Honest Tea Strategic Plan 2013/2014 Southern Region Southern Strategies Meet the Team Lauren Frager is studying public communications and graphic design. She has had two internships at a B2B Marketing firm and two in the ad sales marketing department of National Geographic Channel. Lauren is most interested in the creative side of marketing, and enjoys developing integrated communications plans. She is an Austin, Texas native and while she eventually wants to move back to the south, Lauren plans on staying in Washington DC after graduation. She loves baking, has a pet hamster, and her favorite Honest Tea flavor is Moroccan Mint. Alexandra Kula is studying public communications with a minor in law and society. She currently interns at the American Legacy Foundation and has previously interned at the National Geographic Society and Allied Integrated Marketing. Alexandra has also worked within different departments at the American Embassy in Panama and with the University Center at American University. She was born in the United States but has lived in Paraguay, Costa Rica, France and Panama. Her favorite Honest Tea flavor is Pomegranate Blue. Ali Ziegler is a public communication major with a minor in creative writing. She is currently interning in the publicity department at Island Press, and hopes to pursue a career in the publicity side of the book publishing industry. A Florida native, Ali loves stories, sunshine, and exploring. Her favorite Honest Tea flavor is Peach White Tea. Joanna Polaski is studying public communications with a minor in marketing. She is currently interning at MXM Social located in Arlington, Virginia. Joanna is interested in social media campaign management and communications strategy development. She is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but plans to continue living in Washington DC after graduation. She likes photography, cooking and going to the movie with friends. Her favorite Honest Tea flavor is Peach White Tea. Jonathan Whitehead is a public communication major with a minor in public administration & policy. He aspires to become a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State in the field of public diplomacy, and will begin going through the selection process this summer. Jonathan has interned with the press office of the United Kingdom Labour Party during his semester abroad in London, as well as with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Public Affairs here in Washington, D.C. A native of the Jersey Shore, he loves music and photography, and is an avid follower and supporter of space exploration. His favorite Honest Tea flavor is Half-and-Half. & A special thank-you to Professor Kumar for her guidance, knowledge, and around-the-clock availability and support. 3 Executive Summary Southern Strategies is a regional public relations firm committed to providing our clients with effective, creative research-driven planning and results, served with a side of southern hospitality. The Challenge: We want people to “taste the truth” of Honest Tea. Instead of focusing on the products in general, we will focus instead on the great taste and wholesome, fair trade ingredients. Target Markets: Objectives: To raise awareness about the wholesome and delicious flavors in Honest Tea products, develop brand loyalty and a community of advocates within the region, and increase regional sales of Honest Tea by 5%. Nashville Nashville is known as the “Music Capital of the United States,” and in this vibrant Southern city, we’re targeting Thrifty Young Families. These families might not be up on the latest trends, but they are always interested in saving money and finding quality products that the whole family can enjoy. Austin Austin is known for its bustling tech community, trendsetting music scene, and the renowned University of Texas. Here, we’re targeting UT’s Socially Aware Young Singles, smart and hip college students who practice a unique combination of social and environmental activism mixed with a whole lot of fun. Orlando World famous for its amusement parks and warm climate, over fifty million people visit Orlando each year. In this sunny city, we’re targeting The Disney Family – families committed to providing a healthy and educational environment for their children. Key Messages: Honest Tea is a healthy, affordable alternative to other sugary beverage options for children. Honest Tea is a refreshing, thirst-quenching beverage made from wholesome ingredients. Honest Tea wants to be part of your community. Honest Tea is a progressive and socially responsible beverage company that cares about the world. Tactics: “Join the Brew Crew” - Nationwide Strategy: To showcase