Produce a marketing communications report addressing the requirements set out in the case study found attached

IMCassignment2020-21newindividual1.docx

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Assignment Details: IMC 5U6Z0068 2020/21 New Balance 850

You are required:

· To work individually to produce a marketing communications report addressing the requirements set out in the case study found attached.

Your work will focus on the following tasks:

1. Analyse the market situation of New Balance and the sector by undertaking a context analysis, quoting a range of sources (e.g. relevant Mintel report etc.), which should focus on the following (30 marks):

a. Analysis of the sector and key trends & issues

b. Analysis of New Balance communications activities, the competitors & their communications activities

c. Analysis of the New Balance branding & competitor brands utilising appropriate branding model(s)

2. Provide a detailed description of the target audience for your future campaign & justify why they are appropriate. Ensure you use additional sources to support information provided in the case study (15 marks).

3. Write up to three new marketing communications objectives for New Balance 850, and justify why they are appropriate. Ensure that these objectives are SMART and are focused on the next year. Longer-term objectives may be discussed, but the focus should be on the next year. (10 marks).

4. Provide detail as to the nature of the communications strategy (i.e. push/pull/profile). Ensure you justify your choice (10 marks).

5. Provide details of your recommendations for the top three communication tools to be used in the campaign (based upon tried & tested, evolved, new & innovative discussed in the case study), justify their inclusion & make reference to a budget (15 marks)

6. Produce a piece of creative work (for example an advert/advertorial for a magazine, TV, radio, sponsored Facebook ad, press release, competition, piece of content etc.), and justify the appropriateness of the key message/creative (20 marks).

Task notes

This assignment has been specifically written for the IMC class. While based on a real project, it is a largely fictional piece of work set in a real marketing environment. Students undertaking this assignment must not contact the organisation, remember, the scenario is an academic exercise ONLY – it is not a live brief.

Report guidelines

The report should be no more than 12 pages in length including appendices and exhibits (we will not mark anything beyond 14 pages). The title page, contents page and references are the only pages to be included outside of this page limit. Please use 11 or 12 font and standard margins in the production of this report. Reports should contain sub-headings for each new section and should be single line spaced throughout. You will be expected to apply theory to the case study and marks will be awarded for this.

Referencing

The written report must be referenced and have a final reference list using the Harvard style. Quoting of sources for various points that you make, adds to the credibility (for example in the context analysis, media costs). See the MMUBS policy on Harvard referencing through the electronic library: https://libguides.mmu.ac.uk/refguide/mmuharvard

Marking Criteria

Marking sheet for the assessment follows. Look at it carefully – it will give you a very clear indication of what is required for each grade category

Component	Fail (to 29%)	Borderline Fail (30-39%)	Pass (40-49%)	Pass (50-59%)	Pass (60-69%)	Pass (70- 85%)	Pass (86%+)
1. Is the market situation of the chosen organisation analysed through a context analysis? 30%	No/very poor analysis of market situation. Lacks reference to quoting of sources.	Weak analysis of market situation with very little discussion. Poor use of sources/lack of quoting of sources used/lack of use of quality sources	Adequate analysis of market situation, supported by satisfactory narrative. Analysis uses some sources, may be lacking in quality	Good identification of market situation provided with good narrative. Good level of quality sources used, mainly quoted.	Very good identification of market situation provided with good narrative. Good level of quality sources used, mainly quoted.	Excellent detailed identification of market situation. Referenced, quality sources used to add credibility	Exceptional detailed identification of market situation. Referenced, quality sources used to add credibility
2. Are new marketing communications objectives for the campaign identified? 10%	No/very poor new marketing communications objectives identified	Weak/flawed marketing communications objectives identified and very little discussion	Adequate new marketing communications objectives identified with little discussion	Good, appropriate new marketing communications objectives identified with some detailed justification, may not all be SMART	Very good, appropriate new marketing communications objectives identified with some detailed justification, may not all be SMART	Excellent, SMART objectives identified, demonstrating exceptional commercial acumen. Significant discussion/justification	Exceptional, SMART objectives identified, demonstrating exceptional commercial acumen. Significant discussion/justification
3. Is the communications strategy detailed and discussed? 10%	No/very poor strategy lacking clarity	Weak demonstration of strategy featuring clarity	Adequate demonstration of strategy featuring some clarity and coherence	Good demonstration of strategy featuring clarity and coherence	Very good demonstration of strategy featuring clarity and coherence	Excellent demonstration of strategy featuring clarity and coherence	Exceptional demonstration of strategy featuring clarity and coherence
4. Is a detailed description of the target audience provided? 15%	No/very poor indication of target audience within this campaign provided	Weak indication of target audience within this campaign provided with little insight	Adequate justification of target audience within this campaign provided with some insight	Good indication of target audience within this campaign provided with good insight	Very good indication of target audience within this campaign provided with good insight	Excellent indication of target audience within this campaign provided with excellent insight	Exceptional indication of target audience within this campaign provided with excellent insight
5. Is a key message(s) incorporated into a piece of creative work? 20%	No/very poor demonstration of creative work	Weak demonstration of creative work and/or lack of supporting justification	Adequate demonstration of proposed tool and supporting justification	Good demonstration of proposed tool and justification	Very good demonstration of proposed tool and detailed justification	Excellent demonstration of proposed tool and in depth justification	Exceptional demonstration of proposed tool and justification
6. Are details of the marketing tools included and justified, including budget? 15%	No/very poor justification of the inclusion of proposed tools or the advantages/disadvantage. No/very poor reference to budget	Weak justification of the inclusion of proposed tools and/or the advantages/disadvantages. Little reference to a budget	Adequate justification of inclusion of proposed tools and/or advantages/disadvantages. Some reference to budget.	Good justification of the inclusion of proposed tools and/or the advantages/disadvantages. Good reference to budget.	Very good justification of the inclusion of proposed tools and/or the advantages/disadvantages. Good reference to budget.	Excellent justification of the inclusion of proposed tools and/or advantages/disadvantages. Full reference to a budget & sources quoted	Exceptional justification of the inclusion of proposed tools and/or advantages/disadvantages. Coherent and full reference to a budget & sources quoted.

