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Bulgarian Yogurt

Old World Taste with New World Health Benefits

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Contact Information

Erin Batty ebatty1@ithaca.edu

Haley Cavanna hcavann1@ithaca.edu

Jessica Kleemanjkleema1@ithaca.edu

Claire Mirskycmirsky1@ithaca.edu

Georgie Portergporter1@ithaca.edu

Britney Verriabverria1@ithaca.edu

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Table of ContentsAbout the Agency Executive Summary Situation Analysis Competitive Analysis SWOT Analysis Primary Research Objectives Target AudiencesStrategies Tactics Timetable Budget Evaluation Team Bios Appendices

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About the Agency

We are Innovative Roots. We are a Lifestyle PR agency that focuses on giving health-oriented brands an innovative spin. Our aim is to help brands stand out and keep up-to-date in this competitive, growing lifestyle industry while maintaining a clear identity. Our main objective is to ensure that our client’s tradition is timely and their product has a prominent place in modern culture.

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Executive Summary Startinginatinykitchentestingdifferentbatchesofyogurt,toopeninguptheirown creamery, Trimona Yogurt has successfully put their Bulgarian yogurt into the health food industry. With nothing removed and nothing added, Trimona yogurt is a naturally healthy food. Trimona would like to build brand awareness and extend their customer base, therefore spreading awareness of their original tangy and tart yogurt. Though Trimona has a rich history and clear identity, it became clear to our team that awareness is the area in need of most improvement. We hope to increase recognition of this brand and help them, eventually, grow to a larger company. In order to acheive these goals, we sought out solutions in yogurt product sizes, brand ambassadors, promotional material, and participation in events. Additionally, we have created new ideas for web and social media design and engagement. Our mission for this campaign is to spread public awareness to health conscious individuals who are ready to make a positive change in their lives through nutrition. With more market awareness,TrimonaYogurtwillreceiveincreasedrevenueandhigherprofits. The Innovative Roots team would like to thank Trimona Yogurt for this opportunity in developing a public relations plan in hopes of improving awareness for this unique company. We appreciate the opportunity to share our ideas in order to further improve Trimona Yogurt’s brand identity.

Sincerely, Innovative Roots

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Situation AnalysisWHAT IS TRIMONA? Trimona Yogurt is healthy, organic, probiotic yogurt, made from grass fed cows. It has no additives, making it perfect for health conscious consumers. The yogurt is not strained, and the healthy whey is kept inthefinalproduct.IthasanoptimalratioofOmega-6andOmega3fatty acids, which are an essential part of a healthy diet. Additionally, the yogurt is thickened through a natural process, leaving out any additives. Nothing is removed from or added to the yogurt, it is gluten free, and it is good for lactose intolerant consumers.

WHO MAKES IT?Trimona Yogurt is made by Atanas Valevm who immigrated to the United States from Bulgaria. He is proud to introduce his ethnic roots to the American yogurt culture. His version of the American Dream started like many others—in his kitchen, working late at night. After two years of experimenting and facing many sleepless nights and failures, he has persevered to transform his kitchen into a creamery. Ever since the beginning,hehashadpassionforcreatingyogurt.Hefirmlybelievesinpreservingthehealthy aspects of his yogurt, as well as aspects from his culture. Yogurt is a huge part of Bulgarian culture, and he has brought his healthy, tasty, treat to share with us.

WHAT IS THE YOGURT INDUSTRY LIKE?Nowadays,therearealotofdifferentpeoplethatlookfordifferentthingswhentheybuy yogurt. Some people are economically conscious, and scout for the lowest priced yogurt,whileotherssearchfordeliciousflavor.Alotofpeoplechoosetobuytheyogurtwiththemosthealthbenefits.Greekyogurtisverypopulartothesehealth-consciousconsumers,aswellaslow-fator“fit”yogurt.Somehealthconsciousorenvironmentallyconscious consumers also look for locally made, organic yogurt.

