PROJECT REPORT

ON
GoPro
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE REQUIREMENTS OF
THE SUBJECT : IMC
IN THE TWO YEAR FULL MASTER OF BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION PROGRAMME
GLS UNIVERSITY

Date of Submission :
25/9/2020
SUBMITTED TO:
Prof. Maulik Shah
SUBMITTED BY:
ASHFAK HAMDANI(201900620010453)
NIDHI JOSHI(201900620010462)
KHUSHBOO SHAH(201900620010582)
YASH THAKKAR(201900620010621)
YASH MAJETHIYA(201900620010483)
DHAVAL RAVAL(201900620010560)

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No. Topics Page
No.

1 History of GoPro 3
2 Country of Origin 6
3 IMC Strategies 7
4 MARKET SHARE AND CURRENT 12
SITUATION ANALYSIS

5 STP Analysis 14
6 RECENT IMC ACTICITY 15
7 COMPETITOR’S OF GoPro 17

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 1. HISTORY OF GoPro

When you see someone biking by with a small, square camera strapped onto the handlebar or
notice someone climb onto the ski lift with a black box mounted on his or her helmet, you
know an adventure is about to happen. Let's dive into the history of GoPro.

The mighty mini camera known as the GoPro has a well-established reputation for capturing
extreme sports and travel experiences through stunning videos and photos. How did the
GoPro become a go-to recording device for sports enthusiasts?

What is the company’s role in modern day society? Where will GoPro be in the next few
years? This article about the history of GoPro tells the story of a camera that is responsible
for relaying some of the most exciting stories of the modern age.

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The company was founded by Nick Woodman in 2003He was motivated by a 2002 surfing trip to
Australia in which he was hoping to capture high quality action photos, but could not because amateur
photographers could not get close enough or buy appropriate quality equipment at reasonable
prices. The 'GoPro' name came about as Woodman and his surfing friends all aspired to become
professional surfers as 'going pro' was the ultimate goal and the only way to be filmed on the water at
that time. The camera range was branded 'Hero' as their aim was to capture close-up action shots that
made the subject look like a hero.

Woodman raised a portion of his initial capital by selling bead and shell belts for under
US$20 from his VW van and, later, fashionable camera straps. He also received over
$230,000 from his parents to invest in the business.

In 2004, the company sold its first camera system, which used 35 mm film.  Digital still and
video cameras were later introduced. As of 2014, a fixed-lens HD video camera with a wide
170-degree lens was available; two or more can be paired to create 360 video.

On June 4, 2014, the company announced the appointment of former Microsoft

executive Tony Bates as President reporting directly to Woodman.

In January 2016, GoPro partnered with Periscope for live streaming.

After growing the number of employees by more than 500 in 2015, the company responded
to weak sales in the fourth quarter by cutting about 7% of its workforce (100 workers) in
January 2016

In November 2016, the company announced it was laying off an additional 200 employees in
an effort to reduce costs. The company also announced that President Tony Bates would be
stepping down at the end of 2016. 270 more employees were laid off in March 2017 and 250
additional layoffs followed in January 2018, bringing the company's workforce to "just under
1,000".

At its peak, a share of GoPro was valued at $86, but on March 26, 2018, only $4.81.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, GoPro laid off more than 20 percent of its
workforce - over 200 employees.

The Products

The first GoPro looked a bit different from today’s models. Introduced in 2004, the HERO
was a 35mm camera that could strap onto the user’s wrist. It could take photos in a maximum
depth of five meters of water.

For comparison, the HERO6 is a similar size and was available to the public in 2017.
Although, one can use them 10 meters underwater, take videos and photos, connect to Wi-Fi
and more. 

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Below is a timeline tracing the evolution of various GoPro camera models:

 2002: GoPro is founded

 2004: HERO 35mm camera

 2006: Digital HERO

 2011: HERO2

 2012: HERO3

 2013: HERO3+

 2014: HERO4

 2015: HERO+LCD, HERO+

 2016: Karma Drone, HERO5

 2017: HERO6, Fusion

 2018: HERO 2018 Edition

Throughout the years, the company has discontinued. The 2018 lineup of GoPro cameras
includes the HERO6, HERO5, HERO 2018 and Fusion.

These cameras have come a long way from the original 35mm camera used with a wrist strap.

For example, the HERO6 is capable of 4K60 video and incorporates technologies including
voice activation, compatibility with the Karma drone and a touchscreen display. GoPro’s
most recent introduction, the Fusion, takes recording action footage to a whole new level by
allowing users to create entirely spherical videos.

