Integrated Marketing Communication Campaign Plan Sample Assignment

1. Introduction

Integrated Marketing Communication can be explained as a concept that involves all forms of communication and interaction programs which can be used as a promotional tool. It is an integrated approach used by organizations to help and increase customers to interact with the enterprise. The various aspects of marketing communication include advertising, public relation, sales promotion, social media and direct marketing. It is fundamentally necessary for organizations to be able to communicate with their consumers to increase their sales.
Integrated marketing communication plan helps an organization to handle the changes that take place in the market. Along with improving internal and external communication, IMC also supports an organization to achieve its goal and objective. This report is based on one such company who is trying to build a healthy relationship with their customer by applying the required changes. Firstly, the report provides a background of the company along with identification of the required audience which the company wants to target with their marketing campaign.
The primary objective of the campaign is explained, and a set is also set up for the IMC campaign. The main elements related to IMC campaign is even selected, and the reason for choosing this element is also discussed. An appropriate creative strategy for successfully carrying out the campaign is made along with the development of IMC schedule.

2. Company’s Overview

The company was initiated by the Bortolotto family in Melbourne as a succession of the different restaurants from Italy. The place serves the people with different varieties of food and beverages along with the services which are highly appreciable as it is capable of blending with the atmosphere exquisitely. According to the Cecconi's, (2018), the company was initially a café which was located in the Fitzroy Street at Saint Kilda named as the Bortolotto Café Menis. Later in the 80's and 90's a revolution epitomized the food and wine industry of Melbourne and the dining on footpath was legalized. During the year 1998, Lloyd Williams desired to take over the Cecconi's over to the Crown Casino which supported the vision and the energy of the company suitably which made Cecconi's at the Crown Casino a famous place around the globe for the different varieties of food and service which are served with style.

During the year 2006, the Bortolotto family moved to the Cecconi's Flinders Lane with the subsidiary of the restaurant, and since then it has been functioning in that area with ease and grace. According to Anaf et al. (2017), the restaurant is known for the settings and arrangements as well which are made for the celebrations and gatherings and is considered as one of the best Italian restaurants in Melbourne. The restaurant is also capable of providing delicious Italian food to the customers from the full range of food items. Additionally, the bar menu of the restaurant includes some of the most exquisite and expensive wines which are suggested by the Chief Chef Maurice Esposito.

3. Identification of Audience

Before creating an integrated marketing communication plan, it is fundamentally essential for Cecconi’s to know who their customers are and then make a plan accordingly. As stated by Šerić, Gil-Saura, & Ruiz-Molina (2014), the management of Cecconi’s must focus on identifying their customers who would love to come to their restaurant for dining. Suggesting that they are serving Italian food, the primary motive is to target the Italian customers who stay at Melbourne.

The customers are the backbone of any company, and to successfully run a business and get an edge over the competitors; it is significantly important to find the appropriate customer base that suits the style in which the company operates. The management should keep in mind that the quality matters the most in this type of business and therefore they should never compensate for the variety of their food items.

Furthermore, McManus (2016) noted that the customers are always attracted to things which are new and creative, and this is the one where the management should invest time and money. In the present time, people do not worry about spending money on things which are right, and thus their primary focus should be to satisfy those customers and make them feel that it is worth paying money at their restaurant.

Moreover, because Cecconi’s is a sophisticated restaurant, they must target those people looking for a business meeting over dinning. As explained by Pholpuntin et al. (2014), these high-end business meeting always loves to indulge and join those places having a good vibe, good food and further good service which Cecconi’s should remember and create their IMC plan accordingly.

4. Objectives of IMC campaign

The objectives of the Marketing Campaign are majorly required to define the goals which are to be achieved by Cecconi's and accomplish the efforts which are made to all throughout the campaign. It is also studied Zahra (2018) that different marketing campaigns are oriented to only one objective, but it is essential for Cecconi's Campaign to accomplish more than a single goal. The reason to achieve more than one purpose is mainly to simplify the target audience and avoid the creation of confusion.

The primary objectives which are focused on the Cecconi's in the marketing campaign are mentioned as follows:

• Boosting the intake of finances to more than $25000.
• Providing the services to an average of 2000 clients in a month.
• The increment in the number of volunteer hours up to 800 per month.
• Increase in the awareness of the restaurant by 50 percent and comparing it to the original survey.
• Monthly media coverage generation for the posts and events.
• Achievement of 50 new visitors each day on the website of the restaurant.
• Achieving 200 new Facebook fans every month.

As studied by Aleksandrova (2017), these objectives are majorly developed by the analysis carried out on Cecconi's and the competition which is available in the along with the different opportunities. The goals have been designed to support the strategy for the Integrated Marketing Communication Plan for the year 2018.

