisonburg Tourism Center and provide informational brochures

Currently on the Harrisonburg Tourism website, there is a brief description about CubanBurger on the “Local Flavor” webpage, under the section of “Dining & Nightlife”. We would like to build off of that and provide informational brochures at the physical Harrisonburg Tourism Center. These brochures will bring awareness to the travelers and tourists who do not yet know of CubanBurger.

Goal 5: Improve Customer Loyalty

Strategy: Implement a loyalty program

Tactic 1: Customer punch cards

Offer a punch card for returning customers to redeem free food items or drinks after a certain number of visits. This will keep your customers coming back time and time again to receive special items. For the most loyal customers, offer prizes such as free t-shirts and hats. These larger prizes will make your most loyal customers feel like they are getting a special prize greater than your average customer.

Tactic 2: Drink Specials

Offer drink specials to customers who spend their 21st birthday at your restaurant. This will attract your target market (college students) and the likelihood that traffic coming into the store will be greater due to the fact students tend to celebrate with groups of friends.

Tactic 3: Survey

Have customers fill out a survey of what they do and don’t like about the restaurant as well as inform your customers about new “coming soon” items to the menu. For those that fill out the survey you can offer a coupon for their next meal enticing them to come back and possibly try that new item. This is a relatively inexpensive way to gauge customer opinions and have direct customer input. It will also make your customers feel they have a say in your restaurant and create a connection with your restaurant.

Tactic 4: Personalized Emails

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Send personalized emails to customers that visit your website, Facebook page, and other media outlets offering discounts on certain menu items. These customers, already showing an interest in your restaurant, will be more likely to redeem to follow through with redeeming discounts.

Goal 6: Increase sales by 7% (about $2,450) over the next year

Strategy: Implement a rewards program

Tactic 1: Customer Punch Card

Similar to the loyalty program you will be able to increase the traffic in CubanBurger with the use of customer punch cards. This will encourage returning customers and will help to drive sales.

Strategy: Leverage all online campaigns to increase brand awareness

Tactic 1: Web page

Create a webpage for potential customers to visit. Provide information about the restaurant, its location, hours, menu items, and upcoming events. Customers will be able to gather more information on CubanBurger. A web page will help to get the word out to not only residents in the Harrisonburg community but to visitors as well.

Tactic 2: Social Media

Utilize multiple social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, etc. This will allow you to communicate to your current customers and other potential customers. You will be able to update on any upcoming events in a short period of time and follow the interests and comments of your customers.

By implementing these different tactics in your restaurant, you will not only increase your sales and retention with customers but also learn more about your current customers and increase awareness and loyalty amongst new customers.

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Figure 1: Bus Ad

Figure 2: Sample Flyer

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Figure 3: Customer Punch Card Sample

Measurement and Evaluation

Measuring and evaluating a strategic IMC plan ensures that the previously recommended strategies and tactics are working effectively and that the goals are being attained. We have prepared recommended implementation periods and recommended data measurement periods to help better monitor CubanBurger’s tactics. 1. Goal: Create Position Strategy: Leverage a positioning statement and Key Message geared toward target audience. Measurement:

• Survey current consumers and potential consumers Ø ask the consumer their thoughts of CubanBurger Ø ask people what comes to mind when they hear the name CubanBurger

• Create a focus group Ø Show people the CubanBurger logo and ask them what they think of when they see it Ø Ask people to name off the burger places that come to mind and see if CubanBurger

makes the list. Ø Show people other burger restaurant logos and ask them to identify the ones they can

by name. Ø Ask people what restaurants come to mind when they want to dine in downtown

Harrisonburg.

CUBAN BURGER

REWARDS

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Timeline: You will need to benchmark your current position among customers before the implementation of your positioning and key messages. After you have done so, implement the new positioning and key messages in the month of May. At the end of the three months conduct another survey and questionnaire for consumers and focus groups. This will allow you to see if there has been any change to the responses after the implementation. Strategy: Comparison Campaign Measurement:

• Measure your social engagement compared to your competitors. This would be the number of likes, followers and shares on your social media platforms.

• Measure your ranking in the consumers mind through ranking surveys. This will help you so see on a numbered scale where CubanBurger stands compared to its competitors.

• Track both positive and negative feedback from review sites such as yelp and compare it to your competitors. This will allow you to see if there have been more positive comments after any changes you have made.

• Track both positive and negative feedback on company webpage, blog, and social media platforms. This will allow you to see any improvement or change in comments between both you and your competitor.

Timeline: Once the campaign has been implemented the comparison campaigns should be checked bi-monthly in order to make any necessary changes in a timely manner. 2. Goal: Increase Awareness among college students Strategy: Student education campaign. Measurement:

• Survey customer to see when/where/how they heard about CubanBurger. This will allow you to see what forms of media have been most effective with the student customers.

• Measure the amount of online feedback (likes, shares, posts). • Benchmark, then compare the awareness of CubanBurger among students • Measure the amount of followers on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Timeline: Online media will be running year round and should be checked bi-monthly for the number of likes, shares, and followers. Comments should be checked weekly in order to provide quick customer satisfaction and maintain a good standing in the customers mindset. The student publications, university events, and bus ads run during school session and therefore should be measured monthly during their running time.

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3. Goal: Establish brand online Strategy: Leverage all online campaigns to communicate new position. Measurement:

• Measure traffic to web page and where the traffic is coming from (Facebook, Twitter, Google search, Yahoo search)

• Track hashtags and mentions on Twitter • Track the number of followers, likes, comments, shares • Survey in store and online through the use of print surveys and websites such as

surveymonkey.com that provide free, easy online surveys. Timeline: Online campaigns should be measured bi-monthly to track any potential positive or negative change. This will allow quick response but comment media should be checked weekly such as blogs or reviews. 4. Goal: Expand and increase customer base Strategy: Target experiencers (college students) Measurement:

• Record the number of first-time buyers. • Conduct an end of month sales comparison. • Measure number of likes, shares, and followers through social media platform. • Track the number of 21 year olds who participate in the birthday/drink promotion. • Track the number of coupons used.

Timeline: The number of first-time buyers will be monitored weekly along with the use of any promotions and coupons. Measurement of social media activity will done bi-monthly to check any fluctuations. Strategy: Target Harrisonburg Resident/Boomtown Singles Measurement:

• Conduct a survey through both print and online (surveymonkey.com). This will allow you to reach both local customers and traveling customers (tourists). In addition to being able to reach a large array of your customers, you can also cut cost by utilizing online surveys.

• Conduct an end of month sales comparison for any trends in the month-to-month sales.

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• Record the number of first-time buyers. You will want to compare this to your previous recordings to see if CubanBurger has had an increase in customers that have not previously visited the restaurant before.

• Survey residents to determine how they heard about CubanBurger (Bus ad, webpage, Facebook, Twitter etc.)

Timeline: Survey results will be reviewed on a weekly basis just as the number of first-time buyers. Things like coupons, promotion cards, etc., will be monitored on a bi-monthly basis. This will continue throughout the year because the residents are a consistent customer in Harrisonburg and their concerns and comments need to be met within a reasonable time. Strategy: Target Tourists/Travelers Measurement:

• Measure the amount of brochures taken from the Harrisonburg visitors’ center. This will allow you to know how many visitors are interested in CubanBurger.

• Monitor amount of online traffic to the website, blog, and review webpage. This will allow you to see if there has been an increase in potential interest that may be outside of the traditional Harrisonburg reach.

• Record the number of first-time buyers. Timeline: Brochure counts from the Harrisonburg visitors’ center will occur monthly to allow for any necessary restocking. Online traffic will be monitored bi-weekly. First-time buyers will be measured weekly. 5. Goal: Improve customer loyalty. Strategy: Implement a loyalty program Measurement:

• Track number of loyalty cards being punched each day as well as collect all completed punch cards. This will allow your company to gauge any increases or decreases in customers per week and per month as well as identify your most loyal customers. Names of repeat customers will be entered into an excel document and will be ranked based on number of visits.

