Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Believe in coffee.
Believe in the G.
Believe in yourself.

PR Plan by: Victoria Johnson and Devon Paul

We have abided by the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy on this assignment. All work
contained within is our own work and follows the guidelines provided above.
Victoria Johnson and Devon Paul

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Abstract
First and foremost, thank you for reviewing the enclosed Public Relations Plan for
Common Grounds. This plan has been designed to bring new and returning customers
to one of the most unique coffee shops in Greensboro, N.C.
The first section of this plan contains client-based research information. You will find the
strengths, and challenges, long-term and short-term goals of Common Grounds, as well
as a list of existing competitors, target publics and the strategic research design. The
second section, strategic planning, you will find the communication objective, message,
spokesperson and lastly the spokes entity. The last section, communication tactics,
includes numerous communication tactics such as a news release, a media advisory
and a planned event with an event timeline of the planning and of the day with media
contacts and plans for publicity.
With all of this, this plan will serve as a tool that Common Grounds can use to connect
to their target public in a way that will bring more business to the shop and benefit
Common Grounds as a whole. Thank you again for taking the time to review this plan,
and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Table of Contents
Section One: Situational Analysis..6
Contact Information.........7
Days and Hours of Operation.7
Description of Services....7
Mission Statement.......................................................................................7
Administrative Staff..8
Short Term Goals.9
Long Term Goals..9
Strengths and Challenges...9
Existing Competitors..10
Government and Regulatory Agencies...11
Reference Publications..12
Channels of Communication................................................................................12
Exhaustive Ranked Labeled List of Client Publics...............................................13
Opportunity/Problem Statement...........................................................................14
Target Public Description.....................................................................................14
Psychographics....................................................................................................15
Strategic Research Design..................................................................................16
Section Two: Strategic Planning.....................................................................................17
Communication Objective....................................................................................18
Message..............................................................................................................19
Spokesperson......................................................................................................19

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Spokes entity.......................................................................................................20
Section Three: Communication Tactics..........................................................................21
Event Description.................................................................................................22
Event Timeline.....................................................................................................23
Event Day Timeline..............................................................................................24
Event Partners.....................................................................................................25
Partner Rationale.................................................................................................25
Publicity................................................................................................................26
Budget..................................................................................................................26
Media Contacts....................................................................................................27
Press Release......................................................................................................28
Media Advisory....................................................................................................29
Appendix..............................................................................................................30
Sample Survey Questions...................................................................................31
Infographic...........................................................................................................32

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Section One:
Situational Analysis

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Contact Information
Common Grounds
602 S Elam Ave
Greensboro, N.C. 27403
Phone: (336) 698-3888
Email: dustinkeene@me.com
Website: http://commongrounds.coffee/
Days and Hours of Operation
Monday-Wednesday: 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Thursday- Saturday: 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Description of Services
Located at the heart of historic Lindley Park and Sunset Hills on the corner of Walker
and Elam Avenues. Common Grounds originality stems from the variety of experiences
that they offer. In addition to coffee, they serve a variety of wine and draft and bottled
craft beers. Their art gallery, movie theater, vintage arcade/pool room, and vast
selection of board games create a space where people of all ages can have a great
time.
Mission Statement
We endeavor to provide a space within our community that promotes art, of all forms, is
welcome to all people, and inspires a positive experience.

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Administrative Staff
Dustin Keene
Owner
Phone: (336) 698-3888
Email: dustinkeene@me.com
Ricky Keene
Manager
Phone (336) 698-3888
Email: dustinkeene@me.com
K.C.
Manager
Phone: (336) 698-3888
Email: dustinkeene@me.com

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Short- Term Goals

To make the experience of each customer satisfying and pleasant.

To become better organized within the store.
To double business in 12 months and expand the organization.
To effectively educate the neighborhoods of Lindley Park and Sunset Hills about their
place of business.
To have everyone who comes in for the first time have a good experience and want to
return.
Long-Term Goals
To scale this experience for every unique neighborhood in the nation
To keep the atmosphere of a small business through expansion.