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competitor analysis

Location: Available at all major retailers such as Wegmans, Tops, Stop and Shop, Target, Walmart, Riteaid, CVS, and Kmart.Price/unit: 5.3 oz ($1.79), 32 oz ($4.99)Productdetails/lines:FruitontheBottom(13flavors),Blended(11 flavors), Simply 100 (8 flavors), Chobani flip (9 flavors),Oats(4flavors), Indulgent(3flavors),Kids(4flavors),snack(4flavors)Name recognition: 96%Strengths: Chobani is an innovator in this category, while offeringconvenience,reasonablepricing,andvarietyofflavorsand product options. They have an advantage with their unique packaging and notoriety within the product category.Weaknesses: May be stretching itself too thin with recent brand extensions, losing identity as a specialty yogurt brand.

Location: Available at all major retailers such as Wegmans, Tops, Stop and Shop, Target, Walmart, Riteaid, CVS, and Kmart.Price/unit: 7 oz, ($1.89) 17.6 oz ($4.49)Product details/lines: Total classic, Total 2 %, Total 0%, Totalclassicsplitcup(5flavors),Total2%splitcup(8flavors),Total0%splitcup(14flavors),FruyoClassic(5flavors),Fruyo0%(7flavors)Name recognition: 57%Strengths: Fage has an authentic Greek background (started in 1926 in Athens, Greece), which also leads it to be available in Europe as well as the US (has plants on both continents).Weaknesses: Not as well known or inexpensive as Chobani and Dannon Oikos.

Chobani Fage

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Competitor analysis

Location: Available at health-oriented smaller grocery stores and cooperative markets.Price/unit: 16 oz ($4.69), 32 oz ($8.89)Product details/lines: Bulgarian yogurt, Non-fat Bulgarian yogurt, Organic Bulgarian yogurt, and Organic Bulgarian Non-fat yogurtName recognition: 3%Strengths: White Mountain clearly identities as a health-oriented brand, it is sold nationwide in select stores, and as a brand it is very considerate and connected with its customer base (extensive FAQ page, etc.).Weaknesses: It is a smaller company with less name recognitionandavery“niche”productplacementstrategy.

Location: Available at all major retailers such as Wegmans, Tops, Stop and Shop, Target, Walmart, Riteaid, CVS, and Kmart.Price/unit: single serve ($1), 4 packs ($3.79), and 32oz ($4.99)Product details/lines: Traditional (10 flavors), Nonfat (12flavors),Frozenyogurt(6flavors),dips(4flavors)Name recognition: 91%Strengths: Oikos is owned by a large conglomerate (from a marketingstandpoint,thisproductisa“star”forthem,whileDannon hasmany “cash cows” already), and Dannon is aname that consumers know and trust.Weaknesses: By keeping the Dannon name attachment, they may be losing the niche market who are looking for authentic Greekyogurtwithmaximumhealthbenefits.

