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PR Writing Final Campaign

Robert Roe

Alyssa Townsend

May 29, 2013

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Robert Roe Situation Analysis

Missions & Goals:

Robert Roe is a women’s clothing store in downtown McMinnville, Ore., that opened in

late 2012. Robert Roe’s mission statement is to “make every woman feel beautiful and look her

best while unleashing her inner fashionista.” Robert Roe carries high-quality fashion apparel

made by well-known designers. The store is owned by Linfield College alumna, Naseem

Momtazi. The store is open Fridays and Saturdays 11 to 5 p.m. and Sundays by appointment.

Robert Roe is located at 410 NE Third Street.

The overarching goals of Robert Roe are to make money and become better known in

McMinnville and the surrounding areas. Since the store is fairly new, its owner hopes to increase

its popularity in the community and especially on Linfield College campus. It hopes to seem

more approachable, credible and set apart from other boutiques in McMinnville.

External Environment:

The retail clothing industry is very active in McMinnville and the surrounding areas.

Retailers range from large chain stores to individually owned boutiques. Oregon is known for its

small businesses and crafty artisan work, such as clothing items. The retail stores in the area also

range in price point. Some of the stores contain very inexpensive clothing, while other stores are

known for high prices and high quality clothing. In such a wide range of clothing retailers, an

individual store must really stand out to gain popularity and a consistent number of customers.

The industry is always growing and evolving to fit cultural needs and societal standards.

An emerging fashion trend is do-it-yourself outfits in which individuals create new

outfits from slightly worn thrift shop clothing or very inexpensive clothing. This trend has been

popular among women ages 17 to 35 since the website Pinterest was created. This technological

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trend encourages women to get crafty and save money, which many of them now prefer to do.

Other do-it-yourself websites like Wanelo and Etsy encourage people to create their own

clothing. These websites offer price checking for basic materials and give step-by-step

instructions on how to create a special garment. Since normal people are creating and sharing the

new clothes they are making, others are beginning to realize how easy it is to create their own

clothing. This could pose an external threat to Robert Roe since many younger now prefer to

create their own clothing and style themselves.

Another trend in clothing that has been occurring for a while is e-commerce, also known

as online shopping. The younger generations now prefer to buy their clothes online rather than

going to a store to buy clothes. This may pose a threat to small boutiques and stores who have

not yet set up a way to buy clothes online. Robert Roe has not yet created a fully functioning

website, which means no e-commerce and poses a threat to Robert Roe’s business. Also, by

having most clothes and brands online, people are more easily able to price check. This is

important to know in order to make prices reasonable and comparable to competitors’ prices.

Even though larger boutiques and stores have e-commerce, Robert Roe’s direct competitors,

such as Mes Amie and Cupcake Couture, do not have e-commerce as well. However, since

Robert Roe is very active and well-known on social networking sites, these websites can act as a

pseudo business website for the time being. Robert Roe’s competitors are not as active on social

media.

In addition, economic conditions could pose a threat to Robert Roe since its clothing is

usually high priced. A plain t-shirt usually costs $33 at Robert Roe, while one at Target may only

cost $12. If the economy remains stagnant, people will prefer to save their money for more

crucial and immediate needs than an expensive t-shirt.

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Business Analysis:

Robert Roe’s apparel is unique because it is selected from leading designers from New

York and Los Angeles. Unlike other boutiques in the area, Robert Roe spends the extra money to

get the finest clothing from all over the U.S. Robert Roe is a trendsetting boutique that has a

wide range of options for women of all ages. Some of the retail stores that are direct competitors

with Robert Roe are RedBerry, Mes Amie, Atlas Décor and Cupcake Couture. They all are

similar in price but have a specific style that they sell. In comparison to the other boutiques

listed, Robert Roe has the most diverse options to fit everyone’s needs.

An internal opportunity for success for public relations is Robert Roe’s continuing

commitment to and involvement in the McMinnville community. Since its beginning it has been

known as a store with friendly service and knowledgeable stylists that help the community it

resides in. It also is creating new opportunities to give back to the community.

