MRivera Final IMC Report

7/27/2019 MRivera Final IMC Report

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Running head: FINAL IMC REPORT 1

Manuel RiveraFinal IMC Plan

MKT351: Advertising & PromotionSiena Heights University

3/1/2013


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FINAL IMC PLAN 2

Table of Contents

Abstract ... 3

Section One

1. Industry/Company Review . 4

2. Product Review/Buyer Analysis . 6

Section Two

3. Competitive Review ....... 10

4.

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning . 125. Communications Objectives & Budget Review . 13

Section Three

6. IMC Mix.. 14

Conclusion ... 15


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Abstract

The New Horizons Preparatory Academy (NHPA) will be Michigans first P-14 private

boarding school serving students considered at-risk (first generation, low-income, and students

with disabilities) academically succeed, located in the heart of Lansing, MI. NHPA will have a

comprehensive integrated marketing communication (IMC) plan.

The focus of this report will be to give a detailed look at The New Horizons Preparatory

Academys IMC plan. Starting with a brief history, the report will present information on the

product review (facilities, filing of legal documents, writing a curriculum, target market, and

current marketing mix). Section one continues with the need of a private school in Lansing, MIand services of the school. Section two will focus on the competitive review of surrounding

schools, segmentation, targeting, and positioning, and end with communication objectives and

budget review. Section three ends the report by focusing on the IMC mixes covering advertising,

public relations, cause marketing, corporate sponsors, and event underwriting, direct marketing,

and the Internet.


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Section One

Industry/Product Review

New Horizons Preparatory Academy will be Michigans first private boarding school

serving first generation, low-income, and students with disabilities within the new P-14 academic

system, all in the heart of Lansing, MI.

Brief History

New Horizons Preparatory Academy will open its doors to its first full cohort of 1000

students in fall 2019. The mission of New Horizons Preparatory Academy is to create and foster

a comprehensive learning environment by personalizing students educational experiences withcutting edge technology built on a solid foundation of core academics. At present date, the

Academy is in the planning stages; securing facilities, filing legal documents as a new

educational institution, and writing a curriculum.

Facilities

For the past several months, The Academy has been looking at securing several

properties within the city of Lansing. The most prominent and promising piece of real estate we

are looking into is the old Michigan School for the Blind on Willow Road in Lansing. The

facility offers enough land and buildings to house classrooms, cafeteria, library, sports center,

and boarding for the students and faculty.

As The New Horizons Preparatory Academy is a private boarding school, the facilities

must engage, support, and foster a safe, creative, and inviting environment for students who are

not usually away from their parents or legal guardians for extended periods of time. Our faculty

and facilities become their home so it will be imperative for The Academy to foster an


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environment that not only creates life-long learners, but an environment that feels comfortable,

safe, and enjoyable to its students.

[Michigan School for the Blind]. Retrieved January 21, 2013, from: http://tiny.cc/hv38sw

Follow APA style to cite this image. Refer to A Writers Resource for helpful information.

Filing the legal documents

For the past year, The New Horizons Preparatory Academy has been working with

educators and attorneys to file the proper legal paperwork to register The Academy as a new

school in the State of Michigan. The first step was to register the institutions name so that no

other entity could use it. As of December, we have submitted applications for the rights of the

name and are awaiting approval. During the same time, paperwork has been submitted to secure

The Academy with 503C status as a non-profit institution. With this step, our Foundations team

will be able to plan fundraising events to procure donations from, not only private citizens, but

corporations, local business owners, and other foundations with similar missions.


