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To r r es, Ho l ub, Ogbei de

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To r r es, Ho l ub, Ogbei de Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary..........................................................................................................1
Situation Analysis...........................................................................................................2
SWOT Analysis............................................................................................................3
Research...........................................................................................................................4
Objectives......................................................................................................................6
Creative Strategy........................................................................................................7
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Daily Cougar is a daily news publication that is available to all students, faculty and alumni at the University
of Houston, free of charge. Established in 1934, the Daily Cougar is the oldest publication at the university and
reaches over 40,000 students.
The Daily Cougar has the opportunity to improve its readership through a new mobile application called The
Red App. This application will be available to all students and faculty for download and will provide access to
the latest news around campus.
Several media vehicles will be used to promote readership of The Daily Cougar includingthe use of social media
(Facebook, Twitter), COOG radio, Student Video Network and hosting a celebration of The Daily Cougars 80
th
year of continuous publication.
Our teamsmajor goal is to increase overall readership 11%by December 2014 by advertising the new mobile
application and by increasing awarenessat satellite campuses.
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SITUATION ANALYSIS
The Daily Cougar is a student-run newspaper based at the University of Houston under the umbrella organization,
Center for Student Media. The Daily Cougar has been in continuouspublication since 1934, the same year the
University of Houston became a four-year institution. The Daily Cougar isastudent-fee-funded, independent
publication, but is paid for mostly through revenue fromadvertising. The publication reaches 40,000 UHstudents,
as well as nearly 6,000 faculty and staff fromthe central andsatellite campuses. Alumni and community members
are also encouraged to read and subscribe to The Daily Cougar.
The Daily Cougar publishes Monday through Thursday with a daily distribution of 4,000print copiesin different
areas around the central campus. The newspaper also publishes via the website, http://www.thedailycougar.com,
throughout the year. Email subscriptions to The Daily Cougar are free, but privateprint subscriptions are
available with rates of $70per year or $40per semester. The newspaper is free and available in various locations
around campus. The Daily Cougar currently employs students to distribute the paper, as well, and pays them
$10/hr.
The Daily Cougar, reportedly, had25,000 readers and online visitors per weekin 2011, with 15%of students
reading more than four times a week and about 39% of students reading lessthan once a week. As of Spring 2013,
student readership has declined to3% reading four or more times a week and 61%reading lessthan once a week.
Overall newspaper readership is on a steady decline. Many newspaper publications are diversifying their media
options. The Daily Cougar has an opportunity to increase readership and awareness by taking advantage of
different mediaoutlets.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2011 2013
R
e
a
d
e
r
s
h
i
p

%
Year
Read >4 times a week
Rarely or never
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SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
Major news medium on University of
Houston campus
Partnerships with many on-campus vendors
80yearstradition as UHsprincipal news
source
Funded by student service fees and
advertising
Student-runorganization
Free to access by students and faculty
Able to distribute through newspaper and
electronically
Opportunities
Advertisers can reach student body and
faculty through them
Trying to diversify their media channels
Ability to host events and increase
awareness
80
th
anniversary of publication is October
5
th
, 2014
Weaknesses
Not much satellite campus coverage or
distribution
Accessibility is limited to certain locations
on main campus
Has to keep up with increasing media
options
Threats
Overall readership has declined to 3%
Newspapers, in general, are declining in
readership numbers
Competition from other campus sources
University of Houston is known as
commuter school and students are less
concerned with campus events
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RESEARCH
Online Research: thedailycougar.com; refuelagency.com
The Daily Cougars website provides information on itsproduct, services, target audience, and advertising rates
for their paper. The information on their target audience is geared towards gathering advertising dollars and
doesnt hold any information on the percentage of readership on the campus.
The Refuel Agencys website provides information on a survey published in September 2013 about college
newspaper readership. The survey was conducted using an online research panel of 600 college students in
different parts of the countryand the results provideinformation on preferred news media and the effect of
advertisements.
