Advertising and Communications – Final Assignment

Table of Contents

Define your product 2

What is its function? 3

What problem or opportunity does it solve? 4

What is its name? 7

Reaching your audience 8

Who is your target audience? 9

What drivers will they respond to? 10

Delivering the message 11

What Integrated Marketing Communications mix will you select? 11

What specific media will you use? 14

Regulatory issues 15

What regulatory or trade association issues or restrictions do you operate under? 15

Final Campaign 16

Present a completed example of an advertising/commercial/alternate media campaign. 16
As we saw with the pre-assignment, the desserts are very diversified and can be eaten in different way: eat-in or take away, drink or eat, fruity or nature, for adults or children… This is a large subject and many actors are already implanted. Thus, in such a competitive environment, it is important for a new brand to be different: to offer a new concept in order to position the brand as the new favorite dessert in the consumer’s mind.

Define your product

According to a study managed by MedecineNet.com, United States’ children and teenagers do not eat enough fruits[1]. Moreover the obesity rate in the United States grew up last decades: ““Over the last three decades, obesity rates among children and adolescents have nearly tripled,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD. “Obese children are more likely to have asthma, depression, diabetes, and other serious and costly health problems.”[2]
The concept of my product is to create and sell pure fruits with the appearance of food liked by children. For instance, the first product to be launched will be pieces of apple with the form and the color of French fries. That means that fresh apples will be cut into thick slivers and naturally colored in yellow (French fries’ color) in order to look like real French fries. The goal is to surprise the children with a tasty product instead of fat and calorie content food.
Indeed, it is important to teach to the youth that eating fruit is sane, unlike to fries and fat aliments. The idea of the brand is to show to the children that fruits are tasty by attracting them with aliments they are used to eating. Trying it will open their mind to different flavors and show them that appearance can cheat: this is a way to incent the children to eat new flavors. Thus the product will fight obesity and by the way other illnesses implied: asthma, depression, diabetes, and other serious and costly health problems.
Moreover, these apple pieces will be packed in a biodegradable and also recylced carton because this is a current issue and they have to be aware of the consequences of their consumptions. Furthermore, this package allow the kid to take the dessert away and eat it at school or when playing outside with friends.

What is its function?

The function of the product is to be a convenient and sane dessert.
The concept of the product has several advantages. Indeed, the first advantage observed by the consumer when buying the product is the handiness: the apple pieces can be eaten anywhere. At home or at school, playing in a park or jogging in a street, these fruits can be kept in the pocket, schoolbag or a purse. Thus, the customer can eat wherever and whenever he decides.
One more advantage is the quality of the product: the apples chosen will be fresh fruits good for the health of the consumer, grown in Washington State, the most important producer of the United States. Indeed, according to a report from the Economic Research Service, in July 2011: “Washington State currently produces over half the Nation’s domestically grown apples and has been the leading apple-growing State since the early 1920s”[3] . This is the second function of the product. To open the mind of children - and even teenagers – by showing them that many tastes exist. This is an original way to fight bad nutrition - and thus obesity – in the United States. The product can even be defined as a tool for the children’s education and help their parents to teach the importance of eating healthy.
Finally, the last added value of these apple pieces is to biodegradable and recycled packaging. This is also part of the product’s function: be aware of the consequences of our consumption. The product takes care of the environment by using recycled material to make the packaging so as not to take part of the deforestation. Furthermore, this packaging is biodegradable in order not to pollute the environment. This packaging allows communicating and promoting the citizenship’s responsibility and awareness.

What problem or opportunity does it solve?

The product is very uncommon and even its concept is unusual. But the roots of the creation of this product are not the willing to be original but the willing to deal with a serious issue, by positioning our product in an empty segment, or at least, less competitive.

|Strengths: |Weaknesses: |
|Innovative Product |Very competitive market owned by very strong brands |
|Easy to consume |Desserts= very diversified and segmented market. Hard to be |
|Healthy and committed to fight bad nutrition: “Educational |present on several segment for a new brand. |
|Product” | |
|Good quality products, very tasty | |
|Opportunities: |Threats: |
|Growth of obesity in the US |Difficulties to get visibility among all the products |
|National plan for better nutrition |Misunderstanding of the product characteristics (it is not |
|Growing worry of the population to know what they eat |French fries with an apple taste) |

We can see on the table above that the main opportunity is to position the product as an anti-junk food. As it may be hard to become strong due to a low visibility among lots of different products, this dessert needs to have a real a deep difference from its competitors. That is why the fight educational product could be the real innovative concept which could permit the product to be known.

