Communications Campaign Proposal

Cops & Doughnuts

Introduction
This communications plan outline will address Cops & Doughnuts’ issue of decreased repeat
and/or new business. Due to their remote location, the Cops & Doughnuts headquarters relies on
travelers and tourists passing by Clare on their way north or south coming and going from events and
vacations.
This communications plan intends to take advantage of the 2021 Traverse City Film Festival to
increase foot traffic at the original Clare location. The focus of this campaign is the “Taste The Silver-
Screen” promotional event featuring limited edition, film-inspired products for prior to and during the
2021 Traverse City Film Festival. This promotional event will showcase that Cops & Doughnuts is
dedicated to offering their customers a unique and interesting experience and supporting/promoting
Northern Michigan tourism and events.

Research
Client
Cops & Doughnuts has a long list of positive reviews and interactions across their social media
and the internet such as Yelp and Google reviews. The biggest draw, according to reviews, is the history
and theme of Cop & Doughnuts as well as their tasty baked goods that attract customers from all over
the state. Although Cops & Doughnuts is consistently active on their Facebook and social media outlets
posting daily, the most common forms of exposure come from traditional media outlets like 9&10
News, physical billboards, and word-of-mouth recommendations.
One great aspect of Cops & Doughnuts current communications strategy is their interactions
with customers and their dedicated following both in-person and online. The difficulty is transitioning
from interactions and engagement online to customers walking in and purchasing products. Another
strong factor is the seasonal and holiday-themed specials/events such as Cops & Doughnuts recent
campaign focused on promoting apple fritters and baked goods for hunters traveling north for this
November’s hunting season. Promotions such as this keep the brand relevant and give customers an
incentive to stop in.

Problem
The biggest problem that the Cops & Doughnuts location in Clare faces is a lack of foot traffic
and repeat customers. Co-founder Alan White found if they were able to drum up at least one more visit
from seasonal customers, or to gain new customers in the summer season, it would be of a massive
benefit to the company. According to research done by the Michigan Department of Transportation,
roughly 17,000 people travel past the Clare business exit on U.S. Route 127 from the south, and around
24,000 pass by the northern exit of the city of Clare as estimated in the Annual Average Daily Traffic
statistics from 2019. With that much travel traffic spread out throughout the year with higher spikes
following events such as the National Cherry Festival, Mackinac Island Lilac Festival, and the Traverse
City Film Festival, there should be a steady supply of new and returning interested customers stopping
in. This is especially so with the success of the billboards on the major roadways as individuals get
closer to Clare. If Cops & Doughnuts took advantage of the travel traffic for the Traverse City Film
Festival, it would increase in-store business, and because it is a smaller festival with a dedicated
following of attendees, it could offer the prospect of repeat business for years to come.

Target Audience
The Traverse City Film Festival is a six-day event hosted in Traverse City annually during the
summer months dedicated to all thing’s cinema and cinema appreciation. The festival maintains an
average of 120,000 festival admissions each year.
Of these attendees, over 55% travel and visit from outside the Grand Traverse County area. Many of
these attendees drive in from throughout Michigan and the Midwest on U.S. Route 127 on their way
north, making them an ideal target for the Cops & Doughnuts Clare location. The festival also boasts
that 84% of attendees attend year after year which increases the chance to reach this specific target
market repeatedly. The TCFF’s target audience is considered as “cinephiles” and amateur or
professional film connoisseurs. They value cinema and film more than the average person and are
willing to indulge in spending on items/experiences that resonate or connect with this. This concept can
be seen in the estimated $15 million economic impact the festival has on the Traverse City area.
Many of the festival attendees are aware of Cops & Doughnuts from the billboards posted along the
major highways and interstates traveling north according to a large number of Yelp and Google reviews.
These attendees may have stopped in before but providing them with a new unique limited experience
would ensure they keep coming back. According to the festival’s own research and analytics, their
attendees fit the following demographics:

• GENDER
o 60% Female
o 40% Male
• AGE
o Median Age 49
o 14% 25 and under
o 18% 25-39
o 33% 40-64
o 35% 65 and over
• INCOME
o Median Income $87,500
o 16% $150,000 and over
o 26% $100,000-$149,999
o 44% $45,000-$99,999
o 14% $44,999 and under
 With these demographics in mind, we have a better understanding of the attendee's orientation
and spending. Due to the relatively high median income and the known spending habits of festival
attendees for the Traverse City area, it solidifies this audience as a profitable option.

Objectives
Impact
• Behavioral: To increase walk-in traffic for the Clare headquarters of Cops & Doughnuts by 20%
for the 10-day period including the weekends before, after, and during the 2021 Traverse City
Film Festival

Output
• Prepare and distribute a press release to local and Michigan news networks such as 9&10 News,
MLive, the Clare County Cleaver, and The Detroit Free Press a week prior to the start of the
event.
• Create and post four engaging posts per week on Cops & Doughnuts Instagram, Twitter, and
Facebook a week prior and during the 10-day “Taste The Silver-Screen” promotional event.
• Create and produce ten unique promotional items to be sold and offered during the 10-day event.
• Facilitate the “Taste The Silver-Screen” promotional event for a 10-day period including the
weekends before, after, and during the 2021 Traverse City Film Festival.
• Produce and distribute flyers pertaining to the promotional items and the event to be distributed
during the 2021 Traverse City Film Festival.

Programming
Theme: Taste The Silver-Screen

Key messages

• Cops & Doughnuts is dedicated to offering their customers a unique and interesting experience.
• Cops & Doughnuts is committed to supporting and promoting Northern Michigan tourism and
events.

