DareDevil Dogs : Section 1

Capital PR

Andra Griffin II

1

Mission Statement

“Our philosophy on food is simple, we want to serve you fresh local ingredients that we

prepare in house. Our staff thrives on giving our guests the best hot dog experience they have

had.”

Situation Analysis

DareDevil Dogs is a gourmet hot dog restaurant located at 1437 N. High St., in between

the University District and the Short North. Bill Garland, Mike Gadd and Tomos Mughan, three

friends with backgrounds in fine dining, came together in 2014 to open a restaurant that provided

guests with a hot dog like no other. Since their grand opening in November 2014, DareDevil

Dogs continues to create a high-quality dining experience with locally sourced ingredients.

DareDevil Dogs is set on bringing their food to guests throughout central Ohio and eventually

hope to open a location in a suburb of Columbus. The company’s ultimate goal is to become a

staple in the Columbus food scene, carving out their own niche in which to operate.

In the past, DareDevil Dogs has hosted several special events and has been known to

partner with other local businesses. One such partnership took place with a neighboring bar, the

Village Idiot, and was known as Puppies on the Patio. Guests were encouraged to bring their pet

dogs to the patio area of the bar, where they were entertained by live music and served food by

DareDevil Dogs and offered beverages by Village Idiot. The event was widely successful and

popular, but short-lived, as Village Idiot did not have the appropriate insurance policies to

continue to host dogs at their establishment. However, it brought in a large amount of business,

provided an opportunity for DareDevil Dogs to set themselves apart and gave them valuable

insights about how to host similar events in the future. Although Puppies on the Patio will no

2

longer take place, DareDevil Dogs can continue to take advantage of the small food window

connecting the inside of the restaurant to the bar. In this way, DareDevil can serve food to

patrons of the Village Idiot, increasing brand awareness and providing more opportunities to

serve their food.

Another partnership took place with popular local pizza outlet, Mikey’s Late Night Slice.

Since both vendors serve up finger food during the early morning hours and take advantage of

the mobility of food trucks, a joint event seemed like a no-brainer. The two switched condiments

and toppings, creating DareDevil pizzas and Late Night hot dogs.While this only took place

once, it proved to be very popular and undoubtedly had a beneficial effect on DareDevil Dogs’

reputation and visibility. The outcome of this charity bash was that DareDevil Dogs sent 60

terminally ill kids to Kings Island for a day. The owners of each establishment consider each

other friends, and that relationship points to a good possibility that a similar co-op could take

place in the near future. As a whole, the company is highly interested in partnerships and loves

the idea of working with nonprofit organizations to benefit the community.

DareDevil Dogs is trying to grow in a competitive market. There are numerous specialty

hot dog restaurants opening in Columbus that directly compete with DareDevil Dogs. They are

also battling against the negative perception of their location. The area is currently under

construction and is not seen as a particularly safe part of the city; the area doesn’t attract much

foot traffic as a result. Since guests are unlikely to come straight to their restaurant, most of their

current marketing efforts focus on creating brand awareness that will hopefully alleviate this.

Even though there are many other hot dog restaurants in Columbus, DareDevil Dogs has

received rave reviews in the local food community. They have received positive coverage in

Columbus Alive, The Columbus Dispatch, Good Morning Columbus and many more.

3

Admiration of DareDevil Dogs extends beyond the media though. Currently, the company has a

four-and-a-half star rating on Yelp and a five-star rating on Facebook (both out of five stars). It

appears that once someone experiences DareDevil Dogs, they become loyal guests who

appreciate both the quality of the food and the great service. Previously, DareDevil Dogs has

seen that their food speaks for itself, therefore they believe that more awareness of their brand is

all that is needed to guarantee further expansion and success.

One of the company’s target publics is Millennials—those individuals born within the

years 1980 and 2000—who they are attempting to reach primarily through social media. They

have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Google+ and Pinterest. However,

they are only consistently active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They have 3,587 likes on

Facebook, 1,200 followers on Twitter and 3,691 followers on Instagram. Despite their high

numbers of likes and followers, their posts typically don’t receive a lot of attention or interaction.