Indeed, as we can see on the graphic below, there is a segment we can exploit in order to answer to a customer issue:

As we can see, there are not a lot of desserts able to provide both practical and healthy advantages. There is a segment available: even if we can find healthy desserts to take away for children, they have not the same position in the consumer’s mind. This new product presented in this report is really a tool which aims at helping parents in the education of their children by showing them that eating healthily is good and easy. The final goal is that the child will eat healthily by himself.
Moreover, our main competitors will be stewed fruit to take away, especially created for children. However stewed fruit are not as healthy as real fruits because there are some additives to conserve the stew. That is why it is very important to position our dessert as the healthiest one, but still easy to take away.
Indeed, worries about the healthiness of our food are growing in most of developed countries. Most of Americans are concerned by this issue and they are even more concerned when it is about their children’s nutrition. As we saw, we definitely fit with this worry. Furthermore, kids and children do not eat what does not seem visually attractive. With this new concept, they will be more convenient to try the new product, and should be surprised on how good it is! The fresh apples used are the best quality product we can find in the United States. The eternal problem of “how can I make my child eat healthily?” or “He does not want to eat this because it does not seems good” or even “my kid does not want to have dessert because he is on a hurry” is over. This new product seems appetizing, looks like kid’s favorite food and can be taken away! This dessert meets the current needs of the consumers and benefit from the opportunity of food in the United States and the health worries of the population.

What is its name?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The name of this new product is “Fruity Fries?”. This is very simple. By the way, it is necessary to be very simple. As it is a new concept, the consumers need to understand what this product is when reading the name. Thus with “Fruity Fries?” the product captures the attention of the prospect. “Is this fries with a fruity taste?”. The question mark in the end of the name is very important. It allows the consumer to doubt and then read the packaging to understand what it is. Moreover, the question tag is the symbol of the brand willing: through the consumption of this product, the consumer should wonder how healthy his family’s nutrition is, what are the consequences of their consumption… This question tag enhances the questions the consumers will ask to finally be aware of the importance of eating healthily. Then he will understand the message of “Fruity Fries?” and that it is a tool able to help parents in educating their children.

Reaching your audience

In this case, the target audience is not so easy to define. Indeed, even if the product is meant to be finally consumed by children between 8 and 15, it is important to define who take the purchasing decision. The communication will be very different whether it is addressed to the children – who can convince their parents to buy their favorite product – or the parents who are responsible from the nutrition of their children and so purchasing advisor.
Thanks to the scheme above, we can understand the strategy and define the target audience: the name “Fruity Fries?” is meant to draw the consumer’s attention to make him think about the product. Here, the purchasing advisor seems to be more likely to get interested by the product than the children. Then, once the consumer understands the product, he may like the concept and the objective is to convince him to prefer “Fruity Fries?” with the message conveyed: responsibility, health, education… Here again the purchasing advisor will feel concerned. Finally the purchasing dvisor has the responsibility to act and purchase.

Who is your target audience?

Thus, according to the identity of the product and the message conveyed, it seems obvious to target the mothers between 35 and 50, with medium revenues and with children between 8 and 15. The audience is worried about the food quality and needs to know what is in. The audience is willing to pay more for a good quality product. Our target audience is compounded of consumers primarily motivated by ideals, knowledge and principles. Indeed, nowadays in the United States most of the mothers go shopping and purchase food for the whole family. That is why they are responsible for the good nutrition of their family. They represent the target core of the product because it would be very difficult to convince a kid to ask for “Fruity Fries?” by telling him it is good for your health. By contrast, the mothers are very careful and will understand and be affected by the message. This target audience is mainly external. The target core believers because they are very respectful of the rules and authority. Our product will be able to spare the government message and be associated the government ads to incent people to eat healthily.

What drivers will they respond to?

The consumer decision is influenced by drivers. “Fruity Fries?” aims at responding to several of them: - Education: the product will be positioned as a tool to help the parents in teaching the children how to eat sanely - Values: The packaging is environmental friendly. The product spares values of responsibility, environment conscious, and health awareness - Family: The purchasing advisor of our product eels responsible for the nutrition of its family. It is important to pay more in order to offer its family good products. - Life Style: The audience is aware of the current issues: environment, food, health… That is why they adopt a behavior, a life style which allows them to respect all these values.
Here is the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

According to this hierarchy, we can define our product as a biological and physiological need, that is to say the primary need. The drivers which will incent the consumer to buy “Fruity Fries?” are both the need of food and health. Moreover, the esteem need is a second driver because the target audience represents people who feel responsible, aware. That is why we can apply an added value on our product because it is healthy and “educational”.