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Writing a Curriculum

As The Academy progresses with its plans for the school, many questions arise about

what the curriculum will entail. At the time of this Status Report #1, the focus will be on

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Target Market

As is the mission of The New Horizons Preparatory Academy to assist first generation

(FG), low-income (LI), and students with disabilities (DA), our target market is quite diverse

spanning marketing segments of not only geography (city of Lansing), but

demographic/socioeconomic segments (FG, LI, DA), and psychographic segments.In addition to promoting The Academy to this FG, LI, DA population, we will also

promote our school and services to potential educators. Educators will be facilitators of

information, mentors, and life coaches to their students; students who will be of varying ages (4-

18 years old), ethnicities, genders, and religious affiliations. Marketing to such a diverse

audience would be a daunting task for any experienced marketing firm. The marketing will have

to be continuous and cannot only rely on print, media, social media, or TV, but have to play

heavily on the personal outreach of the Academy (as we are dealing with a very high at-risk

population).

Current Marketing Mix

The Academys current marketing mix includes the traditional 4P methodology of

Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. However in recent years, 4 additional Ps have been added

that The New Horizons Preparatory Academy will focus on as well: People, Programming,

Packaging, and Partnerships.

Product Review/Buyer Analysis


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In this section, we will cover the 8Ps to highlight and explain the IMC and services of

The New Horizons Preparatory Academy.

Product, Price, Promotion, Place, People, Programming, Packaging, and Partnerships

At the time of this report, The Academy will specialize on STEM academics. Science,

Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics programs and schools in the U.S. have been on the

rise for the past decade as the U.S. has dropped dramatically in these academic areas in global

rankings. The Academy has several products to market to potential customers, among them are:

1. The Academics (STEM specialization with foundation of traditional curriculum; this

gives students a strong foundation in which to build upon while giving them theeducation that will drive the job market in the years to come)

2. The Educators (showcasing their education, skills, diversity, and commitment for the

Academy, but especially the students; the strength of this marketing is to show all

stakeholders, especially students and parents that our educators are here and committed to

assisting the students succeed)

3. The Boarding School concept (this will be the hardest concept to sell parents on as the

audience we are serving to send their children away to be educated. A positive aspect of

this is that the students will be part of a community of students and will hopefully feel as

though they are part of something greater than themselves. A potential challenge is the

fact that they will be away from their family for longer periods of time)

4. The Inclusive Education (selling to parents the services of 24 hour care, education,

community, and commitment to oneself. This will be the most important part of our

marketing efforts; the best part of an inclusive education is that the Academy will focus

on the student as a whole being, not just as a student. The greatest attribute that I have


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learned from Siena Heights University is a part of its mission is to educate the entire

person, mind, body, and spirit. This is the driving force of the inclusive education that

The Academy will focus on.)

5. The Partnerships (marketing the corporate, educational, governmental, and non-profit

partnerships The Academy will create to provide its students an education and access like

no other school has offered in Michiganhopefully, one day, the nation)

6. The Facilities (we will also focus on state of the art facilities to show the students,

parents, donors, and partners that the students will have a world-class education and

resources to become life-long learners. Additionally, The Academy plans to launch acomprehensive IMC plan that highlights the high standard of safety it will provide to its

students and faculty)

7. The Community (the final product The Academy will market is the students, faculty, and

institutions commitment to furthering and improving the needs to its community. It is an

important objective that our students understand and participate in community service)

By conducting these initiatives, The New Horizons Preparatory Academy will attempt to

position itself as the school with the highest quality students, educators, facilities, community

involvement, partnerships, curriculum, and reputation among schools in the city, the State, the

Country, and one day, the World.

Why attend The New Horizons Preparatory Academy

The stages to understand why a parent would buy the services of the Academy are as

follows:

1. Need: The need for quality education is on the rise in the U.S. With overcrowding

schools, decreased public school budgets, and low attrition rates of students within the


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target market of FG, LI, and DA students, parents are in need of better

alternatives/solutions to educate their children. Public schools are overcrowded with

students and are becoming increasingly dangerous for students to feel safe, inhibiting the

learning process. According to the State of Michigans School Data Dashboard & School

Report Card (State of Michigan, 2012), there are over 69.1% over students in Lansing

who are on free or reduced lunch (this is a predictive indicator for students who are

typically FG and LI students).