For example, in their last three Instagram posts, they have an average of 57 likes, meaning about

1.5 percent of their followers interact with their photos. In their efforts to connect with existing

and potential guests on social media, DareDevil Dogs uses professional quality photography and

videography to appropriately capture their craftsmanship and dedication to quality. In order to

enhance social media interaction, Capital PR needs to dig deeper into the messaging that

DareDevil Dogs uses online to find the root of the problem. Once there is a more thorough

understanding of what they are doing wrong, a plan be made to help DareDevil Dogs improve

their social media presence.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths● Close proximity to the Ohio State

Weaknesses● Lack of extra money for growth,

4

campus● Quality, locally-sourced ingredients● They strive to provide a positive and

unique dining experience● Mobility provided by the food truck● Customer incentives for delivery

service● High quality photos and videos● Willingness to partner with local

companies and organizations

marketing or food truck● Location of the restaurant ● Niche menu provides only a small

spectrum of options ● Limited seating inside the restaurant● Disparity between desired brand

identity and current branding activity ● Small staff● Their Twitter usually links to

Instagram for photos● Have relatively inactive profiles on

Foursquare, Pinterest and Google+

Opportunities● Development of the surrounding area● Build relationships with campus Greek

life● Accept BuckID cash● Distinguish themselves from the rest

of the growing hot dog market● Raise brand awareness through a

potential appearance on a TLC show

Threats● Competitors in the local area (Dirty

Frank’s, Rippers Roadstand, Buns and Brews, etc.)

● Construction during the development of the surround area

● Negative perceptions about the location of the restaurant

● Health food trends● Low income of target market● Preconceived notions about hot dogs

Secondary Research

Since the proposed campaign hopes to establish brand awareness and brand loyalty

among Ohio State students, Capital PR has conducted extensive research to better understand

DareDevil Dogs’s key public. Specifically, it looked into factors that drive brand loyalty among

millennials, as the average college student is 18-24 years old, according to the National Center

for Education Statistics.

Capital PR found Millennials value experience when it comes to where they spend

money. They prefer to purchase products or services that provide them with the feeling that they

5

are part of something bigger, as stated by “Marketing Experiences to the Youth.” Next, Capital

PR studied components that make a non-chain restaurant successful on a college campus.

Numerous campus hot spots from across the country shared with USA Today what students say

differentiated them from other campus restaurants. Students said they tend to go to local non-

chain restaurants with mid-level prices, a variety of menu options and a good environment. The

client, DareDevil Dogs, prides themselves on being a member of the Columbus food scene and

creating a memorable dining experience with a plethora of fresh, local ingredients. By utilizing

the food truck at Greek life events, DareDevil Dogs brings a one-of-a-kind dining experience

directly to Ohio State students in attendance, which would help set them apart from other Ohio

State campus restaurants. In turn, this would increase brand awareness and students may be more

inclined to eat DareDevil Dogs in the future.

Currently, DareDevil Dogs strives to gain the attention of Millennials through various

social media platforms. Thus, it is important to understand if utilizing social media is effective in

attracting Millennials. According to Millennial Marketing, when making a purchasing decision,

Millennials are three times more likely to reference social media than other generations. A study

conducted by Marketing Strategies International found most consumers utilize Facebook before

making a purchase, while Millennials are 19 percent more likely to check Instagram before

making a purchase. Furthermore, Capital PR studied how a bond between the guest and the

company can be established via social media. As stated by the article “Millennials Are the Most

Brand-Loyal Generation,” 62 percent of Millennials are more likely to be loyal to brands that

interact with customers directly on social media platforms. This research is crucial to DareDevil

Dogs in order to reach and engage more Millennials. For instance, this could entail increasing

Instagram usage as opposed to Facebook. By evaluating DareDevil Dog’s social media further,

6

Capital PR strives to uncover tactics that can increase DareDevil Dogs’s social media

engagement.

Next, Capital PR researched college students’ eating habits and their feelings toward fast

food restaurants. In general, college students tend to eat late and rely heavily on delivery

services. GrubHub, a food delivery service, analyzed the ordering habits at more than 350

college campuses. The research found college students are 87 percent more likely to order late-

night meals than other consumers who use the service. Additionally, Ohio State is ranked fifth in

the nation for the most late-night GrubHub orders placed on a college campus. Due to the

increased use of delivery services, college students tend to visit restaurants less. According to

“How Millennials Will Dictate the Future of Fast Food,” Millennials have cut back on restaurant

visits by 21 percent over the past seven years. In sum, convenience has become a key factor

when appealing to college students. Through the proposed campaign, Capital PR aspires to make

DareDevil Dogs a staple food option here at Ohio State. This would be accomplished by catering

to the needs of students at Greek life events through the food truck. Once DareDevil Dogs

establishes a relationship with students at these events, they can then further promote their

partnership with Uber Eats, a food delivery service that is new to Columbus.

Capital PR also considered whether the expense of college and lack of funds could

potentially affect students’ eating habits. A study by the U.S. News found 71 percent of college

students altered their eating habits due to lack of funds. As a result, students are buying less and

cutting the size of their meals as stated by U.S. News. Though college students may adjust their

diet, students till aim to spend the money they do have on a quality dining experience. In fact,

Millennials have been labeled as “The Foodie Generation” because of their willingness to

explore food culture. A recent survey showed 87 percent of Millennials are willing to eat out at

7

places that offer gourmet food, even if they don’t have the money to spend according to an

article featured in Brogan & Partners. Capital PR can use this information as a potential

opportunity for DareDevil Dogs to generate brand awareness. Through the proposed campaign,

Capital PR wants to emphasize to Ohio State students that DareDevil Dogs is dedicated to

providing a quality dining experience through their gourmet food, locally-sourced ingredients,

and customer service. Hence, though college students may lack funds, the proposed campaign

hopes to get college students to spend the money they do have for the time being and in the

future at DareDevil Dogs by bringing the experience directly to them via the food truck.

To better understand Greek life as a whole, Capital PR examined fraternities and

sororities at Ohio State. The proposed campaign strives to create brand loyalty and brand

awareness among Ohio State students by bringing the food truck to Greek life events. Often,

these events generate attendees from fraternities, sororities and the general student body. Thus,

it’s essential for Capital PR to understand the ins and outs of Greek life here at Ohio State and

how it relates to the proposed campaign.

Over the years, Greek life has become increasingly popular at Ohio State. According to

the Ohio Union information page about Greek life, students involved in Greek life organizations

make up 12 percent of the student population. The Ohio Union website states there are 36 social

fraternities in the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the governing body for social fraternities, and 17

social sororities in the Panhellenic Association (PHA), the governing body for social sororities.

Often, fraternities host various events such as football gameday parties, fundraisers or even

cookouts at their houses. Typically, these events are open to members of fraternities, sororities

and students not affiliated with Greek life. There are 13 approved fraternity houses around the

off-campus area. Fraternity houses are located on 15th Avenue, 13th Avenue, Iuka Avenue and

8

Indianola Avenue. This information gives Capital PR a small scope of the popularity of Greek

life on campus. For the proposed campaign, it is important for Capital PR to understand the

various events held by Ohio State fraternities and whether they can accommodate a food truck.

By partnering with the different fraternities and sororities and bringing the food truck to Greek

life events, DareDevil Dogs has the potential to establish relationships within the Ohio State

student community.

Primary Research

During the initial client meeting, Tom described DareDevil Dogs’ desire to become more

popular among Ohio State’s student population. Specifically, the company wants to establish

relationships with Greek life. They have executed some strategies in the past to reach Ohio State

students, but none were overly successful. However, DareDevil Dogs has little to no knowledge

about Greek life and currently has no interaction with the specific community.

DareDevil Dogs has a food truck that they can utilize at special events. However, for this

to be a profitable venture, they have to make a substantial amount of sales. The food truck is

more ideal for taking the food to an event because the food does not keep for very long when

sitting out. Since the company wants every customer to have a positive experience with their

cuisine, DareDevil Dogs prefers to serve the food fresh from their food truck.

When hearing from Tom initially, he emphasized that the business wants to create brand

awareness with their guests. They want the people who are experiencing their food to understand

that it’s made with high-quality, local ingredients. It’s also important to DareDevil Dogs that

these individuals have a personal relationship with the brand. They want the interactions between

their employees and guests to be positive and leave the guests thinking about how this is

somewhere they want to return.