Strengths of Organization
Common grounds is one of the most unique coffee shops in Greensboro, NC. The
uniqueness of this business is a strength because they stand out from other
businesses. Common Grounds strives to be a creative and nimble locally owned
business. They only have three employees, which helps to create a cozy and homey
vibe. The staff are friendly and pleasant and treat you like part of their family, with Dusty,
the owner, being on a first name basis with a lot of the patrons.
Challenges of Organization
Common Grounds offers a variety of services but doesnt have enough space to
adequately provide these services to customers. The space often feels cramped and
there is not always enough seating for customers. Due to the small size of their space,
organization is a challenge. They do not have enough room to organize their supplies,
which causes supplies to go missing or not knowing what supplies are needed.
Another challenge Common Grounds faces is their location. While this location is very
popular and busy, it is inconveniently located. Parking is almost non-existent for the
coffee shop which means customers must park across the street and walk over. They
are also currently facing plumbing issues, and there is ongoing construction to fix these
issues, causing Elam street to be closed frequently.
Existing Competitors:

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Tate St. Coffee House

334 Tate Street
Greensboro, N.C. 27403
Phone: (336) 275-2754
Coffeology
423 Tate Street
Greensboro, N.C. 27403
Phone: (336) 274-7282
Starbucks
Shops At Friendly Center
3330 West Friendly Avenue
Greensboro, N.C. 27410
Phone: (336) 272-7061
Starbucks at UNC Greensboro
Elliot University Center
507 Stirling Street
Greensboro, N.C. 27403
Dolce Aroma Coffee Bar
233 North Elm Street
Greensboro, N.C. 27401
Phone: (336) 272-2844
Green Bean
341 South Elm Street
Greensboro, N.C. 27401
Phone: (336) 691-9990
Urban Grinder
116 North Elm Street
Greensboro, N.C. 27401
Phone: (336) 907-3291
Spring Garden Bakery
1932 Spring Garden Street
Greensboro, N.C. 27403

Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Phone: (336) 272- 8199

Government and Regulatory Agencies
Internal Revenue Services (IRS)
2888 Woodcock Blvd.
Atlanta, G.A. 30341
Phone: (404) 338-7962
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
Silver Spring, M.D. 20993
Phone: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332)
Greensboro City Hall
300 West Washington Street
Greensboro, N.C. 27401
Phone: (336) 373-CITY ((336) 373-2489
Alcohol Law Enforcement
District V - Greensboro
Special Agent in Charge Mike Yates
501 Industrial Avenue
Greensboro, N.C. 27406
(336) 256-1354 | (336) 256-1360 fax

Reference Publications
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News and Record

Triad City Beat
The Columns
Channels of Communication

Social Media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter)

Local Newspapers
Word of Mouth
Flyers

Exhaustive Ranked Labeled List of Client Publics

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Rank

Public

Resource

I/E

1.

Customers

Reason to exist

External

2.

Future Customers

Reason to exist

External

3.

Staff

Guidance

Internal

4.

Suppliers

Provide
supplies/baked
goods

External

5.

Media

Information
External
Dissemination/Awar
eness

6.

Competitors

Motivation

Client Public Opportunity/ Problem Client Statement

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External

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Since opening, Common Grounds has become a popular coffee shop hangout within
the Lindley Park and Sunset Hills neighborhoods. They strive to effectively educate the
neighborhoods of Lindley Park and Sunset Hills, to show them what the offerings are,
and efficiently be consistent in their quality of food and drinks.
The customers are the most important people at Common Grounds. With the local
restaurants on Walker Ave., and Elam St., not many people know of Common Grounds,
unfortunately. Another challenge Common Grounds faces is the competition of
Starbucks that is in Friendly Center, just 2.2 miles away, in a more convenient location.
An opportunity exists to strengthen management, and to become better organized
within the store. Common Grounds believes in making the experience of each
individual customer satisfying and pleasant while maintaining a small business
atmosphere through expansion.
Target Public Description, Defense and Demographics
Common Grounds target public will be UNCG undergraduate students that are
residential and commuting students between 18 and 24. UNCG currently has
approximately 16,000 enrolled undergraduate students.
Students between the ages of 18 and 24 are most likely to come to Common Grounds
for not only coffee, but also mystery movie night, to play video games, to study, and
open mic night, which consists of mostly singer/songwriters. Common Grounds is
located relatively close to campus so it will be close enough for undergraduate students
to walk or drive to. Common Grounds has a hip and fresh atmosphere which is
attractive for college students.