SURVEY
Our team conducted a survey with25 University of Houstonstudents. Respondents weremale and female
undergraduate and graduate studentswho attend theCentral and Northwest campuses. All said they were aware of
The Daily Cougar and its purpose. Nearly three-quarters (70%) wereconcerned about campus events; the same
percentagebelievedit was accessible to students. However, about 50% of the studentsbelievedThe Daily Cougar
is ineffective at supplying information about the campus and 67% rarely read the publication.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Rarely Read
Daily Cougar effective
Daily Cougar accessible
Concerned about campus events
The students were alsoasked what media vehicles
Most (66%) of the students accessed The Daily Cougar
news sources through a social network. None of the students accessed any other
newspaper.
Interestingly, the results from the Refuel Agency reported that college students pre
unlike the results of our survey.
Students were also asked if they would be encouraged to read more if
in their publication. Overwhelmingly, the response was a positive one.
Daily Cougar
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media vehiclesthey used to access The Daily Cougar and
The Daily Cougar through the newspaper with 50% accessing their other
news sources through a social network. None of the students accessed any other news source through a
he results from the Refuel Agency reported that college students preferred print media over digital,
they would be encouraged to read more if The Daily Cougar were to offer
. Overwhelmingly, the response was a positive one.
Daily Cougar
Newspaper
Social
Network
Email
Other news sources
Social
Network
Email
Website
Mobile App
Yes
No
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ccess The Daily Cougar andother news sources.
through the newspaper with 50% accessing their other
news source through a
red print media over digital,
The Daily Cougar were to offer giveaways
Other news sources
Social
Network
Email
Website
Mobile App
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OBJECTIVES
To overcome the effects of declining newspaper readership and increase the overall readership of The Daily
Cougar, the campaign will focus on the following objectives.
Objective 1:
Increase presence at satellite campuses 13% by December 2014. The client has stressed that it wishesto
distribute the publication wherever Coogs can be found. The Daily Cougar hasalimited presence at satellite
campuses, with no newspaper distribution and no coverage of the locations. Establishing a presence onsatellite
campuses will, in effect, increase readership overall. Further research will be conducted to find ways toincrease
presence with students who do not visit or attend the main campus.
Objective 2:
Increase overall readership 11% by December 2014. The client has made clear that they want to increase
readership and subscriptions. Increasing readership will increase potential advertising revenue and secure The
Daily Cougar as the dominant student news source at the university. Further research will be conducted in order to
find effective ways of getting students interested in reading the publication more often.
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CREATIVE STRATEGY
PRODUCT CONCEPT
Our campaign will re-introduce The Daily Cougar as a student-run, reliable and accessible source to the
University of Houston. Many of the students within our target market believe that The Daily Cougar is not
accessible and the quality of writing has decreased. The Daily Cougar will make a push to hire more student
reporters to cover the satellite campuses and provide stories that students would bemore interested in. The
importance of prestigious writing will be emphasized as well as being more accessible to accepting and training
student reporters. Any student will be able to submit a possible story idea for The Daily Cougar to cover. Students
will be encouraged to submit multiple, diverse stories by incentives. J ournalism majors will be required to take
part in The Daily Cougar staff. The Daily Cougar will also work on getting faculty involved by getting them to
offer extra credit to students who successfully get a story published. The Daily Cougar will become more of an
integral part of the university.
The Daily Cougar will also promote accessibility with the addition of a mobile application called The RedApp.
The application will rebrand The Daily Cougar as a new and chic way of getting information about campus
events and news. Smallbusinesscomputing.comreports that 40% of small businesses would not survive without
using a mobile application to extend their brand.
TARGET AUDIENCE
As The Daily Cougar is a student organization delivering campus news, our target market isstudents who attend
University of Houston main and satellite campuses. The university has 85% of its students who live off campus
and 72.4% who are full-time students. Our research indicates that most UH students are concerned about events
on campus, but do not believe it is effective and thus rarely readthe publication. Theage breakdown for
University of Houston students is:
Age Percentage of Student Body
18-20 30%
21-25 43%
26-35 21%
36 or older 6%
MEDIA VEHICLES
The following media vehicles will be used to raise awareness for The Daily Cougar and the mobile application.