the wholesome and healthy ingredients in Honest Tea by inviting the public to develop and vote on their favorite new tea flavors. With so many potential flavors to be created, we couldn’t resist limiting this tactic to one city. This nationwide contest invites participants to join the “Brew Crew” by creating their own Honest Tea flavors and submitting them to Honest Tea’s Facebook page. The inventors of the ten most popular flavors will be invited to Honest Tea headquarters in Bethesda, where they will develop their flavor with the Honest Tea Brewmaster. A panel of judges will select the winning tea, which will be added to Honest Tea’s line of products for a limited time. “Honest Jingle Competition” - Nashville Strategy: To demonstrate Honest Tea’s commitment to communities and healthy alternatives by developing personal connections between Honest Tea and individuals through the distinct local culture of Nashville. Introducing a musical competition for a musical city! In this contest, participants will write and record a jingle, up to 60-seconds long, about their favorite flavor of Honest Tea. We’ll use a combination of digital and traditional media to promote this contest, and in keeping with the spirit of Nashville, the winner will record their jingle at the Grand Ol’ Opry. “U Tea: Make it Rain!” – Austin Strategy: To demonstrate the nutritional, sustainable, and creative qualities of Honest Tea by tapping into and engaging the unique personality of Austin and its residents. We’re planning a truly unique event for a truly unique city. We will partner with UT clubs, organizations, and local Austin environmental groups to put on a huge event at Barton Springs during UT Welcome Week. With belly-flop contests and rain dance instruction, this outdoor party will highlight Honest Tea’s environmental and sustainable practices as well as their wholesome ingredients. “World’s Most Magical Tea Party” - Orlando Strategy: To demonstrate to the families of Orlando that Honest Tea is family-oriented, child-friendly and made with wholesome ingredients by engaging parents and children alike. Where better to host an event in Orlando than Disney, and where better than Disney to host an extra-special tea party? At the World’s Most Magical Tea Party, children and families will learn what Honest Tea is made of – organic, fair trade ingredients – and will be asked to tell us what they’re made of. We will provide porcelain teacups for kids and their families to decorate with their dreams and wishes, and they will be able to spend time with their favorite popular Disney characters in the Magic Kingdom. 5 Budget: These estimates include materials and venue costs, and do not account for costs that could possibly be alleviated by seeking out nonprofit and corporate partnerships. $31,806 in Orlando for “World’s Most Magical Tea Party” $54,800 in Austin for “U Tea: Make it Rain” $28,400 in Nashville for “Honest Jingle Competition” $64,400 nationwide for “Join the Brew Crew” Evaluation: “U Tea: Make it Rain”: We will be able to track how much social media visibility surrounds the event and how many people attend the event. “Honest Jingle Competition”: The number of submissions received will largely determine the success of this tactic. “World’s Most Magical Tea Party”: We will be able to track how many people attend the event. “Join the Brew Crew”: It will be easy to monitor how many recipes are submitted on Facebook and how many votes are cast for the recipes. Timeline: Honest Jingle Competition Announcement & Launch of Competition: September 1st Jingle Recording: October 6th Release of Winning Jingle: October 13th U Tea: Make it Rain Announcement of Event: July 7th Event Launch: August 21st Join the Brew Crew Announcement of Competition: March 17th Launch of Competition: March 24th Deadline for Submission & Voting: April 5th Finalists Chosen: April 12th Finalist Judging Event: April 15th Announcement of Winners: April 26th Launch of New Flavor: June 16th World’s Most Magical Tea Party Announcement of Event: March 10th Tea Party: April 14th Current Perceptions Honest Tea has an extremely engaging Facebook and the customer base is contstantly sharing thoughts with the company. The biggest strength about the Facebook is that HonestTea responds to every post; negative or positive. Right now the most heated conversation centers around Coca Cola’s vote against Prop 37. Most feedback is from women. I am boycotting your brands of tea and juice. It is a darn shame that your company has supported to say NO to Prop 37 for GMO labeling. I will no longer be buying you Honest Kids line of ‘juice’ due to the fact that I recently found out that you are partially owned