Final Media Plan – Spring 2020

Clay Taylor

1a. Within the $30,000 budget, create awareness and increase market share of Tom’s of Maine
Silly Strawberry oral care products. Our target counties are Washington, Benton, Sebastian,
and Crawford Counties. These four counties are in the plan because they include our target
market of adults ages 25 to 44 with children up to age 14 and median incomes of
$60,000. The median age in Benton County is 35, in Sebastian County it is 37 years
old, and the Crawford County and Washington County median is around 32 years old (World
Population Review for respective cities, 2020). In Washington County, 32% of residents
have obtained their bachelor's degree or higher (Washington County Census). In Benton
County, the median income is over $60,000 (Benton County Census).

The media plan runs from Monday, August 10 through Sunday, August 16, 2020,
because elementary school begins August 13 in the designated counties and “high season”
for K–12 shopping is between July 22 and August 25 (Bentonvillek12, 2020, Square
Editorial Team). Advertise during this time because back-to-school is the second-biggest
retail season after the winter holidays (Square Editorial Team).

To create awareness and market share of Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry toothpaste and
mouth wash, use broadcast, digital, print, retail, out-of-home, social media, and influencer
advertising.

1b. Target advertising to adults ages 25 to 44 (153, 120) with children up to age 14. The parents
have household incomes of $60,000 or more (141, 122, 121), and have graduated college
(156) or earned a post graduate degree (151). They tend to work in management, business
and financial (121) or professional (162; MRI-TU, 2018) occupations. Consumers, especially
parents, are interested in buying all-natural oral care products that have familiar, effective
and safe ingredients (MOH-ES, 2019). Their key lifestyle interests are news, business and
financial news, travel/outdoor adventure, and entertainment (see MRI-TU, 2018). Parents try
to develop good oral care habits in their children from an early age, 25% buy their kids
natural oral care products, and parents are interested in products that “guide kids through the
brushing process” (MOH-PA, 2019, p. 1).

1c. The baseline is 210 GRPs, with a reach of 70 and a frequency of 4 among the target
market. The proposed local plan has 615 GRPs. Use a 75 reach because brands rarely set
their reach goals less than 50, using the 66 to 80 range (p. 96). Set the frequency at four
because consumers do not remember an ad unless they see it at least three times (p. 96).

2a. Use television advertising to increase awareness of Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry
Children’s Toothpaste and Silly Strawberry Children’s Anticavity Mouth Rinse for 75% of
the target market in Northwest Arkansas. Place ads on local and network stations with high
ratings because the population tends to spend about five hours daily watching television,
making it “one of the most common modern leisure activities” (All Business,
2019). “Television is the largest advertising medium in terms of dollar expenditures.” (p.
 157) and some of the advantages include: mass coverage, impact and extensive viewer time
(p. 161).

2b. Place six :30-second ads on CBS This Morning at 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday because

45% of respondents agreed that “[they] know when advertisers put an ad on Local TV News that

[advertisers] care about [us] and [our] community.” ("PR Newswire,” 2014). Place four :30-

second ads on the local KFSM 5:00 p.m. newscast on Monday, August 10. Place two ads on the

local KFSM network station on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. during The

Neighborhood because 50.1% of people watch television between 7-8 p.m. (U.S. Bureau of

Labor Statistics, 2018).

Advertise on the local KFTA at 7:00 p.m. Sunday during the airing of “Impractical Jokers

because it is the number one comedy series for adults ages 18-49 (Kimball, 2019).

Place three :30-second ads on ABC’s Good Morning America at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday through

Thursday because “57% of U.S. adults often get TV-based news.” (Pew Research Center, 2016).

Advertise on the local KHOG 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. newscast because about one-third of U.S.

adults (31%) watch the local news (Pew Research Center, 2019). ABC has the highest rating for

adults ages 18-49 (Johnson, 2019). Place one :30 second ad on the local

KHOG network station on Sunday 7:00 p.m. on America’s Funniest Home Videos because it is

the most watched program for ages 14-49 (Battaglio, 2017). Our target market of male and

female parents ages 24-44 (153, 120) with children up to the age of 14 are more likely to

watch America’s Funniest Home Videos because it is “Wholesome and Family-oriented"

(Marks, 2018).
Place one :30-second ad in HGTV’s show “Fixer Upper” on Monday to Friday because HGTV is

the fourth most-watched cable show and because Gen-Z and millennials combined “account for

55% of HGTV’s audience.” (Hahm, 2017).

3a. Use print advertising to increase awareness of Tom’s of Maine oral products for children
because “print offers an alternative medium to connect with your audience on their terms.”
(Forbes Communication Council, 2018). Advantages for using print advertising are that they
are edited for all age ranges. Print advertising can reach children, teens, adults, and all
genders (p. 175).

