Advertising Strategy for

St. Francis CAREMallory Henkelman

Krystal SaulsberryAndrew Fines

Kate Feirick

History

Current and Past Marketing

St. Francis Community Animal Rescue and Education is a volunteer, nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization serving all of southern Illinois. They provide shelter and veterinary care to lost, unwanted and abandoned animals until they can be placed in a kind and loving home where they will be cared for in a safe and humane environment for the rest of their natural lives.

St. Francis also takes part in the community by educating the public about the importance of spaying and neutering pets in order to prevent undesired breeding and minimize the need for euthanasia. They also promote the adoption of animals as pets from supporting inhumane puppy and kitten mills, which contribute to overpopulation of domestic animals.

St. Francis opened its doors in Murphysboro, Illinois in June of 2006 after moving from Anna, Illinois due to flooding of their facilities. They currently have nine employees and approximately 30 volunteers. Volunteers include individuals from all walks of life, but primarily consist of retired individuals.

St. Francis is the only low-cost spade and neutering facility in the area, and also takes pride in the cleanliness of their facilities and quality of life of their animals. All animal bedding is laundered on a daily basis while each cage is being cleaned, typically while the animals play all day outside in the facility’s large playpens.

St. Francis has never done any form of advertising, mainly due to lack of funds. However, they do host a Spring Open House and Fall Fish Fry to both thank and keep in contact with their past donors and adopters. St. Francis also creates awareness by bringing signage and a few animals to PetCo every Saturday. On these Saturdays, the main goal for St. Francis is to have a presence in the community along with putting stress on keeping local dollars local. While they typically only get a few animals adopted while at PetCo, creating this awareness for the shelter brings in more traffic throughout the week.

Observational Research

On our visit to St. Francis, we were given a full tour of all of the facilities by the staff. The first area we were shown was the medical facility where animals with special needs were kept. The smaller dogs were kept in kennels in the main building with attendants close by at all times. We were then taken outside where we were shown the multiple fenced in outdoor play areas. Outside, there was also a series of buildings where the other animals were kept. The larger dogs were kept in separate buildings with larger kennel areas. Medium sized dogs and a separate room equipped with play areas and obstacles were in the next building. The final building we were shown was the puppy building. Overall, the facilities were a lot nicer than I expected. The operation was also considerably larger than we thought it would be. This is most likely due to the fact that St. Francis is one of the few no-kill shelters and they require more facilities to accommodate the growing number animals.

We also visited PetCo, where the animals are taken every other weekend to promote adoption of the animals. A surprising number of people showed up to see the animals and a few people even brought there own pets to socialize. St. Francis holds special promotions on certain weekends such as an all black dog event called “Black Out”. The event was to raise awareness of all the animals in the shelters, 65% of which are black.

The Humane Society of Southern Illinois had fewer facilities. We determined that this was because they are in fact a kill-shelter. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures, but there were only about 25 dogs and maybe 20 cats. The cats were all confined to small spaces whereas St. Francis had an entire cat room. They had some literature, but nothing that seemed overly promotional.

Focus Group SummaryWe conducted 4 separate focus groups. Each group had 4 to 5 subjects in them. The age range

for our focus group was 19-26. Our first topic for our focus groups was volunteering. When asked where they would volunteer, the first locations mentioned were children organizations, cancer organizations and homeless shelters. There was no mention of volunteering at an animal shelter. Self-fulfillment was the main reason participants gave for volunteering. One person said, “[It] makes me feel like I made a difference,” another person said, “I feel bad for the people, they need help.” There was an overall similar response from every respondent on this question.

