The Integrated Marketing Communications Business Plan

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INTEGRATED           MARKETING           COMMUNICATIONS           PLAN           

ADVERTISING           PROMOTION           AND           PUBLIC           RELATIONS           

NOVEMBER           25TH,           2016          

PEGGY           BARNWELL           

ALICE           KUZIEMKA,           KRITTIKA           GROVER,           MAPPI           VALDEZ,           MEGHAN           MURPHY,           RAHUL          

SHEORAN           

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EXECUTIVE           SUMMARY           

The digestive system brings together the bases of all nutrition, energy and immunity, which together create and maintain life. Unfortunately some are diagnosed with serious illnesses that impact the digestive process and result in devastating effects. Celiac disease is a life-long medical condition in which the nutrient absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by consuming gluten. There is a lack of awareness for the disease because the majority of people have no previous knowledge of the struggle of living with gluten intolerance. Their experience is through following the gluten free retail food trend.  

The Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Plan will help deliver this differentiating message to the new chosen target audience in order to gain awareness and response. Implications drawn from the analysis highlight that, celiac disease affect Canadians at any age and can have symptoms appear after a few years. This means there is more confusion with people self-diagnosing themselves.  More than ever, people now have direct access to research though the Internet and Social Media which create effective advertising platforms. Research also implies that the chosen target has a very active lifestyle so certain advertising methods such as out of home and experiential will gather a greater response.  

The IMC Campaign will focus on an emotional and relatable angle to grab the attention of the target. This will educate those who perceive gluten free as a diet fad and not a permanent lifestyle. The given budget of $10,000 will be spent on the “I miss” campaign will feature the persona “Katie” and the everyday struggle she faces with her diagnosis. The campaign will be based on an experiential piece, online video, out of home, and contest advertising. These methods have been chosen to promote more interaction among the community in order to get a response.  

TABLE           OF           CONTENTS           

Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………        2  

Main Communications Problem………………………………………………………        4

Marketing Background………………………………………………………………        4

1. Market and Trend Analysis………………………………………………………        4

2. Product (Brand) Analysis………………………………………………………        8

3. Competitive Analysis……………………………………………………………        10

Creative Brief…………………………………………………………………………        12

Marketing Communications Plan……………………………………………………        15

1. Target Analysis…………………………………………………………………        15

2. Integrated Marketing Communications Objectives……………………………        17

3. Core Brand Values………………………………………………………………        17

4. Positioning Strategy……………………………………………………………        18

Timing…………………………………………………………………………………        19

Budget…………………………………………………………………………………        20

Measurement and Effectiveness………………………………………………………        22

Summary………………………………………………………………………………        23

References………………………………………………………………………………        24

MAIN           COMMUNICATION           PROBLEM           

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by gluten. Those with celiac disease have an inability to absorb nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, and vitamins, which are essential for a healthy life. Celiac disease has affected as many as 330,000 people in Canada and only 1/3 have been diagnosed (Canadian Digestive Health, 2016). There are a number of people who are unaware of the impact of celiac disease because over the past few years, eating gluten-free has been categorized as a health trend. Although there has been a rise of gluten-free products in the past few years, there is still a lack of knowledge on why gluten-free products exist. An integrated marketing communications plan is necessary because it will help people understand the difference between celiac disease and the gluten-free diet trend.