9

When people are experiencing DareDevil Dogs’ food outside of the restaurant, the

company doesn’t want to sacrifice any of those standards. They still want to provide the best

quality of food that they can with a great experience. This was reinforced when they had their

brief partnership with the bar in Hilliard. Part of the reason it was so short lived was because

DareDevil Dogs didn’t feel like the guests were being served at the high quality of service they

have built their name off of. After DareDevil Dogs had received complaints from guests about

the poor service, they realized even more how important it was to them that they provide

incredibly high-quality service to everyone who interacts with their food.

Capital PR also learned that the company has a small budget for marketing. This means

that during the campaign, the agency has to be very strategic in its actions. Campaign decisions

will reflect DareDevil Dogs’ financial state and attempt to be low cost with a high return on

investment.

In order to better understand the potential growth that Capital PR can provide for

DareDevil Dogs, Capital PR will conduct a thorough communications audit and analyze the

messages that the company puts out. The agency will analyze all platforms to assess the

consistency of their tone and topic as well. By gaining a better understanding at the approaches

DareDevil Dogs has taken in the past, the campaign can do a better job of modifying those to

help them achieve their goals. It is important for the agency to fully understand the company,

beyond what the client told Capital PR in the initial client meeting, in order to move forward.

When Capital PR gains a complete understanding of the client and the target publics, the

proposed campaign can better address the desires of both groups to create a positive and long-

lasting relationship.

10

Capital PR plans to conduct an in-depth survey to fully understand and analyze the

relationship between Greek life and the Columbus food market, primarily on Ohio State football

game days. The survey will not only be directed to students affiliated with Greek life, but also to

unaffiliated students who may occasionally attend Greek events. Specific fraternities in Greek

life with houses host large student gatherings on game days, commonly referred to as “block.”

Blocks can be open or closed, meaning they can be solely for students in certain fraternities and

sororities or they are open to any student who wishes to partake. Fraternities and sororities have

other major social events in addition to block, such as Greek Week, Greek Games and Ohio State

University Homecoming celebrations.These specific events bring together the Ohio State

community in a positive way and are a staple for university Greek life. Based on the primary

campaign goal to form relationships between DareDevil Dogs and the Ohio State community,

Capital PR feels that taking advantage of fraternities’ block parties and other social or

philanthropic events would provide a successful foundation for continuing connections.

The survey first addresses general questions about affiliation with Greek life,

involvement in blocks and eating preferences on game days. This allows the agency to fully

understand the client’s public and its basic demographics. Subsequently, the questions narrow in

on the participants’ views on hot dog food trucks and their experience and knowledge of

DareDevil Dogs specifically. It is vital that Capital PR is aware of the current perception of

DareDevil Dogs from the target public because their view of the client could alter the agency’s

approach for the proposed campaign. The survey will be created using a clear and concise

system, called Qualtrics, which directs participants to new questions based on their answers to

previous ones. This maximizes efficiency in the primary research and allows one survey link to

be sent to a wide audience.

11

In order to reach the survey audience, the team at Capital PR plans to utilize social media

platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, to share the survey link and ask team members’

friends and followers to complete it. Capital PR will also be emailing out its survey through their

class list that are located on Carmen and plans on distributing this survey is by personally

handing it out to students on campus at the Ohio State University. Capital PR also plans to

distribute them at Ohio State fraternity houses as well as in the Short North area.

The survey is designed to direct people to new questions based on the answers to

previous questions, meaning that if a survey participant answers “no” to the question about being

an Ohio State student, they will be redirected to the end of the survey since they are not a part of

the target public. Also, if an individual is in Greek life, they will receive different questions from

someone who is not. This approach allows Capital PR to easily gather information by posting the

survey link to a large audience, but still be able to efficiently narrow down the results to the

information that will be most useful to the agency and the proposed campaign.