Dannon Oikos White Mountain

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Swot analysis InordertoeffectivelyresearchandimprovetheTrimonaYogurtbrand,aSWOTanalysiswascompletedinordertorecognizetheproduct’s internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. Trimona Yogurt’s biggest strength is its authenticity. Although there are many healthy and organic yogurt options currently being offered,fewarebeingpromotedassimple,authentic,andallnatural.Manyofthewellknownspecialtyyogurtbrands,suchasmanyofTrimona’s competitors, have become so commercialized that they are spreading themselves too thin and making too many product lines. Trimona Yogurt is simple, which is what makes it a great addition to a variety of delicious recipes. Trimona has a unique brand identity that is recognized as being healthy, traditional and unique. The company is recognized in its ability to preserve history by including a pattern used in the traditional Bulgarian pottery in its label design. The story behind the yogurt is another strength. Yogurt is the most popular foodinBulgarianculture,andisusedinmanyrecipesandhealingremedies.ThisisanotherstrengthsinceTrimonaputsalotofeffortintoperfecting their yogurt, since the food item is such a large part of traditional culture. Another key strength of Trimona Yogurt is its health benefits.Itisorganicandmadewithuniquelyselectedlive-culturestrainsandwholemilkfrompasture-raisedandgrass-fedcows.Itisalso recognized as having the perfect ratio of essential fatty acids combined with a centuries old manufacturing process. Trimona Yogurt’s biggest weakness is that not enough people know about the brand or have never heard of Bulgarian yogurt in general. While its authenticity is a strength it is also a weakness. Although its Bulgarian roots make it unique, some people care more awellidentifiedandpopularbrandnamethanayogurtknownforitstradition.AnotherweaknessisthattherearemanyotheryogurtbrandsthathavethesamehealthbenefitsasTrimona.Thismeansthatalthoughthebrandhasuniquebenefits,itmayfailtostandoutamong its competitors. Although Trimona Yogurt has a Facebook and Twitter page, there are not many followers on either social media site. Trimona coulddoabetterjobatengagingwithitsaudiencebytweetingandpostingabouthealthbenefitsorupcomingpromotions. One external opportunity is that speciality yogurt is popular across markets. People are becoming more health conscious and looking for new, all-natural yogurt brands to try. Another opportunity for Trimona is to make its individual sized yogurts available at all of its retail locations. This way consumers can try trimona in smaller quantities. Many people are also motivated to buy individually packaged containers because they don’t spoil as quickly. Trimona Yogurt could also begin expanding in new markets in order to increase sales. External threats facing Trimona Yogurt may include the growing popularity of greek yogurt. Brands such as Chobani and Fage have become extremely popular over the years as both companies have developed a very strong brand image. Although Trimona has many of thesamehealthbenefitsasthesepopularyogurtbrands,itmustkeepuptodateonnewtrendsinthespecialtyyogurtindustry.

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Swot analysis STRENGTHS

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

WEAKNESSES-Unique story behind yogurt brand -Manyhealthbenefits-Traditional, simple recipe -Website easy to navigate -Canbeusedinmanydifferentrecipes

-Lack of Public Education (abouthealthbenefitsandau-thenticity)-Weak social media presence (not many likes or followers; only present on Facebook and Twitter) -Currently no press kit provided -Onlyoneflavor-Only sold in two states (sold in one store in Conn.)

-Speciality yogurt is popular right now -Potential appeal for health con-scious consumers, people with di-gestive problems, gluten allergies, and a sensitivity to lactose -Authenticity of brand identity with an emphasis on Bulgarian tradition-Expanding in the United States -Improve website to better adver-tisehealthbenefitsandinteractwith target markets -Should take better advantage of social media popularity

-growing popularity of specialty yogurt -brand equity of competitor yo-gurts -many other yogurts have similar healthbenefits(Trimonamaynotbe able to stand out) -lack of brand awareness-Expensive price point (not mass produced)

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PRimary Research

Yogurtisaverypopularfood.Asyoucanseefromtheresults,10%ofpeopleeatiteveryday,and55%ofpeopleeatitatleastoncea week. (How often do you eat yogurt?) The survey revealed that out of the people that eat yogurt, the large majority of people, 72%, buy it from large retailers, like Wegmans,orStopandShop.About10%ofpeoplebuytheiryogurtfromdiscountstores,likeWalmart.(Wheredoyoubuyyouryogurt?) Out of the yogurt that people eat, 86% eat Greek, 12% eat soy, 2% eat Bulgarian, and 3% eat Turkish yogurt. (What type of specialty yogurt do you eat?)As you can see, most people eat either Greek or Soy yogurt, if they are choosing to buy a specialty yogurt. Whatdoyoulookforwhenyoubuyyogurt?29%=Health,23%=price,23%=flavor,14%=brandWhattypesofyogurtarepeopleawareof?100%Greek,6%Bulgarian,5%Indian,9%Turkish,41%Soy.Which yogurt brands are you aware of? 62% Chobani, 39% Dannon Oikos, Fage 24%. Only 5% of people were aware of Trimona Yogurt

IMPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH:Yogurt is popular, but Bulgarian yogurt is not. It is not popular due to lack of brand awareness, and lack of awareness of Bulgarian yogurtasawhole.Weneed to increaseawarenessabout thehealthbenefitsofBulgarianyogurt.Also,weneed to increaseTrimona yogurt’s brandawarenessbypromoting its healthbenefits, aswell as thedeliciousflavor that it has,whenused indifferentrecipes,orwithaddedfruit.