IMC 2020-21 Case Study: New Balance 850

Background information from the client

New Balance is a global family of independents. We’re an odd bunch of unconventional curators and fearless mavericks who create culture by challenging the meaning of what’s normal. There is always a wild child in the family- ours is the 850.

The New Balance 850 has never been about conforming. The result of ripping up the rule book, this ‘90s runner is renowned for its modern aesthetic that stands out from the crowd.

‘Wild Child’ is a continuation of the ‘Runs in the Family’ essence and the 850 as the hero product for this story is the first time we had removed the ‘N’ from the side of our shoe and therefore breaking what we were traditionally known for. The shoe was originally born in 1996 as a running shoe and was ahead of its time with regards to the technology used. The designer was Stephanie Howard and the developer was Rita Maloney (Rita is still with NB!) This was made in both our US and UK factories. The 850 bring-back provides us with an energetic silhouette that bridges the gap between chunky and low-profile.

There are two stories we’re telling:

Odd Squad – it’s okay to be odd / different. New Balance is an inclusive group of outliers.

Wild Child – a more product centric approach – telling the stories of the wild ones across Music, Fashion, Arts etc.

Target audience information from the client

Our primary target audience are called The Independents. They are a young group with a mindset that New Balance is cool and culturally relevant to them. This group will be the driver of the new recruit objective.

They’re aged 13-34, even gender split, enjoy fitness and balance between performance and lifestyle shoes.

· They want brands to stand for something bigger, especially gender and are without gender association

· They want deeper, more personalised brand engagements and are more likely to purchase from brands who support causes they care about

· They are passionate and driven by the need to discover and enjoy being creative, imaginative, and independent is important

· They are tech- and social-first in media and in their everyday lives and are fascinated by new technology and the mechanics of the way things work

· They are independent, forward-thinking, and driven to succeed and are interested in multidimensional people

The audience is national but are likely to be found in urban areas. The key cities are:

· Manchester

· Liverpool

· London

· Glasgow

· Dublin

Competitors

The client has highlighted the following competitors:

· Adidas

· Nike

· Puma

· Converse

· Fila

THE BRIEF:

Create a full marketing campaign that tells the story of the 850 through the Wild Child/Odd Squad territories. Leverage any key, cultural moments for the UK within this and utilise the bold and colourful aesthetics of the shoe. Female empowerment is a key focus area for New Balance moving forwards, so we’d like to steer some of the marketing tactics towards supporting this theme. This campaign should initially focus on the 850 as the launch shoe, and then evolve into a brand campaign to achieve longevity.

In 2021, we want to drive brand growth and momentum through:

1. Maximise the commercial opportunity in each channel through New Balance’s owned

channels

2. Maximise the earned media potential and encourage asset optimisation

3. Recruit new users to the brand through social media followers & incremental sales

Budgets across marketing have a 50/30/20 framework to ensure all activity is successful yet innovative:

• 50% - tried and tested (channels that we’ve used in the past and know work)

• 30% - evolved (something fresh, but in line with the category norm)

• 20% - new & innovative (something completely outside of the box)

A budget of £500,000 is available for this campaign

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE ORGANISATION DIRECTLY – THIS IS NOT A LIVE BRIEF