Print and Out of Home: Posters, Flyers, Inserts, Yard Signs, Magazines, The Daily Cougar
Posters
Posters will be placed around the main and satellite campuses. They will also be placed in UH main shuttle buses,
Cougar Line Shuttles. The cost toplace an advertisement on a shuttle is$40 a month for the entire fleet and, by a
UH Transportation estimate, a more than 35,000 daily ridership during Fall and Spring semesters.
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Flyers
Flyers will be passed out to students and posted on bulletin boards around the campuses. Marketresearchworld.net
reports that 71% of consumers stated their purchase decisions were guided by flyers. Used as a direct-marketing
technique, distributing flyers will also build rapport with students and allow them to ask any questions that they
may have.
Inserts
Inserts will be placed in The Daily Cougar giving information about The Red App.
Yard Signs
These will be placed around the main campus to raise awareness about the product concept.
Magazine
A full-page ad will be taken out of Study Breaks magazine and both UHs Center for Student Media magazines,
TransitionsMagazineand Houstonian Magazine. Study Breaks distributes 4,500 copies to the University of
Houston and costs $162 per issue to take out a full-pagecolor advertisement. UHs Transitions Magazine
distributes 6,000 copies to new students at New Student Orientation. The Houstonian Magazine is distributed
during Graduation with 6,000 copies. Both Transitions Magazine and Houstonian Magazinewould be free to take
out an advertisement.
Newspapers
The Daily Cougar will feature an ad on the front page advertising The Red App.
Television and Radio: Student Video Network (SVN) and Coog Radio
SVN
The Student Video Network is part of the Center for Student Media. It has achannel specifically available to
students who reside on campus. It would be free to air an ad on the network. Viewership reaches almost 7,000
students during peak times.
Coog Radio
Coog Radio is also a part of the Center for Student Media. Coog Radio gets up to 11,000 page views during peak
times with more than 2,000 unique listeners.
Interactive Media: UHs Main and Satellite websites, Facebook, Twitter, The Daily Cougar
UH Website
An ad will be placed on the main page of UH Main, Northwest, and Sugarland campus websites. Students who
visit the website to obtain information will be captured by the clickable ad directing them to an information page
hosted by The Daily Cougar website.
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Facebook
The Daily Cougars Facebookpage currently has more than 3,000 followers. Information will be accessible via
the page.
Twitter
The Twitter page has 6,000 followers and messages have the capability of being retweeted to many others on
the social network.
The Daily Cougar
The website for The Daily Cougar will host a page with information on The Red App and the product concept.
Support Media: Cats Back, Birthday Celebration
Cats Back
At the beginning of each semester Cats Backis held to welcome new and returning students. The Daily Cougar
will host an interactive booth providing information and giveaways to the students.
Birthday Celebration
The Daily Cougar will be turning 80 years old on October 5, 2014. Throughout the months of September and
October, The Daily Cougar will do daily or weekly contests and giveaways and host a birthday celebration at the
end of October for all students.
MESSAGE STRATEGY
Verbal Strategy: The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences will encourage teachers to offer extra credit
associated with The Daily Cougar. CLASS advisors will make it mandatory to bring the Word of The Day,
which will be included in each edition of The Daily Cougar. The Word of The Day, if spoken, will be awarded
with discounts at participating vendors at the University of Houston main and satellite campuses. Posters and
billboards will advertise the slogans for the new mobile application and the newspaper. The ads will contain
slogans such as: Need Extra Credit? Tell them you REaD it! The Daily Cougar, REaD all over.; Better
stories, more coverage; The Daily Cougar, REaD when you want to.; UHs oldest tradition brings you the
newest: The Red App. The purpose of the ads will be to re-introduce the new product concept for The Daily
Cougar and call attention to the mobile application while promoting you to takeaction.
Nonverbal Strategy: Graphics in ads will feature students smiling and enjoying the mobile application. The ads
will be in the form of flyers, posters, and inserts posted around the university and on bulletin boards. The mobile
applications visuals will showcase how easy it is to use and itsaccessibility and practicality. The ads for The
Daily Cougar will showcase the emphasis on the recommitment to quality, student feedback, and its position as
the universitys oldest tradition.
Technical: The primary color for the ads will be red because of its high action quotient and it being one of the
primary colors for the university. Flyers, posters and inserts will have a new and chic style.