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objectivesIncrease brand awareness of Trimona Yogurt Greek yogurt is a growing trend in the US, so is yogurt that is made more naturally and with fewer ingredients.Trimonaislocal,organic,grass-fedandaffordable.Peoplemaybesearchingforaproductlike Trimona, but do not know that it exists. We aim to bring such people together with Trimona.

Create stronger brand image Because Trimona is a relatively unknown brand to most consumers, we have the opportunity to recreate the brand image. We plan to position Trimona as a healthy, organic, and classic yogurt.

Increase social media activityWe hope to create a stronger social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Pinterest will have an especially strong role in our social media campaign due to Trimona’s popular use in recipes.Bycreatingastrongermediapresencewewillalsohelptofulfillourfirsttwoobjectives,toincrease brand awareness and create a stronger brand image.

Increase sales by 10% within the year Ifwesuccessfullyachieveourfirstthreeobjectives,toincreasebrandawareness,createastrongerbrand image, and increase social media activity, an increase in sales will naturally follow.

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Target Audience

Kateisa30yearoldnativeLongIslander,who currently lives in New Jersey. She works for a publishing company in New York City. She tries her best to stay active during the day, often taking a walk during her lunch hour. She also belongs to the gym near her home. She believes it’s very important to eat healthy and shops at either Whole Foods in the city, or her local health food store in town.

Kate eats Trimona Yogurt because of its great health benefits. She loves that it is low insugar, but is still full of rich taste. She prefers it to more popular Greek yogurts because it uses local ingredients she knows she can trust. In her busy day, Trimona Yogurt allows her to get the nutrients she needs to keep going.

This is Dr. John Manning. After graduating from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, he moved to Stamford, Connecticut where he currently runs his own family practice. Dr. Manning has subscribed to a handful of health magazines and keeps up with the latest changes in nutrition recommendations. His practice specializes in allergies, and he often sees patients with a variety of food-related reactions.

Dr. Manning tells his more sensitive patients about Trimona Yogurt because he believes it is a very healthy alternative to other yogurts, that is great even for the lactose intolerant. He informs all of his patients about its outstanding nutrition and natural ingredients as well. Based on the testimonies of these patients, he continues to suggest Trimona Yogurt to anyone looking to improve their diet.

This is Rosa, she is a 72 year old Bulgarian-American woman. She is a happy mother of threeandgrandmother tofive. She lives inChicago, next door to her sister and is a retired schoolteacher. Rosa has lived with many digestive issues, including Celiac’s Disease. Recently, she has been diagnosed with IBS. Rosa buys Trimona Yogurt because it is gluten-free and good for her health. Growing up in a Bulgarian household, she ate Bulgarian yogurt daily. She loves the creamy taste of Trimona Yogurt and buys it weekly at her specialty grocery store. She is sure to pass down the tradition of Mediterranean yogurt to her grandkids when they come visit too!

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StrategiesMotivate new customers to try trimona Ifaconsumerisgroceryshoppingtheyarenotgoingtobuyafullsizeofyogurtwithouthavingtrieditfirst.By distributing samples at local events, incorporating Trimona into recipes, and distributing promotional materials to potential consumers and opinion leaders, people will be able to try Trimona at no cost. If people have tried Trimona, the next time they see it in the grocery store they will be more willing to buy it.

Use all social media platforms to create more followers and likes on respective sites Social media is increasingly becoming a larger part of a brand’s image. By increasing the aesthetic appeal andeffectivenessofTrimona’swebsiteandsocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook,Twitter,andPinterestit can increase its brand awareness. It also enables to customers to interact with the brand directly.

Increase awareness and demand of Trimona throughout the local area By motivating new customers to try Trimona, and increasing Trimona’s social media presence both the demand and awareness of Trimona yogurt will increase. Furthermore by partnering with local cooking classes and culinary schools Trimona’s usefulness as an ingredient in many recipes can be displayed increasing demand even further. Lastly, by incorporating the presence of brand ambassadors into Trimona’s repertoire students throughout the Tristate area will allow people to directly interact with the Trimona brand in a variety of ways.

Create cohesive brand image Through all of our designed promotional materials and campaign strategies we will hope to instill a sense ofbrandcontinuityfocusingonTrimona’shealthbenefitsandclassictaste.

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Tactics

We believe social media is one of the best ways to reach out to the public. Trimona Yogurt has done a good job of posting to Facebook and Twitter rather frequently, about once a week or so. Nevertheless, there are some improvements that canhelptobettercommunicationwiththetargetaudience.Specifically,wehopetoredesigntheFacebookpage,Twittersite, and company website. We also plan to add Trimona Yogurt to Pinterest.

Social Media & Website Improvements

The Facebook page features some great photos of the yogurt and the conventions that Mr. Valev has attended. Nevertheless, more could be done to improve interactions with the public. The description should not be so much about the yogurt, but rather the brandanditsbenefits.Wesuggestsomethingsimplerlike“Adeliciousyogurtmadeinold-worldstylewithnew-worldhealthbenefits!”Thecoverphotoandprofilepicturecould also be more dynamic. As seen in the appendices, the logo should function as theprofilepictureandthecoverphoto(whichcanbechangedeverymonthperhaps)should be a photo of the yogurt in a recipe. However, we do like that currently many related links, articles, and videos are posted.

This idea of linking Trimona Yogurt to other online resources should carry over to the Twitterpage.ThecompanycoulddefinitelybemoreactiveonTwitteroverall.Weplanto develop a system for Tweet, which involves Trimona tweeting every single day, using hashtags that relate to the posts. For example, #eatclean, #healthy, #yum, #postworkout, and #glutenfree are all hashtags that might draw in followers. Including tweets with #tbt or Throwback Thursday might be a good idea to give followers an idea about the history of Trimona Yogurt, while still remaining relevant. We also suggest more tweets that involves others on Twitter. Currently, most posts are exclusively about Trimona. By tweeting at other people and companies, Trimona Yogurt can build a network of followers and readers.

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tactics

Furthermore, we think adding a Pinterest page would be a unique and creative way to establish more of an social media presence. Pinterest is a great site for Trimona to post pictures and directions for recipes involving the yogurt. Thousands of people use Pinterest everyday to search for recipes. We think a Pinterest board would help to expand awareness of Trimona Yogurt. Whether someone searches forabreakfast,snack,ordessertidea,Trimonawillreceiveimpressionsand“pins”to other pages. Pictures of this idea are provided in the appendices, as well.

Finally, we think the company website could use a bit of a redesign. Currently, it has lots of words, and only a few pictures. Most Internet readers are not likely to spend much time reading full paragraphs of information. We want to draw more attention and gain more lasting visitors to the website through the use of images and dynamic layouts. The current site is practical and easy to navigate, but the new site would be more aesthetically appealing and exciting. We do not want to change the feel of the brand because tradition is at the heart. However, we do want to get more views and clickthroughs, which can only happen with a more updated look. An example site can be found at http://haleycavanna.wix.com/trimona Overall, this tactic will hopefully improve interactions with the target market, gain more followers/friends/pinners/users,andinformpotentialconsumersaboutthemanyamazinghealthbenefitsofeatingorganic,probioticyogurt.http://www.pinterest.com/trimonay/

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TACTICs

For the purposes of demonstrating this facet of our Public Relations plan, we are focusing on a few local community festivals that represent the kinds of events Trimona should take advantage of in order to raise brand awareness. Let’s lookatthe“Applefest”inIthaca,NY.Festivalslikethisemphasizecommunity,food,andentertainment.Additionally,thiseventisahugesupporteroffood,craft,andnon-profitvendorsfromallover.BecauseTrimonaisahealthyproductthat is exclusively available in New York and New Jersey, but still has larger commercial opportunities, this would be a great place for Trimona to gain visibility. A few more examples of these festivals would be the Hammonton Red, White and Blueberry Festival in Hammonton, NJ, the Whitesbog Blueberry Festival in Whitesbog, NJ, the West Cape May Strawberry Festival in Cape May, NJ, and the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival in Chatsworth, NJ.

