WATER LOO REGION RECORD:INTERGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION PLAN

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Waterloo region record is an all known newspaper that reaches to every person in the grassroots. Considering the history, this newspaper has survived from some changes, of names and ownership but consequently expanded and could reach out to many people while meeting its objective in the society.According to the history, this newspaper was founded in the year 1878 in berlin where it served on giving the new on a daily basis. Interestingly this magazine now can be able to reach out to more than 70000trgeted audience in a day. The company has diversified that categorization of the content of the newspapers, as it offers, news, several events are published, online shops as well as interestingly supporting the charity work in the community. This plan will focus on the water loop marketing integrated communication plan concentrate on the magazine charity work in empowering the children, through community-based programs. It has been able to achieve this through the use of local investments and advertising sponsorships. This integrated marketing plan is aimed at giving an overview of this company as a charity organization in empowering the community outlining the essential products and provides the company with a position in the market as well as analyzing its market competitors.

Focus

Facilitating the interaction between the waterloo Region records to interact with the families in the society

Promotion of the whole family products making the public active on how it connects with the community

Increment of the subscription as well as the sales of the products

To meet the above focus, there should be effective and efficient public relations opportunities.

The following plan is, therefore aimed at exploring the different methods of achieving public relation; this could be achieved through family-based community events, sponsoring the games as well as the promotion of online shops and social media.

The plan will focus on a review of the appearance of the company website, how it appears in the online as this will help in bringing more content which could be useful in enhancing the personalized profile of WRR as this would make it different from the key competitors.

They enjoy spending time as a family. They participate in, and attend community initiatives and events. They have an interest in the region, and make an effort to be informed of what is happening. Some of them are occasional or regular customers of WRR, while others are potential customers.

In 2019 ,the company is focusing on having a promotional tatet which would enable the company to appear appealing to the target customers.to be prises the family members.Intrestingly the public need to understand that in 2019 the compy is aimin to be the most charitable organization on the family ,the record family targeted to be made aware of the compny products an how they can be of use to the society.This can be concluded that the external public is very important in the intergrated marketing plan of our charity organization.

Additionaly the compny is also said to have th iternal public.These are mostly the people working within the company in all departments,the magaizes,the community partnerships,the editerioal team and the grnd shows also.TO ENSURE THAT THE COMPNY becomes the best here is need of edicating the staffs on the ims and focs of our charity organization as this will make all departments remain relevant to the WRR brns just reperesnting it as a familty product connected to the community.

The team working in the newspaper ,has so far shown higher level of awareness of the products tht the record family has and tries as much as possible to circulate ,get community partnership and come up with many grand river shows in a maneer that is coordinative as this help in ensuring that there is higher level of awarenss in the editorial staff,this help in making the company get position in the market as far as the comppny s associated with high level of integrity.The same is reflected in cases where there is promotion of the community progrms through charity works as thus is the key aim of the compny to emepoer the famileis .

  WATERLOO REGION RECORD OVERVIEW:

COMPANY HISTORY

• The Berlin Daily News was first published in 1878 by Peter Moyer.
• In 1897 the Daily News merged with Ben Uttley’s Daily Record, and the Berlin News-Record was born.
• In 1919, W.J. Motz, owner of The Berliner Journal, bought the News-Record and renamed it the Kitchener Daily Record.
• In 1947 the newspaper changes its name to the Kitchener-­‐Waterloo Record, and in 1994 The Record.
• A series of ownership changes in the 1990s see the press under the ownership of the Torstar Corp, and more specifically a subsidiary under Metroland Media.
• In 2008 The Record becomes the Waterloo Region Record. 2

Over time, the newspaper had expanded substantially, to include, not only the daily print edition, but also an online edition, various blogs, magazines, broadsheets, and an events section.

Looking at the threats facing print media, and the number of print newspapers forced to close down, or severely curb their operations, a corporate decision was taken to establish

Clear lines of separation between the various WRR products. This was done to ensure that any problems encountered by the newspaper would not affect the other products.

