Coursework "PR Plan and PR Team"
Introduction
East Midlands Airport is among the leading airports in the country. It serves the east region and offers travel solutions to upper and middle class travelers. This airport hosts several airlines of cargo, passengers, and tutorial services. Airlines have destinations to various cities of the world. They also offer getaway solutions for holiday shoppers who are eager to go on vacations with their friends or relatives during this Christmas. The airport has had a few disappointing occurrences in recent times and its image needs to be regained before the onset of the festive season. The following in coursework is a PR plan that aims at reversing customers’ mindsets and leaving them entertained as well as subscribed to several of the airport’s products and services.
Situational Analysis
East Midlands Airport, which is also known as EMA, has had its share of challenges that have slowed its growth in terms of sales. Reports show that customers who frequent the airport have a negative mindset due to recent issues that have arisen there. The recent discovery of a bag full of explosives at the airport has led many clients to feel unsafe at the terminus and hence to take the shortest time possible to vacate the area. The rush to get off the airport has led to massive decrease sales of various businesses that operate from the airport. Another recent challenge has been long delays that have inconvenienced many customers, who are mainly busy business people. It has also been frightening experience to customers to witness various minor malfunctioning of planes on the runway and small accidents. The image of EMA needs to be reclaimed especially with the onset of the festive session. The airport faces intense competition not only from other airlines but also from alternative means of transport, such as the network of railway lines that traverse the region. So far EMA commands a big share of the customer base with thousands of passengers and cargo using the airport every day. During this festive season the industry is normally very busy with every competitor doing a lot to attract a majority of the customers. Many of them have come up with interesting marketing strategies such as holiday packages and hotel bookings to ensure that they not only attract customers but that they also make them spend a large amount of their income. This calls for EMA to quickly turn around the mindset of customers who have had bad experiences at the airport and get to choose it as their sole holiday connector.
Goal Strategy
The main goal of this PR plan is to turn around the customer’s mindset so that they can have a positive experience at the airport. This plan will be achieved by engaging the customers in fun experiences and activities at the airport before they proceed with their journey. The plan involves a lot of entertainment activities such as music from celebrated artists, giving of Christmas gifts, including holiday vouchers, comedy, children activities, free food, and drinks, as well as air sporting activities. This will show them that the airport management is not just interested in their money but also in their general wellbeing and enjoyment. The secondary goal is to ensure that while customers enjoy themselves, they get to spend a lot of money on the airport’s products and services. The airport hosts several airlines with different destinations all over the world. Each of these businesses will get a chance to showcase their destinations and market them as quality holiday getaways that customers can choose for their holidays. Various hotels will also be represented during the fair to market their services and convince customers to spend money. The airline also hosts delivery service providers such as DHL. These businesses will also be able to convince customers so as to get them sending their parcels and gift packages using their services. This PR plan will be able to win the attention of media and that of holiday shoppers eager to get away. In the process customer experience will be regained and most of them will be left with a good feeling about the airport. Getting the customers to enjoy the services will also boost sales as they will be comfortable enough to stay around and spend money on purchases. This plan will help boost the various businesses that are hosted by the airport.
Target Publics
The customer base of EMA is wide of a diversity of destinations, class, and needs. The one of the targets will be the holiday shoppers who will be looking for getaways for their families and friends. This festive season the airport will showcase their variety of destinations, holiday packages, and hotels that customers can book into and enjoy with their families or friends. The other target market will concern cargo delivery. During Christmas a majority of people will be sending cards, well wishes, and gift packs to their friends and families. This is a major business during the session. The airport can tap into this by promoting their cargo and courier services. The artifacts and gift shops will also gain a major boost through the PR plan for sales. Some of the airlines at the airport offer sporting activities such as air photography, diving, and surfing. The organized PR plan will help these airlines to tap into this market. During the holiday customers get time to spend and enjoy various activities with their friends and families. Therefore, the plan will help to penetrate this target market. The busy session also comes with a lot of business deals and business people will be flying to and fro various destinations. The plan will promote the VIP carriers and ensure that they tap into this segment. Another target for this plan is the media whom we want to influence to write positive stories about the airport. This will help to improve the image of the airport after several disappointing incidences that have occurred this year. All these targets will not only spend on their specified services but also on other products and services in various display points all over the airport. Direct sales from sample products/services as well as indirect sales from future purchases will be recovered.