Local Events

At these events, we suggests that members of the Trimona team set up vendor booths. Not only would this be a place to provide information about where the brandissoldandwhathealthbenefitsTrimonayogurtoffers,buttherecouldalso be ready-to-eat fruit, nut and yogurt treats for sale at a reasonable price. This would provide the community with an opportunity to taste the actual product, realize its versatility, and actually come into real personal contact with the brand image.

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TacticsPartnerships

One of our main strategies to help Trimona is to increase awareness and demand. A way we have found to tackle this goal is to form partnerships with local cooking schools and cooking classes in the tri-state area. By distributing recipe pamphlets, nutritional information, and free samples to classes like BOCES in Ithaca, NY and the Paul Smith Culinary College in the Adirondack, Trimona Yogurt can generate more attention. TrimonaYogurtmightbeincorporatedina“5minuterecipes”segment or a healthy cooking specialty course. If the future chefs or burgeoning culinary enthusiasts begin to use Trimona Yogurt in their everyday cooking, there will be more demand for the product overall. Trimona has done a great job of creating interesting recipes with the yogurt, this tactic would beawonderfulopportunitytoputthemtouseinaneffectiveway. These partnerships will be at minimal cost to Trimona, all while helping to expand the customer base and increase the customer loyalty.

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tacticsDistributing Promotional Material

Promotional materials will be distributed at local events, Trimona sponsored cooking classes, and sent out to press and local opinion leaders.

T-Shirts T-shirtsareagreatwaytopromoteabrand.Notonlyisaprofitmadeoffofthet-shirtsale,butwhensomeonewearsthe shirt the brand is getting free advertising.

Bumper StickersBumperstickerscanbeproducedatlowcostandcanhaveahighrateofimpressions.Thephrase“gotBulgarian”isquite bizarre, which is our goal. People will question the phrase and will hopefully look up the website printed on the bumper sticker (Trimona’s website) to see what it means. This will create not only create brand awareness but will in-creasewebtraffic.

Spoon SweepstakesOur spoon promotion is going to be trialed at Ithaca College in hopes of being expanded to other schools in the Tristate area. The promotion will work by replacing spoons used by the universities food sponsor with Trimona spoons. This spoons will be customized with “enter to win”andTrimona’swebsitewrittenonthestemofthespoon.When consumers enter the Trimona website and click on the sweepstakes bar, they will be directed to an advergame. The advergame will consistofamatchinggameofimagesofdifferenttrimonarecipes.Oncetheycompletethegameandfillouttheircontactinformationtheywill be entered into the sweepstakes.Thewinnerofthesweepstakeswillwinagiftcardtogreenstar(oranygrocerystoreintheareathatsellsTrimona)for$100.Thesweep-stakescanalsobealteredsotherearemorewinnersbyofferinggiftcardsofdifferentvalues.

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tactics

Press Kit: Giant Tub of Yogurt

Brochures

RecipepamphletsareagreatpromotionalelementforTrimonatobehandingout.WhatmakesTrimonadifferentfrom its competitors is the ability to use it in a variety of recipes. Many of these recipes are already posted and shared online in blogs or on the company website. However, by compiling consumer’s favorite recipes into a small pamphlet a call to action to not only buy Trimona but use it will be made. This pamphlets can be handed out during local events andsamplingeventsbutwouldbeextremelyeffectivetohandoutduringcookingclassesasthesepeoplearemorelikely to make the recipes and share with friends.