VALUES

While WRR does not have a formulated statement of values, from interviews and conversations with staff, it is clear that the values that drive the organization are family, community and integrity. There is a sense of pride in the paper, and its rich history. This is evident from the various visual displays of antique printing equipment and memorable front pages that decorate the newspaper offices.

MARKET ANALYSIS

Industry Trends

There is a continued, steady decline in print media readers. However, digital newspaper readership is on the increase, across all age and gender groups.

To take full advantage of this trend, newspapers need to make sure that their online versions are easily accessible and appealing to readers. In order to benefit from online readers, the paywall option seems to be the only viable model, but it remains a challenge to get people to sign up to read content when so much is available online.

However, as most reputable newspapers follow this model, the key is to educate potential readers about the value of reputation in news, and the dangers and disadvantages of relying only on unpaid online content.

Sadly, many online news sources are not only free of charge, but also free of any semblance of journalistic codes of practice.

“The lowest form of popular culture -­‐ lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people’s lives -­‐ has overrun real journalism.” -­‐ Carl Bernstein 4

Unfortunately, these are the most recent figures currently available 5. It is also unfortunate that a more detailed breakdown of online vs. print readership is not available. However, new statistics will be released to the WRR in April 2015, which will contain recent figures, and more detailed analytics of online publications.

Target market

The primary target market, as identified by the client, is young families who are involved in their community. This gives WRR an opportunity to strengthen its foothold amongst a younger demographic, engaging a new generation of readers and consumers.

When one considers the values of WRR, there is a good fit between the values and the chosen target market.

BRANDING

Branding is an integral part of establishing a public image. There are two main brand identities in play, namely

and

‘Waterloo Region Record’ is more commonly associated with the print edition, and the corporate identity, while ‘The Record’ usually refers to the online version of the paper. At the same time, there are also various references to ‘The Record Family’. As the newspaper’s name has contained ‘Record’ in one way or another through various namechanges since 1897, it has become the name most readily associated with the paper.

The visual image of the Waterloo Region Record is more old fashioned, while The Record is more modern.

In order to promote the full range of products owned by WRR as part of The Record Family, the following logo has been developed.

This logo will be used to clearly link all products together. This is the branding that will be predominant at public relations activities and other opportunities to market the various products.

Unless this is well managed, and used correctly and consistantly, it can create confusion, especially when we bring the full range of products into play. Multiple ways of branding can make it difficult to carry across one uniform identity.

There are two possible ways to overcome this:

• One identity must go, leaving only one name and one logo to identify the company. However, as both ‘Waterloo Region Record’ and ‘Record.com’ are entrenched, this is not a feasible option.
• Find a way to reflect the one within the other. This could be done by retaining both logos, but adapting ‘Waterloo Region Record’ to encircle the ‘R’ in red, mirroring the logo of ‘The Record.’ The same can be done with the logo for ‘A Member of the Record family.’ In this way, a recurring visual image can be established that links all the brand images together.

Both the corporate brand (WRR), as well as ‘A Member of the Record Family’ then needs to be reflected consistently across all platforms and products, linking the whole family of brands and products, while allowing each product to still stand out.

This uniform branding should include stationary, email signatures, and business cards.

The induction of new employees should include information about the full range of products offered by the WRR.

Another concern is the absence of branding of stands on campuses where free copies of the newspaper are available.

These stands need to be clearly branded, in order to fully capitalize on the marketing value of distributing free print editions. The free access to the online Record.com also needs to be marketed better, with a more visual instruction sheet on the display stand. The relevant institutions should be approached and asked to include that information with other information given to students on registration.

PRODUCTS

The WRR has a range of products. The list below is only an example of these. Not all publications and events appear regularly.

 Print

• Waterloo Region Record
• Grand River Magazine (Bi-­‐monthly)
• Golf Magazine
• MOST (Quarterly)
• Wedding Trends
• Splurge
• Quality Living (Monthly)

Grand River Shows

• Waterloo Region Food & Drink Show
• Wedding Trends
• Total Woman Show
• Total Man Show

The Record Store

This is an online store that sells books related to the region, Canada, or were written by past and present staff. Photo prints can also be ordered through the shop.