Action
The “Taste The Silver-Screen” campaign will be focused around a 10-day long promotional
event featuring cinema and movie-themed products. The event will be centered around the 2021
Traverse City Film Festival including the weekends leading up to and after the six-day event. This time
frame will be ideal because it has the highest chances of reaching attendees as they travel to and from
Traverse City. I believe this will be a nice addition to Cops & Doughnuts communications strategy
because it is in line with similar promotions they have done in the past. One such example is the
previously discussed campaign focused on hunters and hunting season. A secondary reason why this
would apply to their overall communications strategies is that it is relatively cost-effective and would
not extend their communications or promotional budget. The campaign will utilize traditional earned
media and social media communication to inform Michigan locals, Festival Attendees, and Cops &
Doughnuts dedicated customers about the event and the products that will be offered. The products if
possible, should be centered on either films being featured in the festival or cult classics any cinephile
can appreciate to best appeal to festival-goers. The festival's movie list should be released in late June
giving the Cops & Doughnuts bakers roughly a month to come up with film-related products if that is
deemed the preferred route.
The first reason why this campaign would be a success is that similar campaigns have already
been implemented at Cops & Doughnuts and had success in the past. The second reason is that festival
attendees who have already been known to visit Cops & Doughnuts would have further incentive to visit
again. Third, this target market has showcased its willingness to spend money on quality products and
experiences like Cops & Doughnuts offers. Finally, if the campaign is a success, it can be modified and
reimplemented annually with the return of the Traverse City Film Festival every summer.

Social Media Posts Examples

• The 2021 Traverse City Film Festival is here, and we aim to celebrate. Be sure to stop in at our
Clare Headquarters on your way up north or on your way home and pick up some of our limited
cinema and film inspired products! We are open for business 6AM to 6PM seven days a week.
(be sure to include a photo of the limited-edition promotional items being offered to give
customers an idea of what to look forward to. Also, be sure to tag the Traverse City Film Festival
@TCFilmFest on each of their respective platforms.)
• We hoped you enjoyed your filmgoing experiences at the Traverse City Film Festival make sure
to stop in on your way south and try some of our limited promotional items before they are gone.
We are open for business 6AM to 6PM seven days a week. (once again be sure to include a
photo of the limited-edition promotional items preferably some different items being offered
from earlier posts. Also, be sure to tag the Traverse City Film Festival @TCFilmFest on each of
their respective platforms again.)

Evaluation
Impact
• Behavioral: To Increase walk-in traffic for the Clare Headquarters of Cops & Doughnuts by
20% for the 10-day period including the weekends before, after, and during the 2021 Traverse
City Film Festival
o Evaluate: Track the amount of foot traffic coming in and out of the Clare Cops &
Doughnuts location and compare the difference between previous foot traffic from that
time of the year without a promotion to evaluate this objective.
Output
• Prepare and distribute a press release to local and Michigan news networks such as 9&10 News,
MLive, the Clare County Cleaver, and The Detroit Free Press a week prior to the start of the
event.
 o Evaluate: Created and Distributed a press release to local and Michigan news networks a
week prior to the start of the “Taste The Silver-Screen” event.
• Create and post four engaging posts a week on Cops & Doughnuts Instagram, Twitter, and
Facebook a week prior and during the 10-day “Taste The Silver-Screen” promotional event.
o Evaluate: Created and posted four engaging social media posts a week starting one week
prior to and during the “Taste The Silver-Screen” event.
• Create and produce 10 unique promotional items to be sold and offered during the 10-day event.
o Evaluate: Created and Produced 10 unique promotional items that were offered during
the “Taste The Silver-Screen” event.
• Facilitate the “Taste The Silver-Screen” promotional event for a 10-day period including the
weekends before, after, and during the Traverse City Film Festival 2021.
o Evaluate: Facilitated the “Taste The Silver-Screen” promotional event for a 10-day
period including the weekend before and week of the 2021 Traverse City Film Festival.
• Produce and distribute flyers pertaining to the promotional items and the event to be distributed
during the 2021 Traverse City Film Festival.
o Evaluate: Produced and distributed flyers for the “Taste The Silver-Screen” event during
the 2021 Traverse City Film Festival.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Cops & Doughnuts is dedicated to offering their customers a unique and
interesting experience and supporting/promoting Northern Michigan tourism and events. This will be
showcased in the “Taste The Silver-Screen” campaign and event taking advantage of and promoting the
2021 Traverse City Film Festival. The event will feature limited-time products related to the films
featured at the festival and related to cinema and film icons.
The main objective we are hoping to accomplish is increasing walk-in traffic for the Clare
headquarters of Cops & Doughnuts by 20% for the 10-day period including the weekends before, after,
and during the 2021 Traverse City Film Festival. When performing research and speaking to co-founder
Alan White, repeat business and a lack of foot traffic is the largest issue facing Cops & Doughnuts, and
this campaign aims to solve that. By offering unique products focused on the Traverse City Film
Festival we will be appealing to a niche target audience that comes through the Clare area annually. This
group of film lovers is likely to stop in to take advantage of the promotion increasing prospective sales
and foot traffic for the Clare location, as has been seen in the estimated 15$ million in revenues
generated for the Traverse City area during the week of the festival.
We hope that, with the success of this campaign, it may be revised and reintroduced annually
with the Traverse City Film Festival and continue to garner attention and increased foot traffic for the
Clare Cops & Doughnuts location.