Brochures would be a great promotional element to hand out at local events and would be especially helpful in gaining theattentionoflocalopinionleaders.ByapproachinglocalopinionleaderswiththekeyfactsandfiguresaboutTrimonaandhowitdiffersfromeverydayyogurts,theywillreallyunderstandwhatTrimonastandsfor.Thesebrochureswillbeextremelyeffectivetohandouttodoctorsanddietitians,asitwillclearlyoutlineTrimona’shealthbenefit.

The press kit will be sent out in a giant container of trimona yogurt that is insulated (about the size of a basketball). This press kit will be sent out to local media outlets with the hopes that they will write an article on Trimona or even just spread the world to their friends and family. The press kit will contain a sample of trimona, a recipe pamphlet, the Trimona bumper sticker, the trimona brochure, and a Trimona engraved spoon for keep. This press kit not only has value in terms of spreading the word about Trimona but it has reusable elements such as the insulated container and spoon. These elements can be brought as a lunch bag to work each day and by carrying it around will further promote Trimona.

Recipe Pamphlets

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tactics

Marissa Lippert was named the “Best Nutritionist”by New York Citysearch for the past 5 years running. Currently, she works at Nourish: Nutrition Counseling and Communications. She is always interested in giving her clients a balanced diet, and would be interested in learning about the health benefits of Trimona Yogurt.Other nutritionists in New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island.Pediatricians in this area would also be able to recommend Trimona Yogurt to parents concerned about the health of their small children. A brochure about Trimona Yogurt couldbeplacedintopediatriciansofficesaswell,suchasin the Metropolitan Hospital Center, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York City.

Reaching Out to Opinion Leaders

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tacticsTalk shows and Food Networks Martha Stewart: American Made puts local business owners into the spotlight. She celebrates the entrepreneurs that have a passion for crafting high quality, well-designed products. Her magazine and talk show are very popular across the United States, and many people listen to her ideas. Shehas featuredTrimonaYogurtbefore, as anAmericanMade foodfinalist.Since many people follow her, they will be more likely to look into and research TrimonaYogurt.Otherfoodnetworks,andtalkshowswouldbenefitTrimonaYogurt by introducing people to the product, and get its’ name out there and to the public eye.Other major opinion leaders, like Martha Stewart, would be Dr.Oz, and Rachael Ray.

Local NewspapersThe Ithaca Times is the local newspaper in the Ithaca area. It covers news about local news, sports, entertainment, and personal health. The newspaper celebrates buying local, and might be interested in publishing an article, in it’s personal health section about Trimona Yogurt, due to its healthy uniqueness, and its locality. Similar newspapers to this would be NJ Monthly, NJ Lifestyle, NY Health and Life, Well + Good.Other local newspapers, that you would want to try and get journalists to publish an article in could include: NJ Monthly, NJ Lifestyle, NY Health and Life, and Well + Good.

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tactics

A Trimona Yogurt brand ambassador would be a part time team member who would serve as the face of the brand at various marketing events. Similar to an internship, a brand ambassador would be unpaid and enrolled in a college or university. This person would gain experience with event production, marketing, social media communications, and various other useful skills. The purpose of the brand ambassador is to increase brand awareness and gain customer loyalty. The student would be required to post to their Facebook and Twitter pages regarding Trimona. Such posts wouldincludeinformationaboutanewpromotion,aTrimonayogurteventoncampus,orhealthbenefitsofthe yogurt brand. Trimona visits various campuses once or twice a year to help organize a promotional event. A brand ambassador would also listen in on conference calls and provide marketing ideas or provide feedback . They would also hand out samples or host free giveaways they think people at their school would like. The point is to get other students on campus excited about Trimona and believe it is better than its competitors. The brand ambassador should have the following knowledge and skills: excellent customer service skills; understanding of the relevant market; self-starter; results-oriented; strong organizational skills; ability to multi-task. They would also be required to have at least two years of relevant work experience. The brand ambassador would wear and promote the Trimona shirt and other brand products. The student would also hand out a card which lists quick and easy recipes which include Trimona Yogurt as the main ingredient. Brand ambassadors are a great way to interact with the target audience (young college-aged people) while also getting publicity help from people who are adept and want more practice.