5. Budget of IMC campaign

The budget for integrating marketing communication campaign for Cecconi’s is given below:

Item Purpose Cost Estimate

Template for an Email campaign Direct Marketing: The email needs to be designed by professionals that can be used in the battle $900

Website design, internal ads, and contest pages Direct marketing: The website needs to be created by the professionals to attract different customers. $900

Advertisement design work Online Ads, sandwich boards need designer work $300

Facebook ads Social media: The primary purpose of this is to target the local customers $700

Sandwich boards For displaying sandwich boards outside the restaurant $400

Restaurant posters, coupons contest Sales Promotion: the restaurant need to be designed to meet the campaign-related materials $600

Coupon value Sales promotion: the total estimated cost of exchanged coupons $3000

Press release A PR team need to release a press conference along with writing and local distribution $700

Internal Labour The employees who will execute the campaign such as ad purchases, email campaign, filers, social media, content management, web updates, local settlement of coupons, whole project management 20% time of employee during the period of the campaign.

Total Taking a count of all cost but only excluding employee labor $7500

6. Selection of IMC Elements

The advertising campaign would significantly help the marketing campaign of the Cecconi’s differently. As opined by Modi (2017), the advertising element when compared to the public relations is a bit expensive but is a marketing tool which can be much more useful than the public relations. The entire advertising campaign of the Cecconi’s would include the news articles, radio shows along with the social media campaign for the events and promotion of the brand.

The primary goals of the Advertising campaign would include the following:

• Increase in support of the public for the Cecconi's with the help of social media campaigns and radio shows.
• Increase in the media coverage of the events and celebrations in the Cecconi’s.
• A notification for the new visitors on the social media posts and new visitors through the radio shows.

The strategies which would be followed in the Advertising campaign are mentioned below:

• Organizing Radio Shows with the employees of the Cecconi’s.
• Creation of better social media pages and posts to attract the customers.
• Development of news articles and advertisements.
• Written stories on social media posts.
• Creation of testimonials for the different clients of the Cecconi’s.

7. Reason for Choosing the Elements

The integrated marketing campaign can turn a venture into a successful one which is the reason why choosing the appropriate element is so necessary. As mentioned by Juska (2017), the reason for wanting to advertise as an element because it has the power to convey the message directly to the mass which increases brand loyalty along with an increase in comprehension. Advertising is an essential part of a marketing campaign because this is what the people see from outside and get to know about your organization.

The second central element is public relation because it helps in building strong relationships with the people who are essential to the company. A strong media relation can work in favor of the company and thus foster the sales. As cited by Melo (2014), this is by far the most important reason for choosing public relation as an element in the integrated marketing campaign. Furthermore, the reason for selecting direct mail is that it directly shows the effort which the company is trying to make to increase communication. Cecconi’s can use this strategy to ask questions relating to the meal which their customers had in their restaurant and then take feedbacks.

It is significantly necessary to satisfy the customers while building a long-time relationship with them. Also, they can use it as a marketing strategy such as applying discounts and coupons and keep the customers updated which will make them feel important to the company. According to Anaf et al. (2017), this will urge the customers to come more to their restaurant and have the desired Italian food. Direct marketing is chosen because it helps in making the most of the resource available.

8. Determining Creative Strategy

The creative strategy which is to be followed by the Cecconi's should be presented warmly and emotionally which majorly focuses on the customers and provides the primary focus on the customers. As stated by Šerić, Gil-Saura, & Ruiz-Molina (2014), the center emphasizes the benefits which are provided to the customers with the proper elements. The most significant part of the advertisement of the Cecconi's should revolve around the food and bar menu which can provide better benefits to the Cecconi's.

The slogan should be: One can have a great day ahead with eating Italian salad and alcohol.

9. IMC campaign

9.1. Newspaper Campaign

Finest Italian Restaurant in Melbourne

9.2. Social Media Campaign

9.3. Radio Script

Title: Marketing Campaign for Cecconi’s

Radio Jockey: Hello friends, guess who our guest in today’s episode of Genius Entrepreneurs is.

Chef: Hi everyone, this is Mark here, and I am the Chef of the Italian restaurant in town named Cecconi’s.

Radio Jockey: Okay, Mark so tell everyone how Cecconi’s is different from other Italian restaurant and why people must visit it?

Chef: Our place is different from others restaurants because it serves only authentic Italian dishes which is not anywhere to be found in Melbourne. The size of the restaurant speaks about its volume in a way which cannot be defined. The environment surrounding the restaurant is very positive, and it honestly cheers anyone within seconds.

Radio Jockey: So, friends if you just turned onto this channel I would like to tell you again we have with us Mark, who is the Chef of Cecconi’s. So, Mark tell me your specialty like what is your particular dish?

