Competencies
In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competencies:
- Manage elements of a sustainable global brand
- Propose a method to market
- Design a marketing strategy
Scenario
You are the regional marketing director of a theme park in the southeastern United States that is part of a global brand. The chief marketing officer of global operations has called upon you to help coordinate the marketing tasks related to rolling out an emergency response to a recent safety and injury incident at one of the parks that resulted in serious injuries to employees and customers. This theme park was closed immediately following the incident to ensure safety measures for customers and employees and to deploy the needed safety measures.
Now, as the theme park is all set to reopen, the chief marketing officer (CMO) has called you to take a lead in planning the marketing strategy to support the reopening of the park. Your responsibility is to design a phased strategy for reopening all parks, with critical objectives such as maximum safety, crisis communication, customer satisfaction, and profit potential. You must coordinate marketing strategy with corporate strategy, as failed or successful planning will impact brand success and recognition.
You have determined the scope of work and have outlined the high-level plan. As a first step, you decided to perform the brand analysis and identification of critical elements to successfully market the reopening of the park. Based on the outcomes, you developed a customizable marketing plan that can be used by other theme parks under the same umbrella.
Next, you need to create a presentation (toolkit) to share your analysis and recommendations for the proposed marketing support of the park. But, as you are working to complete the final bit of the toolkit, your social media monitoring partner shares a report of the theme park’s social media image and performance. The report shows a significant spike in negative public feedback. The report states there is a perception of an uncaring, careless brand forcing a reopening for profit. Your presentation should also include strategies for how you will address the emerging negative perception on social media about the theme park. You will present this presentation to your CMO and other regional marketing directors of the park.
Directions
Part One: Strategic Brand Implication and ManagementSubmit a narrated PowerPoint presentation to share your analysis and recommendations for the proposed marketing support of the park. Ensure you address any feedback received in Milestone One before you submit the final presentation.
Brand Analysis and Implications —In this part of the project, you will present the brand implications of reopening the park. Your presentation should include the following critical factors:
- Determine the essential factors that can impact brand equity when reopening the park (Slides 1–3)
- Define brand equity and describe its importance to the organization (Slide 1).
- Provide positive implications (Slide 2):
- Safety concerns addressed and communicated
- Community and local government support for reopening
- Employee support for reopening
- Provide negative implications (Slide 3):
- Social media negative reactions
- Employee negative concerns
- Operational concerns for safety
- Describe the strategic communication plan that should occur before and after the park reopens. Your responses should address the following (Slides 4–8):
- Identify three key stakeholder groups from this list and describe each stakeholder’s interest in the organization: (a) Employees (b)Customers (c) (d) Government agencies (e)Communities (f) Vendors
- .Describe their communication needs.
- Identify the best mode for communicating with them based on their needs, including how you will take feedback from stakeholders.
- Describe the impact that reopening the park could have on each identified stakeholder (low, medium, or high). Why?
Functional Departmental Roles and Responsibilities —In this part of the project, you will identify the functional department and describe their roles and responsibilities in making the reopening of the park a success. Your presentation should include the following critical factors (Slides 9-12):
- Identify three functional departments, including marketing, which play a significant role in the reopening process. Describe the roles and responsibilities of these functional departments in the safe and successful process of reopening the park (Slides 9-10)
- Consider which departments will be most engaged in the reopening process.
- Select at least three legal and ethical considerations outlined in the memo from legal team. Explain why each of these considerations is important to factor in when reopening the park (Slides 11–12).
Part Two: Customizable Marketing PlanBased on the information provided to you, share a completed marketing plan for the reopening of this individual park. Ensure you address any feedback received in Milestone Two before you submit the final presentation.
Your presentation should include the following critical sections:
- Determine two methods to be used for consumer research in developing the marketing plan. Provide rationales (Slide 1).
- Keeping the target audience in mind, determine three traditional marketing methods you will use in developing the marketing plan and provide rationales. Your response should address the following (Slides 2–4):
- Keeping the target audience in mind, determine three digital marketing methods you will use in developing the marketing plan and provide rationales. Your response should address the following (Slides 5–7):
- Explain how the traditional and digital marketing methods you have selected will work together to optimize the brand. Your response should address the following (Slide 8):
- Explain the crisis management strategies to be implemented prior to reopening. Your response should address the following (Slide 9):
- Determine one legal and one ethical issue that could arise and negatively impact the organization’s brand image upon reopening and provide proactive steps that could be taken now to prevent them (Slide 10).
Part Three: Measuring Your Strategic Marketing Plan’s SuccessSubmit a narrated PowerPoint presentation to share your analysis and recommendations for the proposed marketing support of the park.
Monitoring Your Marketing Strategy— In this part of the project, you will explain how you will monitor the performance of the digital and traditional marketing methods that you selected. Your presentation should include the following critical factors:
- Identify three SMART marketing objectives and describe how they align with three of your suggested methods (one for each) (Slide 1).
- Identify one key performance indicator (KPI) that can be used for each of the marketing objectives (Slide 2).
- Describe the methods that could be used to monitor the performance of the three marketing objectives. Provide a rationale (Slides 3–4).
- Using plan-do-check-act (PDCA) methodology, provide a continuous improvement process for preserving brand identity and reputation. (Slides 5–6)
- Describe two marketing strategies to address negative public feedback on social media (Slides 7–8).
- Consider the role of public relations.
- Consider the role of crisis management.
What to Submit
To complete this project, you must submit the following:
- Strategic Brand Implication and ManagementSubmit a narrated PowerPoint presentation with 10–12 slides.
- Customizable Marketing PlanSubmit a narrated PowerPoint presentation with 10-12 slides.
- Measuring Your Strategic Marketing Plan’s SuccessSubmit a narrated PowerPoint presentation with 8–10 slides.
Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide and FAQ: Where Can I Find Information on APA Style and PowerPoint Presentations for more information.
Note: In addition to the text on the slides, remember to include audio narration in your PowerPoint presentation to convey your information effectively. If, due to technical challenges, audio narration is not possible, precise and extensive speaker notes should be used addressing all the critical elements in the presentation. For example, you can use brief bulleted lists on the slide and include detailed explanations in your audio narration or speaker notes.
Supporting Materials
The following resources support your work on the project:
- Organizational Chart
- CMO Memo
- Memo From Legal Team
- CMO Memo for Target Audience
- Exemplar Communication Grid
Video: Record a PresentationUse this resource to learn how to record your PowerPoint presentation with narration and video.
Resource: MBA Research GuideThis Shapiro Library resource will help you find any additional information you may need to complete the project.
