Rice Krispies Case Study

Rice Krispies Case Study

Throughout the integrated marketing communications plan (IMCP), the author laid out a convincing strategy that both analyzed problems and offered detailed solutions. By identifying current roadblocks he was able to instill trust in the reader that he knew what issues were affecting Rice Krispies. By being detailed and covering everything from issues to implementations the reader could feel confident that his solutions would work.

Throughout his case the author uses several different elements in his approach. First he lays down the foundation of his plan. According to MSG, “the foundation stage involves detailed analysis of both the product as well as target market. It is essential for marketers to understand the brand, its offerings and end-users. You need to know the needs, attitudes and expectations of the target customers. Keep a close watch on competitor’s activities(MSG Experts, 2015).” The author accomplishes this early on by giving an overview of Rice Krispies historical and current marketplace, along with identifying its competitor's current position. He then is able to provide statistical data to identify a target market and then give reasoning why this market should be targeted in his future campaign. After his foundation was laid he tackled the customer experience element.

Speaking to the importance of the customer experience element, the author was able to identify and communicate the major ways the customers use Rice Krispies and how each user benefits from each way. By detailing the current customer experience the author is able to intertwine his plans and solutions to customer experience issues later on in his plan. He is also able to tie in different experiences for different groups of demographics, which gave his plan more depth and substance.

Another important element tackled was promotional tools. In his plan for Rice Krispies the author primarily pitches using Facebook. He is able to back up his Facebook pitch with relevant data and predictions if his plan is implemented. He also suggests using in-store sampling and includes estimates on cost, so management can weigh the decision with a starting price.

The most effective element in my option for this IMCP was the use of promotional tools. While he did a excellent job setting up the foundation and detailing the customer experience, I feel as if his use of promotional tools offered something that would have been unknown to management. Demonstrating to management that you understand the issues at hand is vital, but by demonstrating you have well-minded crafted solutions you can get the management team behind your plan and receive approval for the resources necessary your IMCP.

One key aspect of his plan for promotional tools was that they supported other aspects of the plan. For example the author states, “An important aspect of promoting brand versatility is through the current website.  The Rice Krispies website is both visually appealing as it is informative.  Guests to the webpage can view various recipes that use the product.  The recipes change by season and tend to focus on creative ways to make treats and dinners using Rice Krispies.  This is perfectly aligned with our overall objective, meaning the website should not change (Kovacevic, 2011).” By suggesting to use Facebook ads not only to build a larger fan base for the purpose of brand awareness and data mining, but to also use ads to reroute traffic to the website, the author is tackling several objectives through the element of one promotional tool.

Overall I feel the author did a thorough job presenting his IMCP and was a very effective communicator. He was able to clearly identify the problem and the target market and then offer viable communications and tactics for achieving objectives that would fix the stated problems. To me he was most effective when he communicated parts of his plan then followed up his ideas with statistical analysis and reasoning for why the company should devote resources to this solution. For example, the author states, “The approximate cost forthis execution is as follows: