Trader Joe’s

Communication Kit

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover Letter……………………………………..……….Page 3

Bio Brief …………………….……………….….…………Page 4

Resume ………………………………………………...…Page 5

Company Profile………………………..………….…...Page 6

SWOT Analysis…………………………..…………..Page 7-10

News Release…………………………………………...Page 11

Pitch…………………………………………………....…Page 12

Newsletter……………………………………..……….Page 13

Op-ed……………………..…………………..……..Page 14-15

Transmittal Letter………………………….……….…..Page 16

PR Plan……………………………………………….Page 17-21

Marciel Baclit, Director of Human Resources

Trader Joe’s

800 S. Shamrock Ave.

Monrovia, CA, 91016

Greetings Ms. Baclit,

Within three short years, I have developed strong communication skills at the University of

Florida that have readied me for a career in public relations. I thrive on challenge and change,

and I look forward to new opportunities to build positive customer relationships every day.

I believe that as a Public Relations Specialist for Trader Joe’s, my energy, communication skills,

writing abilities, and creativity in tackling problems will make a positive contribution. I am

equally comfortable working independently to meet company goals, as well as collaboratively as

part of a team. I have always been able to establish and maintain excellent relationships with

clients and coworkers at all levels. My professional skills include:

Uncovering strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a company

Writing press releases, pitches, newsletters, company profiles and op-eds

Building relationships with coworkers, clients, and strategic partners

Developing processes and strategies to increase referrals and revenue

Accurately completing data research and analysis while demonstrating computer

proficiency

I would welcome the chance to provide you with additional information to supplement what

appears in my enclosed resume. I am available for a personal interview at your convenience. If

you do not contact me by Friday, I will call at 10 am Saturday. So, please let me know if you

wish to further discuss your requirements and my ability to meet them.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Lauren Acton

Lauren Acton

Public Relations Student at the University of Florida

Lauren is studying Public Relations at the University of Florida and plans to get her masters in

Entrepreneurship. She is passionate about business, fashion and opening franchises as well as

her own restaurants. She is an idea person and a people person. When she has a good idea, she

works until it gets accomplished.

She has worked at a high-end shoe store in San Diego named Tutto Cuore promoting the store

and planning events that entailed a DJ, food, raffles, and free shoe giveaways. She has interned

with Campus Crusade for Christ in which her job was to go up to random students on the

campuses of UCSD and SDSU and describe to them what Campus Crusade is all about. She

convinced students of the benefits of starting a Campus Crusade movement on their

prospective campus. She has written multiple news articles for The Odyssey and The

Independent Alligator. She was co-editor and executive assistant for Smokin’ Notes, a company

that produces study guides. She was a marketing intern for Zipcar which included thinking of

creative marketing ideas and meeting sign-up quotas each week.

She is currently a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and the Extreme Dance Company at

the University of Florida. She is very involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. In her spare time,

she put outfits together and shops online and in stores for hours on end.

She is the middle child of three girls, needless to say, her dad put up with a lot.

Lauren Acton

954-562-2889

Lacton@ufl.edu

Lauren E. Acton 2406 NE 13

th Ct. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 (954)562-2889 Lacton@ufl.edu

Education

Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, May 2014

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Outside Concentration in Business

GPA 3.25/4.0

Study Abroad Program, June 2013

Richmond, The American International University in London

Coursework: British Art and Architecture

Experience

Contributing Writer, The Independent Alligator, January- May 2013

Gainesville, FL

Wrote news stories for UF’s newspaper on deadline

Contributing Writer and Marketing, The Odyssey, August- December 2012

Gainesville, FL

Wrote news stories for the Greek newspaper

Promoted for and distributed the newspaper once a week

Marketing Intern, Zipcar, August-December 2012

Gainesville, FL

Thought of unique ways to market Zipcar

Met quotas each week for the number of sign-ups

Sales Associate and Marketing,Tutto Cuore, May- August 2012

San Diego, CA

Sold shoes at high-end shoe store

Thought of unique ways to promote store

Helped run large promotional event for the store

Editor and Executive Assistant, Smokin’ Notes, August 2011- May 2012

Gainesville, FL

Edited notes and study guides for grammatical errors

Help the owner expand the business to an additional college campus

Involvement

Alpha Delta Pi Sorority

Helped raise money for the Ronald McDonald House

Helped plan a Halloween event for kids called Ghouls, Goblins and Greeks

Extreme Dance Company at UF

Learned to work as a team

Held fundraisers for the dance company throughout the year.

Campus Crusade for Christ

As one of the leaders of the Outreach team, I planned and organized outreach events.