Chef: I have several dishes which customers love, but among them, one of the most popular is pancetta-wrapped quail which is a whole roasted quail covered with smoked bacon and is served with savoy lardons and cabbage. Other dishes like pappardelle, tiramisu is also liked by the customers and are frequently ordered.

Radio Jockey: Wow hears those mouth-watering dishes I cannot resist myself and will soon be there to try out the food. Hahaha. Okay, Mark as we are going to wrap up this episode what the one thing which you would like to say to the people out there is?

Chef: Friends do visit our restaurant once, and I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed with the service we provide. Our restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch for five days and six days for dinner. Hope to continue to deliver and cheer your moods with my cooking. Thank you for having me here, it was pleasing to talk with you people.

10. Development of IMC Schedule

The timeline for the marketing campaign of Cecconi's which is to be implemented in the year 2019 is described below. The deadline is also divided into different parts which include the advertising campaign and promotion, the building of initiatives, online initiatives, and advertising initiatives.

Months/Activities Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Advertising

News Articles

Social Media Campaigns

Radio Shows

Initiatives

Posts online

Posts of Events in News

Radio Coverage of Events

Online Initiatives

Website Development

Designing and Implementation

Website SEO

Facebook Page

Twitter Page

Video Making

Advertising Initiatives

Radio Shows with Employees

10.1. Budget Breakdown

Cecconi’s Newspaper Articles $600

Website Development $100

Radio Shows $500

Social Media Maintenance $300

Additional Costs $150

Total $1650

10.2. Return on Investment

The yield on investment for the Cecconi's can be understood by the total budget which is expected to be spent on the campaign and the entire revenue for the campaign.

The following formula is mainly used for the calculation of the return on investment of the IMC Plan.

Revenue as the Result of IMC Plan - IMC Budget

IMC Budget

That is:

$7500 - $1650

1650

Therefore, the return on the investment is 4:1 which means on every $1 spent for the IMC plan the results would be four times better and $4 would be earned as a part of the revenue.

10.3. Elaborated Breakdown of the Budget

The elaborated breakdown of the budget would include the extra amount which is spent by the restaurant on the customers arriving after the campaign. The website domain needs an upgrade to handle the better number of customers, and the utensils would be essential to manage the broader customer base after a successful campaign. The costs are calculated for the benefit of the company, and these would also help in maintaining the reputation of the customer.

Item Source Cost

Website

Domain Godaddy.com $100

Utensils

Liquid Soap Woolworths $10

Buckets Woolworths $20

Sponges Woolworths $10

Towels Woolworths $50

Nozzle Sprays Woolworths $20

Cleaning Items

Garbage Bags Walmart $10

Gloves Woolworths $30

Extra Food Items

Decorations Wholesale $100

Napkins Owned Already NC

Total $350

11. Conclusion

It can be concluded from the above assignment that the Integrated Marketing Communication is an essential aspect of the Cecconi's. Additionally, the implementation of the IMC plan would achieve the objectives of increasing the number of customers for the restaurant. The bottom line is that the Cecconi's would be able to expand in the society and meet the mission and vision statements as well.
 
References

Journals

Anaf, J., Baum, F. E., Fisher, M., Harris, E., & Friel, S. (2017). Assessing the health impact of transnational corporations: a case study on McDonald’s Australia. Globalization and health, 13(1), 7.

McManus, L. M. B. (2016). An Academic Conference in the Charm City Leeanne M. Bell McManus and Chip Rouse. Integrated Marketing Communication: Creating Spaces for Engagement, 37.

Pholpuntin, S., Serirat, S., Anuwichanont, J., & Mechinda, P. (2014). The Analysis of TOWS Matrix for Promoting Thai Kitchens into ASEAN Markets of Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Socialist Kingdom of Cambodia. Universal Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 2(7), 182-187.

Šerić, M., Gil-Saura, I., & Ruiz-Molina, M. E. (2014). How can integrated marketing communications and advanced technology influence the creation of customer-based brand equity? Evidence from the hospitality industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 39, 144-156.

Zahra, I. M. (2018). Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC): The Interdisciplinary Concept. In Promoting Interdisciplinarity in Knowledge Generation and Problem Solving (pp. 102-123). IGI Global.

Books/Articles

Aleksandrova Georgieva, A. (2017). Digital marketing plan: Ecoral Hotel.

Juska, J. M. (2017). Integrated Marketing Communication: Advertising and Promotion in a Digital World. Routledge.

Melo, M. T. D. M. P. (2014). Marketing plan: How to benefit from the European population aging and attract the affluent senior segment to choose Lisbon as a tourism destination? (Doctoral dissertation).

Modi, K. (2017). Facebook usage among Restaurants in Oslo: A comparative study of Global Chain of restaurants and Popular Local restaurants in Oslo (Master's thesis).
Websites

Cecconi's Italian Restaurant Melbourne Flinders Lane. (2018). Retrieved from http://cecconis.com