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 2. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
GoPro, Inc. (marketed as GoPro and sometimes stylized as GoPRO) is
an American technology company founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman. It
manufactures action cameras and develops its own mobile apps and video-editing software.
Founded as Woodman Labs, Inc, the company eventually focused on the connected sports
genre, developing its line of action cameras and, later, video editing software. It is based in
San Mateo, California.

It developed a quadcopter drone, Karma, released in October 2016. In January

2018, Karma was discontinued and the company hired JPMorgan Chase to pursue options of
selling the company.[3] However, a month later, the CEO denied this. GoPro has continued its
business in manufacturing action cameras

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 3. IMC STRATEGIES USED BY GoPro

Integrated marketing communications or IMC, simply refers to companies coordinating the

communication channels to deliver a clear, consistent message of the brand and its products.

There are four key components that are necessary for a company to create an effective IMC
strategy:

1. Coherence: messages must be logically connected across all channels

2. Consistency: communication across channels must support and reinforce the primary

message

3. Continuity: primary message should be connected through time

4. Complementary: messages should be better together

How Does GoPro Implement These Components?

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Coherence & Consistency

GoPro enables people to celebrate the moment by capturing life as they live it, share the
experience and pass on the stoke. They consistently deliver this message through user
generated content where they invite consumers to upload photos and videos of themselves
using their product online either to GoPro’s web page or on social media using the hashtag
#GoPro. These posts are used by GoPro in their IMC strategies ranging from photo and/or
video “of the day” uploads on their social media pages; Facebook, Instagram Twitter, or
incorporating the media into their television and billboard advertisements.

Complementary

In addition to advertising, GoPro promotes their company through a range of other methods
including sponsorship marketing. GoPro sponsors athletes and events that align with their
target audience profile of those that enjoy outdoor adventures; such as world class skier Chris

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Davenport and the World Championship Tour surfing competition.

GoPro’s ability to implement an effective IMC strategy has enabled them to become one of
the most popular camera companies in the world.

GoPro understands their target audience well, which are the Millennials, also known as
Generation Y. Specifically, the millennials community that are actively involved in extreme
sports and those who love outdoor activities. Hence, they have selected social media
platforms which are more popular with millennials.

GoPro has huge presence on most social media platforms – such as Youtube, Instagram,
Facebook and Twitter. Shown below are some examples of the platforms which GoPro uses
to attract a huge following:

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As observed, GoPro has successfully conveyed the message that the product is suitable for
individuals who are actively involved in extreme sports. Also, they have a consistent look
where almost all the posts relate to extreme sports. Not only on instagram, their youtube
channel has also successfully communicate the message, which is in line with the posts on
instagram.

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The above video has gone viral with 40m views on youtube. GoPro was able to score one of
the top ads of the 2014 by using a firefighter’s original GoPro video, proving that when you
have a strong brand message, even user-generated content will represent your campaign and
make it successful.

In short, I think that GoPro has created successful Integrated Marketing campaign!

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 4. MARKET SHARE AND CURRENT SITUATION
ANALYSIS
In the US, GoPro captured 93% dollar share of the action camera category in Q4 2019,
according to the NPD Group.

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5. STP ANALYSIS
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6. RECENT IMC ACTICITY

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IMC Plan Objectives
Informative:!

• Let current and new GoPro users know that they have a online market place – a platform to
share and sell the content created by them using GoPro

Persuasive:!

• Stimulate people to make and share their content in a more meaningful and quality way

• Stimulate content buyers to use our platform

Pre-launching
Objective: Generate content for the Market Place

Teaser: Send a teaser using current users’ database and invite them to register (landing
page):

“Soon it will be an online space for all GoPro users to make money using your amazing
content. Register now and we will keep you updated"

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 Closed Beta Invitation:! Select great GoPro content producers and send them an invitation to
upload the content to the Market Place

Launching

Objectives:

• Keep stimulating users uploading content

• Let content buyers know about the new platform

• Spread out the news about our MarketPlace

Post-launching
Objectives:

• Keep stimulating users to upload content

• Stimulate content buyers to acquire content from the MarketPlace

• Keep spread out the news about the MarketPlace

Campaign:

• Social Media/Webinars • PR (Press-release, influencers)

• Ad (Online, TV, Magazines, Google Adwords)

• Trade shows (i.e.:. Mipcom, MIPTV, NABShow)

• Promotion (Discount for the content buyers)

• Co-contest, Co-productions, etc

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7. COMPETITOR’S OF GoPro

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