After covering some general questions, we started to ask questions specifically about pets. All of our respondents agreed that they would adopt a pet; however, there are constrictions as a college student, such as having an extra financial responsibility and finding a place that allows pets. When asked about considering buying a pet, there were a variety of different answers on where participants would go. Places mentioned were a breeder, a family friend, and the Humane Society. Some of the reasons why they would consider the Humane Society are the price, cleanliness and treatment of the animals versus puppy mills. Conversely, one person said, “from a pet store, not a shelter because I have a conception that those pets have been abused in some way, and I don’t have time to train a traumatized pet.” Almost all the respondents said the main difference between a shelter and pet store is that an animal shelter has all the “reject pets” and pet stores have the “middle class” pets. However, one person mentioned, “a shelter gives more attention and affection to animals, whereas at a pet store, they are viewed as more of a product.” There were many strong views about this question. In one of the focus groups, it actually started a two-hour debate.

There were similar answers about what qualities they wanted in a pet, most of the qualities consist of loyal, cute, not shy, affectionate, protective and obedient.

We showed each focus group a photos of three different kinds of dogs and a cat. We asked the respondents, which animal stood out to them the most. The Collie had a tremendous response. Some of the responses to why people chose the Collie is because it “looks like a very beautiful dog.” Also because it was following a command from a trainer, so it looks obedient. One respondent liked the Boxer because it was short-. “Yorkies are stupid,” was the consensus on the third dog. The photo of the kitten was mostly ignored because the participants were dog lovers. Most of the respondents agreed that they would want a smaller dog because they do not need as much space as others dogs.

Towards the end of each focus group, we started to specifically ask about St. Francis. Most respondents were not aware of St. Francis. One respondent said he only knew of St. Francis because he lives down the street. Conversely, most respondents have heard of the Humane Society. Once informed what St. Francis was, we asked if they would consider donating or volunteering at a place like St. Francis, most respondents agreed they would be most likely volunteer. One respondent said they would like to donate but didn’t know if small donations were accepted.

Email Survey SummaryOur survey was conducted using

Google documents, and sent out to people in our target audience on February 24, 2011 via Facebook and email. We have received a total of 91 responses and which include 81 respondents from our specific target audience.

The demographics of our main respondents are: aged 18-27 years old, a college senior, female, most have an income ranging from nothing to about $200 every 2 weeks and live in Carbondale or Murphysboro. The majority were Caucasian and have never been married.

Overall, the prominent results of our survey told us that donating money to benefit animals is in the top 3 organizations people would choose to donate their money. Many respondents would donate to local charities rather then a national organization. Most people in our target audience can only donate spare change, or up to thirty dollars. They donate via donation boxes or when physically approached by people asking for donations.

Respondents in our target audience volunteer for two main reasons: to fulfill a requirement for an organization they are in or because they are passionate about the organization they are volunteering for.

When it comes to adopting the pet most (36) would consider adopting a pet and they would choose a dog who is affectionate, happy, playful, and young. It was shown that many people are not familiar with St. Francis CARE; only 17 of our participants even knew it existed, and only 7 have ever visited there before.

What type of organization would you consider donating money to? Organizations which....

Benefit animals

Promote ‘going green’

My church or church groups

Help unfortunate people in other countries

Use the money for research about diseases or other

medical purposes

Help unfortunate people in the USA

Benefit children

Other

54%

30%

33%

38%

59%

46%

63%

4%

Would you be more interested in donating money to a local or national organization?

Local

National

Don’t Know

Both

Why do you, or why would you consider volunteering at an organization?

To fulfill volunteer requirements for an organization or group I’m involved in

To pass time in a beneficial way

Because I was passionate about helping that particular organization

I was ‘volunteered’ by someone else

As a fun thing to do with a friend

Other

59%

35%

59%

11%

36%

3%

Would you consider adopting a pet?

Yes

No

83%

16%

Independent Media Usage InterviewWe conducted independent interviews with 20 SIUC students

ages 18-27 by approaching them on campus. We asked them about the type of media they use on a daily basis. Almost all the respondents said they use social media (Facebook, Twitter) at least once a day. Some people mentioned reading newspapers like the Daily Egyptian, Nightlife and Southern Illinoisan. They also mentioned listening to the radio, many referring to the stations CILFM and TAO.

From analyzing our interviews, we came to the conclusion that the most effective method to reach our target audience is to use an extensive amount of social media, place ads in local and college newspapers, and buy radio advertisements. Since St. Francis’ main medium use is the website, we recommend redesigning the website design to make it more user-friendly.