by the Coca cola company [and the] the gross amount of money they spent to defeat Prop 37 against labeling GMO’s. Just finished a bottle of Raspberry Fields. I used to be a big soda drinker but wanted to quit and I needed something to help me. Something with flavour but not crazy sugar. I LOVE the Raspberry Fields. Totally helping me quit the soda. - Paula Mid afternoon thirst quencher. I'm loving these stevia sweetened teas. @honesttea http://instagr.am/p/VPYGvLt57s/ Just had my first @HonestTea. The Honey Green Tea is delicious, exactly what I was looking for! #bravo Glad to know that @HonestTea offers a great tasting drink alternative for kids on-the-go. #B2SCrave Amazon is a great source of feedback for Honest Tea. A lot of discussion on Amazon is related to price and the benefits of buying online versus in store. The overall conclusion is that customers who buy online do so because it is cheaper and there is a wider range of flavors. Most Twitter feedback is from women, but not as high of a percentage as Facebook. One main difference is that most tweets were positive. Twitter is not where consumers will go to voice their opinion. Over 16,000 people follow Honest Tea on Twitter, but the company only follows 540 in return which goes against most social media etiquette. Sweepstakes and contests, such as B2SCrave, the partnership with Cravebox are what spark Twitter activity. I really wanted a good source of anti-oxidants in a green tea without having to constantly brew my own. Honest Tea is the answer. I just opened my first bottles of Honest Ade...completely void of any flavor. I can’t even tell there are cranberries or lemons in it. The other has slight undertones of mango but they both taste so watered down it wasn’t worth the $1.19 I paid. Words cannot even begin to describe my love for this tea. I was looking for an authentic tea that contained a substantial amount of antioxidants. This tea was it. It’s organic. It has no artificial sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup. 7 Strengths • Reputation for commitment to: • Offers a healthy alternative to soft drinks • The company is owned by a strong brand, Coca Cola, which can influence some existing consumers by vouching for Honest Tea • Mission to “democratize organics” • Ability to earn free media attention from publications and news sources • Loyal customer base among influential celebrities (ex. Oprah) • Leading the way in full calorie disclosure on labels • Creative grassroots marketing and campaigns which give the brand a strong, distinct personality when compared with other mainstream beverage brands Social responsibility Sustainability Fair Trade practices Healthy living/lifestyles Transparency led by CEO Seth Goldman Opportunities • Honest Kids provides Coca-Cola Company with a product for children, along with consumer research, which is not provided from other brands within the company • Growing demand for healthier, low-calorie beverages • Current trends towards organic beverages and food on the rise • Increasing public awareness and scrutiny of artificial ingredients used in mainstream beverages (especially soft drinks) • Growing awareness of the current obesity epidemic and the rise of anti-obesity campaigns has caused a decreas in soft drink consumption • Expanding the target audience beyond the already health-conscience and organic-seeking beverage market in response to current trends • Target audience are “activists” in global and environmental issues and willing to spread the word to promote their views • Increased interest in health consciousness and rising environmental awareness, higher demand for foods and products that are best when eaten or used as close to their original state Weaknesses • Ownership by the Coca-Cola Company; although Coca Cola is trying to compromise and adopt some of the Honest Tea ideals, they still have an outlasting reputation that doesn’t align with the wholesome, fair trade image of Honest Tea • For general industry - “Company founders often focus too much on their product and not enough on the mechanics of growing the business” • Lack of competitive pricing with soft drinks • 60% of people who buy tea are female; bottled tea not as popular as soft drinks are with males • Potential for disappointment among mass audience due to conditioning by sweet, sugary mainstream beverages Threats • Competitors beginning to lower the sugar content in their drinks and offering low-sugar alternatives (e.g. TeJava, Malibu Teaz, The Republic of Tea, Snapple, Capri Sun) and is now actively competing in an emerging “Tea Culture” • Disagreement between Coke’s business ideals and Honest Tea’s business ideals • Coca-Cola’s reputation