An internal opportunity for success comes from Robert Roe’s owner, Naseem Momtazi,

who is originally from McMinnville. She also works as a lead marketer for her family’s winery,

Maysara, in McMinnville. Her strong ties to the community and network of upper-middle class

individuals involved in the wine industry can help bring in clientele. She created this network

from her time attending Linfield College and from working at Maysara Wineries. She also has

experience working at other boutiques. Because she is young and also a professional woman, she

has the ability to cater to and style women of all ages. In addition, Robert Roe has an internal

strength compared to its competitors because it has stylists on staff constantly. These are trained

professionals who know how to dress women according to their preferences, age and body shape.

These distinctions set Robert Roe apart from its competitors. This is an opportunity for success

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since Robert Roe’s direct competitors do not provide constructive advice, instead the competitors

do not accurately style the customer based on her body type.

In contrast, an internal threat to success is the owner of Robert Roe never owning her

own business for. Also, another threat is that Robert Roe is not well known since it is so new.

The boutique has to compete with more well-established stores with owners who have been in

the business longer. Even though Naseem Momtazi has fashion experience, this is her first fully

owned and operated business. There will be a learning curve for Naseem Momtazi and the staff

of Robert Roe until it is a fully established boutique.

Target Audience:

The target audience is females ages 19 to 30 in McMinnville and the surrounding areas.

This target audience includes Linfield College students. I chose this target audience because it is

the market segment that usually purchases at Robert Roe. The store contains high-priced clothing

that is usually made for younger people. I will target this audience because they are most likely

to wear this clothing.

Although Robert Roe apparel is expensive, some of women in the target audience most

likely have stable jobs with disposable income and therefore can afford to shop there. Also,

college students, especially those at a private college like Linfield, are willing to spend the extra

money for clothing to wear to special events. The younger portion of the target market group

usually does not have a lot of disposable income, but likes to stay on top of trends and discover

the next hip item on the market. They will spend more money than they probably have just to be

considered an innovator and trendsetter. This target audience is expressive and driven.

According to the VALS Framework, this target audience considers themselves to be

innovators. They may not have unlimited resources, but they will save money until they can buy

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what they want. This group greatly values trends, status and appearances. Clothing is usually a

person’s first way to communicate their personality, and this target market values their looks and

prioritizes clothing because of it.

This target audience is also made up of strivers. They have not achieved a lot yet, but

they are striving to get an education and stand out in their career of choice. They are young, so

they have a lot of hopes and dreams that they try to express often. They are inclined to buy items

and services that make them seem stylish, cool and mature. Nice clothing, especially like the

mature and fashionable kind at Robert Roe, will help this target audience dress in the mature

fashions that they crave. This target audience seeks items that will allow them to express their

individual identity. I also chose this target market because their younger age and inexperience

makes them more willing to try new things, which is especially important since Robert Roe has

unique and classic clothing pieces for all age groups.

The most important opinion leaders to reach are women within the target audience who

have very prestigious jobs. For example, young female doctors, lawyers and professors will help

portray Robert Roe’s image correctly. Since they are young, successful and have the means to

afford nice clothing, they will inadvertently convince others to dress the way they do. Other

women, like those on a college campus, will aspire to be mature and professional like these

opinion leaders by wearing the same clothing as them. Clothing is a status symbol to most

women. So if powerful, young, beautiful and intelligent women from McMinnville are seen in

Robert Roe apparel, other women will follow suit.

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The Campaign Plan

Goal:

To improve community relations with McMinnville residents in order to increase sales

and become better known in the area. This is a community relations and impression management

goal.

Objective 1:

The first objective is to increase awareness among 5,000 McMinnville female residents

of Robert Roe’s expert stylists. We will use framing theory to accomplish this because we will

be emphasizing that Robert Roe’s stylists have the expertise that other stores in the area cannot

offer. Framing theory suggest that through the selection of facts to report, themes to emphasize,

sources to interview and word choices PR practitioners can frame what the importance of the

story is for the media. We will frame the company to seem more like individuals instead of one

combined business entity. These highlighted individuals will be the stylists, all of which have

their own style and are able to cater to customers in a way other stores do not do.

Strategy 1:

The first strategy is to use uncontrolled and controlled media to inform the target

audience about the expertise that Robert Roe’s owner and stylists have.

Tactic 1: Pitch Letter

This pitch letter will be targeted at Starla Pointer who works at The News-Register. The

pitch letter is proposing an article on Robert Roe’s lead stylist, Coey Jaylene. The letter will

include information about Coey Jaylene’s experience as a style, why she loves fashion and give

fashion tips for the upcoming summer season.