3b. Place one 1/4 black-and-white page ad into the Arkansas Democrat Gazette (ADG) Food

section on Wednesday, August 12, because “grocery stores in the US average 29-30 million

shoppers each day Monday to Thursday, compared to 33-41 million shoppers on Friday to

Sunday, according to the Time Use Institute.” (Bennett, 2019). Place ad on

Wednesday gives readers the opportunity to see the ad before they make their grocery list for

grocery shopping on Friday through Sunday.

Place one 1/8 black-and-white page ad into the ADG business section on Sunday, August 16,

because the target audience tends to read business/financial news (134) and are employed in

business, finance, and management positions (121). The estimated readership for Sunday

newspaper’s is 30.8 million, 2.2 million higher than weekday readership (Barthel, 2019).

Place one 1/8 black-and-white page ad in the business section of the Fort Smith Times Record

(FSTR) on Tuesday, August 11, because the target audiences tend to work in management,

business and financial (121) and have household incomes of $60,000 or more (141, 122,

121). “Americans who have higher incomes are more likely to receive news from traditional

news sources such as newspapers.” (American Press Institute, 2014).

Place one 1/4 black-and-white page ad in the Youth and Education section of FSTR on Friday,

August 14, because parents will find dental health education important for their children. “It’s

important for parents to start thinking about their baby’s dental health even before birth.”

(College of Dentistry, 2018).

Place one 1/4 black-and-white page ad in the Lifestyle section of FSTR on Sunday, August 16,

because 50% of women were likely to agree that lifestyle sections appeal to women and

recognize women’s wants and needs and provide information “that is helpful in the daily lives of

women” (Weiss, Poindexter, Meraz p. 99). Placing ad in Lifestyle section will expose Tom’s of

Maine oral products to mothers, which is the intended target audience.

4a. Use digital advertising to increase awareness of Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry
Children’s Toothpaste and Silly Strawberry Children’s Anticavity Mouth Rinse to parents in
the 25 to 44 age range in Northwest Arkansas, (153, 120). Use digital advertising because
“many people spend time online doing directed activities—searching for information about
news, current events, and various things that interest them (including products and services).”
and because “about 78% of Americans are connected to the Internet on average for about
nine hours a day...” (p. 194).

4b. Place two digital ads on arkansasbusiness.com because the target audience tends to work in

business and financial (121) or professional (162; MRI-TU, 2018) occupations and because,

“The digital environment is now a key component in how Americans learn about local events

and issues in the news” (Geiger, 2019).

Place one digital ad on arkansasrazorbacks.com because “college football remains one of the

most powerful platforms for reaching a mass audience in real time.” (2018-19 Report: Amazing).

Traffic for arkansasrazorbacks.com will be heavier with families and students purchasing tickets

for the football season in August because the deadline to purchase student passes online “for the
first football game of the year” was Sept. 1. (Newswire, 2010) and because the first Arkansas

Razorback football game is Sept. 5, 2020.

Place one digital ad on athomearkansas.com because our target audience may be interested in

travel, outdoor adventure, and entertainment. At Home combines all three of these interests. At

Home is also an interior design outlet for parents, especially those with children. During the

summer, readership for these websites are higher. Place the ads during this time because, “In

many places around the country, summer is the season for remodeling.” (Nardone, Scott, 2016).

Place one digital ad on 4029TV.com because “The digital environment is now a key component

in how Americans learn about local events and issues in the news.” (Pew Research Center).

Place one digital ad on 5newsonline.com because 37 percent of adults in America say “they

prefer to get their local news via online channels,” and about “three-quarters (77%) say the

internet is important in how they get local news.” (Geiger, 2019).

4d. Use programmatic direct advertising to run an on-site takeover on the Parents.com every
other day, three times, during the week of August 10-August 16. Tom’s of Maine target
market lines up with Parents.com because their highest readership age group is 25-54 with
children (153, 120). Median HHI as well as whether the readers have attended/graduated
college also correlate with the intended audience (Parents Magazine Media Kit, 2020).

5a. Use retail advertising to increase awareness of Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry Children’s
Toothpaste and Silly Strawberry Children’s Anticavity Mouth Rinse because about 75% of
brand choices are made in the store and because consumers often buy on impulse in-store.
Retail advertising reach consumers close to point of purchase (p. 201).