Target Public Psychographics

Experiencers
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Experiencers want everything, are first in and first out of trend adoption. Go against the
current mainstream, and are up to date on the latest fashions. Experiencers love
physical activity (they are sensation seeking), and see themselves as very sociable.
They also believe that friends are extremely important, they are typically spontaneous
and have a heightened sense of visual stimulation.
http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/experiencers.shtml
Believers
Believers believe in basic rights and wrongs to lead a good life, they rely on spirituality
and faith to provide inspiration. They want friendly communities and are not looking for
a change in society. They watch TV and read romance novels to find an escape, and
have strong me-too fashion attitudes. Believers want to know where things stand; and
have no tolerance for ambiguity, they value constancy and stability (they can appear to
be loyal). Believers also find advertising a legitimate source of information.
http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/believers.shtml
Defense of Psychographics
The Experiencers label is appropriate for this psychographic because UNCG students,
like college students in general, tend to be on top of trends and styles. Common
Grounds is trendy and appealing to experiencers because of its uniqueness. Friends
are an important aspect of college students lives, and UNCG students are no exception
to this. They are social and thrive off of being with friends because, to them, they are
their family away from home.
The Believers label is also appropriate because UNCG is one of most diverse schools
in the UNC system. The students here believe in basic rights and want to make sure
everyone has those rights; they want to know where things stand with not only basic
rights but also things in general. The majority of students here are millennials, so they
find legitimacy in advertising.

Strategic Research Design

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Informal, primary research will be conducted by an email questionnaire in order to

gather data needed for Common Grounds target public. Out of the 16,000
undergraduate students at UNCG, the focus will be on reaching 12,000 of these
students, giving us a 75% accuracy level. The purpose of this questionnaire is to find
both qualitative and quantitative information.
Sample qualitative questions used in our questionnaire will be the following: Do you
drink coffee? If yes, how many cups a day? Have you ever heard of Common Grounds?
etc.
The quantitative data will be collected through questions about their age, gender, year
they are in college, etc. These questions will help us to get a better idea of our target
demographic. The qualitative data will be collected through questions about their
personal preferences related to coffee. We want to find out where they go to get their
coffee, if they have heard of Common Grounds and why they do or do not choose
Common Grounds as their coffee shop. This information well help us to discover what
factors influence a customer into choosing a coffee shop and what we need to do to
make Common Grounds their go-to choice.
Budget Information
The budget for this plan is $500

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Section Two:
Strategic Planning Detail

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Communication Objective
To motivate 75% of UNCG students to shop at Common Grounds and grow the
business by 100% within the next year. The primary goal is informational, as this plan
aims to inform the students on what Common Grounds offers. During the 2016-2017
academic school year, Common Grounds will attempt to inform 12,000 students about
what they can provide to students. As stated in the mission statement, Common
Grounds offers a space within our community that promotes art, of all forms, is welcome
to all people, and inspires a positive experience.
By informing the students of UNCG about Common Grounds and motivating them to
use Common Grounds as their coffee shop, they will have the ability to meet their short
term goal of doubling business within the next 12 months. Once this goal is met, they
can expand their organization, make the experience of each customer satisfying, and
become better organized within the store. When these short-term goals are met, they
can then move on to achieving their long-term goals of keeping the atmosphere of a
small, local business and to scale these experiences for every unique neighborhood in
the nation.
To achieve these objectives, Common Grounds will perform qualitative and quantitative
informational tests to measure interest in Common Grounds before and after
implementing our PR program. The pre-program measurement will be an email sent to
approximately 16,000 registered students at UNCG asking questions about their
background and their knowledge on Common Grounds. This will give us a benchmark
on the amount of students who are aware of Common Grounds and the amount who
arent. To measure whether business has doubled or not, our post-program
measurement will be to send the same email as before to find out how many more
students know about Common Grounds or use Common Grounds as their coffee shop.
The goal will be to inform 75% of UNCG students.

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Message:
Believe in coffee.
Believe in the G.
Believe in yourself.
This message appeals to Common Grounds demographics (12,000 UNCG) because it
promotes school spirit (Believe in the G) while also promoting yourself. Common
Grounds want both, the Experiencers and the Believers to believe in themselves so
that they will have a determined outlook on life. This will apply to the Experiencers
because they are very social, and believe friends are extremely important. Believers will
also like this because they rely on friendly communities and they also find advertising a
legitimate source of information.

Spokesperson:
The elected spokesperson for Common Grounds will be the owner and founder, Dusty
Keene. Dusty is the elected spokesperson because he knows the most about the
business, and has been living in Greensboro his whole life. He will appeal to the
demographics because he has been working with college students since opening
Common Grounds. He can easily relate to the students, and will be able to connect
with them during the events. He has been an Experiencer and a Believer himself, so he
will be able to connect with the students on a personal level. He will also be helping
Common Grounds achieve their short term and long term goals because he is the
owner.

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Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Spokes Entity:

Believe in coffee.
Believe in the G.
Believe in yourself.