Target Media
Communication to target markets about the event is crucial to let them know and also entice them to attend. This will involve different kinds of media, including print and electronic media. Print media, such as magazines, fliers, banners, newspapers, and will carry crucial information regarding the event and also advertising the various activities available for customers to sample. Print media is important because the information stays on longer and can be read on later. The information on print media can also be passed to second and even more parties through exchange of the materials and, therefore, it is able to reach more people. Electronic media, such as television and radio advertisements will be involved. This form of media is flexible and is able to reach people in their houses, offices, and even in their vehicles. Facebook advertisements, Instagram messages, and Twitter handles will be created for the campaign. These will be keenly prepared to ensure that they appeal to the target group. Advertisements on such platforms should be short, attractive, and easy to relate to so as to understand. Print and electronic media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV are quite costly. There is a need, therefore, to decrease the cost of reaching the target markets using social media. Social media also covers a wide range of target customers, more than any other form of media. It is also flexible and available throughout and the message can be availed for a longer time. Other target media includes the use of printed t-shirts, caps, and Christmas cards. Screens and billboards will also be erected at on various roads, towns, and entrances. The last form of target media will be the word of mouth whereby customers will be awarded for displaying stickers on their cars and talking to friends about the event.
Budget
The budget consists of all the cost implications of the PR plan. A huge part of the budget will go into media hiring for advertising and for coverage of the event. This includes payment for TV advertisements and space in the case of print media. Social media platforms also charge for advertisement projects. Entertainment costs, such as payment for music performances as well as accommodation for the guest entertainers, will also take up a huge portion of the budget. Celebrities are people who are highly regarded and admired in the society. Getting them to show their support and approval will get other customers to believe in the airport as well. They will include music icons, sports personnel, and media celebrated individuals. Their attention and participation comes with a huge cost as they will need to be accommodated for the period they will be required by the organizers of the PR plan. Another main cost is free food, drinks, and holiday getaway vouchers for a few lucky customers. Participation badges will also be awarded to every customer who will use the airport during the promotion days. Transportation of materials and hired systems, such as tents and music systems, will also incur a taxi fare costs. The budget frame work will be as indicated below.
| Item | Cost in Pounds |
|---|---|
| Take away papers, cards, and flyers | 5 |
| Accommodation rooms for guest artists | 10 |
| Music bands and celebrities | 20 |
| Hire of sound systems | 5 |
| 1000 lunch packs and drinks for lucky winners | 20 |
| Newspaper and magazine advertisements | 10 |
| TV and radio advertisements | 10 |
| Photography | 5 |
| Gift hampers | 10 |
| 10 holiday vouchers | 10 |
| Participation badges for all customers (estimated 1000000 customers) | 10 |
| Artwork for the brochures and banners | 5 |
| Taxi fares for transporting materials | 5 |
| Incidental | 5 |
| Contingency Funds | 5 |
| Total | 140 |
Objectives
The main objective of this PR plan is to reach about one million customers during this Christmas and improve their mental perspective about the airport. This aim will be achieved by using heavy media advertising and entertainment for the target customers. The second objective will be to make customers feel comfortable enough to spend some time at the airport and in the course of doing so spend some money on the various products and services offered at the airport besides air travel. This has not been happening in the recent past as customers often hurry off the airport as a result of bad mindset. By making them change their mindsets, they will be able to consume more products and services that are offered at the airport. All the businesses hosted by the airport will experience positive growth n their sales volumes. This negative mindset may have been caused by the recent accident and security risks that have frequented the airport. The third objective of this PR plan is to make the media create positive stories on the airport activities. This will help to reclaim the positive image of the airport. A company image is important as it attracts investors and customers as well. More investors are currently needed for the expansion of the airport, which host majority of the region’s airlines and cargo couriers. This Pr plan will also help to create brand loyalty from new and existing customers. By showing customers that the business is not only interested in their money but in their general wellbeing, the company will stand to reap long term benefits and loyalty. This is the fourth and the long term objective of this PR plan. Loyalty will ensure a continuous flow of customers even during the low seasons as customers will insist on it. 7. Tactics During the actual PR planned event, customers will be engaged and entertained in various ways. There will be live music from bands and celebrated music icons that will interact with the customers. Sports icons will also be present to share gifts and sign autographs for their enthusiastic funs. Customers will