Introduction
According to Graham (2014, p. 10), the success of any products depends hugely on the nature of advertising campaign it adopts. While several campaign strategies and tactics may exist in the contemporary marketplace, crafting a campaign that fits the values and needs of the company forms a core element in driving growth of the company. In fact, it ensures that stakeholders meet the core mandate of the firm, which is to establish a consistent brand of providing value to her clients. This report provides a detailed research backed facts and insights regarding the proposed Vegemite Campaign. The outcomes and insights shared in this report will be categorically useful to steer internal strategic discussions both at an internal level as well as connection to advertising and media agencies concerned.
Background on Vegemite
The Vegemite is a brand with a history of over 90 years. Started in 1922 by a Fred Walker Company, the brand has risen to take a place in the hearts of several households in Australia. According to Ling & Winzar (2015, p. 5), 22.7 million jars are manufactured in Australia each year, which loosely translates to 235 jars per minute. Additionally, for one jar exported, 30 products are sold in Australia. Proven data record that vegemite is available in 90% of the pantries within Australia. These figures mean that Vegemite has become a favorite in the Australian market. Nonetheless, as high as it may seem, sales data of Vegemite has plateaued over the recent years with established being, new entrants into the market such as AussieMite and OzEmite. These entrants also prove that the yeast based market had grown considerable over the past two decades in Australia. This competitive edge calls for a renewed approach to advertising and consumer behavior analysis.
Campaign objectives
This campaign serves to reignite the growth of Vegemite amidst a steady competition. Specifically, the campaign forecasts a 12% increment in brand awareness. Various segments of the report draws on feedback and insights from loyal Vegemite clients across Australia with an aim of building focus on product differentiation in the market. Further, the report addresses key areas to address in consumer behavior and its relationship sustaining a reliable and effective presence on social media.
The Campaign as a solution
Building a brand loyalty, as Vegemite has managed to do over time, requires both communication with potential clients persuading them from their world to adopt a product. Several explain the effectiveness of influencing consumer behavior to accomplish the objectives above. The general propositions to the campaign effectiveness depend critically on the main actions carried to expose the product repeatedly. Loosely translated, the manner that Vegemite products shall repeatedly be exposed to the clients will determine the feelings and expectations that will emerge in the behavior of the clients. This campaign makes use of different theories advertising to ensure its success. Some of the areas recommended in the initial planning phase are content specification, which involves creating specific messages and characteristics of the media coupled with consumer behavior metrics to devise competitive actions. According to Kyuisma & Hyona (2015, p. 15), effective ads involve a context of other media and settings of practice. This campaign will utilize media settings to provoke fiction and actionable worlds together without any necessary focus on content. The mediation of reality, as a theory used in this campaign will use media elements and settings to describe excitements and emotions of the consumers by raising the neural responses during the time of exposure.
Further, based on the theory of shifting loyalties, this campaign will narrow down to the ideals of Vegemite that make it appealing to householders and specifically to mothers. This will ensure that as other products gain momentum in the market we cultivate a strong sense of connection to our brand by the very nature of the values that we advocate. This means, while Vegemite has had a long stand for being a household delicacy, our approach will now get to differentiate the health and wellbeing index behind Vegemite products. During the campaign, our close adoption of shifting loyalties through differentiation, will work to the boost the objectives mentioned when coupled the magic of meaning. Vegemite in itself has a rich meaning spanning almost a century. During the selling practice, touching on consumer values as well as fundamental beliefs will greatly reaffirm trust in the market. While Rodger & Thorson (2017, p. 74) obviously notes that Vegemite has had an immense influence in the social trend of Australia, this new approach of new meaning will touch on individual values of the differentiated niche while shaping social values as a whole. This approach can be affirmed by Close (2012, p. 12), that women truly shape the social values of any society through the acculturation process. Further to our health and wellbeing approach to the campaign, we also require a hidden message phenomenon by working with influencers in the market. Its common, today that certain medical doctors and wellness experts have taken over the market with wellness information. A potential partnership with them in usage and brand symbols shall enhance the consumers’ critical resistance to connect and use Vegemite more during and after the campaign. In fact, this approach, according to Reeves (2017), will guarantee an increase in the campaign effectiveness by 15%.
Creative Strategy & Tactics
Further to the creative tactics highlighted above, in regards to the hidden message theory, working with medical doctors and wellness experts should start the campaign. This strategy, as hinted above will create an emotional appeal to shift trust to the product while enhancing consumer loyalty in the long run. Available sites to secure these experts with a massive following of our niche market is bestdoctors.com as well as wellness retreats through search engines.
Another tactic borrows from the imitative desire theory, which involves the services of top influencers in the Australia sociocultural landscape. These include national icons who have earned a position of influence in the households of Australia. The three aspects to focus on include, fame, good looks as well as power. The desire to be like our influencers will keep our market connected to our products brand while maintaining the reality of the inability to become another person (King & Baskin, 2007, pp.44-51).
During the field research, it will be critical to conduct an extensive analysis with the home affairs government on the values and beliefs of Australian households. The fundamental beliefs of the consumer will be useful in creating content and media choices that speak directly to the emotions and decision making faculties of the consumers.