2. Information Gathering/Search: , Parents can search for alternatives to make sure their

children receive a quality education they need to be successful in the future. With an IMC plan that utilizes print, mass media, TV, social media, and personal outreach initiatives,

we plan to get the mission and services of The Academy to the parents and students who

need the help.

3. Evaluation of Alternatives: As previously stated, public schools are increasingly being

overcrowded and having their budgets cut, parents are evaluating educational alternatives

for their children. Charter and Magnet schools often are losing budget, as they are limited

to the funds provided by a head count of students and other private donations. Most

public schools like these do not invest in a team whose sole purpose is to raise and/or

solicit donations. Religious-based and Private schools are great alternatives to

overcrowding of schools and offer a solid education.

4. Purchase of Product/Service: Students, parents, faculty, corporate and community

partners will buy our services, as we will show that we are the best alternative to public

schools. The New Horizons Preparatory Academy will be a private boarding school that

will charge tuition for students who do not meet our income-eligible scholarships and


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grants. By students, parents, and faculty buying into The Academy, they are doing so

knowing that they are to have high-involvement in the success and future of the school.

Faculty members are to be mentors, life coaches, and facilitators of the academics.

Parents will financially support the school by committing time and their own skills and

expertise into the success of the institution. This can range from classroom or meal

supervision, guest speaking, and cooking special treats for the children (in The

Academys cafeteria), or laundering clothes in The Academys House Services Building.

The Academy will not limit how parents contribute to the overall success of their

children, the institution, or the surrounding community.5. Post Purchase Evaluation: The Academy will make all stakeholders feel confident, wise,

and proud they chose our school. One of its top priorities by continuously engaging

parents and partners in the daily life of the institution as well as a voice in the schools

future.

Section Two

Competitive Review

New Horizons Preparatory Academy does not believe in the traditional definition of competitors.

We are a collaborative institution and plan to work with other local primary schools to assist in

the success of their students as well. However, for the purpose of this report assignment, New

Horizons Preparatory Academys competitors are as follows:

1. C.W. Otto Middle School: this middle school serves just fewer than 800 students in

grades 6-8. A comprehensive report on outcomes can be found at:

http://otto.lansingschools.net/files/_TWB00_/3d7454b974d0d6e53745a49013852ec4/Ott

o_AER.pdf . As with most schools, C.W. Otto Middle School does not actively advertise


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to recruit students for enrollment. Most schools are in certain areas of cities and students

in such districts are sent to the closest school to the proximity of their house. So it is, that

most primary schools do not have a budget to promote services. In recent years, with new

emergent technologies, school districts are having their principals implement accounts on

social networking sites to promote the services and successes of their schools and

students. C.W. Otto Middle Schools message is We, at Otto, are striving to help our

students make continuous progress toward the achievement of the various grade

objectives, continuous development of individual talents, skills, ideas and interests, and

an increased acquisition of the necessary social skills for school success.2. Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy: this K-8 th grade school serves 226 students (as of

the 2010-2011 AY;

http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MI/schools/0008200546/school.aspx ). The schools

message is student-centered focusing on the academic success of all students through

the transfer of knowledge from the traditional classroom environment to real world

applications. A comprehensive report of student outcomes is located here:

http://www.michlead.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3218283/File/Mid-

Michigan%20Leadership%20Academy/Annual%20Education%20Report.pdf .