COMPETITIVE AND SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

COMPETITORS

In the nineteenth century, newspapers competed with newspapers. In the twenty-­‐first century, newspapers compete with newspapers, radio, television, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, online newspapers, newsfeeds, and social media for audience attention.

For the sake of comparing like with like, only traditional newspapers were included in the competitive analysis:

The Waterloo Chronicle

• Established in 1856
• Weekly (Wednesdays)
• 32 000 homes
• Free 6

Kitchener Post

• Weekly (Delivered Thursdays)
• 61 000 homes
• Free 7

The Cambridge Times

• The predecessor of The Cambridge Times, the Preston Times, was first published in 1948.
• 43,324 copies twice per week (Tuesday and Friday) of each week, with
• Additional rural distribution of 48,499. (Thursdays)
• Free 8

 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

Strengths

• The WRR is a well-­‐known and respected newspaper in the region
• Strong regional presence.
• Only daily newspaper
• Strong community links
• Diverse range of products

Weaknesses

• Metroland corporate image
• Difficult to differentiate from other Metroland newspapers in region
• Stagnant subscription
• Dated image and format

Opportunities

• Modernise appearance
• Stronger, more visible community presence
• Attract families as readers
• Use social media to attract readers online

Threats

There is higher In the modern era most of the young individual deoend on the digital platiforms,they just access the news from social media and not magazines

CURRENT MARKETING INTITIATIVES

The WRR runs a very successful program called Community Partnerships. Through this program, local organizations, groups, charities and businesses can approach the WRR for in-­‐ kind advertising sponsorships.

The size and nature of these sponsorships vary widely, depending on the nature of the event being sponsored. In some instances, the sponsored group is required to purchase some advertising before receiving their in-­‐kind sponsorship.  In bigger events, the sponsorship details include the WRR taking a more active role in participating in the event, from having  a promotional stand, to being a guest speaker or presenting awards.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

SITUATION

In ‘The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR’, Ries & Ries asserts that “advertising doesn’t build brands, publicity does.”9 WRR has expressed a specific desire to market itself, and its range of products, by actively engaging with the public, rather than through traditional advertising. Not only is this a more cost effective approach, but it also lends itself nicely to

establishing a personality, and promoting WRR as a trusted member of the community and part of the family.

The WRR has a solid history and strong links in the community. It is well-­‐known as a regional newspaper. It is already present at a variety of community events throughout most of the year, but especially during the summer months, when they have a number of interns available to cover events.

In order to actively promote the range of products in The Record family, and to increase subscriptions to both the print and online versions of the newspaper and promote sales of other WRR products, WRR needs to actively engage families where families engage with their community. This aligns with the WRR values of family and community, and the ethos of ‘connected to your community.’

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

• Promote the range of WRR products to the target market and the community.
• Increase sales and subscriptions to WRR products.
• Double the number of events WRR participate in from 17 to 34.
• Find active ways of promoting WRR (events) rather than static promotions (advertising space.)
• Increase on-­‐the-­‐spot subscriptions from 15-­‐50 per event to 25-­‐70 per event.
• Achieve 10-­‐25 on-­‐the-­‐spot subscriptions at free skates.

KEY PUBLICS

The target market has been identified as young families. We are therefor looking at young, married men and women between 20 and 38, and children between 3 and 12

STRATEGIES

Events:

The events chosen are child and family friendly community events, and will have a high rate of attendance and participation by the target market. This makes them ideal venues to promote The Record family of products.

To achieve this:

• WRR must have a strong presence at events in the region where WRR can showcase

o   the newspaper,

o   one event product, and

o   one publication other than the newspaper.