In addition to the general survey, Capital PR has designed an interview for the social

chairs of Greek organizations to gain a better perspective on the likelihood of them utilizing

DareDevil Dogs’ food trucks. An interview will allow the agency to have a detailed conversation

with the social chairs and ask more open-ended questions based on their personal sorority or

fraternity. Also, an interview with these chair members can offer a better insight on actual

budgets and the relationships between sororities and fraternities. At times, two or more Greek

life organizations can be paired together to create a larger event. The campaign could potentially

use this advantage to reach a wider audience or work with a larger budget. As the interview is

conducted, Capital PR will be able to adjust questions as necessary to gain a better understanding

12

of how these things relate to the organization at hand. The process of an interview could also

help uncover new potential for DareDevil Dogs that wasn’t known before.

In terms of Capital PR’s interview strategy with sorority and fraternity social chairs, the

agency will take a different approach to connect with them. A more direct route is going to be

used through contacting a select group of social chairs specifically to request an interview.

Capital PR will obtain information from the different organizations’ social and philanthropy

chair by getting their contact information off the Ohio State University IFC and PHA websites.

When the agency obtains their contact information from IFC and PHA, the interviews will be

conducted over the phone with the social chairs and philanthropy coordinators.

Included within the Qualtrics survey will be qualitative, and quantitative research

methods. A qualitative research method (interview) will be used to gain a deeper understanding

of the current issues that are transpiring with DareDevil Dogs, which range from limited seating

in the restaurant to a lack of money for reinvesting into company activities. Capital PR also

believes by using quantitative research (survey), it will utilize this method to confirm certain

hypothesis, also this will give it a numerical analysis and statistics about DareDevil Dogs. When

using quantitative research Capital PR will use standardized and close-ended questions for its

survey.

Survey

Goal of Research: Analyze the potential food market at Greek life events on game days primarily

and secondarily at other Greek life events.

1. Are you an Ohio State Student? (Yes/No)

2. Are you a member of Greek life? (Yes/No)

3. How much money do you tend to spend on food on game days? (Open-ended)

13

4. Do you attend a football block on game days? (Yes/No)

5. Rank from 1-5 what foods you would want the most on game days.

a. Hot Dogs

b. Hamburgers

c. Pizza

d. Mexican Food

e. Sandwiches/Subs

f. Other (Fill in the blank)

If Yes to #2 (Greek life)

6.What organization do you belong to? (Open ended)

7. Do you attend a football block on game days? (Yes/No)

(if yes to #5) Is your block open or closed? (Open/Closed)

(if yes to #5) How long do you stay at block?

(If Yes to #5) Approximately how many people would you say attend the block you attend?

(Open ended)

8. What other Greek life events have you attended? (Open ended)

9. Would you like to have a food truck at one of your organization’s events? (Yes/No)

10. Would you like to have a gourmet hot dog food truck at an event?

11. How likely is your organization to host a food truck at your event? (Open ended)

If No to #2 (Non Greek life)

5. How often do you attend Greek life events (if ever)?

(Frequently, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never)

6. Would the prospect of a food truck encourage you to attend a Greek life event? (Yes/No)

14

7. (If no to #6) Why? (Open ended)

8. How would you feel about a gourmet hot dog food truck being at an event?

Ending Questions for All

Have you ever heard of DareDevil Dogs? (Yes/No)

Have you ever had DareDevil Dogs? (Yes/No)

(If yes) How satisfied were you with DareDevil Dogs?

Interview (Social Chair and Philanthropy Chair)

1. Are you in an Ohio State sorority or fraternity?

2. Which one?

3. Do you normally attend a football block?

4. Do you normally host a football block?

5. If you host a block, how people normally attend?

6. Do you ever pair up with another sorority or fraternity to host an event? (block, Greek Games,

Greek Week, Homecoming)

7. How often do you utilize food trucks during your social events?

8. What is your typical food budget for social events?

9. What is your typical food budget for philanthropy events?

10. How do you provide food at your social and philanthropy events?

11.. Would your organization be interested in having a food truck at any of your social events?

12. Would your organization be interested in having a food truck at an philanthropy event?

13. Have you ever heard of DareDevil Dogs?

14. Do you think your sorority/fraternity would be interested in hosting an event with a

DareDevil Dogs food truck?

15

15. Do you think your sorority/fraternity would be interested in attending an event with a

DareDevil Dogs food truck?

Goal Statement

The goal of this campaign is to establish strong relationships with the Ohio State

community by initial exposure to the DareDevil Dogs food truck that provides quality food using

local ingredients, creating repeat guests.

16