Cypress School of SkatingPitch Book

December 2014- December 2015

Jennifer Losie, Sara Richardson, Jesse Foster, and Reuben Chmielewski

Miranda DaviesOctober 28th, 2014

Table of Contents

4 Panoramic Advertising

5 Executive Summary

6 Review of Marketing Plan

8 Inustry Background

9 Buyer Analysis

10

12

Promotional Program Situation Analysis

13IMC Objectives and Strategies

11

Competitive Review

Measurement and Evaluation14Positioning and Campaign Theme

15

16

Creative: Print Media

18

Creative: Web Design

20

Creative: Partnership

22

Conclusion

Appendices

PANORAMICADVERTISING

“Looking at every angle, to help gain the best exposure for our clients”

Executive Summary

Our marketing strategy for the Cyprus School of Skating, presents a thorough, start-to-finish plan, to gain more awareness, which in turn will lead to more lifetime members.

In order to achieve the goal of an increase in class enrolment of 20 percent over 12 months, we will be proving an advertising campaign that will be appealing to both the children and their parents.

As a commencement point our team conducted a survey to test the satisfaction of our client’s product, by their clients. It also aimed to identify areas that the school could improve its service offerings. The survey which was distributed to both new and existing parents, had very positive results. We were able to identify a high satisfaction rating from all those who attend the school. This was indicated by not only repeat business and a high level of retention, but a significant amount of parents initially hearing about the school through a positive word of mouth referral. Although word of mouth is a powerful method of advertising, many of the parents didn’t know the school existed before someone physically told them. They also advised that they would be frequent any store that offered discounts in conjunction with school for their equipment. The newsletter, was one of the final points mentioned in the survey. Parents indicated that they not only valued it for its practicality but would also be open to have a student month award in it. This information has been used to develop the theme for our campaign.

Our aim is to use a multi-pronged approach to raise awareness of the school through cost effective methods. We believe with increased community exposure, the school can experience growth in its class attendance. The time period of the plan is for the duration of twelve months which would include advertising through; Printed Media, Web Design, and through the development of a Partnership with a sporting goods store in Medicine Hat. The variety of our contact points allows you to get the most out of an advertising campaign.

Review of Market Plan

Our marketing plan starts with a focus of gaining the attention of new potential students. Through an updated website, and various forms of print advertising, we aim to lead your potential clients through the steps of raising their attention to your products, to becoming a new client for you. We wanted to start with how you would become aware of the school, and since you already have such a great word of mouth output we decided to focus on print advertising in newspapers and Elementary school newsletters. The aim is to get the parents and the children aware of the possibilities, of what they can become when they join Cypress School of Skating. Since the children are the first ones to see the ad, we want to focus on how they will progress and how they will look once they reach the higher levels. By showing them how they will look like a dancer twirling on the ice, or a hockey player scoring the last goal. Children often picture themselves in a future setting so they tend to jump towards what they will feel like on the ice. We are then appealing to the parents by showing them the confidence and progression that they experience in the program.

We moved on next to the secondary point of contact which is normally a website. After most initial contacts with an audience they often look to websites for more information. The current website has a good backbone structure, it just needs to be simplified and flow easier, so the required information, is easily retrieved. Studies show that if a page doesn’t load in 5 seconds, or, if the researcher can’t find what they need in under 3 minutes, they will disregard and look elsewhere for the information. So by creating a flowing website, we are able to help your potential client access the information they require in a timely fashion.

Our third mode of contact is to set up a partner relationship with a sporting store in the city. By partnering with a sporting goods store you are then able to recommend their business and have them recommend yours. We aim to establish a place in town to send your students to get their equipment where they can get discounts on equipment. In turn you refer customers to their store thus helping them to gain more clients. We anticipate that once established, the two businesses in conjunction could sponsor events, which we suggest will drive up awareness for both partners.

Industry Background and Company Snapshot

Cypress School of Skating was started in 1987 by a group of parents. Their aim was to create a skating program that provides a solid foundation in basics. Once the foundation was there, this could then be applied by its attendees who intended on pursuing other skating related activities. This includes but is not limited to; figure skating, hockey, ringette and power skating. The current slogan put out by the school is “Building excellence in skating”, emphasizing the overall theme of progress and learning to skate. The non-profit school is led by a board of directors and dedicated, skilled coaches who have a passion for skating.

Over the course of the last thirty years, Cypress School of Skating has steadily increased their membership, starting from twenty skaters and making their way up to 100 members and climbing. As of late, according to one of the head coaches, their membership has reached 290 members. While the school’s current marketing mix using advertising in various mediums, including sales promotions, public relations, and internet marketing, the school is not receiving quite as many new registrars as before.

Their current target market is 7-9 year old children, whose parents are of upper-middle class and can afford to dedicate the time, energy, and finances needed for the sport. Many members reside in Medicine Hat, however, there are times when older skaters may come to Cypress School of Skating simply for the instructor’s knowledge and teaching techniques.