This is the best entity for Common Grounds because it connects to the target public
demographic because it incorporates the UNCG logo. When UNCG students see this
entity, they will know that Common Grounds is a business that welcomes UNCG
students. This entity also connect to our psychographics. Experiencers will find this
entity appealing because they are spontaneous and have a heightened sense of visual
stimulation. This entity is visually stimulating with its pleasant colors and simple design.
Believers will find this appealing because they want friendly communities. This entity
shows that Common Grounds is a friendly, local coffee shop in the UNCG area. It
creates a sense of community for the customers.

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Section Three:
Communication Tactics

Event Description and Rationale

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Common Grounds is partnering with the Humane Society of the Piedmont and UNCG
for a de-stress event at the Walter Clinton Jackson Library. The address is 320 College
Ave. Greensboro, N.C. This event will take place Tuesday, December 6th 2016 from
9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., which is Reading Day for students to begin studying for final
exams. During this event, the first 75 students can get a complimentary cup of coffee or
hot chocolate. After the first 75 students, the other students will pay for coffee with cash
or debit/credit card.
UNCG has allowed the Humane Society of the Piedmont, in the past, to come to the
Jackson Library to let the students de-stress with dogs. The Humane Society chose to
partner with Common Grounds to promote themselves, to bring awareness to how
many animals are in shelters and to show students how the comfort from animals can
help them de-stress.
Experiencers love physical activity and consider themselves to be very social.
Experiencers will appreciate this kind of event because they are able to socialize and
relax with friends over a cup of coffee while getting to play with dogs. Believers like
friendly communities so a friendly coffee break will be enticing to them. They also rely
on faith and spirituality to relax. Believers may want to take a break to meditate, sip
coffee, and play with dogs. This event can help them to focus on their spirituality and
escape from the stress of studying.
The main purpose of this event is to bring more business and to promote a positive
image of Common Grounds. Dusty, the owner, K.C. and Ricky will be helping at the
event. Dusty, the spokesperson, will be able to promote the business better than K.C.
or Ricky because he knows the company inside and out and he can relate to the
students more because he was once an experiencer and a believer. The spokes entity
will appeal to the students because it is a coffee mug with the UNCG logo on it.

Event Timeline
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In order for Common Grounds to partner with UNCG and the Humane Society of the
Piedmont, the following timeline will be used.
August 22,2016

Research Target Publics

August 23, 2016

Contact the University of North Carolina at Greensboro

August 24, 2016

Contact the Humane Society of the Piedmont

August 30, 2016

Confirm event with UNCG and the Humane Society of the

Piedmont

September 15, 2016

Send email to Alexandra Marchesano, Director of Campus

Activities and Programs and to Mike Harris, Campus Weekly
Director

September 16, 2016

Update Facebook page with news of the event

October 31, 2016

Follow again with UNCG and the Humane Society of the

Piedmont

November 15, 2016

Follow up again with Alexandra Marchesano and Mike Harris

December 5, 2016

Update Facebook Page with Event again

December 6, 2016

De-Stress Event at the Walter Clinton Jackson Library

December 7, 2016

Send News Release to UNCG Campus Activities and

Programs

Event Day Timeline

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Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

7:00 p.m.

Common Grounds Employees arrive at Common Grounds to

prepare coffee and other supplies needed for the event.

8:00 p.m.

Have all coffee prepared and in coffee urns to keep warm and
transport to campus.

8:30 p.m.

Arrive at Walter Clinton Jackson Library to set up.

9:00 p.m.

Event begins, Common Grounds employees stand by to

promote Common Grounds and help students with coffee.

12:00 a.m.

Event ends. Clean up begins.

1:00 a.m.

All supplies are cleaned up and ready to be transported back

to Common Grounds.

Event Partners
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Humane Society of the Piedmont - as a partner of Common Grounds, this business will
provide dogs and dog caretakers for the event as well as other necessary supplies
needed for containing and taking care of the dogs.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro - as a partner of Common Grounds, UNCG
will provide their library for use, as well as tables, chairs, and other supplies necessary
for setup and cleanup of the event.
Partner Rationale
Humane Society of the Piedmont - having partnered with various UNCG organizations
before, the Human Society of the Piedmont is a way to connect Common Grounds to
students in an extra way. It shows Common Grounds cares about not only animals, but
about students well-being as well. The Humane Society is able to gain interest in their
organization as well as encouraging students to volunteer or adopt a pet.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro - UNCG has been a continual partner
throughout this plan. UNCG will help to inform students of this event as well as
providing a space for the event to take place. This event will benefit them because it will
help their students to relieve stress and take a break from studying.

Publicity

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Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Controlled
Email announcements to all UNCG students.
Printed brochures
Social media announcements
Uncontrolled
News release
Word of mouth
News coverage from local media

Budget
This budget for this event is $500. $375 will be allocated to the first 75 students, and
the remaining $125 will be used to cover any other necessary expenses, like coffee and
hot chocolate urns, and ice to keep milk and flavored syrup cool.