3. Sheridan Road School: is a primary school that serves K-5 th grade with an enrollment

count of 505 as of March 2012

(http://www.lawtonps.org/schools/sheridanroad/about.html ). The schools message is

Sheridan Road Elementary School staff is dedicated to teaching academic and social

skills that will prepare our students to be contributing members of their community. A

comprehensive report of student outcomes is located here:


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http://sheridan.lansingschools.net/files/_TWJZq_/d9119bc9d081b9ea3745a49013852ec4/

Sheridan_Road_AER.pdf

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths of the aforementioned schools are their geographic locations to larger

populations of children. As most parents send their child to the closest school, a school would be

wise to open in areas of high concentration of children. The aforementioned schools have lower

enrollment; this may be due to the districts school of choice policy and parents may have sent

their child to another school outside of their geographic locations. This is a strength as it is

creating a lower student-to-teacher ratio and thus the students can receive more one-on-oneattention. On the reverse side of this coin, a low enrollment could also be a weakness, as they

will suffer in the allocation of funds and risk being shut down. Here at the New Horizons

Preparatory Academy will keep student-to-teacher ratio low, but enrollment high. To combat the

issue of allocation of funds, the Academy has decided to be a private boarding school; this was

one of the main reasons why the Board decided to make the institution private.

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning

Target Market

As is the mission of The New Horizons Preparatory Academy to assist first generation

(FG), low-income (LI), and students with disabilities (DA), our target market is quite diverse

spanning marketing segments of not only geography (city of Lansing), but also

demographic/socioeconomic segments (FG, LI, DA), and psychographic segments.

In addition to promoting The Academy to this FG, LI, DA population, we will also

promote our school and services to potential educators. Educators will be facilitators of

information, mentors, and life coaches to their students; students who will be of varying ages (4-


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18 years old), ethnicities, genders, and religious affiliations. Marketing to such a diverse

audience would be a daunting task for any experienced marketing firm. The marketing will have

to be continuous and cannot only rely on print, media, social media, or TV, but have to play

heavily on the personal outreach of the Academy (as we are dealing with a very high at-risk

population).

Current Marketing Mix

The Academys current marketing mix includes the traditional 4P methodology of

Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. However in recent years, 4 additional Ps have been added

that The New Horizons Preparatory Academy will focus on as well: People, Programming,Packaging, and Partnerships.

Communications Objectives & Budget Request

In the IMC plan of The New Horizons Preparatory Academy, we will focus on the one-

on-one attention aspects of the campaign when it comes to brand awareness and image

positioning of the institution. The Board will hire a PR recruitment team to promote the services,

faculty, and advantages of the institution by presenting the information at open information

nights held at local schools, community centers, and local churches. Our PR team will gather

demographic information and create recruitment plans to meet with potential parents

individually. As is the trend of new technologies, the Team will combine traditional recruitment

techniques with social media to reach our audience.

Budget Request

In request to allocation of budget, 5% of total institutional budget will be used for

advertising, promotion, and recruitment efforts. Specifically, advertisements in the Michigan

Education Association magazine, the National Education Association magazine, TV spots in


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competing markets, and a full-time team of social media, marketing, and public relations. The

proposed 2019-2020 AY budget will be 15million. This would give an allocated budget of

$750,000.

Section Three

Integrated Marketing Communication Mix

Advertising

1. Objectives: Increase awareness of school, services, and mission while showcasing

facilities, recruit faculty, and to secure donors and student admissions.

2.

Audience: Students, parents, community members, financial donors, qualified faculty,and other educators.

3. Timing: Initially, 6-9 month TV/Radio campaign will launch prior to the start of school

(just after Labor Day). This will be coupled with F2F recruitment of qualified faculty and

other educational administration 12-18 months prior to the start of school. Social Media

will play a long-term role in the advertising of the school as it can connect the school

with other educational institutions, educators, parents, and students. Social Media will

give more stakeholders a voice in the building of the school before it launches and then it

will provide a continuous improvement tool.

4. Tools/Media: As budget permits, the use of Television ads, Radio, Newspapers, Social

Media, Word-of-Mouth, Educational Magazines and Periodicals, and an Interactive

website.

