Webster University CarMax IMC Plan Project

Part 1:Review the

Final Project: CarMax IMC Plan

directions and submit drafts of Parts I, II, and III of your final project. You will receive feedback on these sections and be able to make changes for your final project.

To be successful, follow the final project outline closely. Don’t pile on information just for the sake of filling up a lot of pages. Keep your writing crisp and clean with the right amount of detail to get your points across. Use headings to prove you are covering all the required topics. Double space (or 1.5 spaces) so your instructor can write comments.Be sure to include your cover letter.

Element:

Things to consider or improve

Adequate to Good

Excellent (above many in class)

Organization: Do you use headings and labels on your paper so each topic in the outline is easy to find?

(Anything missing?)

Coverage and Depth: Do you cover all points that are relevant in PARTS I, II and III of the outline? Do you include specific details? (Can anything be developed more?)

Objectives: Are your objectives clear?  Is it likely you can accomplish these objectives in one year?

Target Audience: Is your target audience specific?  This group should be distinctive — with traits that set them apart from others. (You don’t want to be everything to everyone.)

Do you provide a strong rationale for choosing this target audience?

–Is it a reasonable choice, considering your client’s offerings & the marketplace?

Part 2:

Online tools that you will investigate or use to support your CarMax Brand Promise Attributes in your final paper

Your initial reference for this week’s discussion is the lecture material itself.  We cover a lot of ground but really just begin to scratch the surface on the available digital marketing tools available for marketers.  I would like you to identify an online platform as well as an online advertising execution that you plan to investigate or use in your IMC plan that supports your brand promise attributes for CarMax.  The three CarMax Brand Promise Attribute areas:  

Why buy from CarMa

Links to an external site.

You must reference the material in the lecture within your discussion post.  Please feel free to add additional references if desired but not required in this week’s discussion post.  Use the following as an outline for your discussion:

What digital marketing tool(s) do you think would help CarMax enhance their messaging behind the brand promise areas that your final paper will focus on?  Why did you choose these tool(s)?  How does the tool align with the target?  With the brand image?  With the ability to gain attention and communicate your brand promise area?

As for each discussion, please post your initial comment by Wednesday and comment on another student’s post by the end of the week.