Helped start Campus Crusade movements in San Diego, CA

Skills

Languages: Proficient in Spanish

Computer: Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Prezi, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WordPress

Certifications: CPR certified 2011

Writing: News Releases, Pitches, Newsletters, News Stories, SWOT Analysis, PR Plans

Trader Joe's Company

604 West Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA, 91016, United States

www.traderjoes.com

Phone: +1 626 358 8884

Revenue: $8,000M

Industry: Convenience Stores

Employees: 7,200

SIC: Retail-Convenience Stores (5412)

NAICS: Convenience Stores (445120)

Description: Trader Joe's Company owns and operates a chain of grocery and

convenience stores. The company offers vegetables, fruits, snacks, cheese, wine,

roasted and salted pistachios, dried and sweetened strawberries, balsamic vinegar,

honey goat Gouda, rice milk, juice concentrates, lemonade, bread, and bakery

products. Additionally, it provides frozen fruits, meat, vegetables, and meals. The

company was formerly known as Pronto Markets and changed its name to Trader

Joe's Company in 1967. Trader Joe's Company was founded in 1958 and is

headquartered in Monrovia, California. Trader Joe's Company operates as a

subsidiary of T.A.C.T. Holding, Inc.

2013-07-06 01:09:48

Officers

Chairman and CEO: Dan T. Bane

President and COO: Bryan Palbaum

CIO: Thomas B. (Tom) English

Strengths

PRICE- In our economy today, price tends to be one of the greatest factors people take into

account in deciding where to grocery shop. According to a Nielsen survey, price is the No.1

factor people consider when choosing where to grocery shop.

PRIVATE LABEL- The reason we have such low prices is because we buy straight from the

supplier, eliminating a middle man.

HEALTHY- The food doesn’t contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs),

artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, artificial trans. fats or MSG.

UNIQUE- Our private label allows us to make products that have never been seen before. Not

many other stores wear Hawaiian shirts to work and use a bell to get an employee’s attention.

FANATICS- The uniqueness of our products makes grocery shopping fun rather than it being a

chore. This breeds Trader Joe’s fanatics who are obsessed with us and excited to go grocery

shopping there.

CUSTOMER SERVICE- We take customer service to a whole new level. Customers are often

blown away by the kindness and willingness to help of employees. This sets us apart from

employees in competing stores that are just cordial.

● ● ●

“One time while shopping at Trader Joe’s, I forgot my debit card. They said I could just take the groceries and come back to pay for

them whenever I wanted.” -Lauren, 20, Gainesville, FL

● ● ●

WEAKNESSES

SMALL SELECTION- We don’t have many options. We don’t have any household products

which forces customers to go to multiple stores to get what they need.

NOT ENOUGH STORES- Most of our stores are located on the coast. If we want to compete, I

think we need to open stores all across the US.

NEGATIVE PUBLICITY- It was brought to the light that we were practicing wage abuse for

tomato farmers. Eventually we agreed to sign the Fair Food Agreement but at first, we refused

which makes us look bad. We have a reputation for being cultish and shady. (See quote)

According to Fortune, There are no signs with the company's name or logo at headquarters in

Monrovia, about 25 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

"Trader Joe's wants neither its

shoppers nor its competitors to know

who's making its products." [Fortune]

OPPORTUNITIES

EXPAND TO MORE LOCATIONS- Since we have been so successful, I think we would benefit

from opening new stores. If we could accomplish expanding while still holding on to their

small, cool, quirky, neighborhood market vibe; that would be the best possibility. Making sure

it doesn’t get too commercialized would be hard to accomplish, but I don’t think it’s

impossible.

CREATE MORE EXTENSIVE PRODUCT SELECTION- I think to be dominant in the grocery store

market, I think we need to have all the products one would normally buy when going grocery

shopping. Trader Joe’s lacks necessities such as toilet paper and toothpaste. I think Trader

Joe’s would benefit from expanding their products because it would allow people to go to us

for all their needs rather than having to go to multiple stores.

THE ICONIC TRADER JOE- The name of our store gives us a lot of leeway to give Trader Joe

more human-like characteristics. I think it would be a good idea to give Trader Joe ‘Average

Joe’ traits, relaying the message that anyone can shop at our grocery store. Our Facebook

page lacks a profile picture, so this would be a perfect place for a mascot.

THREATS

Wal-Mart is known for being

the cheapest of grocery stores.

Its prices are better than

Trader Joe’s and Wal-Mart has

more locations.

Publix rivals Trader Joe’s

because it has an extensive

product selection and many

locations. Publix provides for

all needs.

Whole Foods is Trader Joe’s

closest competitor. The both

offer healthy and organic

options, Whole Foods is just a

little more expensive.