• Track number of students visiting and redeeming certain drink specials. This will allow CubanBurger to evaluate its current offers and better measure the amount of college students visiting the restaurant.

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• Measure the total the number of customer opinion surveys completed and the number of total customers visiting to evaluate its effectiveness. This will allow you to see, comparatively, the proportion of customers who utilize this option.

• The coupons received from the customer surveys for new menu items should be tallied to keep track of how effective the coupons and survey are for encouraging returning customers.

• Track number of personalized emails being sent to not only measure number of people being exposed to different medias but to also track number of customers redeeming email offers in store.

Timeline: Customer opinion surveys and personalized emails will be implemented in June and will be continuous throughout the year and checked on a weekly basis. The customer punch cards and drink specials will start in August so that we can reach the college student market returning from summer and will continue throughout the entire year and be checked bi-monthly. 6. Goal: Increase sales by 7% (about $2,450) over the next year Strategy: Implement a rewards program Measurement:

• Track number of punches/ cards redeemed each day. This will allow you to see who is engaged in the program and truly loyal customers

• Track sales from month-to-month to monitor any fluctuations in sales. This will allow you to monitor if the rewards programs are working to increase your sales and customer retention.

Timeline: The customer punch cards should be monitored on a bi-monthly base. Sales should be tracked at the end of each month to help visualize any fluctuations. Strategy: Leverage all online campaigns to increase brand awareness Measurement:

• Monitor traffic to your web page, blog, reviews, etc. This will allow you to see if any increase or decrease in sales was due to changes in the online campaigns.

• Track sales from month-to-month to monitor any increases or decreases in sales. This will allow you to see if any changes you made to your web campaign have helped to increase revenue.

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Timeline: Monitor sales at the end of every month to allow yourself a visual of sales. Monitor your web page and online campaigns bi-weekly. This will allow you to make quick adjustments to information and anything that may not be benefiting CubanBurger.

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Cuban Burger Sample Questionnaire At CubanBurger we strive to bring you the best possible dining experience. In order for us to do so we would love to get your feedback. If you could take a minute to fill out this questionnaire it would be greatly appreciated. 1) How did you hear about CubanBurger? O A Friend O Webpage O Social Media O Internet O Advertisement O Other ___________________________________________________________________ 2) Were you pleased with your service? O Yes O No Comments:_________________________________________________________________________ 3) Where you pleased with your meal?

O Yes O No Comments:_________________________________________________________________________ 4) Would you dine with use again?

O Yes O No Comments:_________________________________________________________________________ 5) How can we improve your experience? Comments:_________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking part in this survey! We hope to see you again soon!

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Strategies

TacticsM

ayJune

JulyA

ugustS

eptember

October

Novem

berD

ecember

JanuaryF

ebruaryM

archA

pril

Leverage a positioning statm

ent and Key

Messages geared

toward target

audience

Create

Positioning

Statem

ent

Create K

ey M

essages

Com

parison C

ampaign

Advertising

CubanB

urger's difference from

other dow

ntown

Harrisonburg

restaurants through radioA

dversting C

ubanBurgers

difference from

fast food restaurants in H

arrisonburg radio

Student

Education

Cam

paignO

nline Media

College

Publications

University

Events

Alternative

Media

Leverage all online cam

paigns to com

mnicate new

position

Use social

media

website

blogbuzz m

arketingTarget E

xperiencers (C

ollege S

tudents)S

ocial Media

Student

publicationsU

niversity E

ventsH

arrisonburg Transportation (B

us Ads)

Target H

arrisonburg R

esident/Boom

tow

n Singles

Harrisonburg

Transportaion (B

us Ads)

New

sletterF

lyersR

adioTarget Tourist/Travelers

Prom

ote on S

ocial Media

Maintain

relationship with

Harrisonburg

Tourism C

enter and provide inform

ational brochures

Implem

ent a loyalty program

customer punch

cardsdrink specials for w

hen custom

er turns 21surveypersonalized em

ails