Buyer Analysis The primary demographic we are targeting is the parents of the students. The parents are the ones who ultimately will be making the decision and paying for the equipment and lessons. The parents would be approximately ages 30-45, their children would be younger between the ages of 5 and 12. They would be of an upper middle class with enough financial support to put their children into a sport that requires more of a financial dedication. The secondary demographic would be the children, between the ages of 5-12. They are equally as important in the buying process as they would be the ones who are influencing to make the purchase decision.

A website + Gives members and parents the information they really need + #1 result on search engines for “Medicine Hat Skating” - Needs tidying up - Takes average 8 seconds to load (the slower the load time, the less likely people will use it) A billboard sign by the leisure center - Over 50% of surveyed people have not seen the sign (or remembered it) + Members love the coaching staff; say they’re very approachable + Most ice time for skating schools + Monthly newsletter is read and found useful - People are only looking for the club when they need the service + Updated Facebook page (183 Likes)

+ Social media pages; semi-updated (121 Likes) + Open to the public; invites bookings for birthday parties - Competing for ice time with Medicine Hat Tigers hockey team - Does not have a website dedicated to the club - No other known advertising mediums

- Broken website; will not load + Social Media; semi-updated (117 Likes) + Twitter; rarely updated (51 Followers) - No other known advertising mediums - Two Facebook pages; the first one on Google has no content and only 42 Likes

Competitive ReviewCypress School of Skating

Redcliff Skating Club

Medicine Hat Skating Club

Promotional Program Situation Analysis Looking back at the previous marketing campaigns and tools used by Cypress School of Skating, there is a lot of information to use as starting point of our promotional strategy. Our initial search identified that the current the website has a lot of hierarchies and information going on at once. By making it simpler and easier to flow through, the viewer will be able to spend more time on the website and retain more information to use in their decision process. As mentioned previously the current website has a good backbone. It does however, needs more revisions on how it should flow, and what the ultimate hierarchy should be.

Previous printed media has strong aesthetics, with the use of photography which enables the viewer to visualize the grace and beauty of skating which inspires them to become that person. Analyzing the legal sized poster, it uses many images that make the eye wander rather than focus on the message. Without creating a hierarchy the message becomes mute because the eye is confused as to what it’s looking at. By applying that much information at once tends to overload the viewer and causes them to skip over it.

Our objectives for you are mainly to get more public awareness over and above word of mouth, to get new members. You already have a high attendance based on word of mouth and good reviews. Our goal is for those who haven’t heard of your school to gain awareness of your services. Once they contact you we feel you already have the necessary things in place to retain them. By covering the majority of the contact points, you will be able to widen your scope which in turn will convert in gaining as much needed exposure. We also want to educate the potential client, so they feel more comfortable spending their money on the lessons. The aim is to have the audience feel comfortable and know that they’ll like the lesson, before they even attend the first one.

IMC Objectives and Strategies

Positioning and Campaign Theme Our theme falls in line with the schools focus on learning the fundamentals. “Get back to basics”, is the slogan that we intend to use. The aim is to identify the school as a place where the fundamentals are not only taught, but taught well.

Our positioning is intended to be in elementary school newsletters, the local newspaper and at a successful sports store in Medicine Hat. Our rational for this is parents tend to read their children’s newsletter, the local newspaper and at some stage will be purchasing sports equipment for their child.

Measurement and Evaluation Our measurements are simple. We aim to increase class attendance by 20% in 12 months. Based on current numbers this would be at least 24 more students. We anticipate that current attendees will remain constant.

The idea of having small printed advertisements was to reach a wider audience in a cost-effective manner. The ads depict various forms of skating and relay a clear message about getting back to the fundamentals of skating, the mission of Cypress School of Skating. The ads would reach the parents of students at elementary schools through the monthly school newsletters, providing the name of the school and a website to find more information. It would also be advisable to include one of the ads in the Medicine Hat News, as most parents have access to newspapers either online or still have it delivered.

Small banner ads in newspapers or newsletters are cost-effective in that they can be printed on a mass scale and seen by anyone who holds the paper in their hand. It is a physical object that can be passed on from person to person, so even people who do not receive newspapers or newsletters have a chance of seeing the ad. The ads designed are set in black and white so they will be clear on any kind of paper, but yet not look like a photocopied version of an ad with blurred, unclear details.

Panoramic Advertising has laid out a series of banner ads that can be rotated by Cypress School of Skating. This aims to showcase all of the possible results, which could come from taking fundamental skating classes. The banner ads are simple, but are very crisp and clear in their message of “Get back to basics”. The logo for Cypress School of Skating is not hidden or compromised by the other elements in the ad and the hierarchy of each banner ad is clear, guiding the viewer to each element. The other square ads utilize photos taken from the school during practices and performances to showcase their students. These youths taking part in this sport are highlighted and speak to other youths who may be unsure in their own ability to take part in the sport. The photos document the potential for young skaters and would inspire young skating enthusiasts to question their parents about this possibility. Today’s parent would look into any option to get their children active, and participating in groups to maintain healthy living. Even if the parents do not think their child will enjoy the sport, the idea is still in their mind and may come back at a different time.