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This article is being pitched to the community section of the paper because it is a feature

article. Since a profile feature is not hard news, the community section is ideal. Also, out of the

whole newspaper, the target audience seems most likely to read the community section

The News-Register in McMinnville is the medium chosen for the pitch letter. Readers

will be more apt to read and care about this topic because it is local and relevant to them. The

News-Register was also chosen because many Linfield College students read this paper. Since

the News-Register reaches community members and college students it is reaching my target

audiences, which are McMinnville female residents.

I chose Starla Pointer as the reporter I targeted because she is a columnist in the

community section. Starla primarily reports on businesses and business owners. My proposed

feature is similar to past stories Starla has done, so it fits her style of writing and interests. Starla

usually writes columns on business owners and ties it into an upcoming event. I think this aligns

with my proposal of a feature on Naseem Momtazi that highlights the upcoming fashion show.

At the end of her articles on the website she asks for feature story ideas, which led me to believe

she is very open to public relations pitches and suggestions.

Tactic 2: Fact Sheet

This tactic is a fact sheet about Robert Roe’s apparel brands, sizes and prices. This will

also include brief biographies of all of Robert Roe’s stylists. The fact sheet will accompany the

pitch letter about one of Robert Roe’s leading stylists. This will help support the strategy and

objective by giving the reporter additional information about the expertise of Robert Roe’s

stylists and wide range of apparel options.

Tactic 3: Newsletter

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The purpose of the newsletter to inform the target audience that Robert Roe exists in

McMinnville, cares about the community and employs experts in the field of fashion. This

supports the organization’s goal by informing more people about Robert Roe and what the

organization does. This newsletter is meant to create a relationship between consumers and the

organization by providing basic information and feature article information.

The mission statement for the newsletter is to keep women informed about Robert Roe,

the latest fashions and upcoming fashion events in McMinnville.

The newsletter will be produced every three months. This will be done to save money for

the business and also so that it coincides with fashion seasons. For example, the newsletter will

be published at the beginning of fall, winter, spring and summer. Since designers create their

new clothing lines for each season, it only makes sense to make a newsletter that fits the most

recent information on what clothing and styles are trending. This will also provide relevant and

timely content that is easy to include in each issue without being redundant.

The newsletter will be named Robert Roe. This will be done to remain clear, concise and

simple for the reader to understand. The newsletter will not be mailed out to people. Instead, it

will be located at the store, at locations in McMinnville and at locations on Linfield College

campus. This includes places such as the Nicholson Library, Riley Hall in the game room and at

Cornerstone. These locations were selected in order to get the newsletter in the hands of the

target audience.

The newsletter’s editorial formula will consist of one feature article on a profile of a

Robert Roe stylist, one letter from the owner of Robert Roe about current fashion trends, one

news brief on Robert Roe’s community philanthropy and an event calendar. The profile article

on a lead stylist will continue for a full year and after that, the formula will instead include

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profile articles on impressive business women from the area who get styled at Robert Roe. This

will help tie the community with the store, while at the same time featuring information on

particular apparel items. Since Robert Roe only has its main summer events in May, it is the only

month that will be included in the event calendar for this particular issue.

Tactic 4: Social Media

Another way to increase the target audiences’ knowledge on the service and benefits

customers get from Robert Roe’s stylists is through social media. Robert Roe already is very

active on Facebook and Instagram. Social media will be used as an opportunity to connect and

communicate to the target audience, who primarily gets information from online sources. On

these two social media sites, Robert Roe will post biographies on the stylists once a week. Also,

the stylists will post tips on the Robert Roe page for women depending on their body shape,

preferences and depending on what is in style currently.

In addition, social media will act as an opportunity for feedback. Facebook and Instagram

will also as an opportunity for interactivity between the organization and the target audience. A

contest is a great way to encourage interaction. This contest will be for women who come to the

store and get styled, and then can get their picture taken for a chance to win the opportunity to be

Robert Roe’s profile picture. Everyone who participates and gets styled will have their photo

posted on Instagram and Facebook. Whatever picture gets the most likes and favorites will get to

be Robert Roe’s profile picture for both Facebook and Instagram. This contest encourages

interaction and begins to build a relationship between Robert Roe and consumers.