Public Relations

1. Objectives: Inform, educate, and maintain a reputable image of superior services,

outstanding faculty, and an effective curriculum to all stakeholders. A PR Officer, in part,


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will be responsible for objective. The PR Officer will also train all faculty on how to

present the best image of the school, services, and the students. This aspect of the IMC

plan comes into play very heavily as the school will host annual education fairs. These

fairs will have the purpose of showcasing the services, facilities, curriculum, and faculty

of the school. Students, parents, potential faculty, and potential donors will have the

opportunity to tour the schools sports complex, dorms, and classrooms (facilities).

Games, interactive classroom displays, and food will invite stakeholders of all kind to

tour the school. A real first-hand experience for students and parent will make for an

experience in education like none other. Parents and students will have the opportunity tostay the night in the schools student housing (dorms) to get the real experience of daily

life for the students if admitted. Parents and students will go through the daily routine of

classes, meals, scheduled one-on-one tutor time, group learning dynamics, fitness and

wellness, mentor time, bathing, free time, and end the day sleeping in the college-style

dorms.

2. Audience: All previously stated stakeholders including other educators and institutions

from other states, and international institutions.

3. Timing: Ongoing for general PR and special presentations at educational conferences;

Annually for fairs - although education fairs will coincide with annual admission process

which will start every March and will continue until May.

4. Tools/Media: News media outlets such as TV, newspapers, Internet, radio, conference

presentations, educational magazines, website, and social media.

Cause Marketing/Corporate Sponsoring/Events Underwriting


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1. Objectives: Increase the financial donations of the school for the purchase of state-of-the-

art technology equipment to assist in the education of students, increase the schools

visibility and partnership with charitable organization and causes, all while promoting the

services, mission, and successes of the students and school.

2. Audience: Community members, organizations (profit and non-profit), independent

financiers, and charitable organizations/foundations.

3. Timing: Ongoing; as New Horizons Preparatory Academy is private boarding school, it

will not receive federal funding as public schools receive. This aspect of the school

becomes ever so important to the financial security.4. Tools/Media: May involve use of media, but will rely heavily on the PR/Foundation

Team to secure funding. Intense and continuous training in PR and sales will be a focus.

Brochures and PR portfolios will be utilized as well as social media and the Internet.

Direct Marketing

1. Objectives: To maintain highly effective relationships with all stakeholders (students,

parents, community, financial supports), recruit innovative faculty, and secure a highly

revered reputation as an outstanding school.

2. Audience: All financial supporters, parents, and other educational institutions.

Partnerships with MEA, NEA, colleges and universities, and local, state, and federal

education agencies.

3. Timing: As budget allows, year-round to all stakeholders with special customized

initiatives for different audiences.

4. Tools/Media: Direct mailings (letters, brochures, etc.) and onsite materials for all special

events/initiatives.


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Internet

1. Objectives: Utilize the Internet and all its tools to assist in the marketing and public

relations of school.

2. Audience: All audiences interested in the P-12 system in the Lansing area, educators in

the local area, parents of potential students, and any other person interested in private

schools.

3. Timing: Ongoing with frequent updates; faculty vlogs and student testimonials linked to

website.

4.

Tools/Media: Website and web master, social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube).Conclusion

The New Horizons Preparatory Academy (NHPA) will be Michigans first P-14 private

boarding school targeting students who are deemed at-risk (first generation, low-income, and

students with disabilities) located in the heart of Lansing, MI. With its mission to create and

foster a comprehensive learning environment by personalizing students educational experiences

with cutting edge technology, all built on a solid foundation of core academics.

NHPAs IMC plan will be at the forefront of efforts by the institution to recruit qualified

faculty, secure financial donors, showcase and market the institution to parents and potential

students, and educational agencies and institutions.


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Works Cited

[Michigan School for the Blind]. Retrieved January 21, 2013, from: http://tiny.cc/hv38sw

State of Michigan. (2012). Michigan school data dashboard & school report card . Retrieved:https://www.mischooldata.org/DistrictSchoolProfiles/ReportCard/EducationDashboard.as px

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