Press Contact: Lauren Acton

Office: 626-599-3779

E-mail: Lacton@traderjoes.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLLEGE STUDENTS TO CREATE TRADER JOE’S NEW MASCOT

SEND MASCOT DRAWINGS TO TRADERJOES.COM

CONTEST ENDS AUGUST 30

MONROVIA, Calif. (July 17, 2013) – Trader Joe’s got its name from its founder Joe Coulombe. Ever

since its humble beginning in 1958, Coulombe had a goal for his grocery store; to offer quality goods to

educated people on tight budgets.

What group of people does this better describe than college students?

For college students who are a little short on change, Trader Joe’s is holding a competition for a

Trader Joe mascot that shows what they love most about Trader Joe’s.

Students will have from now until August 30 to email their drawings to Mascot@traderjoes.com.

The winning artist will receive a thousand dollar gift card to Trader Joe’s, and his or her drawing will

become the mascot for the company. Both the artist and the mascot will appear on the Trader Joe’s

website.

The goal of the contest is to create a mascot that embodies what you love about Trader Joe’s,

whether it is the healthy food, low prices, unique selection or friendly customer service. The winner will

be chosen based on artistic ability as well his or her skill in creating a figure that personifies how they see

Trader Joe’s.

“A college diet doesn’t have to consist of PB&Js and pasta. College students can enjoy our

affordable food and help us create our mascot,” said Dan Bane, the CEO of Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe's is a chain of neighborhood grocery stores featuring high quality imported and domestic

foods and beverages at honest, low prices. Trader Joe's (www.traderjoes.com) began in 1958 in the Los

Angeles area. Since then, Trader Joe's has expanded to more than 365 stores in 32 states.

###

Audience: UF Students, Type of Pitch: email, Channel: The Gainesville Sun, Journalist: Kevin Brockway

Email Subject: Trader Joe’s Needs a Mascot: Chance for UF students to win $1,000 gift card

Hi Kevin,

What would UF sports be without iconic mascots Albert and Alberta? A faceless winner. Just like Trader

Joe’s today.

UF students have from now until August 30th to submit their renderings of the perfect Trader Joe’s

mascot- one that personifies what they love about Trader Joe’s. One drawing will be chosen to be the

mascot for Trader Joe’s and the winning artist will receive the $1,000 gift card.

If you choose this story, you will get an interview with Dan Bane, the CEO of Trader Joe’s, who will

provide you with quotes for the story.

Contact me, Lauren Acton, the public relations specialist at Trader Joe’s, at Lacton@traderjoes.com or

797-455-6234. If you don’t reach out to me by Wednesday, I will call you at noon on Thursday to follow

up.

Best,

Lauren

NEWSLETTER

Trader Joe’s Moves in but Historic Movie Theatre Stays Intact

On Nov. 2 1939, Couples held hands and friends laughed as they lined up for the opening of the

Alabama Theatre which played Jack Benny’s Man About Town. Today, people are doing the

same thing, except they are lining up to see the new man in town; Trader Joe.

The Alabama in Houston, Texas stopped showing movies in 1983 and became a Bookstop the

following year. The Bookstop closed in 2009 and the historic building has been sitting unused

ever since. Here at Trader Joe’s, we are all about quirky and cool. So, we thought it would be a

great idea to put a Trader Joe’s in an old movie theatre in a big town because it adds to the

quirkiness.

As a historic landmark designated by the city, changes to the building's facades were reviewed

by the commission. According to the Houston Archaeological and Historic Commission, the

interior of the theatre is not subject to review. So, the exterior stayed basically the same with

minor changes while the interior was modified. We did our best to keep the theatre’s innate

quirkiness intact because we understand the theatre is a historic spot that holds a lot of memories.

For George Stein, the theatre holds a very special memory. “I took a girl there for the opening of

the theatre. Her name was Cindy Smith. It was our first date. A couple years later she became

Cindy Stein. Now, we have been married for 72 years.”

It is because of stories like this that more than 1,000 hours were spent refurbishing the ceiling.

Also in the interior, the large, historic medallion is intact. On the exterior, the theater marquee,

the balcony and the unique mosaic tile floors at the entrance were preserved. "We made great

strides to keep that art deco movie theater look," Trader Joe's regional vice president Greg

Paquet says, pointing to the large turquoise medallions adorning the ceiling and the fluted plaster

walls. "We even found a way to preserve the original second-floor balcony."

In keeping the ‘movie theatre feel’, we put up fake movie posters that allude to products we hold

in the store. Some names of the made-up movies are "Gentlemen Prefer Blonde Ales,"

"Reservoir Hot Dogs" and "Pulpy Fiction." Also, this Trader Joe’s is selling an item that is

unique to its location; Movie Theatre Popcorn. "Like all our products, this popcorn's 100 percent

all-natural," Paquet says as we part ways. "No artificial ingredients."