Delivering the message

The message strategy of the communication has one objective: behavior by including anxiety. This is important for the brand to feat the people, to say that this new product will help them fighting a real and strong threat. That is why anxiety ads will be used.

What Integrated Marketing Communications mix will you select?

In order to sell “Fruity Fries?” it is important to integrate a specific marketing communications mix so as to be efficient. Here is below a detailed strategy of the marketing mix:
|Product Positioning |
|Target: |Believers with children between 8-15 |
| |Medium revenues, able to afford expensive product if the added value fits with its own values|
|Product Position: |Innovative, committed product for the health. High range product |
|Differentiate Product: |Strongly involved in health issues |
|Projected Sales: |Profit Margin = Net Profit/Net Sales |
| |Target Net profit margin of 10% |
| |Desired net profit is $60,000 a year (5000 per month) |
| |Net sales for one year equals = $60,000/10% = 600.000 |

The product will be presented like this: [pic]
The plastic is made of recycled materials and the product will be sold in biodegradable cartons of 10 units, 150 grams per unit which is the average weight of an apple. We cannot see it on the picture above but the apple pieces will be colored to really look like French fries.

Price positioning

Our strategy is to place our product as a high range one. That is why we can afford being expensive due to the added value we will create. Thus, a pack of ten 150g sachets will be sold $14.95. Then our target audience will consider us as different from all the low prices desserts. That is why this is important to keep a high price. This product is from a better quality than its competitors and really conveys a strong message.

Promotion

Several ways allow us to gain positive publicity. First, to promote the launch of the new dessert, an article about healthy desserts will be written in a TV magazine (read by our audience). Moreover, we will provide 10 000 units of our product to hospital and for free, and we will invite local TV to speak about this event. This is a way to explain that we want to fight against junk food and our product is a good way to start. Finally we will sponsor events or seminars in schools against obesity. The two first weeks after the launch, discount will be offered on our website if people win an online game explaining the importance to be aware about what people eat. A forum will also be available on this website. To finish a OOH communication campaign will sustain the promotion of “Fruity Fires?”. A QR code will be printed on the back of the package and will refer to the product’s website where consumers can find useful information about food.

Place

The dessert will be sold in supermarkets because most of people buy desserts here. Furthermore, bakery will be the second place to buy the product. The goal for the first year is to sell our product in New-York: Manhattan and Brooklyn first. Then expand the product to the main cities united states within the next 5 years. This product will be placed in the dessert section of the supermarkets.

What specific media will you use?

The selection of media is very important for the promotion of the product. The target audience represents the women between 35 and 50 with medium revenues but with strong moral values and willing to spend more in order to offer better products to her family. However for the launch of the product it seems relevant to communicate to the target audience (purchasing advisor) but also to the children in order to gain notoriety and create a kind of buzz in the families. Furthermore, the message intended for the adults will deal with their worries, fear them about the situation. However, concerning the kids, the problem will be explained through games and ludic activities in order to both distract and teach them. To keep in accord with the established strategy, the media below were selected:

- Health Magazines: Article on children nutrition nowadays, the importance of eating fruits and the growth of obesity in the US. The author is a known doctor in the US who advises people to take a sane dessert, even to take away. - Youth Magazines: An ad on a whole page represented by a game like a labyrinth where a kid must find his way in order not to be ill. Through the way, he will meet ice cream, cakes, and other fat desserts leading to obesity. Finally, to win the game, the kid must eat “Fruity Fries?” so as to keep in form. To select these two magazines is a good choice because it allows selecting a target magazine with the most relevant audience. Moreover, a magazine can be lent, read by lots of people. These magazines will convey one ad/article per week during the month after the launch of the product. - Poster Campaign in New York. This campaign will be explained in the last question. This choice is relevant because it allows touching the audience by selecting the places of the ads on the way of our target. Then they are surprised to see the ad on their way and can think about it all the day long and also on the way back. This kind of promotion is efficient for punctual events: we will use it during the week before the launch of the product. These media are complementary and offer visibility to the product – that was a threat of the product, in the analysis on the 3rd question.

Regulatory issues

What regulatory or trade association issues or restrictions do you operate under?