Brand Ambassadors

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timetable

First of all, we suggest that social media activity should happen year round. Our student brand ambassadors will focus on the college school year only. Cooking classes focus on the holiday season and times that people would be seeking help for cooking and hosting guests. The harvest festivals, as previously mentioned, take place in early summer and early fall. Lastly,theopinionleadersthatwehaveselectedwillbeactiveduringthe“offtimes”of our other initiatives. Additionally, we are looking at late December and early January because people will be focusing on healthy New Year’s resolutions.

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budgetInnovativeRootsPRwasgivenabudgetof$10,000.Ourteamhasbrokendownthecosts inorder to better understand how much money should be invested in promoting Trimona Yogurt. Thisbudgetdoesnotincludestafftimeestimatesonasalaryorhourlybasis.Itisimportantto

remember these expenses since they are an important part of utilizing the tactics.

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budgetThingsthatneedtobeinbudget($10,000toworkwith):Overall Festival Participation $300perfestival,with5-6festivalboothsintheyear(2-3timesinfall,2-3timesinsummer)Festivalbooths-$300TOTAL:$2,100150Pamphletprints/200BrochureprintsTOTAL:$300Brand ambassador samplesT-shirts, bumper stickers, spoons, samples TOTAL:$30050yogurttubsforpresskitsTOTAL:$150100Tshirts(25ofeachsize)TOTAL:$400150BumperStickersTOTAL:$180500dixiecupsforsamples-TOTAL:$12020largecontainersofyogurtforsamplesTOTAL:$60Variety of fruits depending on the season TOTAL:$1001000customcompostablespoonsTOTAL:$500Press Kit containers:TOTAL:$750CustomSpoons:$50 CAMPAIGNTOTAL:$5,010

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evaluation

Measuresocialmediatraffic

More brand awareness

Increase in sales

Google Analytics/SEO

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TEAM BIOSErin Batty is a junior Integrated Marketing Communications major with a minor in Environmental Studies from Westchester, NY. She loves to be creative and hopes to work at a job where her artistic abilities and care for environmental issues are both ubiquitous. Erin likes her Trimona with granola.

Haley Cavanna is a senior Communications Management and Design major with a minor in the H&S Honors Program from Lebanon, CT. After graduating this May, she hopes to secure a job in Corporate Social Responsibility. She loves to travel, learn about new cultures, and study languages, particularly Spanish. Haley enjoys Trimona with diced peaches.

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TEAM BIOS

Claire Mirsky is a junior Integrated Marketing Communications major with a minor in journalism from Pittsford, NY. She hopes to get an internship in the marketing/advertising field in the summer and plansto study abroad in Australia in the fall. She enjoys being active in all aspects of life and leading an overall healthy and balanced lifestyle. Claire likes her Trimona yogurt in a smoothie.

Jessica Kleeman is a senior Communication Management and Design major from Baltimore, MD. Upon graduation in May, Jessica hopes to move to Los Angeles in order to work in the exciting world of entertainment PR. She enjoys yoga, traveling, and learning about new trends in the communications industry. Jessica enjoys her Trimona yogurt with bananas and honey.

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team biosGeorgie Porter is a French and Francophone Studies major, with a minor in Integrated Marketing Communications, from Long Island, NY. With her degree, she would like to find a job dealing with international corporations.She enjoys cooking, and learning new things, such as foreign languages. Georgie likes her Trimona Yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.

Britney Verria is a senior Theatre Studies major with an Integrated Marketing Communications minor from Bristol, RI.Shehasworkedinmanydifferentfacetsofthetheatreworld during her past four years at Ithaca College and hopes to someday join a Regional Theatre as a resident actor or director. She loves to see and create theatre, travel, read, and spend time with her close friends and family. Britney likes her Trimona with granola and craisins.

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appendix a

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appendix b

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appendix c

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appendix d

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appendix e

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appendix f