of unhealthy soft drinks • Financial burden of maintaining eco-friendly practices • Brand image targets a very specific niche market and as a result alienates mainstream beverage consumers 9 Competitor Analysis History: Founded and located in Beaumont, Texas. Tea bottles feature Granny, named after creator Clayton’s grandmother, Mimi, who made him homemade sweet tea on hot summer days. When Clayton started the business of bottling tea, he used her original recipes. Product Information: Sweet Leaf Tea sells unsweetened tea flavors; additionally, most of their products are USDA certified organic with labels that can be found on each bottle. Their beverages are produced in certified organic beverage plants in central, west, northeast, and southwest parts of the USA, products are also available online. Promotion: ONLINE • Launched a Sweet Leaf TV video of Clayton helping make the tea at their plant in Texas • Facebook promotion and sweepstake initiatives • Presence on Twitter & Flickr • Host a radio station through their website, “Sweet Leaf Radio” • Staying Green Tips OFFLINE • Donates and sponsors events related to health & wellness • Visit summer festivals - promote their presence through Facebook (ACL, Lollapoolza, Muddy Buddy, Eastbound and Found) Social Media Presence: Sweet Leaf Tea currently has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Flickr. Their Facebook page has approximately 59,701 ‘likes’ and they are regularly in communication with their customers. They have 8,389 followers on Twitter, follow 4,134 and regularly update their feed. Their YouTube channel has a low number of 80 subscribers, but has a high number of 88,402 views. Their Pinterest page also has ten boards all related to their product’s flavors and the brand’s personality including: Citrus, Raspberry, Mint, Peach, Sweet Pairings, Homemade Goods, Sound of Music, Put a Smile On, and Sweet Facts. Competitor Analysis History: The Republic of Tea was founded in 1992 by Bill Rosenzweig and Mel and Patricia Ziegler. Two years later, they sold The Republic of Tea to Ron Rubin. Based in Novato, California, they also have a major production factory in Nashville, Illinois. Product Information: The Republic of Tea is a producer of loose leaf teas, herbs and brewed iced teas which are available at over 20,000 retailers and restaurants throughout the United States, online and via their catalogue. Promotion ONLINE • Maintains a Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest page OFFLINE • Hosts tea demos at Whole Foods • Booth at the Winter Fancy Food Show • Partners with Whole Planet Foundation, Room to Read, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Sunny Hills Services, the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation, and the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Scholars Program • Donaties to causes including the American Red Cross Japan and Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Disaster Relief Social Media Presence: The Republic of Tea currently has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. Their Facebook page has approximately 111,953 ‘likes’ and they are constantly in communication with their customers. They have 4,825 followers on Twitter, follow 1,075 and update their feed frequently. Their YouTube channel has 104 subscribers and 49,338 views. Their Pinterest page has seven boards all related to their industry and clientele including: Sip through a New Year, TasTEA Recipes, Sip by Sip, Get organized, Pins from our Citizens, Tea Gifts and Flavors of the Season. 11 Competitor Analysis History: Lipton Pure Leaf is part of the LinPepCo line. LinPepCo has been managed under the Pepsi-Cola Company for the past 25 years. LinPepCo’s goal is to provide customers with quality products and services. Product Information: The Pure Leaf brand offers six different flavors. Last year, Pepsi-Cola began a re-branding initiative for Pure Leaf. Managers are now trying to position the brand and products as authentic, delicious drinks, definitely making Pure Leaf a competitor of Honest Tea. Promotion: OFFLINE: • Partnership with ‘Top Chef’ Gail Simmons to launch ‘For the Love of Leaves’ campaign • Unveiled new selection of tea-infused recipes at the Kentucky Derby • Partnered with health and food bloggers as “tastemakers” ONLINE: • Active on Facebook and Twitter • Facebook page is the brand’s official webpage • Three Facebook apps • Twitter regularly updated but not promoted on Facebook Social Media Presence: In addition to its presence on Facebook, Pure Leaf currently has a presence on Twitter. Their Facebook page has approximately 167,033 ‘likes’ and they are regularly in communication with their