The company will operate under the Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of New York (NYCRR) authority, more precisely under the department of health[4]. Most of restrictions will depend on this authority. The packaging of the product must be soft in order not to injure children; the coloration of the apple (in yellow) must be natural and eatable.
Concerning the ad, according to the New York Press Association[5], we have to make sure not to mislead our audience on the characteristics of the product. We have to be very clear in the explanations of the concept.

Final Campaign

Present a completed example of an advertising/commercial/alternate media campaign.

For the media campaign, the final goal is to become a top of mind brand as for the healthy and tasty desserts. To succeed, the plan is to position the product on a less competitive segment and gain visibility by promoting it on different media. The strategy selected is to create anxiety ads in order to warn people, induce anxiety and worry, to provoke the purchasing act. As explained above, the media chosen are two magazines and a poster campaign (OOH). First the magazines: we chose to use magazines because the visual ads take more importance. First, we will pay for an ad in New York Magazine. It is very famous in the New York all reach our audience. Furthermore we planned to write an article with Dr Charles May, very famous in the USA, to justify our message. He is a symbol and should have a lot of influence on families. Moreover the press leave us promote the product on two channels. Indeed we also plan to create different games in YC Teen Magazine. Funny and ludic. Finally we will ask the actress of twilight Kristen Stewart, symbol of the youth, to testify on what is her beauty secret. The answer will be on the ad on the next page: “Fruity Fries?”
Obviously, this project requires money. After contacting the magazines and the guest stars, we can say that these two ads, and articles, will cost $500.000 per magazine. So, the total costs $1.000.000 for the press promotion. This will take place during one month each, from the launch of the product. Moreover discount ticket will be available on these magazines. This last project should cost $200.000 to the company.

One week before the launch of the product, a big street poster campaign after analyzing the streets and places taken by our audience. This campaign will cost $700.000 to the company. The ads used for the posters and in the magazines will be shocking by showing, on the third of the middle, a kid hesitating between a “Fruity Fries?” on the left hand, and an ice cream on the other hand. On the third on the right, a list of diseases – due to bad nutrition- is written in a mess, on the walls of a dark bedroom. That means the kid has no friend, does not move enough and stay in his bedroom all day long On the left third, just a sun rising on a park: the future seems more attractive. One sentence written in the middle bottom: “Fruity Fries? It matters”. With finally written above: “Accredited by the national healthy food plan of the government”.

The advertisement is thus very clear. People driving have enough time to read the ad and understand it. Moreover after reading the articles in the magazines, this ad should have a lot of impact on the consumers.

Pre-Assignment

Competitive Analysis of Actual Products

Competitive Analysis #1 Name Of Product: P’tit Dros Parent Company: Andros Main Features: • P’tit Dros is a fresh stewed fruit contained in a 100 g flask, easy to drink and to take away. • Several flavors are available: apple, apple/apricot, apple/pear… • Playful orientation: funny mouths and smiles are drawn on the packs. When put in front of the mouse, they make comic faces. Target Audience: The consumers of this product are children (boys and girls) between 4 and 10 years old. Slogan: « Trop fort de fruit! » We can translate it as « Very Strong in Fruits » Advertising: • First, the packaging: the smiles on the packs are meant to please to the children. The packs become toys. • Then, to promote his product, Andros animated a 20 days roadshow in 8 cities in France. They hang out one hundred thousand samples of P’tit Dros. During the roadshow they proposed an application able to recognize the children –thanks to a video camera- and allow them to interact with the screen (augmented reality) and be in the shoes of the characters drawn on the product. • Finally, the created a mobile application for Iphone and Android so that the children can be familiar and play with the Andros universe. Strengths and Weaknesses of the advertising: Their main strength is the multi-channel communication: the channels are selected to fit with children habit. However, the weakness lies in the message: they speak to the child whereas the parents are the buyers.
Competitive Analysis #2 Name Of Product: La Laitière, crème chantilly chocolat Parent Company: Nestlé Main Features: • Nestlé combines a chocolate mousse with a Chantilly cream • A traditional and light dessert • A very simple packaging and glass jars Target Audience: The main targets are rather wealthy people able to afford tasty and high quality dessert. Women are especially targeted because they buy food for their family, most of the time. Slogan: « Son petit pot restera dans l'histoire » which can be translated as « Its jar will be reminded » Advertising: The TV ads of La Laitière are known to show a very traditional know-how. We can see a women patiently cooking to make the dessert and make everybody happy around the yoghourts. This is part of global strategy which aims at positioning La Laitiere as high quality product. Strengths and Weaknesses of the advertising: Their strategy allows them to create an added value upon their product and sell these products more expensive. However, communicating on their traditional yoghourts may prevent them from varying their products.
Competitive Analysis #3 Name Of Product: Yolado Parent Company: Danone Main Features: • A yoghourt based on fresh milk and fruits which can be conserved in the freezer and become an ice cream • It is a mix between a yoghourt and an ice cream Target Audience: Slogan: “Quand le yaourt deviant crème glacée dans votre congélateur!” which can be translated as “When the yoghourt becomes an ice cream in your freezer” Advertising: The only advertising created for this product is on the packaging: the slogan is meant to explain the whole concept. Strengths and Weaknesses of the advertising: This is a cheap way to communicate and it allows making the customer understand the main characteristic of the product. However, this type of communication does not allow earning quick good reputation and the target is limited the buyer, who can be different from the consumer.