5b. Store locations:

1. Atherton, CA because it is the number one richest city in America and has been for
four years in a row. (Burroughs, 2020)
 2. Scarsdale, NY because it is the wealthiest city on the east coast. They also have top-
rated schools which is another indicator that parents would be shopping in this city.
(Tanza, 2019)
3. Austin, TX because the typical household in the Austin-Round Rock metro area earns
nearly $74,000 a year, about $13,500 more than the typical American household.
(Stebbins, 2019)
4. Omaha, NE because young professionals and families are attracted to the city
primarily for its affordability, safety, and strong economy. (Tanza, 2019)
5. Overland Park, KS because they are ranked number one as the best place to raise a
family by WalletHub.com. It is affordable, safe, and extremely family friendly.
(Kiernan, 2019)
6. Manchester-Nashua, NH is the wealthiest metro area in New Hampshire and the third
wealthiest in the broader New England region. (Stebbins, 2019)
7. Des Moines, IA because it is drawing millennials and young families alike for its "one-
of-a-kind shops, locally-owned restaurants, and hip bars" as well as its historical
residences in quiet neighborhoods, said a local expert. (Burroughs, 2020)
8. Bentonville, AR because it was voted the number one place to raise a family in
Arkansas. (Niche)
9. Carmel, IN because it is the safest city to raise a child, according to Safewise.com. It
also has a median income of $109,201 which is $48,701 higher than the typical
American household. (Weida, 2020)
10. Long Beach, CA, because it is a large city with one of the highest shares of families
with children sitting at 29.7%. (Kiernan, 2019)

5c. Use Walgreens as our retailer because there are 9,277 locations across the United States. It is
the second largest pharmacy chain, behind CVS. Walgreens claims to have 75% population
within a five-mile radius (Forbes, 2011) which shows great amount of exposure to the
product.

5d. Use endcaps as point of purchase display inside Walgreens because “...studies repeatedly
show that end caps sell better than in-aisle displays of the same product(s). That’s because
end cap displays are both easily accessible and convenient.” (Heil, 2019). The display will
promote Tom’s of Maine oral care products for children branded to parents, use bright
coloring to attract attention to children and parents.

6a. Use Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising to increase awareness of Tom’s of Maine Silly
Strawberry Children’s Toothpaste and Silly Strawberry Children’s Anticavity Mouth Rinse.
Use OOH advertising because it reaches potential customers close to the point of sale and
there is continuous exposure, day and night. (p. 186, 188). Having continuous exposure
increases brand recognition which will increase product sales (Rhodes, 2017).

6b. Use digital billboard advertising because it can incorporate multiple styles of messaging such
as animation or video. (Inspiria Outdoor Advertising) Digital billboards allow for more than
 one message at a time to be displayed and can allow for the Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry
Children’s Toothpaste and Silly Strawberry Children’s Anticavity Mouth Rinse to have two
separate ads. (Heil, 2019) Place the digital billboard advertisements beside busy highways,
where this type of advertisement is usable. Billboards offer tremendous visibility to vehicular
traffic as they reach both the driver and all passengers on their commute to and from work
(Inspiria Outdoor Advertising). The billboards would use a variety of colors to attract drivers
and passengers as well as sticking to the brand of Tom’s of Maine so that consumers are able
to recognize the company. Communication would encourage consumers to purchase the
Tom’s of Maine products, with proper slogan, where to purchase, etc.

7a. Use Facebook as the social media platform to increase awareness of Tom’s of Maine Silly
Strawberry Children’s Toothpaste and Silly Strawberry Children’s Anticavity Mouth Rinse
because “advertisers can create highly targeted advertisements and present them to Facebook
audiences.” (p. 212). Another reason to use advertising on Facebook is because the
platform has 2.38 billion monthly active users (Animalz, 2019). Use this platform because
“seven-in-ten U.S. adults (69%) use Facebook.” (Omnicore, 2020)

7b. Use video advertising on Facebook because video ads capture the attention of your audience
better than any other type of ad and people are 85% more likely to purchase after viewing a
product video (Animalz, 2019). Video advertising allows for wide content creativity and
could feature children actively using the oral care products. This would draw in the target
audience because, parents are interested in products that “guide kids through the brushing
process” (MOH-PA, 2019, p. 1). Define the audience by interests because it makes the
targeted ads more relevant and can reach the Tom’s of Maine target segment of
parents interested in buying all-natural oral care products that have familiar, effective and
safe ingredients (Facebook, MOH-ES, 2019).

8a. Use Facebook blogger and influencer Mamavation because she is committed to supplying
information to other moms about safe and healthy products and practices in our homes. Her
blog reads, “Mamavation and affiliated influencers reach over 20 million consumers per
month who trust the community for brand introductions and product recommendations.” This
would be a valid platform to promote Tom’s of Maine and reach the specific target
market because her audience majority is 25 to 45-year-old women with children. (Segedie)

8b. Mamavation would create a post on her blog about how safe Tom’s of Maine is for children’s
gums and teeth. This post would then be shared to her affiliated pages on social
media. Another way to promote Tom’s of Maine through Mamavation would be promoting
them through subjective lists, similar to those of Buzzfeed. For example, some posts include
“Mamavation’s 150+ Best Non-Toxic Must-Buys.” If Tom’s of Maine is ranked high on this
list, this would also create more awareness for Tom’s of Maine Silly Strawberry Children’s
Toothpaste and Silly Strawberry Children’s Anticavity Mouth Rinse.
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