• Presence needs to be visual and entertaining.
• The stand needs to be clearly branded with the logos for The Record family. (See ‘Branding’ above)
• A popcorn stand handing out small, free cones with popcorn, together with the promotional stand, can be very attractive. The popcorn stand and the cones in which the popcorn is dispensed must be branded
• As the purpose of the popcorn stand is only to hand out small samples, a large industrial popcorn machine will not be needed. While machines can be rented for around $150 a day, it is possible to get smaller sized industrial machines for between $300 and $800, depending on size and strength.
• Students dressed as turn-­‐of-­‐the-­‐century newspaper boys, handing out copies of the paper, will also grab attention.
• As most of these events get in-­‐kind advertising sponsorship from the WRR, stands should be negotiated as part of the sponsorship package.
• In cases where the stand cannot be negotiated, the stand should be paid for. This will typically cost between $150 and $350 per event.
• Appendix A includes a suggested calendar of events

Skate:

• Sponsor skate sessions.
• Skate sessions are promoted online by the relevant municipalities, as well as in  some of their printed activity guides. These promotions also recognize the sponsors.
• WRR must utilize the branding opportunity offered by the rinks.
• Typical cost for a skating sessions is around $350 for 2 hours, including a part-­‐time cruiser. WRR already carries the required liability insurance.
• Public skates can take place once a month, and twice a month from November to April, when there are not many other community events taking place.
• Public skates can also be alternated with sponsored swims.
• At rinks where distribution of refreshments is allowed, the popcorn stand should be used.
• Appendix B includes contacts and costs for arranging skating sessions

 Editorial collaboration:

• Ensure greater collaboration with Editorial through events that are supported by the newspaper, but that also carry news value, such as Canada Day celebrations, or Pink Shirt Day.
• Ideally, there should be coverage of either the event, or the topic, prior to the event, as well as after.

Training:

Using the ground floor boardroom, provide training every other month to non-­‐profit and community groups and organizations, on topics related to The Record Family of products. This could include

• How to write a press release
• How to write a media pitch
• Networking for not-­‐for profits
• How to design an ad
• Topics related to events management
• How to maximize ROI from social media
• How to write a funding proposal

Young reader content:

As we have identified families as our primary target market, it will be beneficial to include content aimed at children in both the print and electronic versions of the WRR. An online page with content and information that can be used in popular assignments and projects, and links to educational sites and games can be used to draw children to the website.

It is important to attract young readers to the newspaper, both the print and online versions, in order to establish a habit of reading newspapers at a young age, which will then increase the likelihood of their continued support in adulthood.

Parents can be supplied with tips and prompts on how to incorporate discussions about current news around the dinner table, in a way that will allow children an opportunity to participate.

PROMOTIONS

Promotions can be used to increase the number of new subscriptions, renewal of existing subscriptions, and non-­‐subscription sales.

 Subscriptions and renewals:

The WRR circulation department is putting together a promotion to boost subscriptions. This promotion will offer a family vacation as a grand prize, with a number of monthly prizes. The promotion is suggested to run over 8 months.

This is a great way to encourage subscriptions.

One problem with driving subscriptions through incentives is that existing customers often feel alienated. The easiest way to avoid this is by extending the incentive to renewals. In addition, to prevent a sense of ‘having just missed the deal’, the WRR should run this kind of incentive continuously, with a grand prize being awarded every 6 months, rather than every 8 months. The grand prizes do not have to be the same, but should be similar in value.

To build ‘The Record Family’, new subscriptions and renewals can also be rewarded with tickets to a Grand River Shows event, and a limited subscription or promotional discount to one of the other publications.

Non-­‐subscription sales:

WRR can run a ‘Newspaper Bingo’, where a bingo card is included in the print edition. Numbers are then published in each print edition, with prizes for winning ticket holders.

Alternatively, clues can be hidden in the newspaper, that need to be collected to solve a puzzle or mystery. The advantage of this type of competition is that it can be designed to attract younger readers as well. It can also be formulated in such a way that the clues relate to various WRR products.

THE SHOP

The store currently carries a very limited selection of books and photo prints that can be ordered. The books are not priced competitively, and it is cheaper to order them from other online sources. The photo prints are also expensive. While it is important that WRR makes a profit from these sales, pricing must be done in a way that attract buyers, not alienate them.