Objective 2:

The second objective is to increase awareness among 8,000 McMinnville residents of

Robert Roe’s commitment to the community. This will be done through situational theory, which

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describes that members of each public have different levels of interest or involvement. In this

instance, situational theory would help explain how important the boutique’s philanthropy really

is to the McMinnville community. The first step in this theory is helping the residents recognize

that obesity is a problem in Yamhill County and Robert Roe is trying to help the situation.

Strategy 2:

The second strategy is to use uncontrolled and controlled media to inform the target

audience of Robert Roe’s community service activities.

Tactic 5: Press Release

This tactic is a press release on Robert Roe’s upcoming fashion show and philanthropy.

The strategy for making news consists of a pseudo-event in which Robert Roe creates a fashion

show. This fashion show would take place three weeks before Linfield College graduation on the

Oak Grove at Linfield College. The objective of the news release will be to inform the

McMinnville and Linfield community that a fashion show will be held at Linfield College.

Another objective will be to motivate people to go to the fashion show to receive the discount by

donating active clothing to kids Yamhill County in order to battle childhood obesity.

The target audience can be reached through The News-Register in McMinnville to get

community members to attend and donate, and The Linfield Review so that Linfield students

will attend and donate. These media outlets are widely used in McMinnville and are directed at

the same target audience as the press release. The central message of this press release is that

helping children in need in as easy as attending a fashion show. In the long run, this message is

asking the community to return this favor by supporting Robert Roe. Also, the central message

will include the call for action that Linfield students should support other people from Linfield,

like the founder of Robert Roe, in order to be a supportive college community as a whole.

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This article contains the news values proximity, uniqueness and timeliness. The fashion

show takes place in McMinnville where The New-Register is being published. This makes the

target audience readers more interested in the story it combines fashion with a local issue. It is a

unique story because no other large-scale fashion shows occur at Linfield College and are trying

to raise awareness about childhood obesity. The article will be timely because it will be

published before the event, so it isn’t old news yet.

This message is keeping in with the organization’s goals because it is promoting

awareness about Robert Roe and it’s philanthropies. Also, since Robert Roe is a small boutique,

it recognizes that it relies on the community of McMinnville heavily. By making this event and

press release centered on a good cause, Robert Roe will form new relationships with community

members.

Tact 6: Public Service Announcement

This tactic is to create a PSA on childhood obesity and show that there is a way to stop it.

The Salvation Army’s mission is to do the most good it can for society through community

outreach programs, educational services and community service. The Salvation Army accepts

donations of all kinds to help fund and support its programs and initiative. The objective of the

PSA is to get people to donate new or slightly used active summer clothing to The Salvation

Army’s Army of Hope Summer Camp for youth and teens from Yamhill County at the Robert

Roe fashion on Linfield College campus. Donation boxes will be scattered around the event and

those who donate receive an extra 10 percent off apparel from Robert Roe.

The PSA’s central message is to inform the general public about the number of children

who don’t have the appropriate clothing for active and outdoor activities during the summer

months and motivate listeners to take action. This is often an issue that is only discussed during

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winter, however many children don’t have the necessary clothing to get active in during the

summer. Without proper clothing, children will decide to remain inactive or suffer heat

exhaustion if they do get active in improper clothing. People in Yamhill County have the ability

to travel to the fashion show and will be more likely to want to help children from Yamhill

County than outsiders.

The action we want the audience to take is to attend the fashion show in order to donate

their clothes and receive the additional discount. This message would best be aired on KSLC and

KLYC radio stations. KSLC will reach Linfield College students. College students tend to be

very open to philanthropic giving and it is very easy for them to just stop by the event and drop

off their clothing. KLYC will reach the target audience from Yamhill County.

Public affairs directors would be willing to air this PSA because it is centered on Yamhill

County. The fashion show takes place in Yamhill County and all donations go straight back into

helping children from Yamhill County. Directors will be able to see that this PSA is good for the

local community, but also interesting because it has to do with a fashion show. Since

McMinnville hasn’t had a lot of large scale fashion shows, it will draw a listener’s attention.

This strategy is still promoting the fashion show, while focusing on a noble cause that

relates back to clothing. It aligns with Robert Roe’s goal of giving back to the community and

The Salvation Army’s goal of receiving more donations.