Final Project: CarMax IMC Plan
This project was designed to give you the opportunity to
demonstrate your knowledge of integrated marketing
communications in both an innovative and realistic way. You are
encouraged to be creative in your solutions, use a variety of
promotional tools and tactics, and provide specific, detailed
information.
Client: CarMax. CarMax is America’s largest chain of used cars
with 241 locations in 41 states. CarMax revenue (sales) for the
twelve months ending November 30, 2022, was $31.649B, a
7.73% increase year-over-year.in the St. Louis region. To put that
in context, CarMax, founded in 1993 has revenue of about 1/4 of
the Ford Motor Company worldwide operations. Please review
the CarMax Case Study short.docx
Actions
along with completing your own research.
Important considerations–please read!
-This paper will focus on the brand promise area that you
identified in the assignment for week 3. CarMax implements a
focused communication that addresses the most common hurdles
or obstacles that consumers face in committing to purchase a
used car. This paper, similar to CarMax own communication
strategy, should not try and address their entire campaign. It
should focus on the brand promise area that you chose in
Assignment 3. Week 3: Exploring Options for Your Final
Project Why you should buy a used car from CarMax
Links to an external site.
-This is a strategic paper, and your focus should be on the
strategy. You are not expected to create sample executions for
each IMC area that you define. You are expected to define which
IMC areas you are going to implement, outline the communication
or concept, how it will impact the target and what you would
measure to be able to evaluate success.
-Please use feedback from your past assignments to make
changes for your final project. You are responsible for creating
and submitting your own 7-part plan.
Your plan should follow this outline.
You are writing from the perspective of a marketer or a member of
an ad agency, not the client. Your plan should cover each part
below in detail. Use terminology from class when appropriate.
Your paper should include the proper headings and
subheadings. Your outline should be clear and easy to follow.
Feel free to use a combination of fully developed paragraphs and
bullet points as needed. Be specific. Develop your ideas.
Your project should originate in this class. If you don’t follow the
7-part outline, your project will receive significant deductions or a
failing grade. Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and organization
will also be factors in determining your grade.
PART I – MARKET SITUATION:
Client Overview
Begin your paper by describing the product or service you are
offering. Give any relevant background information. This
overview should cover the following points that are relevant to
your client. Use headings for each of the points below:
•
•
•
Client’s products and services: Describe what your client
is selling and any relevant background information.
Describe the retail environment (See the CarMax website
or stop by a location.)
Review the list the locations of CarMax locations. Visit
us at 240 CarMax store locations nationwideLinks to an
external site.
•
Pricing: Identify current pricing strategy vs. the larger
industry
• Competitive Analysis: List the names of CarMax
competitors nationally as well as one metro market of your
choice. Recognize that most used car shopping is
local. Don’t discount the local competitors. Identify whom
you think are the top three local competitors and why. List
both direct and indirect competitors. (Use related
headings.) Direct competitors are in the same
business. Indirect competitors are businesses that fill the
same need, but in a different way. At the end of your list of
competitors, provide a brief summary analysis of your
client’s competitive situation.
• Assessment of Current Promotional Tactics, Messaging
and Creative Approach.
Provide a summary of current advertising and marketing
communications activities. Show examples. Give your analysis
of your client’s activities.
•
Trends: Talk about general trends relevant to your client’s
business. This might be related to your client’s target
audience, your product category, etc. This will require your
own online research, (be sure to capture the url’s that you
reference.) A good example are articles like this one: Used
Car Market: Who Are the Biggest Winners and Losers as
Prices Drop? (yahoo.com)Links to an external site.
Be sure to note the date that your research was
•
•
published. I would be careful with any article that is more
than 3 or 4 years old.
SWOT Analysis: Use this resourceLinks to an external site.
to help you create your SWOT analysis of your client. You
will find an organizational SWOT analysis in the case
study. In this section, identify SWOT elements that relate to
the brand promise area that you are working on.
Define the brand as it is now: Explain what you think
CarMax stands for in the minds of consumers. (Consider
your own perception as well as what you learned online,
from others, or at the CarMax facility.) This should be a
focused statement–not a long list of things. Try to capture
the essence of the CarMax brand. Your statement should be
distinctive and set CarMax apart from other brands. This
could come from what CarMax is currently using or it could
be a new brand positioning statement.
PART II – TARGET AUDIENCE:
Create a Target Profile of your primary target audience. Use the
terms: demographics, geographics,
psychographics, and purchase behavior. Include headings,
bullet points, and clearly describe your target. (Use the same
format as the Week 2 Target Profile assignment.)
PART III – OBJECTIVES:
Based on your understanding of your client’s needs, as well as
the brand promise area identified in week 3 assignment, outline
what you expect your marketing communications plan to
accomplish in one year? This is not about sales figures; it should