Competitive Analysis

The main competitors of St. Francis Care are Dee’s Pets, PETA, Goodwill, and the Human Society of Southern Illinois. Dee’s Pets and the Human Society are competitors for animal adoptions, and PETA and Goodwill are in competition for monetary donations. St. Francis has very reasonable pricing when it comes to the adoption of dogs and cats. The Human Society of Southern Illinois has prices that may seem a little bit cheaper (Dogs, $100.00 Cats,$80.00), the Humane Society’s price does not include the coast to spay and neuter the animal These costs are included at St. Francis, totally animals at $195 for a dog and $95 for a cat. The national non-profit organizations take in a lot more of the donations than the local pet adoption locations. Dee’s Pets sells their pets at a very high price compared to St. Francis, with an average price of $400.00 per dog. As far as perception, St. Francis is the least recognized, according to our survey, of all of the competitors. Only 17 of our respondents even are familiar with it. The philosophy of St. Francis is that they are a no-kill shelter compared to the Human Society that euthanizes their animals. St. Francis currently has no advertising, but do visit Petco every other Saturday, which helps create brand awareness and increase adoptions. The Human Society does not do much advertising; they do not even have a brochure. Dee’s Pets has television commercials running on local channels. PETA and Goodwill, being national organizations, have much larger advertising budgets due to receiving much larger donations. PETA does a lot of advertising, and are most popularly known for their, “I would rather go naked than wear fur,” campaign. Goodwill does some guerilla advertising, but not really much other than that.

In addition to the competitors listed above, all local non-profit organizations that are seeking donations or volunteers are also viewed as competitors.

PHILOSOPHY

St. Francis

Dee’s Pets

PETA

Goodwill

Humane Society

DESIGNSERVICES & PRICES

TREATMENT OF

ANIMALSVARIETY OF

ANIMALS

Dedicated to rescuing lost, unwanted & abandoned pets

Okay Design, Good Continutiy

Dogs $195Cats $95Spay/Neuter $35-40

Prices include spay & neuter

Multiple large play pens. Play outside all day, clean

facilities, trainingDogs, Cats

Staff members who are experienced pet owners & lovers

Great Design, Great Continuity

Puppies $300-500Clean store,

Animals kept in cagesDogs, Fish,

Birds, Rodents

Works to stop all animal cruelty.

Great Design, Great Continuity

N/A N/A N/A

Enhances the dignity and quality of life

of individuals.

Great Design, Great Continuity

N/A N/A N/A

Encourages spay & neutering of animals

Horrible Design, Bad Continuity

Dogs $100Cats $80

Spay/Neuter $35

Small play pen, Animals kept in cages

most of the day.Cats, Dogs, Rodents

Brand AnalysisSt. Francis has made an attempt to achieve

continuity in all of their promotional and informational material. The color scheme as well as the logo are consistent in all representations. The logo can be found on the buildings, company vehicles, brochures, and on the website.

The brochure could be updated to use a sleeker, more efficient layout. They could also include more detailed information. They should include information about how to donate. The logo on the brochure also needs to be put on the cover. More exposure of the logo will ultimately give the brand more recognition.

The facilities include a main building, which was originally built as a house. Inside, the building still looked very residential rather than as a professional business. Painting the interior of the buildings is recommended to create continuity throughout the facility and give it a more professional appeal.

The staff was overall very knowledgeable and friendly. The sales experience was personable and they were more than happy to answer any questions.

S • Low-cost spay and neutering• Clean facilities• Happy animals• Training of animals• Large Playpens• Good logo and color scheme• One of very few no-kill shelters

O • Ad campaign can create awareness and bring in more traffic

• Hosting events to generate traffic• More continuity with color scheme• Fundraiser can raise additional funds to

execute a plan to action

T • Competition from Humane Society, pet stores, and other animal agencies

• Lack of demand for adopted pets• Poor economic conditions

W • Out of business district• Hard to locate from road• Low brand awareness• “High” adoption prices

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Sales Objectives

Advertising Objectives

• Increase adoptions by 20% over the next year.