Media Contacts

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Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Alexandra Marchesano
Director of Campus Activities and Programs
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Suit 221, EUC
Greensboro, N.C. 27402
Tel: (336) 334-5800
Email: capso@uncg.edu
Mike Harris
Campus Weekly Director
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
1400 Spring Garden St.
Greensboro, N.C. 27412
Tel: (336) 334-5000
Email: mdharri3@uncg.edu

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Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

602 S. Elam Ave., Greensboro, NC

News Release
For Immediate Release

Victoria Johnson
Public Relations Manager
Tel: (704) 582-1518
Email: victoriaolive512@gmail.com

COMMON GROUNDS AND THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE PIEDMONT

Coffee Shop Owners Plan to Get More Business
Greensboro, NC December 7, 2016- Common Grounds and the Humane Society of the
Piedmont will partner with UNCG to hold a de-stress event on Tuesday December 9th,
from 9:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. in the Walter Clinton Jackson Library on UNCGs
campus. This event provided coffee and the option to de-stress and relax with dogs
from the humane society during Reading Day, the day before exams starts. This event
helped students to relax while studying for final exams for the fall semester.
This event had many great reviews from students who attended. Grayson Ramsey said
exams are already stressful enough, but Common Grounds really came through with
the coffee, and the Humane Society brought the dogs, which were both relaxing.
Another student, Katie Basey said The coffee gave me the extra energy I needed to
finish studying for my Spanish exam, and the dogs allowed me to take a break from
studying and to just chill out for a bit. Dusty, the owner of Common Grounds, felt as if it
was a very successful event that help promote his business as well, saying Because
UNCG let us partner with the Humane Society of the Piedmont, this has helped bring
awareness to the animals at the shelter, and also promote us as a local business in
Greensboro.
Common Grounds is a local coffee shop that not only serves coffee but as a wide
selection of beer, wine and soda. They have a movie theater, a game room and bar,
and offer a wide variety of things to do, like open mic night, mystery movie night and
comedy night. It is a great atmosphere to study or to hang out with friends. For more
information visit their facebook page:
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Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

https://www.facebook.com/CommonGroundsGreensboro/ or visit their location at 602 S.

Elam Ave., Greensboro, NC
-###For more information, please email Victoria Johnson directly at
victoriaolive512@gmail.com or email Dusty Keene, the owner of Common Grounds, at
info@keeninnovations.com

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Devon Paul and Victoria Johnson

Common Grounds
Coffee Shop
602 S. Elam Ave.
Greensboro, N.C. 27403

CONTACT:
Devon Paul, Public Relations Manager
Cellular: 828-493-1010
Email: devonlpaul@charter.net
MEDIA ADVISORY
Common Grounds is partnering with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and
The Humane Society of the Piedmont to provide a stress relieving event for UNCG
students. Students can stop by Walter Clinton Jackson library on UNCGs campus
starting at 9:00 p.m. to receive a free cup of coffee and play with shelter dogs. This
event is being held to help students take a break from studying for exams and to take
their minds off of their work for a few minutes. Common Grounds is supplying the coffee
for the event as well as planning the event.
WHO: Common Grounds
Students of UNCG
The Humane Society of the Piedmont
WHAT: A campus wide event for UNCG students to play with dogs and get a free cup
of coffee for the first 75 students.
WHEN: Tuesday, December 6 at 9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Walter Clinton Jackson Library
1400 Spring Garden Street
Greensboro, NC 27412
WHY: To give UNCG students a break from studying for final exams, relax, get caffeine,
and to relieve stress.

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Appendix
Source for Demographic and Psychographic Data:
https://www.uncg.edu
Source for Common Grounds picture
http://commongrounds.coffee/
VALS Types. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes.shtml

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Sample Survey Questions

All students from the De-stress event will receive an email from Campus Activities and
Programs with a short survey. The survey will be five questions long, and if completed
they will receive a voucher for a free cup of coffee from Common Grounds. Four of the
questions will be simple yes-no questions, and one will be open ended.
The four yes-no questions will be:
1. Have you heard of Common Grounds prior to this event?
2. Did you enjoy the coffee you received?
3. Will you visit Common Grounds in the near future?
4. In your opinion, was the event successful in bringing attention to Common
Grounds?
The one open ended question will be:
1. What recommendations do you have for Common Grounds? Whether it s
coffee flavors, events or food, we want to know so you can have the best experience
possible.

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