customers. They have 751 followers on Twitter, follow 1,243 and regularly update their feed. Competitor Analysis History: Tejava is part of the Crystal Geyser line. Product Information: Tejava focuses on how their pure black tea is microbrewed from water and contains tea leaves from the island of Java. Advertised as unsweetened, calorie free, kosher and all natural with no artificial ingredients, additives or preservatives. Tejava is available throughout the West Coast and is sold nationally at Trader Joe’s, Cost Plus World Market and at select natural food stores. Promotion: ONLINE • Has a Facebook page OFFLINE • Won first place at the 2011 North American Tea Championship • Hosted a Tejava Islands of Java and Bali Adventure Sweepstakes • Kept first place title at the 2012 North American Tea Championship Social Media Presence: Tejava lacks a substantial social media presence, solely relying on their Facebook presence. They have approximately 1,443 Facebook ‘likes’, but fail to consistently communicate with their customers. 13 Demographics General 243,195 total population • 57.6% white • 28.1% black • 25.4% Latino/Hispanic 25.4% White 57.6% Education (among people 25 years or older): • High school or higher: 79.3% • Bachelors or higher: 32.3% 28.1% Black Latino/Hispanic Marital Status (among people 15 yrs or older): • Never married: 37.8% • Married: 27.6% Occupation (among employed people over 16) • Mgt/professional: 39.7% • Service: 19.2% • Sales/office: 25% • Unemployed: 4.5% • Below poverty line: 21.7% High School or Higher 32.3% $42,755 median household income Median Age: Male: 38.1 years Female 53.4 years 79.3% Bachelors or higher Mgt/professional 21.7% Never Married 27.6% 37.8% Married 4.5% 25.0% 39.7% 19.2% Service Sales/Office Unemployed Below Poverty line Orlando, FL The Disney Family World-famous for its amusement parks, Orlando attracts thousands of families every year to visit the princesses at Walt Disney World or Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Many families also live here for the warm climate. These families, whose parents are between 25-40 and children between preschool and middle school, are middle class and ethnically diverse. While both parents may work, much of their social lives revolve around their children. Creating a healthy and educational environment for their children, through both their activities and the products they buy, is a priority. Both parents connect to friends and family via Facebook, but do not rely solely on social media for their communication. They are likely to read mommy blogs and news sites. Messaging • Honest Tea is a healthy alternative for children Honest Tea is all-natural, lightly sweetened, and 100% organic. Honest Kids juice packs are a healthy substitution, only containing 40 calories per pack. They also have 100% of daily recommended Vitamin C. • Honest Tea is a refreshing, thirstquenching beverage Honest Tea is a healthy alternative to bottled soda and juice. Honest Tea provides more flavor than other comprable beverages. 15 “World’s Most Magical Tea Party” Honest Tea Pop-Up Party Target Audience: Strategy: Tactic: Disney Families To demonstrate to the families of Orlando and families visiting the Walt Disney World Resort that Honest Tea is family-oriented, child-friendly, and made with wholesome ingredients by engaging children and parents alike. • Honest Tea will ask children to “Show Us What You’re Made Of” and decorate tea cups by inscribing their dreams/ wishes • This will tie in to what Honest Tea is “made of” (i.e. organic, fair trade ingredients) and their “dreams/wishes” (i.e. sustainability, community-building, international development) • Serve Honest Kids and Honest Splash • Provide porcelain tea cups and decorative materials for children to inscribe their dreams/wishes • Incorporate popular Disney characters to “host” the tea party (e.g. Alice in Wonderland) Orlando Tactic: Media Types: • Have Honest Tea representatives onhand to talk with parents about nutritional information, health benefits • Pitch the non-profit organization Give Kids the World to serve as a partner for this event. Honest Tea already has a connection to this organization through the Communi-Tea Service Day. As a corporate sponsor, GKTW will cover some costs for the event (e.g. teacup supplies). Publicity: • Pitch Amy Kaufeldt, anchor of Good Day Orlando, to cover the event • Pitch local mommy bloggers, newspapers, radio and TV stations Rationale: • Orlando blogs, local newspapers, radio and TV stations The Coca-Cola Company is the official beverage supplier to the WDW Resort WDW has a history of hosting events in conjunction with corporate sponsors/partners E.g. Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (presented by Chase), Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival (presented by 17 HGTV) Demographics General • • • • • 609,644 total 60.5% white 28.4% black 4.7% Hispanic 51.5% female 4.7% White 28.4% 60.5% Education (among people 25 years or older) • High school or higher: 77.6% • Bachelors or higher: 39.4% Black Latino/Hispanic Marital Status (among people 15 years or older) • Never married: 42% • Married: 37.6% Occupation (among employed people over 16) • Mgt. Professional: 46.1% • Service: 10.7% • Sales/office: 29.3% • Production/transportation: 11.3% • Unemployed: 5.2% • Below poverty line: 11.2% Median household income: $46, 141 Median Age: Male: 34 years Female 33.1 years High School or Higher 39.4% 77.6% Bachelors or higher Mgt/professional 11.2% 5.2% 11.3% Service 46.1% 29.3% 10.7% Sales/Office Production/Transp oration Unemployed 37.6% 42.0% Never Married Married Nashville, TN Thrifty Young Families Keeping up with trends is not a priority for these Southern families, whose main income is supported by one or both parents working typically “blue collar” jobs. The parents are typically between 25-40, with young children in preschool or elementary school. These families are interested in saving money and finding quality products for good prices, and they are likely to shop at places like Wal-Mart and Costco. They want to provide healthy snacks for their families, but only if the price is right. They own computers and are familiar with social media, but it does not play a large role in their lives. They mostly receive their news from TV and radio. Messaging • Honest Tea is committed to helping all communities. Honest Tea is dedicated to community development, from their hometown Bethesda to their partering with international villages. Honest Tea is committed to charity partnerships including Recyclebank, Impact Silver Spring, Susan G. Komen For The Cure, and Net Impact. • Honest Tea is affordable Honest Tea is comparable in price to less healthy beverages such as bottled soda and juice. 19 “Honest Jingle Competition” Show Us Your Talent Target Audience: Strategy: Tactic: Thrifty Young Families To demonstrate Honest Tea’s commitment to communities and healthy alternatives by developing personal connections between Honest Tea and individuals through the distinct local culture of Nashville. • Develop a contest where contestants write and sing a 60 second jingle about their favorite flavor • Invite local Nashville musicians to participate in the contest and chronicle how they create their own songs • Launch a micro-site honesttea.com/ jingle for easy submissions • Book Nashville representatives and the three aforementioned local celebrities as judges in the final vote • Record the winning Honest Tea jingle outside the Grand Ole Opry Nashville Tactic: Media Types: • Deliver one year’s supply of Honest Tea to winner and broadcast winning jingle on social media platforms, Nashville TV and radio stations, and Honest Tea’s website Publicity: • Pitch local radio and news stations, bloggers, and newspapers to cover the contest • Invite local radio and news stations to attend the jingle recording event at the Grand Ol’ Opry • Pitch Meryll Rose, host of Talk of the Town, to attend the event and interview the winners Rationale: • Local news (TV & radio), neighborhood newsletters, apartment bulletin boards or newsletters, grocery store or other community bulletin boards, school-wide email list servs Nashville is recognized as the music capital of the United States. Our goal in promoting the “Make Our New Jingle” Singing Competition is to combine Nashville’s love for music with our passion for Honest Tea. 21 Demographics General: • 820,611 total population • 68.3% white • 8.1% black • 35.1% Hispanic/Latino • 49.4% female Education (among people 25 years or older) • High school or higher: 95.5% • Bachelors of higher: 64.3% 35.1% White Black 8.1% 68.3% Latino/Hispanic Marital Status (among people 15 years or older) • Never married: 26.4% • Married: 59.5% Occupation: • • • • • Mgt./Professional: 62.8% Sales/office 26.1% Construction/Extraction/Maint.: 4.1% Unemployed: 1.5% Below poverty line: 5.5% High School or Higher 64.3% Median household income: $51,596 Median Age Male: 33.9 years Female: 34.5 years 95.5% Bachelors or higher Mgt/professional 1.5% 4.1% 5.5% Sales/Office 26.1% 62.8% 26.4% Never Married Construction/Extractio n/Maint Unemployed Below Poverty line Married 59.5% Austin, TX Socially Aware Young Singles Austin is known for its bustling tech community and trendsetting music scene, as well as festivals like South-bySouthwest and Austin City Limits. These young people, who