• Increase Market Share by 5% over the next year.

• Raise $500.00 at Music/BBQ Fundraiser.

• Specifically target and raise brand awareness with 18-27 year olds in Carbondale and surrounding areas through the duration of the campaign.

• Increase number of volunteers by 20% over the next year.

• Increase monetary donations by 10% over the next year.

Budget

Daily Egyptian $1431

Nightlife $900

CILFM $1458

KGMO $810

Social Media $442

Bus Benches $600

Dog Walker $293

Friday Night Fair $280 Inflatable Dogs $119.96

The budget for the campaign that we have come up with totals at $6,495.96 which is the bare minimum we suggest for an effective campaign. We kept the cost as low as possible because St. Francis CARE is a non-profit organization with a current advertising budget of $0.00.

Traditional Media Budget $ 4,599.00Non-Traditional Media Budget, $ 1,734.96Total Campaign: $6,495.96

Creative Strategy and Executions

“Get Happy!” is our big idea and will be consistent in our advertisements. There’s no happier time then the time you spend with an animal. St. Francis has some of the happiest animals in their shelter and by people volunteering at St. Francis CARE, they will be able to “Get Happy” by being able to interact and help out with the happiest dogs of St. Francis. The slogan “Get Happy” has another connotation as well. If someone came to St. Francis to adopt a pet, they can “get Happy” as in adopting a dog that’s name is happy or naming him or her happy once the dog is adopted in a loving home. We believe that this tagline really encompassed everything that St. Francis CARE stands for. Our goal is to not only maintain the happiness of the animals, but adopters, volunteers and employees as well.

The Big Idea:

Get Happy!

Media Flow Chart

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Radio

Students tend to listen to radio stations with today’s hits the most, but classic rock is also popular among students, particularly with males. For this reason, the majority of the radio budget should be placed on 101.5 CILFM, which plays today’s hits. 100.7 KGMO plays classic rock and is also a popular station among students. Ads should be placed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays because this is when most of the Greek life and RSOs have their meetings. Most of these clubs and organizations require mandatory community service hours, so students listening to the radio on these days will be reminded of the opportunity to volunteer. The majority of the ads should be placed on 101.5 CILFM because today’s hit are more popular among college students.

[Sound of dog barking]

GIRL 1: I love volunteering at St Francis CARE because it is a great place to go and relax after a long day of class and play with the animals.

GIRL 2: I love volunteering at St Francis CARE because it makes ME happy

ANN OUNCER: Come GET HAPPY by volunteering at St Francis Care in Murphysboro. 6228 Country Club Road.

[Sound of dog barking]

Newspapers

SIU students reported regularly reading newspapers. The newspapers most read by students are The Daily Egyptian and Nightlife. Both of these papers are free and can be found on campus and in businesses all around Carbondale. Ads in these papers are a great way to accurately reach our target audience. We suggest running weekly ads in the Daily Egyptian on Mondays and ads every other week in the Nightlife. The reason for this is the heavier following of the Daily Egyptian than the Nightlife among students. Running 2x3 black and white ads is the most cost effective way to reach the target audience.

Get Happy!

There’s no happier time than the time you share with an animal. Come volunteer with us to help keep them happy and healthy.

St. Francis Community Animal Rescue & Education6228 Country Club Road, Murphysboro • 618-687-2079

Get Happy!

There’s no happier time than the time you share with an animal. Come volunteer with us to help keep them happy and healthy.

St. Francis Community Animal Rescue & Education6228 Country Club Road, Murphysboro • 618-687-2079

Social Media

All of the students from our focus group and surveys use some form of social media. Most students reported using Facebook or Twitter on a daily basis. Both of these services are free unless someone is hired to update the sites. Volunteers or the staff already on hand can perform maintenance of the sites. Using social media sites is also a cost effective way to promote awareness year round.