also play ruffle games to win free meals, drinks, and holiday packages. Hotels and tour agents will be present to award winners with the tickets. Customers will be able to walk around the airport and sample all the business products and services offered by various outlets. They will all receive participation badges for attending the fair and this way no one will go empty handed. They will also be awarded gift hampers and Christmas cards by the airport staff as well as various business partners. Those willing to try air sporting activities, such as photography and air dividing, will get a chance to experience under the guidance of our professional team. Customers will also get a chance to shop for their preferred getaway destinations as there will be showcasing of all the businesses hosted by the airport. The services offered during the event will be at subsidized prices and customers will be highly encouraged to make their purchases to save money. Media houses will be present to showcase the event live on televisions and also on print media. The event will run for several weeks and customers will be able to bring their friends and families to experience the free activities at the fair. After the event evaluation will be carried out to find out if the event was a success. Techniques such as popularity surveys, media coverage, and sales recorded will be assessed. 8. Calendar of Activities Several activities will be carried out in preparation for the PR fair. The PR team will first brainstorm on the current situation at the airport and set up goals of what the PR event should achieve. They will then put down all the activities resources required to achieve these objectives. After discussing them, they will suggest where to get these resources at affordable prices and make orders. Supply of the finished materials throughout the airport’s outlets will then follow. Advertisement about the event is important as it will alert target market, media, and general public about the planned open event. Catchy advertisements require time to be created and the PR team will spend one week creating various prints, electronic and internet advertisements; and test them before approving them for final use. This PR plan includes entertainment events and the PR team will keenly select celebrated individuals with good public image to collaborate with them for the event. After selection invitations will be made to these individuals and arrangements for their accommodations will also be made in advance. Finalization of the preparations will be the running of prepared advertisements, signaling the start of the fair.
| Activity | Duration | Who | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Situational analysis, goal setting | 1 week | PR team | |||||||||
| Order for materials | 1week | PR | |||||||||
| Print advertising materials, caps, and create advertisements | 2 weeks | PR team and outsourced staff | |||||||||
| Distribute the campaign materials to all the business outlets at the airport | 2 weeks | PR team | |||||||||
| Connect music systems and the stage for the entertainment | 1 week | PR team and outsourced staff | |||||||||
| Send invitations to entertainers | 1 week | PR team | |||||||||
| Run the advertisements about the PR plan | 1 week | Media |
Evaluation
Evaluation is the measurement of success. Evaluation tools include analyzing data from sales data as well as customer statistics. The analysis of the profit after the PR plan period will be necessary to find out if the message was effective. Percentage of sales increases will also be necessary for showing the variation in sales levels. These documents will show whether the PR activity was a success or not. An effective PR plan should automatically correct negative trends on financial records through increase in sales. Immediately after the PR period, media coverage will be an easier method of carrying out evaluation. The air time on news of the airport and the print media coverage will help to measure the impact f the event. This news will include entertainment on the airport, customer reactions, and analysis of what the implications of those activities will generate in the whole industry. Wide media coverage shows demand for the news about the event. Media also focuses on activities that impact the society in a positive manner. These platforms will, therefore, offer great advertising of the airport at a minimal and affordable cost. Other evaluation technique is asking customers about the PR experience and how their perspective of the airport has been changed. The PR is being planned to change customer mindsets and hence asking them how they felt and if they had different perspective is important. Popularity surveys also form an interesting tool for evaluation. They will help to rank the airport among other airports in the region as well as other forms of transportation. Popularity surveys should reflect a positive result if the PR event is effective. This will help to offer direction for future PR events. By comparing the set objectives to the actual results gained will help to find the variation. A positive variation shows success while a negative one shows failure on the part of the PR team.
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Conclusion
EMA is a popular airport in the Eastern region of the UK. It holds a majority share in the region customer base. EMA has had its share of challenges, including the recent security and accident risks as well as recent delays. The PR plan is to reverse customers' mindsets and attitude towards the airport. This is aimed at enabling them to feel comfortable around the airport and in return spend their money on products and services. The PR plan will be evaluated, using various techniques such as popularity surveys, to find out if it was a success or failure.