The concept of an online store, and WRR related merchandise, carries a lot of potential. Up until now, this store was being managed by Metroland, but this management is in the process of being transferred to the WRR, which will give WRR much more authority and freedom in managing the store, and deciding on the content. The new arrangement will also make it possible for people to purchase products and subscribe online.

A limited supply of branded merchandise will be a good starting point. Depending on popularity, the range can be extended over time. At the most basic, this should include travel mugs and t-­‐shirts.

Using just the masthead logo only works well if you are an iconic brand. Instead of just  going for a standard logo, a more quirky creative design will probably be more popular

Photos should be available for order through the Record Store. This will be covered in more depth under the ‘Online Content’ section.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The Record employs a variety of social media platforms, and for a variety of products:

In addition, Grand River Shows also has an Instagram and a Pinterest account. These are particularly appropriate when it comes to shows involving food, fashion, and weddings.

The accounts are well utilized, and used to not only promote events, but also carry links that draw their followers to the website.

A number of journalists also have twitter accounts, which they use to great effect to promote news stories, and, again, to draw their followers to the website. Linking to the concept of establishing a personality for WRR, journalists can be given faces and personalities as well.

In order to integrate the print and online versions of the paper, increase number of likes and followers on Facebook and Twitter, and to encourage authentic interaction and conversation with readers through social media, the print edition can include a section featuring comments and tweets from readers in response to articles from the previous day.

CONTENT

The website should be used to display and promote the various products to more significant effect, with easy access, more interactivity, and a focus on products that are relevant and current. Both the website and social media platforms, should be used to stimulate interaction and discussions between WRR and the public at events where there is a WRR presence.

Another way to promote more interactivity, and an active community connection, is to build the profiles of journalists on the front page of the website.

A starting point for this would be to include a section on the website where photos of reporters, with short, but exciting bios, that refer not only to their professionalskills but also illustrate their characters and personalities, are displayed. These should link to recent as well as popular articles written by the reporter, and should include their social media handles, in order to encourage the public to follow them, which in turn will draw followers to read their articles online.

This initiative can be extended even further, in due course, by putting photos and quotes of these reporters in advertisements, for instance on bus shelters, or even on buses.

Newspapers typically have a vast collection of high quality photographs. While print naturally prohibits the publication of large numbers of photos, websites provide an almost limitless opportunity to publish many more photos. A photo gallery page should be incorporated to publish photos taken in the community. A link with The Record Store can give the public the opportunity to purchase photos from WRR.

Parents in particular will be enthusiastic to purchase high quality pictures taken of their children at community and school sports events. These should be available for order through the Record store. To add value to the purchase of photos, there can be the option to buy a mock front page featuring the photo.

It is worth taking note that the Record NiE has a Twitter account, but no Facebook page. Looking at the website, it seems as if the online presence is focused on teachers. There is an opportunity to expand the influence of both the website and the Twitter account by  regularly adding relevant content.

As we have identified families as our primary target market, it is essential that we recognize children as part of those families. It is therefor necessary to provide content suitable to readers aged 3 – 18, in order to cultivate a life-­‐long habit of reading newspapers in them.

One possible solution could be to incorporate http://newspapersineducationwr.com into http://www.therecord.com.

This content should include both recreational and educational material, and should be incorporated not only in print, but also online.

Again, it is important to provide on-­‐line content that caters to younger readers. The content needs to be recent and relevant.

Conclusion

The Waterloo Regional Record has demonstrated its ability to adapt to changes in time and circumstance. The organization has a substantial and respected profile in the regional community.

The efforts that have gone into building an online product have proven useful and successful. Consolidating the products under one banner is timely, and will raise public awareness of all the products, thereby increasing sales opportunities.

It is essential to build and maintain a personality for the company as a member of the community.

It is also vital to keep exploring ways to embrace and harness the ever-­‐changing technology to provide an exceptional product and to derive maximum benefit from social media and the organization’s online presence