focus on the goals of your marketing communications tools and
tactics.
Objectives to consider are:
•
•
•
Create awareness
Build brand image
Create preference of your product or service over the
competition
• Increase product knowledge
• Stimulate trial purchase – or first visit
• Change attitudes
• Establish a market position
This list is just a sample of objectives your plan can
accomplish. Also check the CarMax Case Study for other
objectives you might want to include.
You do not need tell how you will accomplish these objectives.
(This is the purpose of Part IV.) Simply create a bullet point list
of objectives for your one-year plan. This is the shortest part of
your project, but essential. The activities in the next section
should accomplish the objectives you identified in this section.
PART IV – PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES AND MEDIA
CHOICES:
This is the longest and most important part of your final project.
Your activities should be creative, specific and effective. Read all
the details in this section very carefully.
The purpose of Part IV is to identify a combination of promotional
tools and tactics that will accomplish your objectives. Consider
using most of these tools: advertising, sales promotion, PR,
event sponsorship, direct mail, web marketing, POP and
personal selling.
Be sure to include your rational. Why are you choosing these
tools and tactics? Develop real ideas to “wow” your client. Be
specific. (Don’t just say “contest.” Give details. Talk about the
prize you will give away, etc.) Use headings for each promotional
tool. This should be the longest and most creative part of your
project.
Regarding Media Choices: What specific communications
vehicles will you use to deliver your message? For example,
name specific newspapers, magazines, and radio stations. Give
your rationale regarding why you made the choices you did.
Media Notes: For radio—if you can’t identify a specific station,
describe the format. Examples include news and sports, talk
radio, alternative rock, easy listening, Christian radio,
Contemporary Country Western, etc. For TV: Identify specific
television programs. For Social Media: Define the platforms and
types of posts that you plan to implement. For Website, search
marketing or influencer marketing: Define the communication
and tactic that you plan to execute. For onsite and event
executions: Define what you want do, when you plan to do it
and results that would define success.
PART V – MESSAGES:
Key Message: What is the key message you want your
audience to take away from your communications? (Make it brief:
one or two sentences.) Include the rationale for your key
message. Why is this the main point you want your target
audience to know?
Creative Technique: How will your key message be delivered in
terms of a creative approach? What is the style of your
communications? Identify one or more creative techniques and
tell how and why you will use this technique for your
client. Include the rationale for your ideas.
Note: In this section, you need to talk about what you want to say
and how you want to say it. Your key message should be focused
and relate to your target audience. Don’t try to be everything to
everyone. When you talk about creative techniques, use the
terminology from course material.
PART VI – SCHEDULE:
What is the schedule for your plan? What tools/tactics/activities
will be used during each season? Use terminology such as
continuous, pulsing, and flighting. Remember, your plan is for one
year.
Start this section with a paragraph which gives an overview of
your schedule. What month will you start and why? When will
you be spending the largest part of your budget? You can create
a calendar for when activities take place. (You will see a sample
in class.)
PART VII – EVALUATION:
How will you evaluate the success of your program? How will you
obtain feedback? Consider all the tactics you have used that are
measurable. (For example, you plan on implementing a social
media campaign then define the engagement score that you feel
would define success for this tactic. What else can be
tracked? Note: Look back at your objectives. What will need to
take place from in order for you to accomplish your objectives?
Rubric
Club Fitness Marketing Plan Rubric
Club Fitness Marketing Plan Rubric
Criteria
Ratings
Pts
15
pts
15
pts
10
pts
37
pts
10
pts
8p
ts
5p
ts
Total Points: 100
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Part I Market Situation: Overview of product or service, trends,
competition, pricing, and distribution.
15 pts
Full
Marks
0 pts
No
Marks
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Part II Target: Includes description of primary and secondary audiences
— demographics, psychographics, attitudes, opinions, lifestyle, beliefs.
15 pts
Full
Marks
0 pts
No
Marks
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Part III Objectives: Description of what will your plan accomplish in one
year.
10 pts
Full
Marks
0 pts
No
Marks
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Part IV Promotional Activities and Media:
Includes what tools and tactics will accomplish your objectives. Includes
an effective and creative mixture of ideas with a strong rationale.
Contains a strong rationale. Contains specific media vehicles used with
a strong rationale.
37 pts
Full
Marks
0 pts
No
Marks
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Part V Messages:
Part I: Identifies a focused message about your client’s product that
drives your plan. Part II: Identifies a Creative Technique to communicate
your message. Includes a rationale of your Creative Technique.
10 pts
Full
Marks
0 pts
No
Marks
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Part VI Schedule: Discusses when each form of communications take
place. Includes chart.
8 pts
Full
Marks
0 pts
No
Marks
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Part VII Evaluation: Includes how will you measure your plan’s success.
5 pts
Full
Marks
0 pts
No
Marks