Bus Bench Advertisements

One of our suggested non-traditional media is bus benches. Many students on Southern Illinois University campus use the bus service, the Saluki express, to get around to different places from the mall to the grocery store. Our idea is to place advertisements on the bus benches on four different popular saluki express bus stops. They are SIUC Student Center, Thompson Point, University Mall, and Southern Hills. We plan to have bus bench advertisements out for four months, August, September, April, May. The ads are $37.50 per month for non-profit organizations, which comes out in total of $600. The ad will read “Get Happy! There’s no happier time than the time you share with an animal. Come volunteer with us to keep them happy and healthy”.

Dog WalkerWe suggest to plan to have St. Francis volunteers walking dogs on SIUC campus once a week for 18 weeks through the months of August, September, April, and May from 11:30am-12:30pm. We chose this time because people are on lunch breaks between this time and many people will be out of class walking around campus and will see the dog walker. We also only made it an hour because we want to create buzz about St. Francis dog walkers being on campus and making it a word of mouth topic. We decided to pay the dog walker $8.50 an hour for amount of $153. We plan on having 10 dog walkers rotating throughout the 18 -week period, once a week. Each dog walker will have a light green t-shirt, which will say our slogan “Get Happy”, St Francis’ name and address on the front, and on the back it will say, “Help me! Ask me about how to volunteer for St. Francis CARE”. We believe this will be an effective guerrilla tactic to use because there are thousands of students walking on campus everyday, which will increase our exposure of people seeing the dog walker, and most people like dogs, so that will also create an incentive for people to looking in to what St. Francis CARE is about.

Friday Night FairTo create more brand awareness for St. Francis CARE, we recommend

purchasing a booth in Carbondale’s Friday Night Fair. This is a weekly event held every Friday night from April 22 to October 28 in Carbondale Town Square, which is located in the center of Carbondale.

To set St. Francis aside from other booths, we recommend that they rent booth #15 which has extra space on the side. This extra space can be filled with cages with animals that visitors can interact with and possibly even adopt on the spot. There will also be more probability for people to make donations if they can see in front of them what they are donating to.

Along with having animals at the booth, we recommend having promotional materials such as signage, fliers and brochures. Brochures should focus on information of what St. Francis is, and the fliers should focus more on how to get involved with donating to or volunteering for St. Francis.

As a treat to visitors, we recommend that St. Francis bring bags of “puppy chow” to hand out to anyone visiting the booth. Each bag should include St. Francis’ logo and the tagline “Get Happy!”

Total cost for renting the booth each week will be $280.

Space for Cages

Inflatable DogsTo create more brand awareness

and a buzz surrounding St Francis CARE, we recommend a guerilla campaign to take place on the SIUC campus. This event will be every other week in August-September and April-May, every other week in very populated areas of the campus.

To make this event happen we are suggesting they purchase 4 dozen inflatable dogs at 29.99 per dozen from partypalooza.com, and place advertisements for St. Francis around the necks of the dogs. We are recommending they place these dogs in places like the SIUC student center, WHAM education building COMM building, etc.

Along with having these dogs out we suggest they take them at night and put them away. Then they can choose a random day, the next time they put the dogs out to create an element of surprise to keep people guessing.

Total cost for this guerilla campaign is $119.96

Get Happy!Left your dog with

your parents?

Come visit the dogs at St. Francis CARE. Volunteers are always needed.

St. Francis Community Animal Rescue & Education6228 Country Club Road, Murphysboro • 618-687-2079

Strategies for Evaluation

It is important to evaluate the advertisements we are using to determine what is working with people. We will evaluate the effectiveness of our advertisements by doing concurrent testing during our campaign by counting and evaluating the number of new volunteers per month. We will first start off with obtaining the number of volunteers that regularly go to St. Francis. Then we will measure the number of new volunteers per month and then go back and look at the advertising that took place that month and measure its effectiveness. Through this testing we can see what is working and what is not working in the campaign. Then we can decide if we want to make any changes or not to the remainder of the campaign year, or for the next year.