Any professional figure skater or hockey player began with learning how to skate; the basics of skating. This key feature is what Cypress School of Skating is all about and should be emphasized in the print ads with slogans relating to starting with the beginning steps (or first glides) of skating.

Creative Recommendations-Printed Media

Get Back to Basics

http://www.csos.ca/

Get Back to Basics

http://www.csos.ca/

http://www.csos.ca/

Even the best�gure skaterstarted with

the basics

Register now athttp://www.csos.ca/

Building excellence in skating

Creative Recommendations-Web DesignPanoramic felt that it was important to address the schools webpage to help attract new skaters to the club. We are primarily targeting parents with the redesign, hoping to make a more stylish and easy to navigate space. A website is generally one of the first things a potential customer will look. The Cypress School of Skating is the first hit on Google, Bing and Yahoo. Once a person reaches the website it is important that they are able to find what they are looking for with ease. From someone looking for the latest news and updates on the club, trying to register their child, or simply wanting to view photos from the last big event, it is important that the site user is able to get to where they want to be as quickly as possible.

This is why the goal of the website redesign is not just to make it more visually pleasing but to improve ease of use. The current website has a lot going on and there is not much of a hierarchy implemented. There is a lot of important content throughout the pages but some of it is harder to locate than it could be. This tends to leave the user confused and less willing to navigate the pages to find what they were looking for. In the end this results in less people registering with the school simply because they were unable to find what they were looking for.The new design is focusing on a new simplified formula. Not only is it cleaner and a bit more eye catching, it has been vastly reorganized. We have taken out as well as combined likeminded pages to reduce some of the clutter. We have also made it easier to locate the most important aspects on the webpage.

Web Site- Top Page

Web Site- Bottom Page

Creative Recommendations-PartnershipOur advertising team will also recommend a local partnership with the sports retailer, Source for Sports as a part of the marketing campaign. There was a clear consensus among the parents that were surveyed with children in Cypress School of Skating that their main sports supplier for skating equipment was Source for Sports. Other parents mentioned that they would need to drive to Calgary, AB in order to purchase skating equipment, which puts on an additional cost to the sport. It has been highlighted as a place with exceptional service and knowledge of new skater needs. While there is a current friendship between this retailer and skating organization, it would be beneficial to both if they were to form a partnership.

Support from a local vendor would save members the time, energy, and extra finances of needing to drive to another city to purchase starting skating equipment. With a partnership, the school could arrange to have a special discount for members who shop there, which would increase the business of the vendor and make happier customers for both the school and the vendor.

A good way to publicly announce this partnership, as well as to start the partnership off to a good start would be to host a free-skate registration event. This would give potential skaters to have a taste of the sport without having to put out a lot of money. They could get more information about the programs offered by Cypress School of Skating and learn about everything that the partnered vendor has to offer for services and discounts. Having current members mingle with the potential new members will make newcomers feel more comfortable. Current members could give their own testimonies about their experience with the school and potentially influence the decision of the newcomers. Because Cypress School of Skating is not for-profit, having a sponsor will help to alleviate the costs in hosting an event such as this.

Conclusion Our marketing strategy for the Cyprus School of Skating, presents a thorough, start-to-finish plan, to gain more awareness, which in turn will lead to more lifetime members. In order to achieve the goal of an increase in class enrolment of 20 percent over 12 months, we will be proving an advertising campaign that will be appealing to both the children and their parents. We feel that a multipronged approach of print media, web design and strategic partnerships is the way that we can achieve our goal of 20% more students in 12 months.

Thank you for taking the time to read our proposal. We look forward to sitting down with you and discussing this further in person.

Appendices SurveyHow did you initially hear about Cypress School of Skating?

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What made you choose it over other schools?

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Have you referred anyone to attend the school?

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How long have you (and or your child) been attending the school?

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How often does your child attend the school?

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Is there anything you’d like to see more of at the school?

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Less of?

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Do you receive the Cypress School of Skating’s newsletter?

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What do you find most useful about it?

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If a skater of the month award was made, would you allow your child’s picture to be taken and put on the website and a small bio put in the newsletter?

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Have you ever seen, or heard any ads for Cypress School of Skating?

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If so when and where?

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Does your child’s school have a newsletter? If yes please also list the school they attend.

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How often does it come out?

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Where do you shop for your children’s sports equipment?

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Would you switch stores if they were to offer you a discount?

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Are you on any social media websites (if yes please list which one(s))?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Current Web Design

Current Print Media

Building Excellence in Skating 403 526 4788 www.csos.ca

For more than 25 years we’ve been developing the fundamentals

of the game

Building Excellence in Skating

Proudly offering these Skate Canada Programs:

!Pre-CanSkate

CanSkate CanSkate Excel

!!

Pre-Power Junior PowerSkating

Advanced PowerSkating !!

Junior Prep (intro to Þgure) Juniors (Private Lessons) Seniors (Private Lessons)

403 526 4788 www.csos.ca

Survey Results

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Word Of Mouth Repeat Other

Perc

ent

How did you initially hear about the school?

0102030405060708090

100

Yes No

Perc

ent

Does your childs school have a monthly newsletter?