The Trader Joe’s opened in an untraditional way on Friday at 8 am. Paquet and General

Manager, David Fuller did the honors by cutting a lei instead of a normal ribbon usually used for

grand openings. Also, in total Trader Joe’s fashion, the staff cheered as customers entered while

they put leis around the necks of those who had been waiting in line. To set the mood, there was

a Caribbean steel drummer out front playing Calypso as customers entered. In addition to the

Movie Theatre Popcorn, this Trader Joe’s was giving out samples of its famous Cookie Butter.

George and Cindy came to the opening of this Trader Joe’s and they held hands just like they did

the first time in 1939. “The movie theatre popcorn tasted exactly like it did in 1939. It brought

back so many memories,” George said. Now, the Steins among other couples can still hold hands

and friends can laugh as they line up at the register. The historic sight still stands, resembling the

theatre of its glory days. The main difference is, it is filled with food.

Lauren Acton

Public Relations Specialist for Trader Joe’s

2406 NE 13th Ct.

Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33304

August 7, 2013

Dan Bane, CEO of Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s

800 S. Shamrock Ave.

Monrovia, CA, 91016

Dear Mr. Bane,

Below is a proposal in support of a PR campaign entitled “Operation: Mascot” to be performed

under my direction as the Public Relations Specialist for Trader Joe’s.

The monetary request totals to $13,000 in estimated costs for the period August 7, 2013 through

September 1, 2013.

Best,

Lauren Acton

OPERATION: MASCOT

Who is Trader Joe?

“The mission of Trader Joe’s is to give our customers the highest quality food and beverages we can find at the lowest prices we can get. We provide these products with a dedication to the highest quality of customer satisfaction delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, fun, individual pride, and company spirit.”

Here at Trader Joe’s, one of our strengths is excellent customer service but the only way

for people to experience this is by being in our store. So, we must get them into our

store. How? Two ways. The first is obvious; social media. The second is not so obvious;

a mascot.

Why? Our society today is drawn to visuals. Just as the Michelin Man is the face of

Michelin Tires, and the Jolly Green Giant is the mascot for Green Giant vegetables,

we need a Mr. Trader Joe to bring Trader Joe’s to life.

Situation and Goal

Customers experience our excellent customer service all the time within the walls of

Trader Joe’s thanks to our friendly employees. So, for those who have had the

experience, we want them to have a single image pop into their minds when they

think back to their amazing time at Trader Joe’s.

And as for people who have yet to shop with us, we need a visual to draw them in.

We can accomplish this with a mascot.

Below is our Facebook page.

Question: What is missing?

Answer: A profile picture.

A profile picture is an integral part of any Facebook presence, and Facebook is an

integral part of our society. Therefore, we need a profile picture. Who would be a

better candidate for the profile picture than the man himself; Trader Joe? Since we

don’t have a Trader Joe mascot, we must create one. The idea is to create brand

awareness in a fun way that brings people into our stores and social media outlets.

We want our mascot to be a visual representation of the feelings people get when

they are in our store.

Objectives

-Have 10,000 people vote on their favorite Trader Joe’s mascot by September 1

-Increase likes on our Facebook page by 25% by September 1

-Increase visits to our Facebook page by 25% by September 1

-Increase Twitter followers by 25% by September 1

-Increase market share by 2% by September 1

Strategy

Launch Trader Joe’s Operation Mascot allowing audiences to vote for their favorite

Trader Joe mascot using our social media channels.

Tactics

-Hire 3 cartoon artists by August 10. Each will draw one potential Trader Joe’s

mascot.

-Post the three mascot options to the Facebook page by August 12

-Post 3 twitter posts a day promoting the voting until September 1

-Post 1 Facebook status a day promoting the voting until September 1

-Advertise that every 100th voter gets a hundred dollar gift card to Trader Joe’s

-Promote Trader Joe’s through personalized pitches to 50 nutrition-based mommy

bloggers

-Tweet at colleges that have a Trader Joe’s in the city the college is in

-Pitch to college newspapers that have a Trader Joe’s in the city the college is in

Budget

-Pitches- FREE

-Facebook- FREE

-Twitter- FREE

-Hire cartoon artists- $3,000 ($1,000 each)

-Gift Cards- $10,000

TOTAL: $13,000

Benefits of Having Mascot

- Adding a photo of the Trader Joe mascot to our Facebook page will enhance brand

awareness and allow audiences to connect an image with the Trader Joe experience

-Give customers a positive image to pop into their heads when they think back to

their experience at Trader Joe’s

-Allow people to get an idea of Trader Joe’s before they even enter the store

-Allow for more marketing opportunities. Marketing is easier when you have a

mascot to work with

-Draw people to social media sites

Call to Action

We all play integral roles at Trader Joe’s and it is up to each one of us to bring

more people to our social media outlets and into our stores. Having a mascot will get

people even more excited about Trader Joe’s than they already are. Get excited for

our Trader Joe mascot!