Choice of Media
As of March 2017, consumer decisions were influenced incredibly by various leading agencies (Reeves, 2017, p. 72). Top in the list was recommendation by family and friends, online reviews as well as TV ads; while least in the list were billboards and radio ads.
During this campaign, our effectiveness will depend exclusively on various factors cutting across various media channels.
To utilize the Vegemite Social Media platform will be effective to create a referral loop that encourages a spread of the taste of Vegemite from loyal consumers. Social Media, according to Close (2012), is a powerful pathway to enhance recommendations from friends and family. Further, SM use shall also adopt a stream of reviews which will then raise the online metrics when consumers are making decisions on whether to choose Vegemite or not. A disruptive approach with this is to list all the dominant online platforms and encourage reviews through a promotion that encourages a free Vegemite gift to a friend or loved one.
Other channels recommended include: TV ads which will feature influential individuals. This approach will definitely encourage the emotional attachment to our product such that consumers will be searching for Vegemite soon after. Other channels will include an interactive email list that offers useful products regarding Health and wellbeing products and insights. This approach of constant contact with consumers will build trust and a stable referral system that goes beyond one time purchase.
Target Audience specifications
The effectiveness of the campaign will target household decision making clients. The product is unique in the sense that it appeals to two groups of people from experience. The first target niche is the mothers in Australian households. According to Reeves (2017), household purchase decisions are largely made by mothers compared to men in the houses with a staggering 80:60 ratio. This research also adds that women have a unique way of affirming sociocultural trends based on fundamental beliefs in the household. Using our unique theory of magic meaning will enhance this target market by over 20% according to the metric explained by Reeves (2017). Further to that, children form another special target group for the connections they have with their parents. Special brand identity with the children will also promote a long term relationship with Vegemite beyond the campaign period.
Media Placement Effectiveness
The placement and effectiveness of the campaign hugely on the target clients described above as well as the channels preferred. Having majored on Social Media, Online Reviews, TV ads, and email marketing among other options each channels has an effective timing of engagement based on the target consumers above. According to Close (2012), Social Media promotions have been effective when run during the week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturdays from 3.00pm to 6.00pm. This timing explains what happens when parents are taking a break from work and prefer to get on social media. TV ads on the other hand depend exclusively on the various programs aired and favorited by the target consumers. During the research phase, it will be useful to determine which programs are appealing to children and mothers in the households.
Evaluation Process (Campaign effectiveness)
The distribution of the campaign into the market will have four phases:
Phase 1: A steady market research on product, channels and consumer behavior change in over the past 5 years.
Phase 2: TV ads: Working with influencers, the promotions will cover the overall emotions and fundamental beliefs around the products as an initial neuron response to the product.
Phase 2: SM Engagement: Using interactive platforms such as Facebook and Email promotions, the product will involve emotional feedback from the consumers based on the core elements of Vegemite.
Phase 3: This phase of the project will address a combined channel bringing the identity of values and correlation of each factors addressed in phase 1 & 2 of the campaign.
Each phase shall contain an evaluation based on the metrics set at the beginning of the campaign. Phase 1 for instance, should take a period not less than 2 months with indicators such as concrete consumer behavior change in the market. Each phase is designed to encourage innovation and new ideas both at the beginning and ends.
While a steady monitoring is required for this campaign, the budget available will enable systemic evaluations within the scope of the phases. Meaning, hiring external M&E experts may not be affordable throughout the entire campaign. However, an expert insight at the beginning will be useful to determine metrics of evaluation within the operations already set out.
Other factors
Finally, other factors to consider during the launch of this operation include, market regulations which will be useful to determine during market research phase. The budgetary constraints may also become relevant, should the team opt for use of influential agencies and personalities in the TV Ads. However, this constraint can be averted by possible partnership packages that involve long terms engagements and other resource based compensation plans.
Conclusions
Finally, the success of this campaign will depend largely on the careful execution of the variables presented in this report. As described in the target audience category, the brand evolution as well as past advertising activities forms a critical part of implementing this project. Ultimately, our goal is to promote Vegemite aggressively within a constantly increasing competitive market.
References
CLOSE, A. (2012). Online consumer behavior: theory and research in social media, advertising, and e-tail. New York, Routledge.
GRAHAM, M. (2014). Anthropological explorations in queer theory.
KING, S., LANNON, J., & BASKIN, M. (2007). A master class in brand planning: the timeless works of Stephen King. Chichester, West Sussex, England, John Wiley & Sons. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=9385.
KUISMA, J., & HYONA, J. (2015). Perception of visual advertising in different media: from attention to distraction, persuasion, preference and memory. S.L., Frontiers Media SA.
LING, P., D’ALESSANDRO, S., & WINZAR, H. (2015). Consumer behaviour in action.
QUESTER, P. G., PETTIGREW, S., KOPANIDIS, F., HILL, S. R., & HAWKINS, D. I. (2013). Consumer behaviour: implications for marketing strategy.
REEVES, R. (2017). REALITY IN ADVERTISING. [S.l.], LULU COM.
RODGERS, S. (. L., & THORSON, E. (2017). Digital advertising: theory and research.