range from recent college graduates to professionals in their 30s, enjoy a trendy social scene and have decent entry-level positions in their desired professions. With decent salaries, this crowd can afford their room and board while also being able to have a quality of life that allows them to enjoy more than store-bought ramen noodles. Austin’s young crowd practices a unique combination of social and environmental activism. They are engaged individuals who are actively on sites like Reddit, Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Messaging • Honest Tea is a progressive and socially-responsible beverage company Honest Tea consistently develops groundbreaking products, such as Honest Fizz, their newest carbonated beverage that is naturally sweetened with Stevia. Honest Tea is committed to the environment/sustainability and communicates that through their fully recyclable packaging. organic ingredients to deliver fresh and delicious products Honest Teas committed to transparency in all of our business practices Honest Tea supports foreign farmers and helps develop their local communities • Honest Tea cares about the world Honest Tea uses only certified 23 UTea: Make It Rain! Outdoor Rain Dance Party Tactic: “UTea: Make It Rain!” Host a “Make it Rain” outdoor field day event for the University of Texas at Austin’s “Welcome Week” that features: • Belly-flop contests (“Splash for Austin”) • Yoga lessons • Experts on raindance techniques • Rain-themed music • Hold the event at Barton Springs, a set of four natural water springs located on the grounds of Zilker Metropolitan Park • Coordinate with UT clubs, organizations and the school mascot to publicize and have a presence at the event • Pitch local environmental groups to attend the event and set-up stands to educate audiences on sustainability and the environment • Invite Mack Brown, head coach of the UT Texas Longhorns football team, to attend the event Austin Media Types: Publicity: • Invite Anne Hudson, radio personality on KASE 101, to host the event • Pitch UT media (student newspaper, student radio, student TV) to cover the event • Pitch Austin TV, radio, and newspapers to cover the event • Local Austin news stations, radio, college groups and newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Rationale: With over 50,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students attending University of Texas at Austin, it is evident why one of our main events would be geared toward college students. “Make It Rain, UTea!” would be hosted during Welcome Week, a popular time of the year when students are first reunited with their peers. The product promoted would be Honest Tea Splash, and everything would be geared towards making it rain because of Austin’s chronic drought. 25 The Brew Crew Strategy: To demonstrate the nutritional, sustainable, and creative qualities of Honest Tea by tapping into the creativity of the public. Tactic: • Develop a social media campaign that asks customers to come up with their own unique flavor combinations and invites them to vote on the flavors they like best. The creators of the 10 flavors with the most “likes” will be invited to join the “Brew Crew.” • The 10 selected “Brew Crew” members will bring their ideas to life by brewing their flavors with brewers from Honest Tea at Honest Tea Headquarters. A panel of judges will taste test and choose their favorite flavor. The winning flavor will be added to Honest Tea’s line. National Campaign Tactic: Media Types: Broadcast tasting event online for Brew Crew fans to watch and cheer on their favorite teams Publicity: • Pitch local food bloggers and reporters to participate and come to the brewing/ tasting event • Pitch local news and radio stations to cover the event • Invite local influencers to serve as judges • Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Rationale: This event allows participants to create their own unique flavors and provides Honest Tea with the opportunity to work in correlation with its consumers. 27 Orlando Campaign Austin Campaign National Campaign Nashville Campaign Campaign Timelines 29 Orlando Budget Austin Budget National Budget 31 Nashville Budget Media Coverage The following are projected local media headlines for each campaign. The press will have this information available through media kits, press releases, Honest Tea social media, and general word-of-mouth around the city. Southern Strategies has the connections with local media to get Honest Tea’s events the recognition that they demand. 33 Notes & Inspiration Southern Strategies PR creative research-driven planning and results, served with a side of southern hospitality 35 Southern Strategies