Pre-Assignment Bibliography:
Product #1
Nadia Sahel, 27/04/2012, P’tit Dros d’Andros http://www.cpourlesparents.com/news-actualite/cuisine/gourdes-compotes-ptit-dros-andros.html
Emilie Kovacs, 31/05/2012, Andros crée P'tit Dros pour les 4-10 ans http://www.e-marketing.fr/Breves/Andros-cree-P-tit-Dros-pour-les-4-10-ans-46706.htm José Roda, 17/09/2012, Kinect : plus fort que le tactile http://www.e-marketing.fr/Breves/Kinect-plus-fort-que-le-tactile-48478.htm Product # 2
Author : n.a., 10/09/2012, Fitness Yaourt vanille et fraise : Nouvelle marque de yaourt 2012 http://www.nouveautes-conso.com/92-fitness-yaourt-vanille-et-fraise-nouvelle-marque-de-yaourt-2012.html Product # 3
Jean-François Arnaud, 16/05/2012, Danone va vendre des yaourts à mettre au congélateur http://www.challenges.fr/entreprise/20120516.CHA6430/danone-va-vendre-des-yaourts-a-mettre-au-congelateur-pour-les-transformer-en-creme-glacee.html Author : n.a., 27/05/2012, La marque Danone lance le « Yolado », un yaourt conçu pour être congelé http://www.ouillade.eu/economie/barcelone-la-marque-danone-lance-le-yolado-un-yaourt-concu-pour-etre-congele/15737 Final Assignment Bibiliography :

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=151964, Cari Nierenberg, CDC: Teens Don't Eat Enough Fruits and Veggies, WebMD Health News, November 23rd, 2011

http://www.growingproduce.com/article/24834/boosting-kids-consumption, David Eddy, Boosting Kids' Consumption, Growing Produce, February 10th, 2012

http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/118496/fts34701.pdf, E.Slattery, M.Livingston, C.Greene, and K.Klonsky, US Department of Agriculture, Characteristics of Conventional and Organic Apple Production in the United States, July 2011

http://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/nycrr/title_10/part_14/subpart_14-1.htm, Department of Health, Part 14, Subpart 14-1, Food Service Establishments

http://www.newyorkpressassociation.com/MemberServices/GovernmentAffairs/AdvertisingRulesRegulations.aspx, New York Press Association, Advertising Rules & Regulations, Alice Lucan, MDDC Legal Hotline Attorney

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[1] http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=151964, Cari Nierenberg, CDC: Teens Don't Eat Enough Fruits and Veggies, WebMD Health News, November 23rd, 2011
[2] http://www.growingproduce.com/article/24834/boosting-kids-consumption, David Eddy, Boosting Kids' Consumption, Growing Produce, February 10th, 2012

[3] http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/118496/fts34701.pdf, E.Slattery, M.Livingston, C.Greene, and K.Klonsky, US Department of Agriculture, Characteristics of Conventional and Organic Apple Production in the United States, July 2011
[4] http://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/nycrr/title_10/part_14/subpart_14-1.htm, Department of Health, Part 14, Subpart 14-1, Food Service Establishments
[5] http://www.newyorkpressassociation.com/MemberServices/GovernmentAffairs/AdvertisingRulesRegulations.aspx, New York Press Association , Advertising Rules & Regulations, Alice Lucan, MDDC Legal Hotline Attorney

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Health Respectful Dessert

Free Area

Desserts to Take Away

Eat-in Desserts

Ice Cream

Health Disrespectful Dessert